A/N: Sorry, it's been awhile. I never forgot about this story but only now feel like I've been hit with the creativity to continue. If you're still here, thanks for sticking with me. This was my very first fanfiction and the positivity and encouragement I received then sent my confidence in writing through the roof.

On a related note, with this being my first work of fanfiction, I didn't know a lot about formatting and in the past few years, I've gotten better at proofing my work, researching topics, formatting it for the site and just better writing skill in my opinion, and I've decided to overhaul the story entirely but post it on AO3. There will only be one major plot change, but the rest of it will just be refining the presentation, so keep an eye out for it if you frequent both sites.

Thanx

The next week went by at an agonizing pace. Sabrina was taking great pains to avoid the group, even the ones not in the 'inner circle'. She ate alone, stayed out as late as possible and holed herself up in her room to avoid Ishizu.

"She's taking time to process it all," Ishizu tried explaining at their nightly dinners.

"But is it healthy for her to withdraw like that?" Yugi asked, genuinely concerned. "Being alone is a very daunting thing if you have no one to share your sorrows with." He looked downcast his face overshadowed with emotions he was trying to conceal.

"Some people cope with stress different ways," Ishizu said, "You might be the kind of person who needs companionship to get through tough times. Marik was the same way, but some people like Sabrina and Odion…"

"And Seto," Mokuba interjected.

"…prefer to process alone," Ishizu finished. "And the best thing to do is give her space. She will talk to us again when she's ready."

"Honestly, I'm impressed she didn't leave on the next flight back to the U.S." Mokuba commented, "If that didn't scare her off you must have worked some magic on her," he pointed with his pen at his older brother.

"I didn't do anything," Seto scoffed, giving his sibling a disapproving look.

"You talked to her all night! Hours after we left," Mokuba objected "You two literally talked each other to sleep in the den."

"What's this?" Yugi asked, leaning forward to look at Seto.

"Oh yes, Sabrina fell asleep on the couch and Seto fell asleep in his armchair. I found them the next moment completely wiped out. I'm sure the servants thought that Sabrina had to do the walk of shame in the morning."

"Mokuba…" Seto warned.

"I thought it was sweet," his younger brother teased.

"There's not much we can do for her at the moment," Seto said, aiming his statement at Yugi, "so let's focus on what we can do and not on her for a bit. What can we do now to combat Coliseum now?"

"There's the list Joey Wheeler sent us," Ishizu said, "If we can start tracking down some of Coliseum's clientele, we can follow them and the money to track down some actual people within their ranks."

"I know you might not be up for it, but why don't we revisit Egypt?" Seto suggested, "It will give us a chance to visit the island and assess what Coliseum was after, and you can check up on your brothers' murder case and see if they have any information. If we fly commercial and purchase the tickets individually, they won't even know we're gone provided Sabrina has stopped talking to her liar boyfriend for the time being." He winced as the words "fly commercial" came out of his mouth. He hated flying with the rest of the commoners, but safety was safety.

"I doubt any of us would be missed on the project," Mokuba agreed. "It could work, but we couldn't be gone for long and we'd have to keep a low profile while we're there, meaning Ishizu, you can't contact your employer or the police to tell them you're coming."

She nodded. "If I show up, I'm sure they'll keep my presence a secret, but if I announce I'm coming there's a chance it could get out. Egyptian police are just as corrupt as any other police force. Coliseum may have inside men there we don't want to tip off."

"If my shop is cared for, I'd really like to go back," Yugi said, finally adding his opinion to the conversation at hand."

"Then I'll arrange for the ticket purchases and keep you posted," Mokuba said, finalizing the decision. "I'll try and get us tickets for Saturday or Sunday."

It was late by the time Ishizu got home, but she knocked on Sabrina's door. At first Sabrina didn't respond, but just before she'd resigned herself that Sabrina didn't want to talk, Sabrina bid her to come in.

She was sitting on her bed with her headset on, working on her laptop. She looked a little surprised when Ishizu entered.

"I wasn't sure if I actually heard anyone knocking or not," Sabrian said, "What's up?"

"I'm sorry, I know it's late," she began, "I know we haven't really talked much but I wanted to let you know I'm going to be going back to Egypt for a few days with Yugi and the Kaibas."

Sabrina removed her headphones letting them rest around her neck as she listened. "Project Dawn stuff or…?"

"Other stuff," Ishizu replied, "I'm leaving on Saturday and I just wanted to make sure you'll be fine by yourself for a few days."

"Yeah, I was actually thinking it's been a few weeks and I'm tired of living out of a suitcase. Maybe I'll transition back into my old apartment while you're gone."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until I get back? You'll be there alone."

"If your little inner circle is right, I'm not in any danger. I'm not going to tell Justin where I am but I'm not going to break up with him unless I can do it to his face. I know it's not the safest option, but I'd like to have a few days to myself to pack up all my stuff.

"Pack?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly. The room took on an unsettled air the way it always does when a conversation turns serious and uncomfortable. "I haven't told anyone yet, but as soon as I finish everything on Project Dawn, I'm going to be moving back home. I'll see it through until the bugs are all worked out, even after launch but I have an open offer from my dream job back in the states."

"I understand. But we'll certainly miss you," Ishizu said sincerely.

"I know you talk with Seto all the time, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't run and tell him I plan to leave. I'm going to tell him as soon as I'm ready."

"I completely understand," Ishizu nodded. "I won't tell him."

"Thanks." She almost closed the door but re-opened it to add. "You're handling this incredibly well, by the way. Kaiba rejected who he was, and my brother literally developed a split personality to cope with all the stress of carrying this burden of knowledge. My older brother vowed never to marry because he didn't want to bring kids into this. It almost devoured Maximillion Pegasus and turned him into a monster. And Bakura…" Ishizu stopped herself when she realized she was rambling.

"What happened to Bakura?"

"Bakura vanished." Ishizu's brow darkened from the memory of him, "My brother, Marik, tried to keep up with him with but after everything happened ten years ago, Bakura never fully recovered. It messed with his head and he eventually stopped texting and returning Marik's calls. It ruined his life. The only reason the rest of us made it through is because we had each other. As far as you're concerned, you've taken this better than anyone else that's had the truth bomb dropped on them."

"Thanks, I guess." Sabrina said, "It's nothing personal against you or KaibaCorp, it's more what I want out of life, and being a part of this is not something I want for myself or my family."

"I understand," Ishizu replied, "If I had a choice, I wouldn't have put my family in this."

"I just hope Mokuba understands," Sabrina noted, her eyes conveying true regret, "I was really starting to think about him as a brother, and Seto…"

"Seto won't think less of you," she promised, dismissing herself and closing the door behind her. As she made her way back to her room, Ishizu sighed in disappointment at her roommate's decision. But it was her choice to leave, and Ishizu was determined to not interfere with her and Seto. If she could just keep it from him.

"You're hiding something," Seto said flatly to Ishizu as she tried to maneuver past him at the condiment station.
"Not here," she said calmly, again attempting to escape. He stepped into her path.

"You've cancelled dinner on us three days in a row. We're leaving for Egypt the day after tomorrow and you're choosing now to become withdrawn?"

Mokuba passed the station with his tray. "You're making a scene, bro," he said without stopping, carrying his food to their usual spot. Set gave Ishizu a look, letting her know this wasn't over and he was going to have the truth out of her one way or another. Nevertheless, he retreated, sitting beside his brother and left the Egyptian woman to herself. She kept her eye on the brothers while she poured herself a few small cups of sauces.

"Seto, you can't just grill people in public like that," his brother admonished as he sat.

"I'm literally the owner and CEO of the company, I can grill whoever I want in my company on company property on company time," Seto snapped back. He was agitated and in no mood to hear Mokuba's advice on how to win friends and influence people.

His younger brother opened his mouth to argue with him further, but Sabrina slid into the chair opposite Seto, sitting nervously, her posture indicating she didn't intend to stay long. Her very presence cut Mokuba off.

"I'm coming with you on this trip to Egypt with you," she said flatly. "I want to see it with my own eyes. Just to get some closure.

"You don't get to decide who goes," Kaiba responded without looking up from his food.

"I can spend my money as I please," she retorted. "And I want to spend my money learning about who I am and what's inside me. I at least deserve that."

Seto inhaled to continue their adversarial banter, but was interrupted by his brother.

"To be up front with you, we don't really know what we're going to find there, Sabrina," Mokuba explained.

"I don't either, so we're in the same boat. When do we leave?"

"Dzam taught me a saying," Seto said staring her down across the table, "In Mongolia, if someone is overestimating how much they can get away with, they say someone's feet are sticking out of the blanket."

"Yeah, well, Dzambul didn't have a truth bomb dropped on him that he was a reincarnated Egyptian with a literal demon inside his body that was used for prize fights and died before he turned twenty-five…or that his girlfriend works for both the Irish Mafia and discount scientology."

"I know you want answers," Seto conceded, "But this isn't a 'finding answers for Kisara' kind of trip. This is a damage assessment for Ishizu; we don't have time to hold your hand and explain every detail along the way."

"I don't understand why you're hellbent on me not coming." Her voice took on a harsher tone as she was clearly growing frustrated.

"Come on, Seto," Mokuba chided, "She's part of this, it's only normal she wants to see this the same as us."

Seto looked at his younger brother, shifting his entire focus to Mokuba. "I am not opposed to helping her understand her situation. I am opposed to bringing her along as a liability overseas where we are going to be pressed for time and might be in danger. You'd feel very differently if Karin just walked up to the table and announced she's coming with us. I'd tell her no, just as I'm telling Sabrina no."

"She's not asking your permission to come, and she shouldn't have to," Mokuba said, ignoring her. "You're not her boss."

"I literally own the company she works for! Yes, I am her boss. And she can't just take time off work to tag along on something that is only tangentially related to her. She's inserting herself without so much as a 'please'."

"Oh, come on, when have you ever said please?" Mokuba snapped, genuinely irritated this conversation was even taking place.

"Once, and it got me what I wanted," Seto snapped back.

The staring contest began: both determined to win out. Ishizu, not wanting to pick sides, tried interjecting to keep the peace.

"Sabrina, there might be other issues. The flight leaves in two days. I'm sure it's already booked full. And we need to stay together. Time is going to be very tight on this trip as we won't even have three full days. We can't waste hours taking a trip back to the airport or waiting for you to land if you fly separately."

It was a logical reason. Sabrina pursed her lips in displeasure. Her face made it obvious she was angry, but it was impossible to direct the rage at any one person, or the group as a whole.

"Guess it's just not in the cards for me," she finally said.

Mokuba gave a soft snort. "Cards." Seto glared at him as only an embarrassed older brother could. Mokuba scowled. "Yugi would have thought it was funny."

Knowing she'd never win by trying to pressure Seto, Sabrina decided the next best option would be to just purchase a ticket on her own to Egypt and locate them once she landed. If they really wanted to keep her safe, she could just force their hand that way and they'd have to let her tag along.

She spent her evening looking at ticket prices to Alexandria, Memphis, Cairo and Aswan, assuming they'd be headed near Luxor again, but unsure: they could have been heading to Ishizu's museum or some other archaeological site. When her phone rang, she flipped the phone open without taking her eyes off her laptop screen.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hey. Yugi called me tonight." It was Mokuba. She sat up, more attentive. "And his grandpa isn't doing very well right now. The nurses said he might not have much time. I know this isn't how any of us wanted it, but that means that we have an unused airline ticket if you'd still like to come with us. I know that doesn't give you much time."

"It's fine," Sabrina said, "If it's only a few days, I can be ready in under an hour."

"Good, I'll have your ticket for you when we get to the airport. Fair warning, though. We had to buy tickets where we could, so we won't all be sitting together. If you want, I can give you my ticket so you'll at least be in the same row as Ishizu."

"I'm fine by myself, thanks." Sabrina replied. She hung up without saying goodbye and began packing her tiny carry on like a madman, ensuring she had plenty of spare SD cards and sketch paper. She needed answers and by whatever gods were at work here, she was going to get them.

There was no time for jetlag. The quartet rented a car at the airport and immediately set out for the island. Ishizu drove, first to a local bazaar to get food and then to the ferry. Mokuba and Sabrina curled up and nodded off in the back seat of the tiny car, leaving Seto to telecommute his duties and Ishizu to manage the trip.

"I think our best option is to visit the island first and then stop by the house on the way back. I already contacted the police, and they said the house has been cleared so we can enter." She was referring to the underground bunker that in the middle of nowhere as her house, but home was home, even if it wasn't traditional.

"I trust your judgement," Seto said, not looking up from his smartphone.

"This might not be a good time to bring this up," she said as she checked the rear-view mirror, "but you do realize she's never going to be able to escape this, right?" Ishizu said, "Whether she stays with us or moves to New York. She may say she wants out, but that doesn't mean anything to Coliseum. They'll come for her and she'll relive all the worst parts of her past: enslaved and fighting for her life."

"I'm aware," Seto said curtly, "But I can't put her in a straitjacket and lock her up in my basement to keep her safe, Ishizu."

"I'm not saying to impose yourself on her," the woman shook her head, frustrated it wasn't coming out as well as she'd hoped. "I'm saying, if anyone can help her accept the inevitability of her role in this, it will be you and you ought to do it."

"Why would I want her to accept that. At all?" Seto put his phone down. "I stood in my lounge a few weeks ago and told her she had a choice. And I still want her to have a choice in all this. I want to have my own choice in all this. So no, I will not be trying to keep her in Domino or with me. If she wants to stay, it will be her decision. And nothing else."

"And if she runs from her destiny and end up exactly where we fear she will?"

"Well…you believe in fate," Seto said. "How do you know she isn't fated to just walk away from it all right now and live a normal life in America and work for Industrial Illusions and eventually get married to Maximilian Pegasus? How do you know that it isn't her fate to die prematurely like last time?"

"I don't pretend to know what her fate is…" she began.

"Then don't tell me to pretend either," Seto said with a finality. He wanted this conversation to be over.

Were Ishizu a more impulsive and easily annoyed woman, she would have pulled the car over and given the CEO a piece of her mind. Was it not obvious enough to Seto that Sabrina's fate was intertwined with his and could not be untangled? Did he not see that something providential moved them together at this time just as Coliseum was coming to prominence?

But Ishizu bit her tongue, and continued driving, unaware that Sabrina in the back seat was awake and heard every part of the conversation concerning her. She hated to think she was beyond controlling her own course of action, but at least Seto wanted to give her that: a choice. She respected him for it.