Chapter III: Heart of the Sea

Dys: All right, it's official. I am the biggest sap in the world.

Dartz: You're so hard on yourself, even when you're right.

Dys: That's because I have a low self-esteem.

Dartz: You can say that again.

Dys: Shut up!

It had been almost an hour when FD got back to work. She had a horrible feeling she would get in trouble. Luckily, she didn't. However, she did end up meeting with Dartz once more. This time, he came into her office. It was rather surprising.

FD was at her desk, drawing up designs and ideas to her plan when a knock came to her door. She looked up briefly, rubbing her eyes with her index finger, and spoke up.

"Come in."

The door opened and in stepped her boss, an expression on his face that seemed dark, yet innocent. He approached her desk, and she looked down, trying to cover her designs. She really didn't want him to see them just yet. After all, she had already embarrassed herself once. Why do it again? Nevertheless, nothing could stop her from blushing as he looked down at her with his discolored eyes.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but I was curious about your designs," he asked. She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised just slightly. She pulled away the papers covering her sketchpad, and he picked it up and looked over it. Her face was so hot now that it burned. She looked towards her computer, and noticed that the screen was blank. She hadn't even turned it on, and yet she's been here for six hours.

"Perfect. Excellent," Dartz kept muttering under his breath. FD's face grew hotter each time he said that. She never had anyone look at her drawings beside her parents, and even they didn't understand her art. Because of that, she figured that no one would understand them. Therefore, she never showed them to anyone. However, here, this man, was looking at them and flattering her to no extent. So, why should she be embarrassed?

Dartz replaced the sketchpad back onto her desk, and looked at her red face. He smiled sweetly at her. "I am assuming you have a low self-esteem?" he asked. FD didn't know how to respond to that, but merely looked down, trying hard to hide her face. Dartz chuckled briefly, and then left her office. FD was so embarrassed, she couldn't even think straight. She stood up from her next and left her office, making sure no one was in the hall. Then she quickened her pace to the elevator and banged on the arrow pointing downwards. Immediately the doors swung open and she stepped inside. No one was with her in the elevator, and no one came on until she reached the bottom level.

Immediately, Kiniko, who smiled sweetly at her, confronted her. "FD, you're red. Are you burning up?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine. I just need something to drink," FD spoke as she approached Kiniko's desk. Kiniko smiled sweetly and handed her a water bottle. FD thanked her and quickly took a sip from it.

"The boss was down here earlier. He was telling three young boys, whom he calls the Swordsmen, that you already have a design and plan of decorating this company," Kiniko spoke.

"Um…yeah, I did. Listen, Kiniko, I think…" FD's eyes went from Kiniko to her hands and then back. "I think I have a crush on Dartz."

Kiniko took one look at her before bursting into a fit of laughter. "Oh, my God! Please, tell me you're joking! You…have a crush on Dartz!" Kiniko gasped for air, and FD's face grew an immediate red. She couldn't believe she was embarrassing herself this much just because she couldn't get her mind off her boss. She couldn't even be in the same room with him. Luckily, she didn't tell Kiniko about that.

"I'm serious here, Kiniko. I really think I might have a crush on Dartz. I know it's wrong, but…" FD looked up when she felt something strange in her. She looked up to see Dartz walking that way towards them, and quickly gave Kiniko a "please-don't-tell" look. Kiniko smiled in a sweet way, assuring her that she wouldn't.

"Evening, ladies," Dartz quickly spoke as he headed toward the elevator.

"Good evening, sir," Kiniko spoke in response. She looked at FD, hoping to hear her speak up, but the young girl remained silent, her silver eyes on the ground, hiding her now red face.

"FD, why didn't you say hi?" Kiniko asked, and then noticed the red face staring back at her. Kiniko then smiled innocently, and giggled a little. "You're so cute, like a little child."

"What do you mean?" FD asked.

"When I was in junior high, I had a crush on my science teacher, Mr. McBride. You remind me of myself, having a crush on your boss," Kiniko giggled. FD looked away. She was even more embarrassed now then before. However, something didn't feel right. She immediately stormed away from there and headed toward the elevator. Nevertheless, she was forced to stop when that symbol came to her mind's eye. She knew she's seen that symbol before. However, where? Where had she seen it!

That night was the only time of day the young girl could get any relaxation. Spread out across her bed, her room engulfed in total darkness, the curtains billowing in the ocean breeze, the sweet, salty scent of the beach seeping through into the room. You could normally expect one who had a passion for the ocean to be relaxed like this. However, her relaxation was cut short when the doorbell rang. She groaned, sitting up, and checking the clock. It was only seven-thirty. She sat up and rushed out of her room and down the hall. She then stumbled down the stairs in the darkness. Then she found herself in the living room. The doorbell rang once more as she reached the front door. Nevertheless, to her surprise, standing before her, was Dartz.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"You left something at the office. I found it, so I thought I should return it to you," he held out a sketchbook to her, and she smiled as she took it.

"Thank you, sir," she said. She looked over into the darkness behind her, feeling an odd sensation run through her. Something cold filled her body. Like as if someone was watching her. She immediately turned from the darkness, keeping her eyes lowered so as not to look at Dartz. "Would you like to come in?"

He nodded, and she quickly backed up, turning on the light behind her. The room was immediately engulfed in a light, not so bright, but bright enough to see the decorations of the room and the beautiful sunset lake painted along the wall opposite her. Dartz stared at it for a long moment, and then turned to her with a smile. This time she did not blush, but merely looked at the painting itself.

"Rather impressive, Miss Micamura," Dartz spoke.

"FD, please, sir. And that I did only three years ago, when I first got this house," she confessed.

"Where are your parents?" he asked. FD looked from him to ahead to the painting. Her eyes were set and focused on the ocean. Something felt weird inside her. That symbol remained in her mind, and she couldn't forget it so easily. She approached the painting and looked up at it. She had completely forgotten about him being there behind her. However, she quickly remembered in one flashing move.

Something was brought around her throat and tightened quickly. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move. The object became tighter, and she reached up in order to pull it away. What she felt was a tight rope wrapped around her flesh. Holding it were a pair of strong and rough hands. Dartz was choking her! She looked up as blackness began to cover her eyes. Before she dropped to her knees, a voice spoke to her from behind her.

"I'll see tomorrow at work. Have a good night," Dartz spoke as he released the rope from around her throat and she fell to the carpet, but in her mind, she was falling through darkness.

Within the darkness, FD opened her eyes to find herself falling through water. She could breathe through it. She must obviously be dreaming. She looked around, her mind blank and distant. She didn't even remember herself falling asleep. All she remembered was staring into the ocean, and then that symbol came to her mind. She looked down before her and saw that symbol glowing on the ocean floor. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Then, to make it even more of a surprise, a robed figure stood in the center of the symbol, staring down at the ground. She had this strange feeling that she knew that person.

"Welcome, young Rika. You've come home, my child," he spoke in a familiar voice. (A/N: one of Dartz's own quotes was in that line.)

"How…how do you know my name?" FD asked the stranger. He didn't look up at her, but something else did. She looked up from the stranger to right across from her where a large, yellow eye stared at her, a slit pupil stretched vertically across the yellow eye. It stared at her with such a flare, almost an evil gaze, it frightened her.

"Do not be frightened, young Rika. I know you recognize the symbol of the Orichalcos. I know you recognize the creature before you. I also know that you recognize me. Tell me, my child, why do you hide your true power?" the stranger asked. FD stared down at him, and at that moment, the stranger made eye contact with her. She did recognize him. He held a set of discolored eyes, his right eye a brilliant shade of emerald, while his left glowed with a color of gold. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Staring back at her from inside the symbol was Dartz.

At that moment, a light shined on her from the seal, and her head burst into a horrible, splitting pain. She clenched the sides of her head, and let out an ear-piercing, glass-shattering, blood-curdling scream. She screamed louder as the pain increased inside her. She wanted more than anything to die right then. She wanted the pain to disappear. She wanted these images to disappear. She screamed even louder as the pain became even more unbearable. She shut her eyes, and then it hit her. The pain had disappeared, but was replaced by images inside her mind's eye.

She was standing in a white room, staring up at a man and a woman. The man had light blond hair and blue eyes, while the woman had long red hair and brown eyes. They stared down at her with a smile. Then this image changed to one where she was sitting up in bed, the side of her head hurting, men whispering to each other over her. Then this one was disappeared, and was replaced with the image of the drawing of the little girl she had done. That image enlarged in her mind, and then all she saw was darkness. However, she felt it. She felt complete strength arise inside her. She felt a power unlike any other. She couldn't believe how she felt. It was unbelievable.

So much for a dream. Nevertheless, she knew that once she wakes up, this feeling will vanish, and she would be her own self again. Or so she thought….

The sun streamed in through a window, and ran down the pale cheek of FD's face. The warmth welcomed her, and she moaned, opening her eyes lazily. She couldn't believe how exhausted she was, how tired and weak her whole body felt. Yet, something inside her gave her this weird feeling that she was indestructible. Almost exactly like that dream she had. Problem was, she didn't remember it at all. Only thing she did remember was the symbol and a giant eye staring at her. It was weird. Why was that all she could remember about the dream? Come to think of it, she really didn't remember all that much about last night. All she did remember was staring at the painted image of the beach on the wall before her. Nothing else. Weird.

She stood up, and then was thrown into a painful fit of coughs. She was nearly brought to her knees if she didn't have strength to stand. She had never coughed like that before. Not since….

She checked the clock and gasped. Seven-ten! Awe, damn! She would be late for work! She quickly rushed up the stairs towards her bedroom in order to get ready. But what surprised was that the moment she entered her room, her animals were staring at her in a way they never would. It scared her. She tried to avoid them in order to get ready. But before she left, she said goodbye to them, like how she always did before she left the house.

Eight-ten! Damn this screwed up life! FD thought. She ran through the building, almost crashing into Kiniko's desk. Kiniko looked up at FD, and then a concerned look crossed her face.

"FD, you look pale. Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I need to get up to my office right now!" FD said, rushing past the other employees and rushing toward the elevators. She quickly bashed in one of the arrows and stood right in front of the door, tapping the toes of left sandal on the tiles. She was really on the edge today. She couldn't believe she was late on her second day! What a total idiot she was!

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, and she immediately rushed in, a pain emerging in her eyes. But she didn't pay attention and collided right into another body. She stumbled backwards out of the elevator, and looked up to see Dartz standing over her, a confused look on his face.

"Rika, are you alright?" he asked. He leaned down to pick up her purse, and offered her his hand, but she refused it. Instead, she stood up on her own. Then she noticed someone behind him, and then her face immediately became red. It was Amelda. She blushed, and then found herself looking at Dartz.

"I'm sorry, sir, for being so late! I should have set my alarm clock or something. Anyway, I'll be in my office if you need anything-" FD spoke as she tried to enter the elevator, but was stopped by Dartz. He grabbed her around the shoulders with one arm and pulled her out. Amelda followed them outside of the building as Dartz dragged her through the back into the courtyard.

"You need to cool off, Rika. I'm not disappointed, but I prefer it if you would calm down before coming back inside the office," Dartz explained as he pushed the girl farther outside and returned to the building. Amelda stayed outside with her. He looked at FD, and was surprised by the beauty of her.

Her long black hair was brought up into a slick and nice ponytail, her silver eyes outlined with white eye shadow. Her perfectly formed lips were colored with a light, beige lip-gloss. Her ample chest was covered by a perfectly stretched, white tube-top that was covered by a black leather jacket. Around her thin and perfect legs was a pair of white jeans. She wore a pair of thin-strapped white heel-sandals. She looked so casual, yet so beautiful in that one moment. He couldn't believe he was staring at this amazing girl whom he had only met yesterday.

But he noticed something immediately when he stared at her neck. A thin, light red line stretched across her neck. It resembled a rope-line. Was she strangled last night? Or was that just a mark left over from a necklace? She didn't wear a necklace yesterday, and the mark showed that something was forced against her throat tightly. He needed to find out what happened.

It was none of his business, though! What was he doing, becoming curious in her personal life! It wasn't like they were exchanging secrets or anything. So why did he suddenly care? Was it because…he liked her?

"Amelda, you're staring," FD spoke cheerfully to him. His face became red.

"Sorry. I've just noticed how wonderful you look today," he confessed. The girl's face then turned red.

"Well, aren't you sweet?" FD teased. She approached him, and Amelda couldn't help but look away. The way she was standing so close to him, instead of his eyes staring directly into hers, they were staring down her chest, and he found that rude beyond all belief.

"Forgive me, but would you mind stepping back a bit. Like, by one step?" Amelda asked. She obeyed, and he turned back, looking directly into her face. "Why are you wearing make-up?"

"Oh, well…I don't know, really," FD spoke. Just then, her eyes went wide just slightly, and she keeled over, being thrown into a coughing fit. The sound of her coughs were so raspy, yet the sound of something straining came to her voice after each breath. He had this strange feeling that whenever she coughed, she felt a strange pain in her chest.

At that moment, he placed a hand on her back, and another hand on her shoulder to keep her standing. She then recovered and stood back up, wiping her mouth. Amelda then saw a few flecks of blood appear in the corner of her mouth before they were wiped away. Amelda didn't know what to do at that moment. It all felt so weird. His hands felt so right in their places on her shoulders. His eyes couldn't pull away from staring into hers. He would have leaned down and kissed her perfect lips if only his own will had prevented him. There were things he would do instinctively, and there were things he would keep himself from performing. But it felt so weird to be standing before this vixen. Amelda looked away from the girl, his mind poised perfectly on his mission.

Seto Kaiba…his mission in life was to get revenge for his brother. His main mission was to destroy the one who destroyed his family. His brother's life was lost by Kaiba Corps. machinery. His town was destroyed by the tanks built by that company. Everything that had happened to him was Kaiba's fault. Him and his bastard-for-a-father, Gozaburo! It was their fault his life was so miserable now. It was their fault that his family was no longer with him. It was their fault for everything! And as Amelda thought this, a rage grew inside him, almost surfacing. But his will kept it sub surfaced, not wanting to throw his anger towards this beautiful young woman standing before him. He turned to her, hoping his eyes didn't show any rage or anguish in them. But, there was a look in her eyes. A look of concern, understanding, like as if she had read his mind.

He stared into her eyes, her moon shaped, silver eyes. They were so hypnotic, now. Almost capturing him in their spell. He wanted to get closer to her, but feared his eyes would wonder else where on her. Instead, he allowed his hand to hover only a few inches closer to her, and hers did the same. When the tips of their fingers met, a strange sensation ran through Amelda. A spark, a spark that was close to erupting into a flame. He couldn't believe this feeling. It was heavenly, almost relaxing. His heart was fluttering in his chest, his mind had become nothing more than a fog. His eyes narrowed slightly in an intimate way, and she responded by doing the same. A girl had never looked at him like that. Though it was only a moment when this happened, it felt like an eternity. He couldn't believe it. He was falling in love with this girl. This artist by the name of Rika Micamura, or FD.

Dartz: The ending was rather innocent and charming.

Dys: Awe! You like it!

Dartz: Not really, but I like the ending. You put a lot of description in it. Aren't you going to your father's this weekend?

Dys: Yes, so that means I'll have to put off on updating for three days. I'M SPENDING MEMORIAL DAY WITH MY DAD! THAT MEANS POOL PARTY!

Dartz: Yes, that means I'm left alone for three days:)