This new chapter is on the slow side, but it will lead up to a major reveal in the next one. Enjoy and comments are appreciated. ^^
Chapter 27
It was almost the end of November, so a little over a month had passed since the events of the charity ball and Kaiba's birthday. Things had been a little hectic for a while, but they eventually settled down. Alex continued to spend her days going to school, going to work, and spending time with her friends and Kaiba. Although Alex didn't know what her feelings were for Kaiba, she admitted that she was getting closer to him and a part of her was scared. It certainly didn't help when Cas contacted her just the night before.
Alex was updating her mission report to Cas, while Cas listened carefully. After she was done, Cas asked,
"Alex, is there anything you want to tell me?"
Alex looked confused and replied, "What do you mean?"
Cas replied, "I don't want to worry you, but my bosses are getting on my case about your mission. They think you're stalling."
Alex was surprised and replied, "What?"
Cas replied, "I know. I told them that you're simply taking your time and you'll make your move when you're ready. But they think you're getting weak."
She sighed and then added, "Listen, Alex. If anything has changed, you know you can tell me, and I won't even tell them. You know our communications are always secure."
Alex nodded and replied, "I know."
For a few moments, Alex pondered the possibility of telling Cas of her doubts in killing Kaiba. Getting to know him, Alex knew that Kaiba wasn't a simple character. He had a very complicated personality, and there were times that he could show compassion and even kindness. Alex thought it was possible to get through to him although she had no idea how that could be done.
However, Alex felt that it was best to keep such thoughts to herself, so instead, she added,
"I have nothing new to report. But you are going to look into what I mentioned before, right?"
Cas replied, "You mean about seeing that Kisara look-a-like and that computer virus you found?"
Alex replied, "Yeah. Those are definitely time anomalies."
Cas nodded and replied, "I agree, and I'll personally look into it. There's no need to tell my bosses about it."
What Cas didn't tell Alex, though, was that Cas felt that her bosses shouldn't be told about them.
Cas added, "I won't put any pressure on you to hurry your mission, but if they continue to push, I don't know how long I can hold them off."
Alex replied, "I understand. I guess that means I'm going to have to make a move soon, if only to satisfy them."
Alex sighed to herself as she walked outside and got lost in her thoughts. It was a Sunday afternoon, and despite the cold weather, Alex thought that she could use the walk. She didn't know what to do, and she held back from telling Cas about certain things, although she had her reasons. Alex thought to herself,
If only there was someone I could confide in. Maybe a friend who could help me. I can't tell Seto. He would only be angry and maybe even hurt if I told him the truth.
As Alex continued this line of thought, she suddenly heard someone call her name. Looking in the direction of that voice, she smiled and replied,
"Hey, Yugi."
Yugi smiled at Alex and ran towards her. Once they were close enough to have a conversation, Yugi said,
"Hey, Alex. What are you doing out here? It's quite cold."
Alex nodded and replied, "True, but I needed a walk, and I didn't feel like staying in my apartment. What about you?"
Yugi replied, "I just got finished running some errands for grandpa."
He looked at Alex and something inside him thought that maybe they should talk somewhere private, so he asked,
"Do you want to find a cafe and have some hot chocolate?"
Alex nodded happily and replied, "Sure. Hot chocolate sounds good."
Yugi then led the way towards a nearby cafe he found as he passed by, and Alex followed him. Once they were inside, Yugi ordered two mugs of hot chocolate and then carried them to a quiet booth in the corner. As there were only a couple of customers inside, it looked like a good place to have a private conversation.
As the two of them drank hot chocolate, Yugi said, "I hope I'm not intruding, but I didn't only want to invite you for hot chocolate."
Alex smiled and replied, "I kind of figured as much. What's up?"
Yugi looked thoughtful and replied, "Maybe I'm wrong here, but when I saw you, it looked like something was troubling you and maybe you need a friend to talk to?"
Alex was momentarily surprised upon hearing Yugi's words, but then she replied,
"You're very perceptive, Yugi. I was just thinking that I needed a friend. I mean, it's complicated, but I can't talk to Cas about it."
Yugi nodded and replied, "Your guardian. I can understand. There are things I can only talk to Joey or Tea about, but I can't talk to grandpa. But what about Kaiba?"
Alex blushed a bit and replied, "What do you mean? Why did you bring him up?"
Yugi smiled and replied, "It's no secret that you two have been getting very close, and I'm not blind. I'm surprised Kaiba hasn't asked you to be his girlfriend. It would just make things easier."
Alex blushed more deeply and replied, "It's, um, probably for the best. I mean, getting into such a relationship would only make things more complicated than they already are."
Yugi looked confused and replied, "What do you mean?"
Of course, Alex couldn't tell Yugi about her mission, so she replied, "You know that I'm only going to be here for a few more months, and then I'll head back to America. I'll probably go to university. Kaiba and I would have to part ways, and being in a relationship would only hurt more in the end."
Yugi shook his head and replied, "But this is Kaiba we're talking about. He'd find a way to make it work, and you know he'll do whatever he wants."
Alex sighed sadly and replied, "That's true."
Alex's sigh didn't escape Yugi's notice, so he asked, "Is there something wrong? Do you not like Kaiba?"
Alex shook his head and replied, "That's the problem. I don't dislike him. I even think he might be a good guy. But it makes things so much harder. It would have been easier for me to continue disliking him, but then he shows this side, and I just get so conflicted."
Yugi was confused, as he didn't understand what Alex was talking about. However, he smiled a bit and replied,
"I think it's ok if you like Kaiba. I know he has a reputation, and many people don't like him. But I have hope in him and there's good inside him. It's obvious you see it, too."
Alex nodded and replied, "I do."
She took another sip of her hot chocolate and then said, "Yugi, do you mind if I ask you something? It's something that I think I need a friend's advice about, but I can't go into specifics."
Yugi nodded and replied, "Of course, and I'll try my best to help."
Alex smiled and then said, "Ok. Let's just say that you've been asked to do something, and accomplishing it will lead to a good result. However, the means to do so are bad. What would you do?"
Yugi replied, "You weren't kidding when you said you can't go into specifics."
Alex replied, "Yeah. I guess that's too vague. Would giving an example help?"
Yugi replied, "Yeah, I think so."
Alex looked thoughtful, trying to think of an example, and then she replied, "For instance, let's say that there was a disease out there that was killing a lot of people. Now, you find the cause of that disease and it turns out to be the person who created it in the first place. However, this person wasn't aware that their creation was causing a lot of problems. Now, you may think that talking to this person and having them be aware might solve it, but this person is really stubborn and refuses to listen. What would you do? Would you go so far as to have them killed?"
Yugi's eyes widened a bit as he listened to Alex's example and he replied,
"That is more specific. Hmm, this would be a difficult situation."
He sat back, looking thoughtful and quiet. As Alex drank her hot chocolate and watched Yugi, she could tell that he was taking her words seriously and perhaps he was even consulting with his other half. After a few minutes, Yugi finally looked at Alex and said,
"Sorry for being so quiet. I was talking to Yami."
Alex smiled and replied, "I figured as much. It's ok."
Yugi replied, "I know what I would do, but I think—and he and I both agree—that you should follow your heart. What would you do in that situation?"
Alex sighed and replied, "I thought I knew. Before, I would have just done what was necessary for the greater good, even if that meant having that person killed. But now that I've gotten to know this person better, I don't think that would be the right course of action. But then, I don't know what would be."
Her thoughts trailed to Kaiba although she tried to reply as best she could to stick with the example she had presented.
Yugi nodded and replied, "If it helps, I agree with your choice. I know this sounds cliché, but I would take a leap of faith. Talk to this person or find a way to get them to understand. Perhaps appeal to their emotions, and most importantly, believe in them. People are complicated. We both know that."
Alex replied, "That sure is the truth."
Alex looked thoughtful and Yugi replied, "I don't know if that helped."
Alex smiled and replied, "It did. I guess I should try to have faith in that person, even if the odds are against it."
Yugi replied, "Wait. It was just an example, right?"
Alex realized that she might have possibly said more than she should have, so she quickly nodded and replied, "Of course."
Alex added, "You're a really good friend, Yugi."
Yugi smiled and replied, "You can talk to me whenever you want and to Joey and the others. You know you can even talk to Kaiba. I think he'll want to help you if you're in some sort of trouble or something."
Alex nodded and replied, "I'm sure he would, and when I'm ready, I will."
She had a determined look on her face and added, "I think I know what to do."
Yugi nodded and replied, "Good. I'm glad I could help."
He paused, and it looked like Yugi was having another conversation with Yami, so Alex decided to be patient and wait. After a couple of minutes, Yugi said,
"I'm sorry for asking, but he wants to know if you've found out anything about your bracelet. We've been looking into it, but we haven't found much."
Alex shook her head and replied, "Same here. I mean, I have been a bit preoccupied, so I haven't had much time to look into it, but if I find out anything, I'll let you both know."
Although Alex had that vision of the lady, she felt that it wasn't quite the right time to reveal that, hoping to get more information first.
Yugi replied, "It's ok, and we'll figure it out."
He gave a reassuring smile, which Alex returned. Seeing that it was getting a bit late, Alex replied, "I guess we should go. Gramps is probably wondering where you are, and I should get back to my apartment."
Yugi noticed the time and nodding, he replied, "Yeah, you're right."
The two of them got up, and after Yugi paid for their drinks, they left the cafe. Then they parted ways, and as Alex headed back to her building and then inside her apartment, she thought to herself,
Yugi really helped me, and I know what to do. It's going to be a risk, but as he said, I need to take a leap of faith. I should believe in Kaiba and hope he'll do what's right in his heart.
She took a deep breath and then added,
I won't let those old farts win. I know they're wrong, and I'm going to prove it. So forget about going with Plan A. It's time to do what I want and go with Plan B.