Have the next chapter ready. If possible, let me know if you're enjoying the story, whether there are any plot holes, etc. Certain events are intentionally mysterious although I hope to have everything cleared up by the end of this story. ^^

Chapter 51

It was Monday morning, and Alex and Kaiba had just entered the classroom. They were surprised with the scene they were witnessing. Tea looked depressed, which was unlike her. Kaiba took his seat, while Alex approached Yugi and the others. She then said,

"Hey, guys. What's going on?"

Joey looked at Alex and replied, "Morning, Alex. Tea's acting like the world just ended."

Immediately, Tea replied, "I am not!"

Alex looked confused and replied, "Uhh, what's going on?"

Joey was about to reply again when Yugi said, "I'll explain it to Alex."

Yugi then leaned in close to Alex so that the others wouldn't overhear them, and he whispered,

"Max left. The teacher came by earlier and mentioned that Max had a sudden emergency, so he transferred out."

Finally understanding, Alex quietly replied, "I see. Things must be bad if Max suddenly had to leave without letting us know."

Nearby, Tea said, "Couldn't he have said goodbye to us, at least?"

Bakura smiled in comfort and replied, "The teacher did say that Max had to leave suddenly, so he wouldn't have had time to tell us. I'm sure he would have, if he could."

Tea nodded sadly and didn't say anything."

Alex watched the brief exchange and then looking back at Yugi, she said, "Tea will get over it eventually."

She looked over at Kaiba, who was waiting patiently for Alex to take her seat. She nodded and then said,

"I don't want to keep Seto waiting. I'll explain things to him, but do your best to comfort Tea."

Alex winked at Yugi, which made Yugi blush in reply. She then waved goodbye to the group and took her seat next to Kaiba. After she did so, Kaiba asked,

"What happened with Gardner?"

Alex told Kaiba what Yugi had told her about Max's sudden departure. Although Kaiba wanted to smirk in satisfaction, he did his best to suppress himself and instead, he replied,

"That takes care of Yugi's problem. But on a more serious note, it must be bad."

Kaiba understood that if Max had to leave, it could only mean that he had no choice. Alex nodded and replied,

"Yeah. I think he and Cas are following my instructions."

Before Alex could say anything else, though, the homeroom teacher entered, so the students became quiet, as the school day officially began.

After classes were over for the day, all the students were packing up their things. As Alex did so, Kaiba turned to her and asked,

"Do you want to drop by his place before work?"

Alex was surprised by Kaiba's question, but nodding, she replied, "Yeah. I want to see if he left anything behind, like a message, but I'm surprised that you brought it up."

Kaiba replied, "He's your friend, and I can guess that you're worried about him."

Alex nodded and replied, "I am, but are you ok with us being late for work? I can drop by his place after work."

Kaiba smirked and replied, "You know that I run Kaiba Corp, so I can do as I please."

Alex laughed a bit and replied, "Yeah. Sometimes I forget that you're your own boss. Ok, let's go then."

The two of them got up from their seats and after getting Yugi, the three of them left the building. Shortly after, Kaiba's limo picked them up and Kaiba told the driver to head to Max's apartment first, with Alex giving him the address.

As the driver took off, Yugi asked, "Why are we going to Max's apartment?"

Alex replied, "Max might have left a message or something else important. I want to be sure."

Yugi nodded and replied, "That makes sense."

As traffic wasn't bad, the group made their way quickly to Max's apartment building. Then they got out of the limo, with Kaiba giving instructions to the driver to wait. Alex then led the way inside and upstairs towards Max's apartment. Once they reached the door, Alex took out a spare key that Max had given her a short while ago, in case of emergency. She opened the door and led the way inside. As Alex looked around, she commented,

"It isn't empty, but I can tell that Max had to leave."

Yugi nodded and commented, "It feels empty, though."

Kaiba held back from commenting although secretly, he was pleased that Max left. Alex looked around and noticed a tablet on the coffee table in the living room. Curiously, Alex picked it up and pressed her thumb to a particular area. Immediately, a projection of Max's face appeared, and smiling at Alex, it said,

"Hey, Alex. I'm not surprised you came here quickly. But first, show me who else is with you."

Without saying anything, Alex moved the tablet so that Max's projection could see Kaiba and Yugi. Kaiba asked,

"Why did it ask that?"

Alex replied, "This must be a prerecording from Max, which means that he might have left very specific messages, depending on who's present."

Kaiba nodded, and after a few moments, Max's projection spoke.

"As you've heard, I was suddenly transferred out. Cas arranged it, obviously. As you're seeing this, I'm currently in Yusaku's time and I'll find him soon, if I haven't already. I'll make sure to get that item you requested, but I hope he has it. Cas has gone into hiding, so it will no longer be safe to contact her. But don't worry. She can still help us, in her own way."

Max's projection then turned to Yugi, and he said, "You should tell her how you feel, and don't worry. I was never a threat."

Even though the projection didn't refer to Tea by name, Yugi knew that was who Max meant, and he couldn't help blushing. Alex couldn't help smiling, seeing how Max wanted to help Yugi.

The projection then turned to Kaiba and looking sternly, it said, "I still don't like you, but Alex's happiness is important to me. So if I hear of you ever hurting her, nothing will stop me from going after you."

Alex laughed awkwardly while Kaiba muttered, "As if I'd do such a thing to the woman I love."

Finally, Max's projection turned back to Alex and it said, "We'll have to get ready. I know you're close to figuring this all out, and you will. Just stay on your toes, and be safe."

Max's projection then dissipated, and the group took a few moments to process all that happened. Then, Alex said,

"I guess it's what I expected."

She turned to Kaiba and added, "You don't have to hide that you're glad he's gone."

Kaiba replied, "I wasn't going to say anything, but he was an annoyance."

Alex shrugged and replied, "Max is Max. But yeah, for him to leave suddenly, the situation must be really bad. We have to be ready."

Yugi then thought of something and said, "If Max is getting something for you, doesn't that mean he'll eventually return?"

Alex turned to Yugi and nodding, she replied, "Yeah. When the time is right, we'll see him again."

Kaiba asked, "What is this item?"

Alex replied, "In case things go really bad. It's best not to go into specifics for now, but let's just say that I learn from my mistakes."

Kaiba nodded and then replied, "Ok. If there's nothing else, we should go to Kaiba Corp."

Alex and Yugi nodded, and then the three of them left Max's apartment, heading outside to the limo that would take them to Kaiba Corp. Before they left, though, Alex carefully put the tablet into her bag, since she thought that Max might have left another message that he didn't want the others to witness.

A few hours later, back at the mansion, Alex and Mokuba were in Mokuba's room, having just finished dinner. Of course, Kaiba was still at work although he would be back in about an hour or two. Alex delivered the news to Mokuba, and Mokuba replied,

"So Max had to leave? But I was hoping to get more practice with him."

Alex smiled in comfort and replied, "I understand. I'll continue to duel with you, of course, but we'll have to make sure to do so when Seto's at work. But I guess we can always go to Yugi's place to practice since he knows."

Mokuba nodded, and then Alex continued,

"Max might have left a message for you as well."

She took out the tablet from Max's apartment, and after activating it, Max's projection appeared again. Max smiled at Alex, and Alex said,

"Mokuba's here with me, and it's just us."

She had the projection face Mokuba, and Mokuba waved happily at it. Max replied,

"Hey, Mokuba. Sorry that I had to leave suddenly. I wouldn't have done so, but things have gotten really bad. But I know that you're ready. We've taught you everything we know, and I have a feeling that the perpetrator is going to be here soon. I should be back if that happens."

Max's projection paused for a few moments, and then it continued,

"I know Alex can take care of herself, but it wouldn't hurt if you made sure she doesn't do anything reckless."

Alex pouted and commented, "I take risks. That's all."

Mokuba laughed a bit, and he said, "I don't know if you can hear me, but I'll make sure Alex is ok."

As though the projection heard Mokuba, it nodded and replied, "I'm glad to know that Alex has friends here who'll look out for her. Just keep practicing and be ready."

The projection then dissipated, like earlier, and Mokuba commented,

"I hope Max will be ok."

Alex nodded and replied, "Same here. I assume he's found Yusaku by now and gave him my message. I'm guessing that he'll stay there unless things get really bad. Then Cas will send Max back here."

Mokuba nodded and then looking a little worried, he asked, "So whoever's behind this, they'll be here soon?"

Alex saw the look of worry on Mokuba's face and reaching out to touch his hand, she replied,

"We think so, but it's going to be ok. You're strong, and you've learned everything about dueling from us. From what we know and what I've witnessed, this person is extremely skilled at dueling, so we'll have to be just as good, if not better."

Mokuba then thought of something and asked, "Shouldn't we tell Seto or Yugi about dueling in the future?"

Alex replied, "It's not a good idea, for many reasons. For one, it's a bit late now to do so, and also, teaching them advanced dueling techniques could very well disrupt their dueling styles. That would only make things worse. In the best case scenario, it won't have to be up to us to stop this person. But we can't assume that."

Mokuba nodded and after taking a breath, he said, "I'm scared, but I said I'd help you, and I know we can do this. We can face whatever happens next."

Alex smiled softly and replied, "You said it."