Chapter X: Date With Destiny

Poisoning the world for me
Take away my everything
Weakened as I am
Never awaken

The night of the dance arrived, and everywhere business raged on. At the school, people were already crowding into the auditorium where a large silver, neon sparkling disco ball hovered in the center of the dance floor, surrounded by several neon flashing lights sending almost every person into a ray of colors. Every student was dressed their best, like a prom night. The boys were dressed in formal, black, white, or red tuxedos, where the girls were dressed in beautiful, floral, or colorful gowns that reached either below the knee, or below the ankle. The auditorium was decorated with many designs and posters, streamers, and many snack stands. A DJ played across the room on the stage, organizing his records and starting the music on some fast dances. Amongst the crowded and busy auditorium, a young high school boy stood out in the crowd for his popularity of being the Game King. Motou Yugi stood there in a white tuxedo that fit him just perfectly, but he did stand out for his hairstyle, also. It was the same as it was everyday, just didn't look right with the formal white around his body. Standing next to him was a young woman, her shoulder length brown hair curled slightly at the tips, her azure eyes sparkling beneath her light make-up. She wore a beautiful light pink, laced dress, wrapping around her body firmly. The collar was slightly low-cut, revealing her chest and a bit of cleavage, and spaghetti straps that revealed her slender arms and shoulders. She looked at her date, and he smiled cheerfully at her.

"Yugi, are you looking for someone?" Mazaki Anzu asked.

"Oh, no, just looking for our friends. You see, I'm not sure if Rika is coming. Ryou was really upset yesterday," Yugi explained. He knew that he and Rika were friends now, his yami had assured him of that. However, he didn't inform him that Rika would come to the dance or not. Mainly, it was because he never brought the subject up to her when he went to go talk to her.

"Oh, I'm sure Rika will be here. Rumor has it she has a special date she's coming with. No one knows who it is," Anzu spoke.

"I sure hope it's Ryou. He really likes her," Yugi spoke.

"Most likely it is," Anzu said. However, at that moment, an overexcited blond boy with large brown eyes jumped in between them, flashing off a navy blue tuxedo and his wild, untamed hair. He let out a wolf's howl into the auditorium, and laughed as another boy with spiked brown hair and dark eyes accompanied him.

"Yahoo! Let's get this party started!" Jonouchi Katsuya cheered into the auditorium.

"Yeah, man. But first, let's wait for our dates," Honda Hiroto spoke to his friend.

"Wait, you guys have dates?" Anzu asked.

"Yeah, but they're as friends. I couldn't find Mai, so I went with another girl that lives right down the street from here. She's a pretty lady, but nowhere as close to Mai," Jonouchi explained, keeping his voice down as his date appeared. It was an older woman with long, curly red hair and green, grass-like eyes. She wore a lovely silk red dress that fit her body tightly, low-cut to reveal more than just chest, and wrapped under her arms to show off her chest and arms. She wore a red rose high in her hair, and wore light pink eye shadow, black eyeliner, and full, crimson lipstick. She definitely looked like Jessica Rabbit.

"Hi, you're very pretty tonight," Anzu said, a hidden jealousy behind her tone. The woman smiled at her, but not before, she responded to a few glances thrown her way from the boys. She grabbed Jonouchi's arm and walked out onto the dance floor with him. Honda smiled on, a bit jealous his best friend was dancing with such a beautiful woman.

A few minutes later, a handsome young boy with long white hair and dark eyes walked into the auditorium, shined on by a neon pink light only briefly. This caught his friends' attentions and they went to go greet him. His body was wrapped by a black tuxedo that fit well on him and looked good, also. He smiled at his friends, but immediately Yugi saw a bit of sadness in his eyes.

"Hey, there, Bakura, what's up?" Jonouchi asked, leaving his date to flirt around with other guys.

"Hi, you guys. Having fun?" Ryou asked, trying to hide the solemn in his voice. Yugi heard it, but couldn't stop himself from asking the question.

"Where's Rika?" he asked. Ryou looked at him, and then looked down sadly.

"I asked her yesterday if she wanted to go with me to the dance, but she told me she was already going with someone else," Ryou spoke sadly.

"What about all the other girls that asked you out? You got, like, thirty girls surrounding you every ten minutes, each one begging you to take them," Honda pointed out.

"I know, and I didn't mean to break their hearts. It's just…I really wanted Rika to go with me," Ryou said sadly.

"Awe, I'm sorry Ryou," Anzu said sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He smiled pleasantly at her, and then joined everyone in the party. What they didn't know, besides Rika's date, was that hiding in the shadows above the auditorium, an uninvited guest watched each student and each person enter the building with his cold, murderous amethyst eyes. He watched with anticipation and excitement, waiting for the one girl to enter onto the grounds and burn with the light of Horus. Eventually, she'll show up, and then the hunt shall begin.

A few miles away from the party, a large, black limo strode up in front of a house, the house hidden completely in the shadow cast by the moonlight, all lights within it turned off. At once there was an aura of hesitation in the limo before a tall young man stepped out, his brown hair sparkling slightly in the moonlight, his dark, sapphire eyes looking at the house with a bit of anxiousness in them. His black tuxedo fit his body perfectly, but he was starting to think that he shouldn't have put it on in the first place. What if she bails on him? What if she decides not to go with him? He took a deep breath. He was far more nervous now than when he was on the phone.

However, at that moment, the front door swung open streaming out a yellow light, bright, like the moon. Illuminated in this light was a beautiful young woman dressed in black. Her dress was elegantly black Victorian dress, the hem reaching down to her ankles, but opened up to reveal a lavender silk beneath it. The chest of the dress stretched over her ample chest, the collar reaching up to her neck where a violet-gemmed choker was placed tightly around her throat. The sleeves were torn at the shoulders, revealing her slender arms, and her hands were covered by black silk gloves. Her black and crimson streaked hair was brought up to a high, wild tail, more crimson falling out than black was. Her silver eyes were hidden beneath dark eye shadow, but her lips were brought out by crimson liquid, almost seeming like blood. She looked like a beautiful, Goth princess.

"Wow…" Kaiba Seto murmured, not taking his eyes of her. This was not the Yukari Rika that he dated before. This was not the same Yukari Rika that he took to dances before. Before, she didn't wear this floral and extravagant black dress. Before, she wore light colored dresses for him. Then he remembered that they were going as friends. Not as a couple like before.

"What? Too much?" she asked him. He shook his head, trying to shake off his thoughts rather than give her an answer.

"No, just perfect," he said, approaching her on the porch. He just couldn't help it. She was so beautiful. He took from his pocket a black rose corsage and wrapped it around her wrist. Then he was sent down a horrible déjà vu about their first dance. And from the looks in her eyes, she did, too.

"We…better get going," she spoke calmly. She took his arm and he escorted her to the limo. He held the door open for her and she moved to the other side of the limo, sitting closely to the window. Kaiba then sat next to her, and they drove off in silence. As soon as they reached the school, Kaiba opened the door, but then noticed Rika was bending her head low, lost in thought.

"Everything okay?" he asked. She paused before answering, smiling at him sweetly.

"Yeah, let's go," she said. They got out of the limo, and Kaiba was surprised as Rika took his arm like how she used to. He blushed from this, but walked with her to the auditorium. Music blasted from the open doors and crowded auditorium. Flashes of Rika's nightmare flooded to her mind, but she shook it off. She just knew someone was going to get hurt. She just didn't know when, and she didn't know how to stop it.

Stand on the brink of my own demise
Fallen again for another
Mistress of burden

She had arrived. Excitement flooded through Yami no Malik's body like water from the Nile. It was just a glorious moment for him. His plan was going to work out after all. Just one problem was her date. He couldn't believe what he saw. Kaiba Seto, dressed in a black tuxedo, arm-in-arm with his victim. He felt this weird feeling rise inside him, a feeling making him want to jump down from the roof and slit Kaiba's throat. Soon he would pay. Soon they would all pay. As soon as he gained the power of Horus…. After a little torturous game of Cat and Mouse.

The neon lights danced spectacularly above Rika's head, and as she and Kaiba entered the auditorium, the whole room just seemed to stop as everyone turned to look at the most popular person in Japan, Kaiba Seto, president Kaiba Corps., a gaming company, and a once renowned World Champion game player. Rika guessed it was a big surprise to everyone to see him there, seeing as how he hated parties and dances like this. She blushed when everyone looked at her, and caught the stares of her friends. She was especially ashamed of herself when she saw Bakura Ryou staring at her, his dark eyes filled with sadness. He really liked her, and she turned him down. Soon the room continued with its party, but immediately her friends ran and crowded her and Kaiba. Jonouchi pushed him away as his own date came to greet her. Immediately, Rika recognized her as Anna Marie dressed like Jessica Rabbit.

"Anna Marie! What are you doing here!" Rika pronounced.

"I'm here with my date, Jonouchi Katsuya!" Anna Marie proclaimed, grabbing onto Jonouchi's arm. Jonouchi rolled his eyes, smiling at Rika and at how beautiful she looked.

"So, what are you doing here with Kaiba?" Jonouchi asked.

"Oh, he's my date," Rika explained, pulling Kaiba back into the group.

"DATE!" all of them yelled. Rika smiled, and Kaiba groaned at how they were acting. Then he took Rika's wrist and dragged her onto the dance floor.

"Let's have a dance," he offered. She smiled as they began a fast dance and Kaiba couldn't help but smile. She had improved on her dancing, and in her looks. He didn't know how, but he felt like he was falling in love again. There was a couple of fast dances, and then Rika felt tired all of a sudden.

"Come on, I'll get you something to drink," Kaiba teased her. She laughed and joined him to the punch bowl where they watched the others dance happily. Rika was seriously sent down a memories lane. She remembered her first dance with Kaiba. It was a beautiful night, having been hosted at their school. It was Kaiba's junior prom, and it was a lovely day. He looked so handsome in his white tux, but he didn't really know how to dance. She convinced him to join her on the floor, and somehow, she taught him how to Waltz, which wasn't possible. Somehow, as they danced, she taught him how, and he perfected it.

Rika drove herself from the memory and watched Anna Marie and Jonouchi dance perfectly together. There were a couple of fast dances, then a slow one every now and then. Rika and Kaiba stayed by the punch bowl, talking and joking around. She felt safe around Kaiba, safe and secure. It was as if they were together again. But that could never happen. They could never be together. Especially after the way she's treated him. But she did miss Mokuba. She missed holding him in her arms, and kissing him good night. She missed Kaiba holding her. She missed how he played with her, always nuzzling into her soft spot, her neck. That always made her laugh. She watched Anna Marie and Jonouchi dance together, hardly touching at the slow dances, and remembered when she and Kaiba danced together, she would always smile. He knew how to make her laugh, he knew when she was sad, and knew when the right time to kiss was. He knew her better than anyone else did. Better than even her parents. He got along with them, especially with her father. Her father was in the military and was always protective of her. He always met each boy she knew, and each one he hated and forbid her to even talk to. But when Kaiba Seto came along, her father did something he never did to any other boy that came through the front door. He shook hands with Kaiba, and looked him square in the eye, like as if he was an ally, an equal. She even remembered the night she brought him home to meet her parents, her mother was almost in tears to meet him, and her father, who hardly ever drank alcohol, shared with Kaiba his special brandy, which surprised everyone. They didn't even mind when she took him up to her room. That was the first time they made-out. At first sight, her parents trusted him completely, and he never betrayed their trust.

Rika couldn't help but blush at the memories, feeling a bit silly of thinking of those moments, but they were special to her. Very special, in fact. Though she didn't love Kaiba anymore, but like Mokuba, he still meant a lot to her. More than anyone ever had, besides her parents. But on the night they died, she felt like she could never love again. She couldn't trust anyone, because she had lost the two most important people in her life. She didn't want to lose anyone else, so she pushed everyone away, started caring for herself only. But that was never possible for her. For two years, the two people that stuck on her mind were Seto and Mokuba Kaiba. She still cared about them, and would die for them. She looked up at the ceiling and stared at the disco ball that shined brightly. Her eyes burned from staring at it, yet she couldn't pull away. She stared at for so long, feeling a slight pain rise inside her. She wanted to be with Kaiba Seto again, but if she lost him, she could never bare it. As she thought this, her eyes burned harder at the disco ball, never blinking, but staring solemnly at the orb, every sound disappearing from her ears, fading completely into an eerie silence. She felt the burning increase, and as she stared at it, the orb began spinning faster and faster. Her eyes began to burn more and excruciatingly. They burned harder and more painful, yet she couldn't look away. She felt the pain inside grow more, and as it grew, the orb began to spin faster and faster, almost in a deadly manner. But then the burning vanished as a hand touched her shoulder. Soon, the sounds returned, and she realized where she was. She looked at Kaiba, who had a smile on his face.

"You hear that?" he asked. Rika listened to the music, realizing it was a familiar, soft song. She gasped, and smiled at Kaiba.

"That's 'Because of You.' That's our song!" she cried happily. But then blushed when she saw the look in his eyes.

"You want to dance?" he asked, holding out a hand. She took it, and he led her out onto the dance floor. Immediately, Rika fell into the beauty and softness of the song, the beautiful female voice singing above them in the speakers. It felt so good to be back in Kaiba's arms. His hands found their places on her lower back, and she rested her head peacefully on his shoulder. She didn't know why, but whenever she heard this song, she thought of him, and felt at home, at peace at last. As they slow danced together, she felt like she was no longer in a crowded and loud auditorium, at a dance with Kaiba as a friend. She felt like she was in heaven, dancing on a cloud with him. She finally felt free and at peace. Every thought vanished from her mind. Every feeling, every memory just vanished. It was like it never happened. This was a second chance. A second chance to live again. She closed her eyes, feeling Kaiba's solid, warm body, feeling his sweet cologne and comforting aura surround her. Her eyes narrowed, and soon closed completely in the melody of the song. She sighed, and at once pictures of her memories flashed before her eyes.

She was on the pier, someone's jacket around her, and at once she felt someone kissing her…she was at her old house with her parents, watching them talk to Kaiba…she was in his home, in the living room, sitting on the couch, Mokuba resting his head on her lap as she stroked his hair…she was still there, but Mokuba was gone, and instead replaced by Kaiba, nuzzling into her neck…she was in Kaiba's room, pressed against the wall, while Kaiba as pressing hard against her lips, his hands crawling under the hem of her shirt, touching her so much…she was in the park, tears falling from her eyes, staring at Kaiba, and she suddenly turned and ran far from him…farther away…so far away…into the darkness….

She didn't understand it, but could it possibly be that she was meant to be with Seto Kaiba? No, he wasn't the one she loved. There was another person out there that she cared about. Another person who she wanted to see again. Another person who meant more than anyone to her. She saw him, again, in her mind. His golden blond, spiked hair, his cold, dark, amethyst eyes, his dark flesh, his cold, murderous smile. He was the one she loved. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to be in his arms. She wanted to kiss his lips. She wanted to be with…Yami no Malik, the serial killer. She didn't want to be with Kaiba. She needed him to stay alive. She cared about him. But the one she loved wasn't him. It was the one Mou Hitori No Yugi warned her about. It was Yami no Malik. She loved him, and she wanted to be with him.

"Rika?" Kaiba's voice broke her thoughts, and she opened her eyes. She looked into Kaiba's and felt a strong intensity flow into her body. "Rika, I really care about you. I hope one day you can take me back."

"Seto…I care about you, also. More than you can ever imagine. But you're not the one I want to be with. I want you in my life, yes. I want to care about you, I want to see you happy, and I want to see you alive. But there's…someone else. Someone that has already taken my heart…." Rika couldn't speak right. A weird feeling surged through her. She felt so safe, but she felt like she just hurt him a lot. She looked into his eyes, and saw the pain she had just inflicted onto him. She placed a comforting hand on his cheek and rose herself up so she met him at the lips. It was a brief kiss, but it was all that was needed. Kaiba looked at her, and smiled.

"I care about you a lot, Seto. It's just I can't be with you. However, I can always be your friend," she said. "Not to mention I enjoy spending time with me. You have no idea how much this night means to me." Kaiba smiled sweetly at her and embraced her in a somewhat intimate way. Rika returned it, but couldn't take her eyes off the disco ball. Her eyes burned so horribly, she felt like they were about to burst into flames. As she stared at it, the already dangerously spinning orb began to spin even faster, lights shining blindingly. Her eyes burned more, and it spun even faster. A little longer, and it would spin right out of its holder.

But at that moment, something was pressing hard into her neck, and a weird sensation flowed through her. She let out a laugh and tried to fight Kaiba away as he continued to nuzzle into her neck. "STOP! HA HA! STOP IT, SETO! HA HA HA HA! REALLY! STOP!" she continued to laugh. She soon fought so hard away, but hadn't stopped laughing. He always pulled that, and she would never get mad at him for it. That was her most sensitive spot, and her father would always make her laugh by nuzzling into her neck. Even just a soft poke to her neck would make her laugh. Each time Kaiba did that, it reminded her of her father, and she enjoyed that. Kaiba held a sly, smug grin on his face, and Rika smiled at him in a sweet way.

"You're a devil!" she laughed at him.

"I know," he smiled at her, and she laughed. She always had a good time with him, and she enjoyed it.

She then stared at the disco ball, and at once, her eyes burned horribly. She tried to blink, tried to push the feeling away, but it didn't work. At once, they burned horribly, and she let out a moan of pain as the burn turned into a horrible migraine. She couldn't bare anymore, and she twitched her head away. But when she did, she saw it happen. The orb snapped from its holder and fell downward….down….into a head full of crimson!

A scream filled the auditorium. It seemed as if time had stopped. The music stopped playing, the lights paused in their turn, everyone had froze completely as glass shattered on top of someone's head and scattered everywhere. Rika stared ahead, fear and dread filled her body, filled and pierced her soul. This was her fault. She had just killed someone. No one moved, no one took a breath, until Rika saw who was lying on the ground, the bright red dress splattered with crimson blood, their already red hair spit and matted, soaked completely as glass and blood covered them completely. Rika saw their body lied limp and cold, lied near the punchbowl. Rika then felt a mixture of emotions fill her body completely. She didn't know what to do as one of her friends, one that she tried to push away completely, and one that she had thought nothing more than a neighbor. Anna Marie. She had killed her friend, Anna Marie.

Heads turned, glass scattered, gasps and cries filled the room. But nothing, not even the music, was louder than one girl's screams and cries as she had lost a friend who tried to help her for two years, and she never thanked them, never paid notice to them. Thanks to her, the once beautiful and sexy Anna Marie will never stand to smile at her on the porch. Anna Marie will never comfort Rika like how she used to. Because of this, Rika's scream pierced the night and echoed completely, so loud, every person in the city heard it.

"ANNA MARIE! NOOOOOOOO!"

To idolize
Hoping that one of them will decide
To let me in
My Mistress

Above the auditorium, a stranger heard the scream and was filled with excitement and happiness. The hunt has officially began. Horus has awakened, and soon the girl will be so devastated she'll run. She'll run far and wide. She'll run far from everyone, far from the people she cares about. She'll run from the Pharaoh, she'll run from Kaiba. She'll run…right into his arms. That's where he'll take her from them forever. He'll take her away into the shadows, he'll lead her into the darkness, blind her for eternity, and then gain the power of Horus while she is fooled by her own mind. Fooled by her own emotions and the shadows that Horus will be forced out of her, and he'll use her to gain it. The hunt has officially begun, and by the end of it all, everyone will pay.

FD: Well, that's the tenth chapter, hope you guys liked. However, from now on I'm calling one of my reviewers Britney, because she's cool, and she's treated me like a friend, so I should treat her like a friend. A couple of things I probably need to say to her, though. Mou Hitori No Yugi is the same as saying Yami Yugi. It means the same thing, "Another Yugi", so in case there were any confusions there, my bad. The scene with Yami no Malik and Rika two chapters back was very important, mainly because the plot kicked in there. The mystery scene just depends on your own opinion of which ones seem more important to you. As for dancing types…neither one are, but Kaiba likes Rika, so he had to dance. And…PLEASE DON'T STOP THE LONG REVIEWS! I LIKE THEM! Whether they're compliments or constructive criticism, I enjoy them. However, no one likes a long flame. And people seem to be confused about the difference between the two, and here what they are….

Constructive criticism-where people read the story and mark out the points of mistakes and problems the writer makes so they can improve in their works. I enjoy constructive criticism, mainly because it aides me in improving and noticing my own mistakes. Like for instance if my OC is a Mary-Sue or not. Or if I'm abusing a character too much. Kind of rough, but I enjoy them.

Flames-STUPID PEOPLE WHO DON'T EVEN BOTHER TO READ THE FIC, BUT JUST HATE IT FOR NO DAMN REASON! I HATE THEM AND WISH THEY ALL DIE!

Anyway, I apologize for this long-ass response, just wanted to make it clear, because I keep getting e-mails that are either insulting to my fics, or pointing out my mistakes. Brittney, don't stop the long reviews, hell, don't stop reviewing. I enjoy hearing what my readers have to say. And I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter and the rest of the story. And if you could also be a sweetheart and check out my profile page and my many other fics, see which ones you would like to read. If you like or don't like any of them, that's cool. But please do e-mail me and tell me your opinion. Thanks a lot!