When Destinies Collide
By Ash Kaiba
DISCLAIMER! We don't own any of the characters/term(s) from the Yu-Gi-Oh show and games. We do own Ashley "Ash" Black, Kathryn Takemura, and Mae Black. Plus, we don't own Kaiba Corp.
Ash Kaiba: Wow...I got a some reviews to make Mokuba happy. Well...here's the next chapter!
Previously in When Destinies Collide: Chapter 15: His Second Mind
Dr. Muran takes Kaiba to the hospital, where he throws a fit until an intern injects some medicine. Kathryn Takemura has déjà vu. Mokuba starts to worry that his brother will never be the same.
Chapter 16: Kaiba Reunion
Mokuba sat in the hall once more. The boy was a complete nervous wreck. Beside him was Ash Black. Her long hair was a mess from the fight at the school, her helmet, and the wrestling match against his brother. The clock showed 8:45, a couple hours since Kaiba acted up. So far, Kaiba hasn't improved. Everyone found something to do. Ash listened to her Walk-Man, occasionally pausing to talk to Mokuba. He soon learned that she was doing all that she could. For now, that was to keep Mokuba from being depressed. But, how could he be? Joey and Tristan were cracking jokes on each other for who knows how long. Once, Joey tucked one of his whoopee cushions under Ash. She scowled at him. His reaction was hilarious.
"Ah! The cast iron is on me." Joey replied.
Satisfied, Ash pushed the cushion aside and sat down. She looked at Mokuba. Mokuba grinned, trying to fool her. She looked away, playing along or is content. Mokuba looked down the hallway, bored to his skull. Then, he saw a neon green head in the crowd.
"No way…Noah!" Mokuba called.
The green head responded. "Mokuba!" He yelled with delight. A man in a red suit followed him.
"Oh, no." Joey groaned. "Kai is not gonna like this."
"Where's Seto?" The man asked with his voice full of concern. He also had gray hair, neatly combed back. His red suit was also neat. Mokuba pointed to the room, too afraid to say anything. However, Ash watched him with caution. They knew the reason why. She'd never seen the man or the boy called Noah. The best thing she could do was to watch every single move.
"Hey, Noah. How did you get here?" Yugi asked all friendly as usual.
"Father and I were rescued after I blew up the base. Since then, Father has been really different. He didn't care about getting revenge on Seto, but making it up to him." Noah paused. He looked in Ash's direction. "Who is she? I've never seen her before." He asked as Mokuba chuckled. Ash wasn't amused.
"I believe we should go in, sir," she replied.
"All you want to do is make sure Gozaburo doesn't hurt him, Ash." Joey chuckled.
"Ash? As in, Ashley Nikki Black from the U.S.?" Noah asked.
Ash ignored him. "Well, excuse me, Joseph Wheeler. Seto Kaiba so happens to be my boss." She snapped. Then, she looked at the door. Suddenly, she felt a connection to him. "We should go in, Mokuba. He's waking up."
Upon hearing that sentence, Mokuba ran in. Ash followed with Yugi and Noah behind her. After a couple moments, Joey and the others joined them. In the room, Simon sat next to the bed. Gozaburo stood at the end of the bed. Seto was still silent. Mokuba gained a saddened face. He looked at Ash. Gozaburo looked at them.
"Mok…u…ba…" A voice gasped. Everyone looked at Kaiba. His eyes were partly opened. He was awake enough to notice the people around the bed. Finally, the tiredness left him. "Mokuba, Black."
"Yeah, yeah. We're here. And you're lucky." Ash growled, annoyed by the presence of Noah and Gozaburo. She stood with her arms crossed. Deep in her heart, weeping was very strong, but her tomboy exterior kept it silent. Her ice eyes hid her softness from the world. Ash Black had to be strong, in which means showing no weakness. The truth of her past was locked away in her heart. So far, only she knew it; no one had gotten her complete trust (except three former gang members) to know it. "What have you been carrying with you? A shamrock?" She asked mockingly.
Mokuba looked at her. He had never heard Ash's voice so cold. It frightened him. Her voice was usually warm, with a sharp edge. It was friendly. Now, it sounded like she didn't care about Seto. He was scared of her. The way she defended his brother and the way she spoke were different. Mokuba started to wonder what was on her mind.
"Mokuba, what's wrong?" Kaiba asked. Mokuba looked back at his brother. He first noticed that Kaiba's eyes were warmer than usual. His voice was warm and gentle. In it, Mokuba felt compassion…for him and someone else? He became puzzled. Had his brother and Ash's emotions switch?
"Nothing. It's not important." He answered as a yawn echoed beside him. Both brothers looked in its direction. They did it only to see Ash tiredly stretching her arms. She realized that all four of them were looking at her. A carefree look landed on her face. Mokuba could only rack his brain even more. Ash Black was so confusing.
"You should…get to…be…" Kaiba yawned as his heavy eyelids closed. The only sound was his breathing and the heart monitor. Mokuba thought he knew what his brother meant. Then, Ash turned toward the door. "Ash, wait!" He called as she stopped.
"What?"
"Thanks for saving him."
"No problem. He is my boss." Ash answered as she turned back towards the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going home. Mr. Kaiba's right. We all need to get to bed and rest." She answered.
"Are you going to work tomorrow?"
"Probably not."
"Why not? I need your help at Kaiba Corp."
"I need to learn…more about myself." She replied. "I want to know how I scared off that creature. How I defended your brother. I never did it before, so why now? I need…I want to know. I hope at least you can understand, sir."
"I do. The door's open."
Ash smiled and knelt down. She rubbed his head. "I have to admit it, you're a good kid. Good night."
Mokuba, Noah, and Gozaburo watched her leave.
"Who's that?" Gozaburo asked as Noah shrugged.
"That's my friend and Seto's personal assistant, Ash Black."
To be continued…
Next Chapter in the When Destinies Collide Saga: Chapter 17: Remembrance
Ash has her second dream. She e-mails Kaiba about the DNA of a 5,000 year old mummy. Then, she sends the day with Téa and Kathryn. She finally tells Téa her big secret.
Ash Kaiba: Better? Mokuba's happy now...though Ash is very annoyed. Please review. Make me happy.
