Book I | Real Poison
Duelist Kingdom Arc
Part III
Seto Kaiba: 18 years old
Kisara Pegasus: 16 years old
…
Kisara squeezed out from behind the suit of armor and into the hallway after she was certain that the guard had passed. Her side throbbed, but she pressed her hand on her hip, and pressed her lips together. She walked in front of the door she was aiming for and, as gingerly as she could, crouched in front of it. The keyhole. She tried to breathe steadily. She could not believe that she was doing this.
…Believe…
Her eyes slid shut and, for a moment, all she could hear was the sound of her own pulse thumping in her ears. Then, she began. Deftly, Kisara pulled free the two hairpins and, as the two obstinate strands of hair fell free, her nimble fingers mechanically straightened the pins.
"Remember," whispered a voice in her ear that she did not know from this lifetime. "You've got to work fast, or else the shop keeper will get back before you've finished. Then that pretty white pelt of yours will be all black and blue."
Kisara sighed, and gave a vexed look to the many examples of locks, knots, and hand-held booby traps strewn across the cave floor before her. They had made something of a home here, in the abandoned quarries deep in the mountains east of the Nile. She couldn't even imagine where he had gotten all of these knickknacks. The next moment she was distracted by his fingers running through her hair. She stiffened. She still couldn't get used to the feeling of human touch. Not the kind one.
"Now, try again. You'll be the best thief in Lower Egypt by the time I'm done with you. Then, it'll be on to the capitol with us – to Thebes – as we always talked about."
Her mouth twitched into a smile, and she looked to him. "This is your idea of showing a girl a good time, is it?"
A harsh, crooked smirk knifed across his face. It almost looked like a second scar, the first one still raw and ugly across his right eye, where it had been recently gashed. "Well, I could think of some other things…" he breathed, leaning in to her and–
Click. The lock sprung free. She smiled.
Click. The lock sprung free. She smiled.
Hardly daring to believe it, and trying her best to stem the rest of the memories associated with the scar-faced boy, so that she could focus on the matter at hand, Kisara used the door handle to pull herself upright again, pocketed the now useless hairpins, and opened the door.
There had been many changes since her accident. The Duelist Kingdom Tournament had begun. Everyone seemed to forget about her existence altogether. She remained unsupervised. Her father had threatened her, and then left her to her own devices. Did he really think she would do nothing? Now that she knew so much? Knowledge was power. He had always told her that. And now she knew why. After all, who could have more knowledge than one who possessed the Millennium Eye?
The occupant of the room looked up at her from his bed. Their eyes met, and caution and gentle mistrust shone from both. Mokuba Kaiba opened his mouth as if to speak, when Kisara put one thin finger to her lips to indicate silence. She quickly took the final steps into the room, shutting the door behind her. He stood. For a moment, they merely examined each other, as two animals would, both meeting each other on uncertain terrain. And Mokuba Kaiba was just as interesting to Kisara Pegasus as she was to him.
He was small, even for an eleven year old. Yet there seemed to be a sense of pride about him that would not have been there from birth, but had been cultivated with some years of wealth. His hair was a tattered mess. Whoever it was that kept him fed and watered clearly did not bother to keep him groomed. And his eyes were emerald green and all the starker because of the raven hair. Whichever parent his older sibling looked like, the younger boy looked like the other. There was nothing of Seto Kaiba in Mokuba. Though… who was Kisara to say?
"Who are you?" he asked, though quietly, interrupting her thoughts. Quietly… but venomously.
She swallowed, resting her weight on the door handle. She had twenty minutes before the next guard walked by. She needed to be done with this and well away from here by then. She couldn't risk discovery. "You know who I–"
"Of course," Mokuba Kaiba cut in, folding his arms. "What do you want, Ms. Pegasus?"
Were the situation not so dire, his attempt at intimidation would have been almost humorous. If the situation were not so dire. And if it did not partly work. Perhaps he was more like his brother than she realized. Her stomach turned. She needed to keep this simple.
"I'm here to help you escape," Kisara said. With her free hand she reached into her pocket and pulled out two slips of paper. "I've been watching the guards. These are the exact times of their rounds. I recommend getting out of here right after the 4:30 guard passes your door, and before the 5:00 one brings you dinner. Also, a map of the island. It's more treacherous than you'd imagine, and speed will be absolutely vital." She offered him the papers.
His eyes narrowed. "…Why?"
Why indeed… Her father's words echoed in her head. "Forget. And think. Why would you want to remember? To help him? For him, when his brother did this to you?" But then, this wasn't about him, was it? No. It was about her.
When Kisara spoke, it came out as barely more than a whisper. "Your brother did me a favor once. Or, at least, he thought he did. And I, at the time, promised to return it. The chance never arose… until now."
Another moment of silence. Finally, Mokuba unfolded his arms, walked across the room, and took the papers from her hand.
"At 4:31, strip your bed, tie the sheets into a rope, fasten it to your bed, and use it to climb out the window. They'll know soon enough, so don't waste any time. After that, make your way to the dock. There shouldn't be too many guards there. After all, they'll be trying to prevent disqualified duelists from staying on the island. Not from anyone getting off it. Not at first. Move quickly. Understand?"
Mokuba looked from the pieces of paper to her. "Thank you, Ms. Pegasus."
She smiled softly, encouraged. "Call me Kisara, please."
"Kisara…" he said thoughtfully. She nodded, and turned to leave. "What happened to you?" She looked back to see his eyes on her hand, on the door handle, still taking most of her weight.
Her smile wavered. "A little accident."
"Ah." Again, she turned to leave. "Did you sleep with my brother?" Everything inside her froze. She stared into the door. What a thing to ask at eleven. "I'm sorry to sound rude," he continued, and she could actually hear the genuine apology and confusion in his voice, "but I can't imagine any other reason some girl would just do this for me."
Her mouth twitched. Some girl. Naturally. Kisara turned back to look at Mokuba, "Because that is the context in which he knows most girls?"
Mokuba blinked, and his resolve seemed to waver. Maybe it was the way she was looking at him. Her father did say her gaze intimidated.
"You didn't answer my question," he said, looking to the floor.
"Nor you mine," she responded calmly.
A pause. He looked up. "Yes." He shrugged. "Generally."
Discomfort shot through Kisara's side, and she gingerly rested her hand across her waist. She knew now there was no disguising the look of pain on her face. "No." She turned the door handle, and walked out of the room. "Not insofar as I can remember," she murmured under her breath. The door locked behind her.
…
Pegasus laughed openly, flipping through the pages of his Funny Bunny comic, and at the same time methodically swirling his wine. "Where do these guys get all their ideas?" he cooed. He turned to another page, and took another sip, before breaking into fresh giggles.
…He had forgotten what it was like to watch people, not being sure of what they'd do. She really was such a fascinating girl. It had been a difficult decision, really. When Kisara had tumbled down all those stairs, he had been presented with a choice. He could have sent her to the mainland, and out of the way. …Or he could keep her here. To send her to LA or New York would have sent the paparazzi into a frenzy, and it wouldn't be the sort of attention that he wanted. He didn't need any personal information leaking out right now, not when everyone's eyes were so conveniently fixed on his Tournament.
However, keeping her here would mean risking the danger that she would… interfere. He knew Kisara. Knew her much better than she knew herself – which was hardly a wonder. After all, the girl was only sixteen years old. Ah, and yet, so much more… Pegasus was forced to ask himself the question: did he think her interference could make a difference?
"Er…" Croquet cleared his throat behind him, "Master Pegasus? A thousand pardons, sir."
Pegasus took the wine from his lips, irritated to be interrupted in his trail of thought. He inhaled deeply, and closed his eye for a moment. "Gorgonzola cheese and the world's finest wine," he mused. "Along with a copy of my favorite comic book," he said, rattling off the spread on the table in front of him as he sat in the great Dining Hall. He opened his eye. "Times like these are more precious to me than any other. You do realize that, don't you?"
He rather sensed than saw Croquet tense behind him. Good.
"But… the prisoner has escaped."
Pegasus quirked an eyebrow, suddenly fascinated by the shade of red in his wine. "Which one?" he asked, almost disinterestedly. Or was it melodramatic to call Kisara a prisoner?
Croquet was silent for a moment. The implication of what Pegasus said was not lost on him. "The boy we imprisoned in the north tower," he clarified. "…I have our men searching the island, but… so far there's no sign of him."
"Oooh," Pegasus exclaimed, as though in mock shock. "I guess he didn't appreciate my hospitality," he pouted. "Well no matter. I'm sure I know exactly where our little escapee is heading." He languidly pulled out a remote control from his pocket, and directed it at the ceiling. "He'll seek out Yugi." He cleared his throat. "Computer," he commanded, "request data on the status of the Duel Monsters Tournament." A screen slowly slid out from the center of the ceiling.
The computer began rattling off information, and as Pegasus listened with one ear, he also allowed his mind to wander. So… the younger Kaiba-boy had escaped. It was hardly surprising, considering the tenacity of his older brother. Still… while the child might have always been resolved on leaving the famous Pegasus hospitality, he would not have been able to avoid Croquet's detection for this long without some help.
Maximillion Pegasus smirked. Really, Kisara… how silly…
Yugi Mutou, the computer reported, was of course doing well.
"Wonderful," Pegasus said, leaving his musings once again. "I expected no less. He is determined to work his way up in the standings to gain entry into my castle." Suddenly, quite suddenly, Pegasus's face contorted. Gone was the playful nature, however sinister in undertone. For an instant, the man looked quite mad. "…Which is exactly what I want little Yugi to do."
Just as suddenly, his face cleared. "We'll just keep our spy cams trained on our star duelist. Sooner or later the little runaway prisoner will confront Yugi… for reasons of his own." That's right, little Kisara. You can try to save them. You can try to save them all. But you can hardly save them from their own stupidity, can you? It's difficult, isn't it? Being surrounded by such absolute stupidity.
"Very wise, sir." Croquet chorused behind him. So stupid.
"Actually, the boy's escape plays right into my plans," Pegasus inserted, just as Croquet made to leave, insisting on informing his bodyguard of just how entirely he had thought things through. "…And I do have such special plans in store for Yugi today. Plans that I hope he'll find as entertaining as I do." And as for Kisara… Well, she really was her own worst enemy. Intelligent, but what good was that when coupled with the sort of impulsive nature that she had? And she looked so deceptively cautious too. That great heart will be the death of you, girl. Pegasus burst into fresh laughter.
…
"Running Identification Verification Protocol. Please state your name," a computerized voice-recognition system activated as he entered the underground base directly beneath the Kaiba Mansion.
"Seto Kaiba."
He stood in the darkness, his eyes transfixed, his already pallid form now bathed in the ghoulish light of the giant blue blinking screen. It seemed to take all the color out of the room. Exhausted, he rammed himself into the office chair in front of the computer. He could not relax. He could not sink into the dusty leather. If he did…
He hadn't slept in days.
The effort it had taken to break onto his own property was ridiculous– unfamiliar guards at the front gate, the ten-foot wall over which he'd had to scramble… and that was after climbing up that entire cliff face, with a bleeding hand and a suitcase no less. Still on from there… into the heart of his property… to the library beneath his mansion, and finally through the hidden door behind a bookcase he'd installed years ago. Then again, perhaps he ought to be relived. Had he still been in charge of security of his own house, it would have been impossible to breach rather than just inconvenient
Now, here he was. Headphones and microphone in place. He watched as the red bar coursed across the computer screen…
Verified.
"I thought I'd seen it all. But having to break into your own house?" Now that she was sure who he was, the cheekiness of the Artificial Intelligence of Kaiba's computer returned to full force. Kaiba pinched the rim on his nose.
"…It's too long a story for right now."
"Too long a story!" Her voice grated on his already shredded nerves. "Well maybe I'm not in such a talkative mood myself right now!"
"I'd find that hard to believe," he said wearily, letting his head loll back in the seat momentarily and closing his eyes, waiting for her to load her programs. He'd designed the AI's character on Mokuba's behest, so that the boy could have someone he could always talk to when Seto was away on business. Kaiba almost regretted it now.
"Such a smart guy," she answered sarcastically. Color splashed through his closed eyelids, and he opened his eyes. She was projecting an image of KaibaCorp. "While you were off gallivanting, a hostile takeover of Kaiba Corporation has begun!"
Gallivanting… really. Kaiba narrowed his eyes, and straightening in his seat, "I know," he said darkly. Different images flashed across the screen, first of different KaibaCorp. conglomerates, then of Maximillion Pegasus's private island, Duelist Kingdom. The AI caught Kaiba up on everything he had missed and, worse, confirmed everything he had dreaded. The board of KaibaCorp. had made a pact with Pegasus. They were taking full advantage of Kaiba's recent defeat by Yugi Mutou. If Pegasus could defeat Yugi, the board promised him control of KaibaCorp. And, to add insult to injury, Yugi was no long invincible, as he had lost Exodia. Kaiba's fingers clutched at the arms of his chair. Well, they had been having quite the party since he'd been away. The AI saved the worst news for last.
"When it rains it pours," the AI sympathized."Pegasus knows all about the Corporation bylaws that require a living Kaiba heir to make any changes legal." Kaiba stared at the screen, jaw muscles clenching as the computer displayed photographs of Pegasus and of Mokuba next to each other. His chest hurt at the sight Mokuba's picture. And when he thought of their last parting… He'd already know all of this about the bylaws… but to hear the confirmation... The AI went on. "Mokuba's his prisoner. And with you out of the way, it's likely Pegasus will exert all kinds of pressure to make your brother do what he wants. One way, or another."
Kaiba closed his eyes again. He needed to stay calm. He needed to subdue the murderous intent welling inside of him. For now. Later... later he would find Pegasus. And he would kill him. That was the only conclusion that this horrific episode in their lives could meet. He would drag him down to hell himself, but he – would – kill – him.
"So now you know," the computer concluded. "What are we gonna do!"
Kaiba opened his eyes, and remained silent, staring at the screen, thinking. Finally, when he did speak, it was in a low and deadly tremor that melded together with the humming of the machines around him. "They'll keep my brother safe, at least until the takeover's complete. So I've got to make sure Pegasus doesn't defeat Yugi in a duel. No matter what." It was so strange… to hear those words coming out of his own mouth. But it was what had to be done.
He slammed his fist down on the keyboard in front of him. The wound he had sustained on the cliff made his hand throb.
"I'm not going to give up Kaiba Corporation without a real fight." He'd worked too hard. Too long. "It's takeover time…" he whispered, "by me.We're going to hack right into Pegasus's computer main frame." He unclenched his fists, and set his spiderlike fingers on the keys. "Next stop, Duelist Kingdom."
…
Mokuba did not escaped. He did not head for the boats as Kisara had told him to do. Instead, he confronted Yugi, whom he believed was responsible for all the Kaibas' current misfortunes, and challenged him to a duel. He was recaptured by Kemo, and now Yugi was facing a challenger of Kemo's choice, for the chance to reclaim Mokuba's freedom.
…When did everything go so wrong?
Kisara watched the duel from the Surveillance Room, where fifty different screens blinked at her, showing her different views of the island. But she was interested in only one screen – the one showing her Mokuba Kaiba, Yugi Mutou, and his opponent to be. So, there she stood in the darkness, her eyes transfixed, her already colorless form now bathed in the ghoulish light of fifty blue blinking screens.
And Yugi's opponent was… the ghost of Seto Kaiba?
Kisara gripped at the brace that confined her, and leaned more heavily on a cane. She had finally given into the pain and taken one of canes kept in baskets in the library. It was an antique. There was quite a collection in there. This particular exemplar was made of blue mahoe, with streaks of the azure mixing with ashen grey in the wood. The handle was of bone and, despite its age, had not yellowed, but remained almost as stark white as the fingers that gripped it. The handle was carved in the shape of a dragon's head.
No one had given her a modern hospital-issued cane of her own. No one seemed too eager that she should be able to move around. Kisara was sure that her father knew that she had granted Mokuba his freedom, as short lived as it had been. She also knew that her father did not care. The ghost of Seto Kaiba. Kisara did not sit down. She could not move, her feet and her eyes fixated. No… it can't be the ghost of Seto Kaiba… Kaiba can't be… dead. Can he? Her bone-thin fingers tightened on the cane so harshly that, had there been any color in Kisara's hand, it would have fled it now. The voice of the ghost cracked through the speakers. That voice. Was that his voice? It had been so long since Kisara had heard Seto speak. It didn't sound like him. But then, was anything of Kaiba similar to what Kisara remembered of Seto? Who even had been 'Seto?' Had he been the boy at the orphanage gate? Had he been someone else? Someone whom Kisara remembered in half-dreams? The man opposing Yugi did bear a passing resemblance to the man she had seen on the cover of The Domino Times. Kisara's eyes followed the man as he stepped onto his podium in the arena. He was the source of light in the dark room. And he looked like a creature of such darkness. It could not be him. Surely there would never be a version of Seto that Kisara would not recognize. She did not know how she was certain, but she was. She had to be. And yet–
"It's a fact," Kemo's voice cracked into the silence of the otherwise empty Surveillance Room. Kisara had muted all other servers. "Two witnesses saw him fall to his doom."
She felt sick. Finally, and only because a violent wave of nausea went through her, Kisara closed her eyes, blocking out the image. First her father refused to give her proper medical attention, leaving her practically immobile, then he had kidnapped the child, Mokuba Kaiba, and now this – the supposed "fall" of Seto Kaiba. She was not an idiot. And she could not wash away fact. Her father… the father she had come to love so dearly… had gone from a ruthless to his daughter, to an abduction of children, to a trading in assassins. Maximillion Pegasus was a murderer.
Kisara opened her eyes. She was only reacting this way because of what she'd learned about her father. She would have reacted the same way at the death of any man. After all… Seto Kaiba was nothing to her now. Had been nothing to her for years. And the pain she now felt, from hip to shoulder– of course she had no feelings left for him. She was grieving for the loss of a father. For Pegasus. Not for… not because Kaiba was…
He is not dead. The thought came both unbidden and demanding to her senses. This… it isn't him, standing there. It couldn't be–
And then the man opposing Yugi summoned the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
…
Kaiba smirked, his face dyed blue with the screen before him, a thousand numbers and codes reflected in his eyes. Breaking into Pegasus's computers and files on the Duelist Kingdom Championship had been easy. However, the man did have some security. And it was all centered around Yugi Mutou's dueling information. It was almost quaint. Or at least, it would have been quaint, if alongside the codes flashing before his eyes Kaiba wasn't also simultaneously envisioning all the different ways he would disembowel the man. "Fine by me," he whispered when his computer system hit the firewall. "Go ahead, Pegasus. Give it your best shot," a thin sneer cut his face, replacing the smirk like poison. "There isn't a computer system on the planet that I can't break into." Here, the creator of Duel Monster's had met his match.
It was as though Seto Kaiba truly had died to the world. Flesh and blood turned to data chips and information. Even the computer couldn't fully keep up. Just so, he worked in silence. Dried blood cracked on his hand as he threw his fingers across the keyboards. His wound had reopened. "So, spill it already," the AI finally said. "How the hell are we going to use Industrial Illusions' own satellite to bring down their computer?"
Kaiba chanced a glance back up to the screen, blinking, sheets and sheets of data funneling through his mind. "By bringing down the satellite itself," he said as though he was describing how he was going to shift gears in a car rather than how he was planning to bring a massive piece of machinery out of the Earth's orbit and down onto a precise spot of the globe.
And down it came.
Right down on the computer mainframe of Industrial Illusions in California. In a fiery blast. Kaiba sneer curled still further as he watched all of the screens that he'd hacked though Pegasus's satellite cut out – entirely destroyed. He almost wished that he could have seen the blast in person. No matter. It was sure to make the news by tomorrow. He'd find a recording later. "You should have known better than to screw with me, Pegasus," he growled. "I made my name by bringing heads of companies to their knees."
…
Croquet walked into the Surveillance Room. "Ms. Kisara. Are… Are you alright?"
Kisara flinched. She looked at him as though he'd burned her. Croquet. Her father's bodyguard. Ever faithful. Ever sporting those trademark sunglasses. He had been her mentor and her dearest companion. He had taught her how to fly the helicopters and jets here on the island. He had stayed up with her watching whatever films she liked on the nights that her father was away. He had been the childhood friend she never had.
And now he was as much a kidnapper as her father, and she did not know where to turn. "Excuse me, Croquet," she said quietly, and her cane clanked loudly against the tile floor as she made to move past him and out of the room.
"Ms. Kisara, I…"
She met his eyes. Yes, she could just see his eyes though those sunglasses. They were close enough together now, standing in the doorway of the room, that she could look right into his eyes. Whatever he had been about to say died on his lips.
"That's not him!" Mokuba's voice resounded in the silence, crackling through the speakers. So desperate. So broken. It filled the space between Kisara and Croquet. "Yugi, you know my brother! Everybody thinks he's a bad guy, but he's not mean like this! He's my best friend in the whole world. That thing'snot him!" He was choking through tears. "You've just got to believe me!"
Kisara broke the eye contact, and continued from the room. Believe Mokuba? Oh. She wanted to. She wanted to believe that Seto Kaiba had not been 'a bad guy.' Was not a bad guy. And was not the man whom Yugi Mutou was now facing.
Kisara wanted to believe that he was just the same as she was. That she still understood why he did what he did. Just as she had understood him that day at the gate.
She wanted to believe that he was not dead.
She was already some ways down the hall when she heard the last traces of the duel before Croquet turned off the audio in the room. "There are only three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in the world," the ghost of Seto Kaiba said, "and they're all in my deck. Your grandpa had the fourth, but I ripped it up." Kisara stopped in the middle of the hall, and closed her eyes. So, it was true…It had been one thing to know… to guess… and yet such a different thing to hear the confirmation. Hear it with his own voice. Was it his voice? "…But how could I possibly know that if I'm not really Seto Kaiba?" The sound went dead. Her lips parted. She swallowed. And walked on. Kisara had no answer.
…
"Now downloading Duel Data. You were right. Yugi Mutou is in this duel."
Finally. Progress. Kaiba leaned back in his seat, shaking out his hands to keep them from cramping after the momentous amount of typing he'd been doing. He was bleeding underneath the nail of his right index finger. "Can you show it to me on screen?"
"My pleasure," the computer answered with satisfaction, loading a new image. "I think the thing you'll find most interesting is the name of Yugi's opponent." The loading processes completed. Kaiba could now see a simulation of the duel in progress, along with all of the moves already made and the current statuses of both players. And there, plain as day, displayed on the computer screen, was his own name.
His fingers curled into fists. "What?!" He was on his feet again. "Is this your idea of a joke?!"
"I never joke," the computer answered stiffly. An ironic statement, but a true one. "Sensors indicate that the opponent opposite Yugi is registered as Seto Kaiba. And he's using your deck."
Of course. Kaiba narrowed his eyes. His deck had been missing by the time Kaiba climbed back up the cliff. It had been stolen for this purpose. His brain was once again kicked into overdrive. He had to think of something. Anything "…But without… Exodia… Yugi can't win," he said slowly. "He has no other cards left in his deck that can defeat the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Let alone the two of them that his opponent can still draw." It was mad. Here, on the screen before him, Kaiba had the opportunity to sit back and watch as his deck and his strategies tore Yugi apart – his greatest dream realized.
And he could not let it happen.
"Well then, I hope you have a plan," the computer pulled him from his musings matter-of-factly.
Kaiba started at the screen a moment longer. "Yes," he said, his strategy now fully formed in his mind. "But we've got to work fast. Yugi'll lose on the next attack from the Blue-Eyes… unless we decrease its power from here."
"Can we do that?" The AI actually sounded impressed.
"Oh yeah. Upload a virus into that monster's hollow computer. That dragon is about to get sick. Real sick." The words caught in his chest, like a punch. What was he saying? What was he doing? What if…The memory from only a year ago suddenly sparked in his mind. …Just one little year.Those blue eyes, that shawl that was much too big for her hanging off her narrow shoulders… that constant stare…And again,those eyes… timeless…
He snapped out of it.
"Standing by…" A new screen appeared, now with the transparent outline of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon displayed on it, alongside its lifepoints: 3000. "But shouldn't we first wait to see Yugi's next move?" the computer offered.
"We can't afford to risk Yugi losing the duel," Kaiba practically spat out. He was doing this. And he was doing it now. And no nonsense regarding… that girl… was going to get in his way. He would prove that – again, and again and again – if he had to. Even if the only one he was proving it to was himself. He would not relent. His lip curled. "Upload."
"Viral injection underway," the computer concluded. The clear silhouette of the Blue-Eyes on the screen began to tinge a sickening shade of pink.
…
The cane clattered to the floor. Kisara stumbled… and then slammed against the wall of the hallway down which she'd been walking. Her hand clamped over her mouth, contorted in a silent scream. Her eyes went wide.
And through the pain, the unendurable fire that burned through her veins– she could have laughed.
He was alive. And he was doing something to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. And the reason that she was affected was because it was he who was doing it. Kisara had felt horror when the impostor Kaiba had summoned the beast to the field. She had felt sick. But this… this was reality. This was… real poison. She rasped out a chuckle, pulling her hand away from her mouth to grip to the plasterwork on the wall. A thin, determined smile coursed across her face.
"Welcome back to the living then, Seto Kaiba," she gasped into the silence, her entire body trembling. Though, how long she would be here herself now seemed up for debate.
…
"I wish Yugi had waiting a few more seconds before moving." Alarm was thick in Kaiba's voice as his fingers skidded across the keyboard, the sound of typing becoming more and more like that of a waterfall, endless and unrelenting. "Isn't there anything you can do to get that computer virus uploaded faster?"
"We're already half way there. This is as fast as it goes!" The pink sickness was rising steadily, even as the computer spoke. "Viral implant now at 60%. But it doesn't seem to be working! The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is still showing no signs of weakness."
Kaiba stared frantically from window to window displayed on the giant screen. "Something is wrong."
…
…Very wrong.
She'd slid down the side of the wall and onto the carpeted floor, breathing heavily. Kisara, her fingers shaking, pushed the buttons open on the front of her knitted cardigan and pulled down on the burlap dress, exposing the brace beneath it. There, through the mesh and the fabric, the sash of raw flesh… was glowing. "Gugh,"she inhaled sharply, her fingers twitching involuntarily. Her head reeled and she let it thump back against the wall, her eyes blinking at nothing.
Her vision swam. Now she was looking over a playing field. And there, across the field from her… was the duelist, Yugi Mutou. And piercing through the chinks of her scales… those very same beams of light. And that selfsame pain. She roared. She was not going to let this conquer her! She was not going to let this bring her down. Did Seto Kaiba think she was just a tool? A meaningless object, to be torn and poisoned at his convenience. Was he truly so awful? Well, she would not let him. She would beat this virus – and she knew she could.
Mokuba's voice swam into focus. "Everybody thinks he's a bad guy, but he's not mean like this! He's my best friend in the whole world."
Kisara was staring at the ornate ceiling of the hallway in the Pegasus Castle. She smiled. So that's it… She then realized something that she thought she had figured out a long time ago. But, clearly, the message had not sunk in deep enough. Again her vision swam.
Kisara was almost blinded by the light shining through her own scales. "Attack!" She was certain now and she had not been before – the voice was not Seto's. She clamped her great jaw down. No, she growled to herself. …I don't think I will. "What are you waiting for?! Attack!"
No. She squeezed her eyes shut, resisting the command with every fiber of her being, even as she could feel the heat of the lightening welling up within her throat. Having realized what she had in that previous moment… Kisara had to buy him time.
…
"The virus is taking effect," the computer announced. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack power is beginning to drop!"
"But it's still too strong," Kaiba answered, his eyes transfixed on the screen as the poison seeped through his beloved dragon. His most treasured card. "It has to get weaker." It was the fear that the dragon would not weaken that was coursing through his body. He knew that. It was the fear that his plan would not work.
It had nothing to do with the fear of what would happen to her if it did.
"Attack power is holding at 2000."
Kaiba's eyes widened. "But this should have worked…"
…
What Kisara had realized in that moment… was that none of this was about her. None of it. And just so, it shouldn't have been. A man had almost been murdered. A child had been kidnapped. The life of an entire family and their livelihood was in danger. And she… armed with the memories that she had only recently rediscovered… had dared to make it all about her. You really are such a weak, thoughtless little girl, aren't you?She mused. He had never cared about her in this lifetime. She hardly knew if he'd cared about her in the last. She could only remember so much.
But she had always cared about him. She had always wanted him to be happy… And this… this was how she could accomplish that.
Somewhere, far across the grounds of Duelist Kingdom, the front teeth of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon shattered as a White Lightening Attack smashed its way through the beast's jaw, determined to strike its mark.
The screen flashed before Kaiba's eyes. "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is launching its attack."
"No!" Kaiba watched in horror as the simulation of the attack played out before him. He couldn't lose. Yugi couldn't lose. If Yugi lost this duel then he, Kaiba… lost everything… He might never see his little brother again… He slammed his hands down on the keyboard and, in the silence of the room, screamed out, "YUGI."
Yugi's eyes widened with awe in the face of the oncoming attack. "Kaiba?" he whispered.
Again, the voice of Seto Kaiba resounded in his mind "Yugi!"
The Millennium Symbol, a golden eye, flashed into existence on Yugi's forehead, for he too was a wielder of a Millennium Item. The Millennium Puzzle. The boy with multicolored hair straightened up to face the attack full on. "Kaiba," the spirit of the Puzzle answered boldly.
The white hot lightening billowed around the duelist… and vanished.
And still at the end, I made it all about myself, Kisara mused with a smile, smothering the last of the weakened power within herself. Her head lulled. Her breath stilled.
…
"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is destroyed. But the virus was not responsible."
Kaiba stared at the now vacant slot where the Blue-Eyes had been registered just moments before. "Then how? Did Yugi Mutou somehow do this?" Or… what if it wasn't Yugi… what it if it was… someone else. Someone–
"How could he?" the computer responded flatly. "It is your deck."
Kaiba's breath caught in his throat. He didn't know how to feel. His hands were trembling. He opened his mouth to form words, and nothing came. Finally, "…It's… the heart of the cards,"he said. "Yugi was right." Kaiba had no idea what he meant by that admittance. Or if he meant anything by it. But, caught up in the moment of abject relief and exhaustion, he believed what he said.
Then, a beeping resonated behind him. Someone was trying to hack into the room. Pegasus's men had found him. Seto Kaiba's work here was done. It was time to go.
…
"Hmm…" Pegasus mused. "It appears that young Yugi's nemesis, the real Seto Kaiba, has come to his rescue. … I must admit that this little development is one twist that even I did not foresee."
Croquet straightened up, and put a finger to the earpiece he was carrying. Then, after a moment's silence, he swallowed. Pegasus knew what he was going to say before the man even turned to him. "I have some bad news, sir. The real Kaiba has eluded us once again. You were right. He was using a terminal in the Kaiba Mansion to access the Industrial Illusions main frame." He paused for a moment. "…If I thought he was alive, I would have beefed up security," he added, trying to shift the blame somewhat.
"That's two escapes, Croquet. Must I lock you away, again?" Pegasus responded quietly. Deadly, chilling silence followed. "Get me Kemo on the radio. It's time for him to get out of there, with the brat, while he still can."
…
The duel was almost over. The spirit of the Puzzle chuckled. Kaiba was alive. And, with his backing, the spirit and Yugi knew that nothing was impossible. "It's time to finish this duel," he called across the arena at the impostor. He pulled forth a card. The decisive card. "…with Reborn the Monster!"
The arena glittered, and a full, powerful roar echoed across the forest as a dragon at the peak of its strength reared its head upon the scene. Far away, in the castle, Kisara's fingers twitched, she coughed, and a breath of air heaved back through her lungs. Blue eyes cracked open once again, the spark of life returned.