Chapter 40
"Nothing about you should surprise me by now."
It was early Friday afternoon, and Alex had just directed her comment towards Kaiba. Kaiba looked blankly at Alex and asked,
"What do you mean?"
Alex replied, "Isn't it obvious? Who else would pull some strings with the Greek government and make sure that we would have the ruins to ourselves?"
Nearby, Mokuba laughed and replied, "Alex is right. It wouldn't have been a big deal if there are other people here."
Kaiba frowned and replied, "I don't want us to be disturbed."
Alex replied, "I can understand that, but it isn't so bad to be around other people."
Mokuba replied, "You know how Seto can be."
Alex nodded and replied, "True."
Kaiba coughed and replied, "Anyway, we can take all the time we want to explore the ruins. We shouldn't leave any stone unturned."
Alex replied, "I suppose. This is a rare opportunity, so we should make the most of it."
She leaned in closer towards Kaiba so that Mokuba wouldn't overhear them and added,
"I'm surprised you found out where we can start."
Kaiba smirked and replied, "It wasn't difficult. I simply asked the curator back at Domino Museum about the origins of that Greek exhibit. He was more than pleased to answer my questions."
Alex replied, "That makes sense."
Mokuba then said, "I'm happy you two asked me to tag along, but I'm surprised that we're not in Paris instead."
Alex gave a look and replied, "Why's that? Not that I don't appreciate Paris and all, but it's a bit of a too popular tourist city."
Mokuba gave a teasing look and replied, "That's not it. I know the real reason you wanted to get out of the country."
Kaiba raised an eyebrow and replied, "Then tell us, Mokuba."
Mokuba replied, "You want to ask Alex to marry you, right?"
Alex blushed deeply and replied, "What?!"
Meanwhile, Kaiba looked calmly at Mokuba and replied, "That's right."
Alex looked at Kaiba in astonishment, while Kaiba simply stared at Alex and added, "Why does this shock you? Would it be so bad if we got engaged?"
Alex's face was getting hot from embarrassment, and she had to take a few moments to calm down. Once she did, she replied,
"I can't tell if you two are messing with me, but obviously, it's way too soon for that."
Kaiba smirked at Alex and replied, "I would disagree. We're already sleeping together, so-"
Alex interrupted, "Hey! Mokuba's going to get the wrong idea if you just blurt it out like that."
Mokuba grinned and replied, "I already know that, and I'd be more than happy for you to become my sister, Alex. And maybe I can be an uncle someday, too."
Alex looked like she wanted to melt into the ground, and as she looked back between Kaiba and Mokuba, she could see that they were having fun teasing her. It was then that she frowned and replied,
"Geez, you two."
She shook her head and pouting, she started to walk away from them, deciding to head towards the Erechtheion, the closest ruin to where the party was. She wanted to get back to focusing on why she was here and why Kaiba had taken the trouble to make sure they could see Greece. But before she could take more than a couple of steps, Kaiba grabbed Alex by the waist and spun her around so that she was facing him. She frowned and asked,
"Now what do you want? You want to tease me some more?"
Mokuba was far enough away so that he wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on their conversation, and Kaiba replied,
"It's fun to tease you, but I wasn't entirely joking. When this is all over, I would be pleased if we were engaged."
Alex looked into Kaiba's eyes to determine if he was simply teasing her more. However, she could feel his sincerity and blushing deeply, she replied,
"I, um, haven't thought nearly that far ahead, but I would be open to the idea."
Kaiba smiled and he leaned in to kiss Alex passionately on the lips, which she happily returned. She wrapped her arms around Kaiba's neck and let herself enjoy the moment. They stayed like that for long enough that Mokuba coughed and said,
"It's a good thing that there aren't others around. You can make out as much as you want."
Alex and Kaiba let go of each other, and Kaiba replied, "Another reason I reserved this place for us."
Alex shook her head and replied, "This isn't exactly a make out spot, you know."
Kaiba replied, "Does that matter?"
Alex simply sighed and replied, "We're getting distracted. I'm going to explore those ruins over there, but you should stay with Mokuba."
Kaiba frowned and replied, "You shouldn't go off by yourself."
Alex replied, "I can look after myself, and I have been here before, you know, alone."
Kaiba was about to reply when he saw the look that Alex was giving him. He sighed and replied,
"Fine, but try not to take too long. I don't want a repeat of last time."
Alex replied, "Max isn't here. Yugi would have told us if Max suddenly didn't show up in school. But I'll be careful."
She gave Kaiba a quick kiss and then walked towards the Erechtheion ruins. Kaiba motioned for Roland and requested that he follow Alex but keep his distance. Roland nodded and followed Kaiba's orders.
Unaware that Roland was following, Alex made her way towards the ruins. She briefly remembered being here before when she met Jaden although there wasn't anything noteworthy at the time. However, perhaps there would be something different this time, so Alex figured that it wouldn't hurt to take a look.
As she went further into the temple, Alex thought about the story behind the place. It was famous because this is supposedly where Poseidon and Athena competed for the city, with Athena winning in the end. As a little girl, Alex enjoyed learning about Greek mythology, so she knew about some of the stories.
Continuing to explore some more, she noticed a set of stairs, which she climbed on. Then she was on another floor and walked down a narrow hallway. She passed by several doors and then noticed one in particular. It had the engraving of a bow and arrow, and immediately, Alex thought about Artemis. Also, she thought to herself,
I didn't see this here when I went to Jaden's time. I wonder if there's a reason.
Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Alex opened the door with ease. She entered the room, finding it spacious but dusty. It looked like one of those central meeting halls from ancient Greek times.
As she went further into the room, though, the door suddenly slammed shut, trapping Alex inside. Alarmed, Alex didn't understand how that happened, as there had been no draft anywhere. She heard some pounding on the other side of the door and Roland shouting,
"Ms. Alex, are you alright?"
Before Alex could reply, a bright light flashed from her bracelet and suddenly, Alex was teleported back in time. She found herself witnessing a duel between the woman – yes, the same one who appeared in Alex's vision – and a mysterious being. The being was cloaked in shadow, though, so Alex had no clue as to who he was. She looked around and although there were a few witnesses, no one seemed to notice Alex. She thought to herself,
Now this is weird.
Alex shook her head and continued to watch the scene unfold before her eyes. The woman was glaring at the being and she said,
"I understand, but you can't run away from this. It is your duty to serve-"
The being interrupted, "The hell with duty! Did it never occur to you people to ask what I want? Like you can just throw me into cleaning up the trash and I'll be more than happy to go along with it? No more. I've had enough!"
The woman frowned and replied, "Then I will have to defeat you and put you in your place."
She and the mysterious figure dueled with all their might, and Alex wondered who would end up being victorious. Some more words were exchanged between the two of them, and once it got close to the end of the duel, Alex's vision was suddenly blinded and Alex had to close her eyes.
Once she opened them, she then saw the woman before her, smiling sadly. Alex looked at her curiously and said,
"I know what I just saw, but what happened at the end? And what does this mean?"
The woman replied, "Neither he nor I won. The duel ended in a draw. I don't know where he is now."
She sighed and added, "I failed, but all is not lost. I have a feeling you'll be able to do what I couldn't, which is why you saw that just now."
Alex looked surprised and replied, "Are you saying that guy is still alive and somehow, I'm going to have to duel him? Because you know how that sounds."
The woman laughed a bit and replied, "Yes, I certainly understand your skepticism. But I have seen you duel, and you are extremely skilled. Perhaps the best there is."
Alex replied, "I honestly doubt that. I mean, there are way better duelists throughout history than me. I'm barely a blimp on the radar."
The woman looked a bit confused and replied, "You don't know who you are, do you?"
Alex gave the woman a look and replied, "Um, I know my name and all that, but I'm assuming you're referring to something else."
The woman nodded and replied, "I am, but it's too early to reveal that, and I think it's better that you find out on your own. You're smart, so you'll figure it out."
Alex replied, "Ok, I'll take your word for it."
The woman smiled and replied, "It's good that you were able to find this place. I think it may have given you some answers although it probably raised some questions, too."
Alex laughed and replied, "You're right. Oh, but how do I get out of here? Before I saw all that, the door slammed behind me and trapped me in this room."
The image of the woman began to fade, but before it did so completely, she replied, "There's an image on one of the walls. It will show you the way out."
Before Alex could even thank the woman, she found herself back in the room, trapped. Behind the door, she could hear Roland shouting and then she heard Kaiba shouting,
"Alex! Are you ok?!"
Alex replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll figure out how to get out of here."
On the other side, Kaiba was relieved to hear Alex's voice, and he replied, "I've sent people to break down the door. Hold on."
Alex quickly looked at the walls and looking at the one where the door was, she saw a faint image. It showed the woman wearing Alex's bracelet, indicating the steps to open the door. Alex looked at her bracelet and after finding the appropriate markings, she approached the door and placed the markings towards a small hole on the left side of the door. Immediately, the door opened, and Alex saw Kaiba, Mokuba, and Roland.
Alex smiled a bit and said, "Looks like I was able to get it open-"
Before Alex could say anything else, Kaiba held Alex in his arms, holding her tight. He murmured,
"Idiot."
Alex replied, "Hey, it's not my fault the door slammed shut like that. But I wouldn't have been trapped here for too long."
Kaiba frowned and replied, "You and your curiosity."
Alex could feel Kaiba shaking with fear, and she realized that Kaiba was truly afraid that she was gone. She hugged him and rubbing his back, she gently replied,
"Sorry. I'm ok, though, so don't worry anymore."
Before Kaiba could reply, Roland coughed and said, "Perhaps it would be best if we all went outside. These ruins have proven to be a danger."
Kaiba let go of Alex and replied, "Of course."
He held Alex's hand and said, "I'm not letting you out of my sight."
Alex smiled softly, but she nodded, holding onto Kaiba's hand as he led the way outside the ruins to fresh air and the bright sun that was just starting to set.