A tall pale girl with curly black hair and large green eyes stood across the way from Seto Kiba. She was wearing a black tee shirt and a pair of jeans, that would normally be accessorized with her slight smile but not today. "All is fair in love and war Seto….." She said as she used her Wingweaver to take the last of his life points.
"Elaine, No!" Seto Kiba said sitting up in a cold sweat. He had been dreaming about they day Elaine had left him and Mokuba. "Seto are you alright I heard you call out." Mokuba said slipping into his room. "Yeah I'm fine go back to sleep." Seto said. As his little brother left he recalled the past three years since she had been gone. Three years ago he had hired a friendly out going girl his own age to watch out for his brother while he was away at work. A sort of surrogate sister to make sure Mokuba could be happy while he was gone. Soon after though he found him self drawn to her, she was fair, smart, funny, and not to mention attractive. Then he found out that she dueled it was like a match made in heaven for him, she even beat him half of the time but he did not care because she was a great sport at it. He loved her and so did his brother, they were a happy family, he had even broken up with his heiress girl friend for her. Then on day she left leaving him with those words. "All is fair in love and war Seto." Since then he had grown cold and hard to every one, even his brother. He had starting caring about losing and his company was not as easy to manage. With out her things were just harder, no one pushed him like she had. A tear rolled down his cheek and he held his head in his hands that he rested on his knees. "why did you leave, wasn't this good enough?" He asked sobbing.
Mokuba sighed from behind his brother's door as he heard him cry. It is true when Elaine had been there he had been happy but when she left things fell apart. The worst of it all was Seto had loved her and even wanted them to be a family. But now every night his brother awoke dreaming of her and crying. It was no wonder that Yugi beat him so easy now, his heart was not in it, his heart was not in anything these days. He knocked on Seto's door. "Brother……" "Go to bed Mokuba." Seto answered in sobs. "fine, you know what, wallow in there thinking about her because, I am sure that is what she is doing, thinking about us!" He yelled running off toward his room.
"Home again Home again." Elaine said pulling up the hood on her hoodie. She had been avoiding Domino for three years. The love of her life was there Seto Kiba. It was a shame he did not love her back, she thought he did, but that night she had found out different. She had been coming to see him and heard him tell his ex that he did not love her he was toying with her and keeping her around only for his brother. After that she had challenged him to a duel and fought her best to defeat him and then left. In those three years she lived as a ghost, drifting around making her living off of her dueling skills. Now that Domino was the center of dueling that is where she needed to be. She just hoped she could avoid them both because she did not think she could see either of them with out crying. She walked to her hotel room with tears in her eyes just thinking of them. When she got there she laid down in the bed and closed her eyes only to see Seto's smiling face.
Mokuba was in the security room watching videos of Elaine. He caught a glimpse of her standing outside of Seto's study. "What is it? What do you want me to say to make you leave? That I really don't love Elaine, in fact the only reason she is here is that she make my little brother happy. Well I am not going to say it, because it is not true. I love her with all my heart and soul and one day I will make her my wife. " Seto told his old girl friend. However Elaine had only heard the middle part about what he said he would not say because her loved her. She had not heard the last bit she had ran off before he had said that part. "So that is why you left, you thought you were being used." He said as he stoked the screen. "I vow I am going to find you, Elaine I am going to bring back our family." Mokuba said standing up. First thing tomorrow I will set out to find her and nothing will get in my way, Mokuba thought as he walked down the hall back to his own bedroom.
The next morning Seto rolled out of bed and groaned. "Why do I even bother these days?" Yugi had taken his god card, Mokuba and he fought a lot these days, and his work had lost its meaning. "It is amazing how much one girl can change things." he said walking over to his dresser and opening a small velvet box. Inside was a white gold emerald ring that said I will love you forever. It was the ring he had bought to ask Elaine to marry him. Though he was young there was no denying how he felt. That is what he had told the ring guy when he had bought it. He snapped the box closed and then opened his closet and picked out an outfit and then stripped down naked and walked into his bathroom and took his shower. Every single day for two years before he started his day he looked at the ring. In fact the two things he always had with him was that ring and a picture of his brother. After his shower and he had dressed he went down to the dinning room only to find his brother had gone already from the house. He thought about what Mokuba had said last night and it chilled him to the bone. He was not ready to move on, in his heart he believed one day the door would swing open wide and she would walk in smiling with three mangos from the farmer's market.
He sighed and sat down and poured some cereal as he planned out his day on his palm pilot. Sure it was old but Elaine had given it to him, it was not even that nice but she bought it with her own money and wrapped it and given it to him out of love how could he throw it away. He went about planning his day and sighed again. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed the only number he knew by heart, his brother's cell. He got the voice mail immediately, "Moky, it is me Seto. I thought about what you said and maybe your right, perhaps I should move on. I am planning my day and I think maybe we should go out, you know forget work like we used to call me back." he hung up the phone and looked up. Yes he loved Elaine but perhaps it was time to do things like she had and just forget her. Who said to be happy he needed her he just needed to act like her. He thought about going shopping and to the movies with his brother.
Mokuba sat on the side walk in front of the farmer's market. Elaine had not be hard to track at all, she had been living off her dueling skills so her trail was easy. The best part was not only did he find what city she was in she was in his city. Plus the thing that never failed with her was her morning walks to the farmer's market for some fresh fruit for breakfast. Today was the day we get our lives back. Mokuba thought as he bounced up and down on the cold hard side walk waiting for her. He glimpsed over at the game store and wondered if Yugi would be up. No matter how excited he was he was still nervous, what if she had moved on and there was no place for him or Seto in her life. Some how if he had a friend there it would lessen the blow if that were the case. He decided against going to get his friend, if that were the case it would make Seto angry that his biggest rival knew he weak spot. He bounced waiting for her now in nervousness and excitement.
Elaine groaned as the sun poked through the blinds to tell her to get up. She had a lot to do today and first on her list was her morning walk to get some fruit. She got up and stretched still in her clothes from the day before. She grabbed her purse, strapped on her duel disk, put on some shoes and then went to the door grabbed her key and headed out. She slipped on her head phones and cranked up the music as she walked in pace to the beat to the market. Her feet knew the way perfectly as if she had never left the town.
Seto looked around and his heart skipped a beat. "So why are you here?" he asked his brother looking down at him as he bounced on the pavement for no reason at all. "I well uhhh, I have a surprise that I am trying to work out why are you here?" Mokuba asked looking up at him and then standing. "I tracked your cell here so that we could get together and have a day off like we used to do a lot." he had avoided using Elaine's name in the sentence but they both knew it was there. "Really?" Mokuba asked his face lighting up. 'Yeah like old times." Seto said tussling his hair. Then both of them saw her walk by with her head hung low. Mokuba's face got brighter as he realized she still needed them, while Seto's face was sad and a little furious. "Did you know about this?" Seto asked his voice sounded as if he were about to break down into massive tears. "I just found out this morning that was my surprise." Mokuba said taking his brother hand and trying to guide him toward the figure of Elaine.
Seto watched as Elaine shook out her long raven hair. "Wow, she seems so different." Mokuba said as they both crouched behind a cart so that she would not see them as Seto had insisted. Mokuba was right, Three years physically had given her a lot, more curves, longer hair, a few inches, but what she lacked was the smile that almost never left her eyes. It was almost as if she was naked with out her perfect smile marking her perfect face. She was as miserable as he was, this made no sense he thought. She had left him not the other way around what right did she have to live in his personal hell that she had made. He shook that thought from his head as she gave a thin wry smile in thanks for the fruit. "I want her back." Seto said under his breath. Mokuba nodded whole heartedly. "Lets follow her all day and when the time is right you and I can approach her and take her back with us and we can be a family again." Mokuba said as they watched her walk down the street. Seto nodded as they followed her to her hotel.
Elaine could not shake the feeling that she was being watched but she knew the duel disk and her rep as a duelist were enough to prompt that and in Domino at that point she had no doubt that a few eyes were on her. She held her head high as she clutched the bag of fruit in her hand. She for a second had started off towards the house of Seto Kiba but had stopped her self and held back the tears. She steered her way back to the hotel with a sigh. Perhaps after her shower and some breakfast she would go out and get in some practice with a few duels and then she would run by the bank to manage her affairs and then go from there. She looked at the sky, "Such a perfect day to go to the park." She said before she went into the high class hotel building. She ate her fruits and then a quick shower and changed into some jeans and a tank top that had a Blue Eyes White Dragon on it. She again strapped on her duel disk packed with her deck that rarely failed her. She had the same basic deck she had used three years ago with few subtractions and additions. She took her messenger bag purse with her and then headed back out. Right away she had found some one to duel with, or rather they found her. A tall slender man who looked like a biker punk. She smiled as she excepted and then the duel got under way.
Mokuba watched as Elaine dueled. Every thing about the way she dueled screamed experience, the way she stood, her mannerisms, and her strategy was of course brilliant. She was the one who had major got him into duel monsters, with Seto it had been something to steal attention away from him, with Elaine it was a group project. He held back with every thing he could as he watched her tear down the last of the mans life points with her Wingweaver. "She is good, really good." Seto said as tears welled up in his eyes. You could tell that he was thinking about that night once again, Mokuba set his hand on his brother's shoulder and then pulled him into a hug. "It is ok Seto I miss her too." Then Elaine took a small modest victory bow and when she returned upright, she looked directly at Seto and Mokuba. Then she turned extremely white and ran off in a direction.
Seto saw this and let go of his brother. "Come on Moky lets go after her." he said as he took off running behind Elaine. His white trench coat flew behind him as his brother tried to keep pace with his short legs. "Elaine please wait." Mokuba screamed after her beside Seto. Seto looked at him. "Ok this is not going to work I have to run ahead after her." he said before speeding up. By this time they were in the park and Elaine had slow down. Seto rushed up to her and wrapped his long arms around her, then they fell to the soft ground and Elaine grunted softly. Seto planted a firm dry kiss on her forehead. "You came back…" he said almost so quite it had not been said.
"Get off of me right now you back stabbing skirt chasing play boy." Elaine said as she wiggled free of Seto and Mokuba ran up to them a broad grin on his face. When she stood he almost tackled her and hugged her tight as if afraid to let go. "Elaine your back." He said as she pulled away from him. "No I'm not, saying that I am back would imply that I am returning to how things were, and I refuse to live the lie that Seto Kiba loves me, I refuse to live it again" turning and running off for a second time, this time into the trees. Elaine tried her best to avoid trees and briars as she ran tears streaking her pale cheeks. She got a few scrapes by the time she had erupted through the woods and it started to rain. The fat droplets hit her hair and body. Her black hair appeared to cascade down her back in silken sheets and the drops bounced off her skin as she made her way to the hotel. Once inside she drew up an warm bath and got in. she reached up to her forehead and sighed as if the place he had kissed burned with love or hate, she could not decide which it was.
Mokuba sat on the ground beside his brother keeping dry form the tree cover. "Mokuba what did she mean when she said the lie of Seto Kiba's love or whatever it was?" Seto asked looking in the direction she had ran to. "I think what she meant was that before she left she caught the middle of a conversation between you and Shasta, where you said that you did not love her blah blah blah, and that was what she wanted you to say but you are like that is not how I feel I really love her and whatnot. Well she only caught the not loving her part. So to her how she felt was a deception." Mokuba said being deeper then he normally was with his brother. "Well that is perfect she broke my heart because I broke hers. Things are messed up."
Elaine ran all the way back to the hotel in the rain. "Perfect I am not even here for twenty fours hours and then they show up and every thing goes to hell." she said pretending like she was not going to cry. The truth was that when he had kissed her it had felt right and she had wanted him to hold her but he did not love her and she would not be made a fool of by twice by one man she refused to do it. She went into her hotel room and changed into some pjs and laid in the bed. She pondered what to do about this whole thing, first thing was to forget about it, then she needed to accept that he had not loved her, and then move on. So she would club tonight, come to terms and yeah forget about his kiss. No problem she kept telling herself. She played with her dark hair and closed her eyes. She imagined how things might be if she returned and Seto did love her. She pictured her self in the Kiba mansion making a big breakfast for them all and smiling while planning out every one's day. She would duel some and then shop or what ever and hang out with Mokuba while Seto worked and then when he got home go on a date and then come home and have dinner with Mokuba. Just like one family they could be, if he had still loved her which he did not so that was just some stupid thing she played in her head. She laughed, she had just changed into her pj's and then was going to change out of them to go clubbing. She wished more then anything she could be going with Seto. For some reason she was still hung up with him and she could not name why.
"Mokuba, how do we make things right? I need her back. I love that girl more then I love anything." Seto said once they were back at their house. The message machine blinked with several messages. He knew all of them would be his advisors wanting to know why he had not shown up for work. He should call them all up and tell them to shove it but thought it might come back to bite him in the ass.
Mokuba looked at his brother. "Well I would say we stalk her and make her remember the things she loved about being a part of this family." Seto nodded. "You know that sounds good so in the morning you me fruit market?" Mokuba nodded. "Yeah sounds great big brother!" He nodded. "Well night Seto.." He said hugging him and then going to his room. In his room he pulled his computer chair to his closet and stood on it to remove a brief case. He brought it to his desk and smiled as he opened it. In the center was a stack of cards , His deck to be more precise a deck Elaine had help make him. He smiled as he shuffled. "Tomorrow is going to be fun." Then he set his deck in a holder that was also in the case before going to his bed to lay down.
Elaine was on her way to the club when she was challenged to a duel by a boy named Joey. The match had ended in a draw
when he used self destruct button on her. "Good game, My name is Joey, and this here is Yugi and uhhh Tea." he said introducing
his friends. She smiled. "Good to meet you but I already knew about you two being a duelist and all but I must be on my way I am
going to a club." Joey's face lit up. "Well we are not doing anything would it be alright if we hung out?" Yugi and Tea nodded in
agreement. "Yeah that sounds like fun huh?" Tea said looking at Yugi. Yugi nodded and looked at her his eyes changing to become
more gentile. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea, I could use a break." Elaine smiled, "Well if you guys insist I don't have a
problem with you guys tagging along" truth be told she would not mind the company of a few new friends. Her encounter with
Seto was enough to put her in a bad mood. She skipped off with them beside her laughing. They chatted about the duel Joey had
been in. Joey looked at her and smiled. "You know who you should duel? Seto Kiba he is a good duelist ranked number two or
three it changes from me to him a lot." She laughed out loud. "Seto, no I can beat him half of the time he is nothing great, the
person I am interested in dueling would be short fry Yugi over there." Yugi made a face. "Hey, that's not fair…. Wait what did you
mean you win with Seto half the time?" His face changed to be inquisitive. "Err nothing it is a dream that I have you know dueling
him…" she coughed and looked down. "Oh that is ok I have crazy dueling dreams too" Joey said pulling her into a head lock. "Oh
that is great Joey scare our new friend away with your b.o." Tea laughed pulling on him to let her go of him. She laughed "No it is
alright…" She murmured walking into the club. As she did so Joey slipped his arm around her and she hesitated but let it be there,
because maybe it was time to move on.
