As always, I don't own these characters.
After what felt like hours lying in the same, stationary position, Seto rose from his bed. Whenever he thought tiredness was about to overtake him, it was surmounted by a sickening wave of irritation.
Unlike any other task Seto set out to accomplish, forcing himself to close his eyes and rest was an ordeal unlike any other.
Damn Yuugi. Always trying to make Seto second-guess himself, to instill some level of forgiveness or acceptance. Easy for the Duel King to say.
As for the one who was dead, well, Seto supposed he ought to consider himself lucky that he hadn't heard the pharaoh speak that time, wherever that place had been.
He reached for the familiar stack of cards on the nightstand and drew the first three cards off the top, instinctively knowing what they were. He held out the three white dragons. The ones who, after all this time, remained by his side.
Was there a point? To any of this?
Seto wasn't sure what answer he expected from the Blue-Eyes. Gently setting down the cards, but ensuring the dragons remained face-up, he ventured towards the balcony doors. A dose of unfiltered, cold night air would do him some good. Maybe even take his mind off the ramifications of that last duel.
Tch. And here I thought my life wasn't dictated by supernatural forces.
She trailed after his steps, watching his form be bathed by the bright moonlight. From her vantage point, his stature exemplified a formidable grandeur. No indication of the emotion within.
All Kisara could do was watch, as her beloved endured one sleepless night after another. Watch him traverse the solitary path to which he had been prescribed.
Just watching him. The one action she could ever take pride in doing.
She crept closer towards him, close enough to hear his hallowed breathing and smell his refreshing, mint-like scent. If Kisara could have taken a breath, she would have profoundly exhaled, soaking up as much of his aura as possible.
Even where she stood now, he was a comfort. But looking into his eyes, that was quite a different sensation. Eyes that may have mirrored her own, once. Right then, his azure irises lacked their usual reticence. But they were as alert as always, even as Seto rested his gaze at an unfixed point in the horizon.
If Seto were able to see her, would he look at her in that same way? Kisara wanted to believe that his heart could open his mind, even if only to allow a gnawing uncertainty to seep into his thoughts.
Or he'd just turn away from me, cynicism in the darkness intoned. What I represent. No matter how many times Seto confronted the unknown, his first instinct would be to deny it.
She'd be better off, being with him like this. Without inhibitions or obligations. Even without acknowledging her existence, perhaps he could still embrace the immaterial.
She raised her arms around him, as if enveloping him in a hug. It'll be okay.
Naturally, her arms rippled through him. Like waves on the verge of reaching the shore, but always forced to pull back. Despite that, Kisara kept her arms outstretched, wrapping herself around his body.
Briefly, she allowed herself to imagine Seto turning to look at her, reciprocating her gesture. Please, just accept it, Seto. She mouthed the words, devoid of any notion of sound. No matter what, I will hope.
A minor sensation jolted through Seto. He slightly looked over his shoulder. A general breeze wafted through the air, yet strangely, not around him.
Unusual, but not unwelcoming. He shrugged off his mild surprise. What was he even referring to? A trick of the air. Nothing more.
I'm here for you, Seto.
His eyes widened. No way had that sound been manufactured by the air. He looked back towards his bedroom, but it appeared in the same condition as he had left it.
He snorted. Surely he wasn't losing his mind. Security would have informed him of any intruders. Of course there was nobody else up here.
But what about that voice? Against his better judgment, Seto wondered. Here, for him? Why?
He hadn't noticed his body loosening its tension. He hadn't acknowledged the warmth that had manifested amidst the autumn's coolness.
And he couldn't see that, for a moment as long as only a blink of an eye, the windows overlooking the balcony displayed a second shadow caressing his own.
Only Kisara noticed it all, smiling as she embraced him.
I'll be here, for as long as it takes.