Tornado: Hi people. I didn't get any reviews, which is still understandable because the story seems to have no plot, but this chapter should help explain things.
DT: Is this going to be another long ass chapter where you have to explain what the two main characters are doing every second of the day?
Tornado: DT, the fic is focused around Kaiba and Sclera, and both of their views are important.
DT: If the girl knew Kaiba and the others, why didn't she come straight out and talk to them?
Tornado: Read this chapter and you'll find out.
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Sclera's POV
I watched as he walked away, stunned at the fact that he had practically fled from the scene. No one could blame him for punching me because I was the one that came at him. One thing struck me as odd though. When I was lifting myself from the ground his eyes didn't seem to be there. It was as if that punch had triggered emotions that he had not felt in ages. I'm no longer in a position to guess at him anymore; I don't know him.
"Sclera, are you 'ight?" Joey asked me.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Can you believe Kaiba? I mean he just decked yah out right here in front of the school."
"Joey, I was the one that came at him, he was just defending himself. Look can we get going I don't want to be here any longer than I have to."
"Yeah, come on the Game Shop's this way."
We walked down the street in complete silence. Joey kept glancing at me to check if I was still standing. I refused to meet his eyes. Something inside of me felt weak and unprotected. It was that feeling that I hated the most. The feeling of helplessness. I know they meant well when they came to assist me to my feet, but in my world if you can't do it yourself don't do it at all. I fight for myself, and if I can't get up after I fall, than I don't deserve to get up at all. The streets taught me that. It's an unforgiving life in a ruthless world where there are no allies to assist you in your battles. Even your friends can be your enemies in this world. Hell, you can be your own worst enemy. That's life and I've learned to deal with it.
"This is it," Tristan said as we approached an orange and green building.
"Hey, Gramps, Yugi, Tea, we're here!" Joey called as we entered the building.
The place hadn't change since I had last been in it. Duel Monsters still lined both walls and the glass counter/display case was filled with them. The tile floor smelled of bleach and was buffed into a gleam. The stairwell into the apartment section of the place was spic and span. I shuddered to think of what the upstairs looked like.
"Hey, guys. What took you?" Tea asked coming down the steps.
"We had a little run-in with Kaiba that we had to take care of," Joey informed her.
"You had to start and Sclera had to take care of," Tristan chimed.
"I didn't even fair to well in that one," I said as I put my arms on the counter.
"Sclera, what happened to your lip?" a small voice asked from behind the counter.
"Yugi. I think we need to get you stilts or some platform shoes," I told him.
"Well, it's not exactly my fault that my entire family has short genes," he replied coming around the counter.
"I never said that it was your fault I was simply making a statement, but anyway, my lip. We had a small run-in with Mr. Big-shot billionaire, and two men ended getting knocked down as a result of it."
"Kaiba doesn't like to get pushed around."
"Or lose. That guy values winning above everything else," Joey added.
"Not everything," Yugi objected. "Mokuba is more important to him than anything else. Duelist Kingdom proved that."
"Wait, what happened at Duelist Kingdom?" I asked suddenly very curious.
"Weren't yah there for that? I mean, being fourth in the world 'n all, I thought that you'd a been there."
"I had some business that I had to take care of, and I didn't get invited to Battle City."
"Well, if the Duelist Kingdom story is going to make any sense, I think that we need to start at the beginning," Yugi said before diving into the chain of events that had occurred.
I listened in silence, staring at the petite boy's face, capturing every word and analyzing it thoroughly. Even after the boy was done and I thought about all of the events, my mind was swirling in confusion. Seto had flown to some mysterious island, dueled Yugi a second time, stood on a ledge threatening to "fall" off to win the duel, and proceeded to duel the creator of Duel Monsters in an unfair match all just to save his younger brother. It was all so amazing, yet none of it seemed to surprise me.
The thing that caught my attention the most was the fact that he had stood on a ledge just to win a duel. Seto never believed in using underhanded tactics to get what anything. "If you want it, you have got to work for it", that was his favorite saying when we were children. He never took hand outs for anything. Christmas was his least favorite time of the year because he received presents that he didn't work for.
As I compared his childhood experiences to the ones at Duelist Kingdom, something was missing: the fact that his brother was never in jeopardy. That alone was enough to make Seto lose all sense of morality, and go out on a limb. There was one thing about Seto Kaiba that only Yugi seemed to get; he placed his family above all else. Even if the only family that he had left was his younger sibling it was still his family. His friends were also his family, but since I take it that he never made any friends after I left and is not in contact with his old gang from Fox Run that his loyalty now belongs solely to Mokuba. It was a shame that a great guy like him had to be tainted by the worst of them. Isn't it ironic that the strongest souls are tested harsher than the weaker ones? Isn't it ironic?
Seto's POV
I hurried to the car where the driver was waiting. I needed something. Anything. Any distraction that I could find. Anything to take my mind away from the horrifying images that were seeping up from the grave. Kaiba Corps was my best option, for I had I stack of work that needed to be done by tonight. I snapped at the driver to pick Mokuba up from school, and get me to Kaiba Corp as fast as humanly possible. During the ride I tried to do my math problems again, which thankfully worked, for a short while.
My mind was beginning to drift when Mokuba popped into the car. He greeted me with a big grin planted on his face. I couldn't help but smile back. My concentration was rerouted much to my pleasure for the rest of the ride to Kaiba Corp, where I buried myself in work.
I didn't know how long I had been working, but when I finished it was black, and the lights of the city were all lit. I got up from my chair and stood at the window looking out across the skyline. It was so beautiful. It was the only beauty that could appreciate any more. Art bored me, technology could not be considered artwork, and despite what some people may think food cannot be made beautiful. Women, on the other hand, could be lovely, but they ruin themselves with the glitter and slutty clothing. That's why I don't have a girlfriend because all of the teen-agers these days have no sense of style, and all the girls are too feminine. That's right I said too feminine, so sue me.
I don't like girls that worry twenty-four hours a day about how they look; I don't even care how pretty they are, just as long as I don't have to worry about any infidelity on their part. I also need a girl that can accept me for who I am, and not expect me to hand them everything in a nice package. I want someone who gives a little to make up for what they take. This is why I don't have a girlfriend. I'm too damn picky about their personality. Hell, I'd have better luck if I said I wanted a 5'6" Caucasian blonde that weighed 135 lbs with a bra size of 32b. There has to be at least four of those in my morning classes alone. These days it's all about the looks and the money, both of which I have.
I went back to my desk, and glanced around my office. It was professional enough with the white wall, the cherry floors and desk, and the black leather sofa and chairs. My gaze rested on the sleeping form of my younger brother. He was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting his tired body from his day. A smile crept upon my face as I watched him doze. He tried so hard to stay alert until I finished my work, but never succeeded. His lay forgotten on the floor, and I walked over and picked it up. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It didn't surprise me that he was reading a Fantasy book. Mokuba had always been fascinated by the supernatural. He always said that he wanted to be a writer, and with his over-active imagination he could be a pretty damn good one. He had so many ambitions and the will power to accomplish them.
"Mokuba," I whispered shaking him slightly.
"Hm. What is big brother?" the small boy said sleepily.
"Time to go home, kid."
"Oh, okay."
He rolled off the couch, and stood up only to lose his balance and fall backward. I caught him before he hit anything.
"On second thought, why don't I just carry you down."
"You don't have to, I'm fine," he managed out before he yawned.
"With my luck you'll fall down the steps. That wasn't a question either."
"I know, but I thought it deserved a statement."
"You think everything deserves a statement. Come here."
I bent down so the boy could get on my back. He hesitated, but soon latched his small arms around my neck before hoisting the rest of his body into position. I elevated myself into a standing posture.
"You okay, little brother?"
"I'm fine, Seto."
I grabbed my briefcase and his backpack before striding to the door. I opened it, half-expecting an employee to be waiting to tell me that something went wrong, but it was dark and quiet. If only every night were this quiet. I started toward the elevator my eyes flickering gently from one side of the hallway to the other as if checking for a hidden attacker to jump out at me, but there was nothing just the eerie silence.
Everything after that happen after that was mechanical because before I knew it, I was stepping through the front door of the mansion. Mokuba was walking beside me as I ascended through the stairwell, and my feet automatically led me to Mokuba's room.
"Coming to tuck me in, big brother?" the small boy inquired.
"What does it look like?" I answered good-naturedly as I opened the door to reveal his bedroom.
Even in the dark you could see the stormy walls and the navy carpet. My brother sauntered into the closet to change into his pajamas as I sat on the bed, staring around at everything. I leaned back onto the periwinkle bed. It reminded me of Mokuba's eyes. Hell, the walls reminded me of Mokuba's eyes. I sat there enjoying the moment of silence when my sibling appeared in the doorway. I rose, allowing him to crawl into the bed. I looked at his pajamas, and almost laughed. He was wearing a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of Blue-eyes White Dragon boxers. The kid was so much like me that it was scary.
"Seto, can you get my dragon?"
"Yeah, kid."
I walked over to the far corner where two dragon plushies stood. One was a Blue-eyes White Dragon, the other was a dragon with blue eyes and a black body: the Blue-eyes Black Dragon. My eyes lingered on the black dragon momentarily before picking up the white one. I strode over to Mokuba's side, and held the dragon out for him. He took it in his arms before giving me a hug.
"'Night, big brother."
"Good night, Mokuba."
I headed to the doorway, but before I left the room I glanced back. There on the bed was Mokuba snuggling the white dragon that had once been next to the black one, but now it is with the boy and the black dragon stands alone in the corner. /I wonder…/
Sclera's POV
I walked out of the game at 5:20, and walked a few blocks before I got too frustrated to continue walking. I began to dig in my backpack for my cell phone, which took five minutes to find. I withdrew the device revealing the black backing and the lightening bolt cover. I pressed the power button and waited impatiently for I to fully boot up. The moment my main screen came into view I was dialing a number that had long since been memorized by my fingertips. The other line rang once, then twice, then a third time before he finally picked it up.
"Hello?" a slightly English accent asked.
"Henry, it's Sclera. I need you to pick me up. I thought that I could walk home, but I'm to frustrated to."
"Where are you?"
I gave him my address then managed to hang up the phone before the need to destroy something took control over my body.
The entire time that I was in the Game Shop, I had to pretend like I didn't know anything about anybody because I was a new girl that had never before seen Domino city or any of its occupants up close and personal. The reality of it was that I knew these people and they knew me. I was getting tired of having to cover old tracks again because of who I was.
Henry shortly arrived with my silver Mercedes Benz. I didn't bother to wait for him to get out and open my door; I just got in myself. He drove off without asking where I wanted to go. He knew that I wanted to go back to me haven in the sky where I could be unbothered by the entire city, and simply watch them as they went through their daily lives, untroubled by the past and just being themselves.
I never said a word to Henry for the ride back to the apartment building or in the elevator. The doors opened to reveal a large balcony that wrapped around the entire floor. I extracted a key from my pocket, and unlocked the door without a word. The door swung open to expose a very large living room/entry way with black tile floors. Dinner smelled delicious. Henry had been sure to make shrimp Alfredo for my first day back at school.
"So, was it as bad as you expected?" he asked.
"No, Henry, it was worse. Much worse."
"Would you like to talk about it?"
I looked at him, hoping that my eyes would seem grateful instead of frustrated like I was on the inside.
"After I change," I said as I got up and headed to my bedroom.
"Dinner should be done when you get out."
I closed the door to my room for privacy, and flicked the light switch. My walls were painted cobalt blue and my carpet was darkness. I drew the curtains shut to balcony, and stripped off my uniform letting it fall gently to the floor. I rummaged through my closet for a few moments before out a pair of black silk lounge pants and a black sleeveless. I exited the room as I heard the clang of plates being set upon the table. Henry sat a pot of noodles on the table and motioned me to sit down. I sat at the head of the table, and Henry sat at the foot. The black glass top set off the silver legs and chairs. For ten minutes we ate in complete silence, not even looking at each other. For the first time since the meal had begun, I looked up from my food, out across the skyline. My gaze rested on the towering form of Kaiba Corps. It brought back so many memories.
"Oh, Henry, what have I done?" I asked in a pained voice.
He looked up from his food as well, but didn't say anything.
"Today I saw all of my old classmates and my best friend, but I couldn't say anything about it being great to see them again. I couldn't even mention their names without them introducing themselves first. Only one person recognized me today, and that kills me. I just found out that my friend is a workaholic asshole, and I got into a fistfight with him. Do you know what it feels like to have known someone all of your life and when you see them after a long period of time they don't even recognize you?"
"Sclera, I don't know what it's like because I was never in your situation. You haven't told me the whole reason that you left either. All you said was that the past would haunt you forever. What past, Sclera?"
"Henry, please don't ask me that question. When I'm ready I'll tell you, if I'm ever ready to tell you."
"Why can't you say anything to your old friends? They're your friends. They'll understand why you ran away."
/That's just it though/ Ryou understands because I told him about what happened, but the others have no clue. And Seto, I never want to show my weakness to him. I just don't want to be the girl that ran away.
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Tornado: Do you get it now, DT?
DT: Yes, but what was the point of Kaiba's POV?
Tornado: can't tell you. By the way I don't own anything except Sclera and the Blue-eyes Black Dragon. I did get one review that didn't show up until I had finished the chapter. Thanks Krazi for reviewing.
DT: You still didn't explain the visions.
Tornado: There's only three chapters in the story will you chill out.
DT: What is the significance of Kaiba's POV?
Tornado: Don't worry about it. R&R.