A/N: Hello all and welcome to chapter 6 of Monachopsis. To be honest this chapter gave me more trouble than any have so far. Mainly due to the fact that it's hard to write when Reila isn't in the thick of the action. But I prevailed, and already have a great start on chapter 7. Hopefully things should be easier to write from now on, now that I've got the ball rolling in the Duelist Kingdom arc.
A special thanks to my bestie and long time writing companion Sereni the Undead. You're an amazing person and I absolutely adore you!
Also a shout out to animagirl and Drachegirl14 for reviewing. Thanks so much!
I claim no ownership over the song Rocket Man featured in this chapter. Rocket Man was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
Disclaimer: I do not Own Yu-Gi-Oh or any characters created by Kazuki Takahashi. I only own my OCs, this fic is purely for entertainment.
Chapter 6
In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have tried to take on three men twice my size. I have no defensive training, no fighting ability to speak of, and didn't have any weapons on me when I blindly charged after them. But seeing a friend slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes tends to make one overreact. There are many rules that I live by, and a big one is that you should act instead of react; by this it's meant that you should act logically to a situation, not fly off the handle without thinking it through and inadvertently make the situation worse.
Well, I made it worse for myself and who knows how much worse I've made it on Mokuba.
Three days ago to find myself in a stone room, high up in a tower and violently ill; the poor maids had to be called in six times before my stomach had finally settled. It took me the better part of a day to get over the side effects of being knocked out with chloroform, and throughout the first night had been running a pretty high fever. I vaguely remembered a maid being called in to watch over me that first night I was here, and she had done what any normal, non-medical person would do with someone running a fever – that is to say, she kept a cool rag on my head, coaxed me into drinking fluids, and checked my fever regularly. I recall that at one point she had been alarmed that my fever was so high and not going down quickly enough. I remember in my chemistry lesson my tutor saying that about 10% of the population was allergic to chloroform, and the most common symptom was a high level fever; which poses a rather dangerous threat, for if a fever runs too high for too long it can cause serious damage. Thankfully, the fever burned out sometime in the night, but this meant the girl hadn't been able to come back to my room since then. The only person I had seen during my captivity so far was Croquet, Pegasus's right hand man, and then it was just to bring me food and pick up the empty plates.
From what I could see out of the window I gathered that I'd been brought to the island where Duelist Kingdom was to be held, and completely at the mercy of one Maximillian Pegasus. As if that wasn't enough to irk me, all my planning and scheming had been for naught. Pegasus was too clever to allow Mokuba and I to be near each other or have any communication, so I wasn't even sure what was happening or what had already happened. I had no way of judging whether Mokuba was safe, had already escaped in his attempt to confront Yugi... No information whatsoever. I knew better than to try and get Croquet to talk, the man was steadfastly loyal to Pegasus to an almost sickening level. Although I had the loyalty of my staff, if I did something as questionable as kidnapping, those who worked for me would never stand idly by. It made me wonder if Pegasus had some dirt on his right hand man, or if Croquet held some sort of infatuation with the CEO of Industrial Illusions.
That was a sickening thought.
Sighing I stood and paced, doing my best to ignore my current state and predicament. I was still in the clothes that I'd been taken in, and between the sweat from the fever, my being so ill, and the lack of a shower I felt and looked like a grimy mess. Croquet had seemed to have a rather smug look on his face when he had been here this morning to give me my morning meal, and I would bet money that he was laughing at a powerful debutante being reduced to my current state.
Bastard.
I tried not to dwell on it and instead tried to devise a plan to escape, warn Seto to stay away and use other means to get Mokuba free. Now that I was in the thick of the story line, it was as if my memories were becoming clearer and I remembered that Pegasus planned to take over Kaiba Corp. in some attempt to resurrect his deceased wife; again, in my opinion this proves that there is an inherit danger to loving someone too much. Because Kaiba Corp. could only be controlled by family, the plan was to off Seto and use Mokuba's name to control Kaiba Corp., something that would be made easier with Pegasus in possession of the Millennium Eye. With it, he could easily banish Mokuba's soul and use his body as a marionette, doing whatever he wished. I vaguely recalled the attempt on Seto's life wouldn't work, and instead Seto would overcome and make his way here to free Mokuba and protect his company. But when he went to face Pegasus in a duel, Pegasus would use his Millennium Item and read Seto's mind, seeing through his strategy and taking possession of his soul after Seto's defeat.
Wait...
I stopped pacing and swore softly under my breath. The Millennium Eye made it possible for Pegasus to read minds. This was bad, very bad. I had no means of protecting myself from that kind of power, and I hadn't taken the abilities of the Millennium Items into account in any of my plans for the future. How in the name of all things holy could I even hope to protect not only myself, but my friends from the danger of those stupid jewelry pieces? I began pacing again, trying to remember the details of what powers the Millennium Items possessed, but I could only remember what the Eye did and that the pharaoh's soul was house in the Puzzle. Maybe... Maybe my memories would only become clear when I was present for the actual canon story line? If that was the case, then that would mean that some unseen force was controlling the flow of my memories. That thought pissed me off; if what I suspected was true, how dare they toy with me like that! I am not a puppet to be used, by deities, higher powers or anything of the sort. Taking a deep breath I tried to calm myself since getting worked up over something without proof was pointless, not to mention a waste of energy and time. Although I had noticed things affected me in a way they didn't other people, I had no evidence to support any theories and so tried to work around them as best I could.
Case in point, during the duel between Yugi and Seto that I had witnessed, it was almost as though the very air had become charged with some sort of force which made breathing difficult for me. I had felt a weight pressing on my shoulders and chest, and it had only increased as the duel had continued. Each monster summoned increased the pressure and the feeling that something wasn't right, but it hadn't seemed to have bothered anyone else. Glancing out the window, a shudder of apprehension went through me; was it like this with all duels? If that was the case then the last place I needed to be was in the middle of a friggin tournament. Again the thought of fleeing the same way Mokuba would crossed my mind, but I knew better than to try and escape. I was still too weakened by my sickness, even three days later. I was larger than Mokuba and weighed a bit more, meaning that making a sheet rope long enough and strong enough would be almost impossible. Not to mention the fact that I was in stilettos and a pencil skirt; not exactly the best clothing to attempt an escape in.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of fireworks and I hurried to the window, looking out. My window faced the eastern side of the island, and I was able to see a few people from the window although I knew none of them could see me. Pegasus's voice carried up to my open window as he welcomed everyone to his tournament and explained the importance of the star chips, causing me to snort. Only Pegasus could come up with something this complex and make it seem like the greatest thing since sliced bread. I might hate the man as a general rule, but even I had to admit he was charismatic and an excellent business man.
I still wanted to punch him in his face though.
Once the noises had faded I began my pacing anew, knowing that within the next twenty-four hours Mokuba would make his escape attempt and run into Yugi. He wanted to face Yugi in a battle... Ah that's right. Pegasus needs to defeat Yugi before the Big 5 will allow him to take control of Kaiba Corp., because Seto's defeat had tarnished the company's image. Mokuba's plan to defeat Yugi early and force him out of the tournament would ultimately fail, but I couldn't blame Mokuba for trying. Honestly, it was a brilliant idea; defeat Yugi, get revenge for his brother's defeat, and protect the company all in one stroke. People might underestimate Mokuba a lot because of his age and the fact that he does in truth have a big heart, but my little friend could be just as vicious and cut throat as Seto or I can be. He too had suffered under years of Gozaburo's tyranny, and it made him grow up faster than a child should have to. But it also gave him valuable insight to how to think, plan, and thrive in the world he now found himself in.
I only wished I could be there to help him. I suppose it's selfish of me to want to keep Mokuba out of the thick of everything, but I wanted to protect what was left of the childhood innocence in him as long as I could. Seto was too jaded by the things he'd lived through, and I was jaded from the combination of two lives worth of knowledge in my mind; but Mokuba's eyes still held some of that childhood wonder and amazement. I would do whatever I could to protect it and keep that twinkle of innocence in his eyes for as long as I could.
But that brought back my current dilemma, that I was trapped and unable to help. Knowing that I was right in the the middle of everything happening but unable to help filled me with anger and I could feel my temper rising at the thought of Mokuba, Seto, and yes even the others being put in such danger over one man's selfishness. Although I might understand Pegasus's motivation on a base level, I'd never been able to grasp the concept of endangering countless lives for selfish gain. I might be a tad selfish and nothing would stand in my way of getting what I want, but I never gambled with people's lives. Having been murdered once, I had respect for the lives of others. Taking away their wealth and power was one thing, taking their souls and in effect their lives and free will was something else entirely.
Sighing I stopped pacing and sat on the bed, drawing my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. These thoughts were maddening, but more than that... The silence. My fear and anxiety were making my long standing hatred of silence worse, and to keep myself from tipping over into sheer panic mode I began humming and singing softly to myself, anything to keep the silence at bay. Ever since my rebirth, absolute silence drove me to the brink of insanity; it reminded me too much of the cold, empty space I'd been in after my death. My mother hadn't understood it but accepted it, and even Hojo and my uncle found it a quaint quirk of mine. Even now, years later it haunted me, to the point where I slept with light music playing and even in the dead of summer I couldn't sleep unless I was cocooned in a thick, warm blanket. Cold, silence, loneliness... Those were my worst fears. Fears I never revealed to anyone, and would never reveal if I could help it. To show a weakness invited others to exploit it, and so I kept my fears hidden, never to be talked of with others.
I needed to free myself from this room, to find out what exactly Pegasus had planned. Taking Mokuba and trying to harm Seto I understood worked with the original story line, but I was a new factor and his motivation for taking me was unknown. He couldn't possibly think that my family would stand by while I was missing, and since I wasn't in line for inheriting Sarota Entertainment, using me to gain more power didn't make sense. Not only that, but an entertainment company would have no plausible resources to help in bringing back his dead wife. So what was his reasoning behind taking me as well? To silence me because I had seen his men taking Mokuba? That didn't make sense, as Pegasus employed hundreds with Industrial Illusions, and I hadn't recognized any of the three men who had been taking Mokuba as working for Pegasus; I had known who they worked for only thanks to my knowledge of what was to come. He could have ordered his men to leave me in the Kaiba Corp. building and I wouldn't have been able to do a thing about it.
So why risk taking me? What possible gain could he get from having me here as well as Mokuba? Although it was known that I was friends with them both, was Pegasus planning on using me as a threat against the brothers? If that was his was of thinking he was in for a rude awakening. Although I know Mokuba holds my friendship in high regards, I know Seto won't let it come between him and his company; I have no illusions about this, nor do I think that I'm more valuable to him than Kaiba Corp. He would never endanger all his hard work for me, and I honestly would think less of him if he did. As someone who values hard work and motivation it makes perfect sense to not let anything, even a budding friendship like ours get in the way of securing his company. Besides, I'm tough and can get myself out of this scrape... Somehow.
Meanwhile...
"Be quiet, I don't believe in that 'heart of the cards' stuff you keep preaching about." Mokuba said to Yugi, safely hidden behind his disguise. When he'd woken up and found that he was locked high in the tower of Pegasus's castle, he'd been furious. The last thing he remembered was being dragged out of his brother's corporate building, and seeing Reila rush head first into danger to try and protect him. After hearing what Pegasus and the five board members of Kaiba Corp. had planned, his first thought was to get to Reila's as fast as possible; she'd do anything to help him and Seto, and her home was the safest place to be. But one of Pegasus's guards had found him and that idea had gone out the window.
Instead, not only had he been taken hostage but he was pretty sure Reila was being held by Pegasus as well. But if Mokuba could knock Yugi out of the competition before the tournament went on any longer, not only could he get revenge for his older brother but he'd also stop Pegasus's plans in their tracks. If Pegasus couldn't face Yugi in a duel, he couldn't beat him and that meant the board members wouldn't let Pegasus take control. So he'd slipped out of the window (well, more like toppled out but no one would ever know of his embarrassingly graceless fall) and set off to find and defeat Yugi. Although Seto was the stronger duelist, Mokuba had confidence that he could defeat him. Vengeance was his, and not only was he dueling for his brother's honor but also to protect his family. Once Yugi was taken care of, Mokuba would find way to get in touch with his brother who would come get him and Reila off this island and away from Pegasus. Simple, but effective. "Cards have nothing to do with heart, it's all about power."
"Yes, I can see it now; I sensed a connection to Kaiba. You're his brother, you're Mokuba." Yugi blurted out, and Mokuba felt a flash of fear. How could he have known?
"How did you know? Well, it doesn't matter." Mokuba said, tugging his bandanna back around his neck and tossing off the hat he'd been using to hide his hair. The proverbial cat was out of the bag, but this was better anyway; at least now Yugi would know who he was dealing with and what crimes he was answering for. Whatever Yugi did to him during their duel, Seto's confidence in himself had vanished, and none of this would have happened if that duel had never taken place. Try as he and Reila both had, Seto claimed that he no longer knew who he was after he'd been beaten by Yugi. Before Mokuba had even realized what he was saying, the entire story was spewing out of him like word vomit. Maybe a part of him wanted Yugi to acknowledge that he had done something to make his brother different, but as he kept talking Mokuba suspected that a larger part of him wanted Yugi to feel guilty and use that guilt to cloud his judgment when it came to dueling. Anything that he could use to get the edge on the duelist who had defeated his brother was something he could use.
But as Yugi defeated yet another of the monsters he summoned, Mokuba began to suspect that by using the deck of another duelist that he'd seriously handicapped himself. Each deck was constructed by the duelist themselves to play to their strengths, and this deck wasn't easy for him to use. The strategy that went into building the deck eluded him and made it close to impossible for him to even touch Yugi's life points.
"Battling me won't bring your brother back, and we want to stop Pegasus as much as you do; he's taken my grandfather prisoner." Yugi said, fixing a determined gaze on Mokuba. Mokuba hesitated just a minute too long, wondering just how many people the Industrial Illusions CEO had hidden away in his castle. But none of that mattered, the only things that mattered were to protect Seto and rescue Reila. While the lone girl of the group (Mokuba thought he remembered her name being Tea) distracted the others by finally putting the pieces of the story together, Mokuba moved quickly to Yugi's side of the field, swiping some of his star chips; since he didn't see the possibility of defeating him in an honest duel, Mokuba would do whatever it took to keep his brother and company safe. He'd almost made it to the woods when Yugi's voice rang out, and something in the tone of his voice made Mokuba pause; it was a commanding, ancient tone, but not cruel.
"Your brother is just confused. After I defeated Kaiba in our duel I opened his mind. I removed from him all the dark influences that clouded his thoughts and actions. Free of that evil essence, Kaiba is struggling." Yugi said, his eyes locked with Mokuba's. Reila had something very similar once, during a quick phone conversation he'd had with her not even a week ago.
"Mokuba, we need to give your brother time. I know you're worried about him and so am I, but this is something that he has to do on his own. We can be here to support him, but I think Seto has been shown that perhaps he's been using his genius and the weight of his company for the wrong things. I hope that he can see that his actions in harming that older man were wrong, and that he can move on from this with a clearer head." Those had been Reila's exact words, and to hear them coming from Yugi as well... Had his brother really been influenced be darkness?
Yugi continued, as if sensing that Mokuba was questioning his own motives. "Now your brother realizes that his way wasn't the right way, and he's searching his heart for answers. And you know in your heart what you're doing isn't the right way, either!"
Mokuba turned to fully face Yugi, knowing that he was right; cheating, stealing, lying... Those weren't the actions of a Kaiba. Kaiba's didn't steal and they didn't cheat, they did what they needed to do to protect the company and their family. How could he ever face his brother and Reila again, knowing he'd cheated, lied, and stolen? Seto and Reila were all he had in the world, and seeing them angry or disappointed in him would shatter his heart. No, it wasn't the right thing to do but what choice did he have? How could he protect the company and save Reila without any help? A prodigy he might be but dammit he was just a kid, and without his brother here to help he was practically helpless. The truth of that thought hurt, but it was something he had to face. "But then... What can I do? How else am I supposed to protect Kaiba Corp. and rescue Reila?" Mokuba hadn't even realized that he'd said the last part aloud; he wasn't sure what if anything mentioning Reila would help.
"Reila? You mean Pegasus has Reila Sarota captive too?" Tea stepped forward with wide eyes. Mokuba hesitated before nodding sullenly. "Right after Seto left, I called Reila because I didn't know what to do. She was on her way to get me so I could stay at her house with her family when I overheard the meeting between Pegasus and the board members. When Reila got to the Kaiba Corp. building, she came looking for me and saw me being taken away. When she tried to save me from Pegasus's men, they drugged her and I'm pretty sure they brought her with us. I don't know where Pegasus is holding her but I won't let anything happen to her!"
The blonde friend of Yugi's looked thoughtful. "Hey, now that ya mention it I think I remember seeing dat girl in the arena when Yugi dueled Kaiba. She didn't say nothing the entire time though, just stood there and watched."
"That makes sense; it's pretty well known that Reila, Mokuba and Kaiba are all friends. They're seen together a lot, so maybe Pegasus took her to use as leverage against Kaiba?" Tristan said, rubbing his jaw in thought. Mokuba didn't say anything, but it made sense. Seto might not openly admit it, but he had a comradeship with Reila just like Mokuba did, and he valued her as a peer since she was one of the few who could match him intellectually.
"Mokuba, you can start by trusting in me. I promise you, we can only defeat Pegasus if we stick together. We'll help you protect your brother and rescue Reila, but you've got to help us, okay? You've got to go back and return those cards and star chips to the kid you stole them from." Yugi said, a small smile on his face and a deep, unfathomable trust in his eyes. Mokuba had seen that look once before, when Reila had helped him see how wrong he was to disregard Yugi's grandfather's health after his duel with Seto.
Mokuba hesitated for just a moment, hoping that his brother would forgive him for teaming up with Yugi. "Let's do it."
"And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
Till touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home,
Oh no no no.
I'm a rocket man~"
So yeah, here I am in a freaking castle, still locked in a tower room and singing Elton John. I think I've officially hit the low point of my second life. In my defense, there was nothing else for me to do. No books to read, no ways of escaping, no ways to do anything but stare at the wall and lose my mind. Besides, Elton John is an amazingly talented man. And since I knew faking an illness wouldn't work in bringing anyone, that left singing to myself to pass the time. Thankfully whatever weird feeling had been happening when I witnessed Seto and Yugi duel only affected me when I was right there for a duel; no light-headed feelings or shortness of breath ever since the tournament kicked off, and I knew that there had to have been multiple duels since then.
Sighing I scanned the forest beneath the tower window, hoping to spot someone walking around; I'd even gladly welcome the sight of Joey at this point. Granted, I hadn't had any interaction with him to actually warrant my annoyance with him, but even in the my previous I had only a grudging respect for his character. I do have to say this, the guy is loyal to a fault when it comes to his loved ones and although I can admire that trait his general boisterous attitude rubbed me the wrong way. Hojo could be loud, but never to the extent that Joey Wheeler was. Plus I didn't want to get sucked into the whole "friendship is magical" club.
Never been a fan of Care Bears of My Little Pony, thanks.
Besides, if Joey had somehow walked within my line of sight that would mean that Yugi was close by. And where Yugi went, the spirit of the puzzle went too. Although at this point the pharaoh wouldn't have any information I could use, and I wasn't sure if I should reveal that I knew of the spirit who dwelt within the puzzle. It would bring up too many questions that I didn't feel comfortable answering, and wasn't sure I should anyway. Wasn't one of the main focal points of the show that the pharaoh was supposed to unlock the secrets of his past on his own? Besides I could barely recall the pharaoh's life in ancient times, let alone remember his name. I know there was an "A" in there somewhere...
The most worrying thought and the one that I had no answer for was what to do if Pegasus asked to speak with me. It would take ever bit of my acting skills to keep him from thinking that I had any knowledge of what was going to happen; maybe if I didn't give him a reason to, he wouldn't use his Millennium Eye on me. After all, what could he possibly gain by showing it to me? For all he knew I was like Seto and didn't believe in magic, and then he would just be showing me a weird golden eye. But on the other hand... What if he planned to take my soul? To use my body as his personal marionette?
That was a terrifying thought.
I'd already had my soul tampered with once, thank you very much. When instead of going to paradise or whatever after life there is, I was instead born here. I would not, repeat not let my soul be tampered with again if I could help it. But I had no magic, no abilities to use against the powers of the Millennium Items. So how could I possibly protect myself, if not the others when it came down to it? That thought set me pacing again as I created a mental list of possibilities, slowly crossing them off one by one. I despised going into a battle unprepared, but with little resources but my wits and knowledge I was grossly outmatched. If Pegasus got his hands on the knowledge that I possessed, then all of us were doomed and I refused to be the key to the downfall of everyone. Although I had a lot of mental discipline, I doubted that I could do the old "build a mental fortress" cliched technique in time. Yugi had at one point had his friend's willpower shield him, but I didn't have the luxury of being able to call upon people like that, not without lengthy explanations and questions that I didn't want to answer.
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on my door and Croquet entered, his customary smirk on his face. "Master Pegasus wishes for you to join him for lunch. Follow me, and don't think of escaping; there's nowhere for you to run."
Fixing him with a haughty stare, I gestured to my clothes. "I refuse to be presented as anyone's so called 'guest' while I'm in this state. Tell Pegasus that I demand a change of clothing and a shower before I even begin to think about sitting down with him for anything." I did have ulterior motives for the demands; time to shower and dress would give me that much more time to try and figure out a way of shielding my thoughts from Pegasus. But to be honest, a shower and clean clothes sounded about as close to heaven as one could get right about now.
Croquet sighed and stepped into the room, grabbing my arm and ignoring my protests as he dragged me down the hall. "We've arranged for a change of clothing for you, and I'll give you five minutes to wash up but no longer. Consider this your only warning, you're not in charge here; you're Master Pegasus's prisoner until he deems otherwise, so watch your tone when you speak to others. You're not the Princess of Sarota here." And with that he shoved me into a bathroom and locked the door.
Almost falling on my face from the force of his shove, I glowered at the door before sighing in happiness; there on the counter of the sink were clean clothes. Not trusting Croquet to give me more than exactly five minutes, I stepped out of my grubby clothes and used a washcloth to at least wash my face and to wipe of the worst of the grime and stink off of me. Picking up the clean clothes, I made a mental note to find and thank whatever maid had provided them; there were even clean, brand new undergarments with the tags still attached. I almost cried in relief of finally being halfway clean and feeling more like a human being once I'd dressed, and as I braided my hair (seeing as I couldn't wash it and it was a dirty, tangled mess I figured a braid would be the easiest way to hide how gross I felt) I scrutinized the clothing; not my first choice, but it covered everything for the most part. The jeans were a touch tighter than I normally preferred, but that was mostly because I was curvier than the average Japanese woman. The black sweater that had been provided was also a tad tight, and since I was a little more endowed in the chest area than most girls I'd encountered – although Mai Valentine might be one of the few who could match me – the sweater rode up a little, showing a slight strip of skin all around my waist. But as I'd shown more skin in some of the dresses I've worn before it didn't bother me. Slipping back on my heels, as I had no other shoes I finished my braid and secured it with a hair tie that had been on the counter just as Croquet knocked before entering.
He gave me a quick once over he grabbed my arm again, guiding me rather roughly downstairs and into a large dining room. The entire way down I kept hoping that I would get some kind of divine intervention or a flash of brilliance that would help keep me away from Pegasus, or at least help me understand how I could keep my thoughts shielded but no dice. Croquet deposited me into a chair, snaking a handcuff around one of my wrists and the arm of the chair before stepping to stand behind Pegasus, who was eyeing me with a sickening gleam of satisfaction in his visible eye. The one hidden behind his hair was what worried me though; I could feel a heaviness in the air, especially where the Eye was located.
"Ah, little Reila how good to see you again! It's been what, about two years since we saw each other last? My my how time does fly." Pegasus said, holding up a glass of wine in a mocking toast.
"Pegasus. I see you haven't changed one bit; still wearing that ridiculous red outfit and still acting the fool." I said, narrowing my eyes at him. I was seated on his right, normally a place of honor for guests; but I was a prisoner, not a guest. Halfway down the table a huge screen came down from the ceiling, giving Pegasus real-time updates on the current status of his tournament. I almost overlooked what was on the screen, but a familiar voice drew my gaze away from Pegasus and back to the screen. "Mokuba..." I whispered, my eyes locking onto where he stood, Kemo gripping one of his arms to keep him there.
"Ah yes, it seems young Mokuba didn't care for his accommodations. Such poor manners, running away from his host like that." Pegasus said, laughing at the fierce glower I threw his way. "Oh come Reila, you know better than to try and intimidate me. It won't work, you don't have the power necessary to frighten me."
"Then what's this all about? Keeping Mokuba and I captive, staging this contest... I want to know what's so important that you'd risk ruining yourself." I said, trying to keep a tight leash on my anger and on my thoughts. One stray thought could bring about my downfall, and with me the downfall of everyone else.
"Ah ah, first let's see what little Yugi will do." He said, turning his attention to the screen. "After all, it's not every day that someone returns from the grave in order to exact their revenge."
"Return from the grave...?" I followed his gaze to the screen, my heart leaping in my throat; Seto was here! But the sound of his voice stopped my joy in it's tracks and my head tilted to the side as I analyzed the speech pattern, the way this person held themselves... "That's not Seto." I said, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what – or who – it was. That memory was still too fuzzy. The only thing I remember is something about way too many ghost puns and a clown.
Thanks LittleKuriboh, now I'm getting the Abridged Series mixed up with the canon series.
"Well, it's what is left of him; and the boy showed such promise. Seems that Kaiba-boy met with a rather unfortunate accident earlier today when I sent some associates to invite him to my island, to join you and Mokuba on your little vacation." I snorted, barely keeping my temper in check. Invited, as if this were a freaking tea party and not a hostage situation.
"If that's true I'll eat my damn shoe." I said, causing Pegasus to laugh. "Whatever you may believe, I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that whoever that is, it's not Seto nor any part of him."
"Reila, your stubbornness knows no bounds. And as entertaining as seeing you attempt to eat a shoe would be, I thought that perhaps you would care for a more appetizing fare." He clapped his hands briskly together, and a savory meal was placed on the table just as the duel was starting. I entertained the thought of snubbing the food for a grand total of two seconds; after surviving on gruel for the past three days I was dying for real food and selected a few choices from the dishes, doing my best to imitate a demure little girl at a formal dinner. If I could get Pegasus to let his guard down, maybe I could get the information I needed out of him before he decided to throw the power of his Millennium Item my way.
But before I could ask any questions, the "Seto" dueling Yugi summoned the Hitotsu-Mi Giant, just like the real Seto had. I barely concealed my shock; I'd forgotten that Pegasus somehow had gotten hold of Seto's deck, and that Yugi would return it to him... When he arrived on the island, which should be tonight if I remembered the time line correctly.
That's right, if all went according to plan Seto would be here, in the castle within the next 24 hours. I had to find a way to get him to avoid a duel with Pegasus, couldn't bear the thought that Mokuba and Seto were destined to have their souls removed by the vile snake seated on my left. But how to warn them without revealing what I knew? Dammit with all my knowledge I couldn't figure out this one little detail and it was killing me!
"Why Reila, you look so deep in thought. Care to share what troubles you? Or are you making peace with the fact that your beloved friend is gone?" Pegasus eyed me with a malicious gleam in his eye, and I reminded myself that I was treading on shaky ground; for all his flamboyancy, Pegasus was too smart to be fooled by much. I compared this little talk between us as a game of chess; each move, each word needed to be thought our carefully in order to keep myself from being back into a corner. It was something that I couldn't' afford to let happen.
"Not at all. I don't believe for one second that you're telling the truth about whoever that is, and as for Seto being dead I'll believe that when you present actual evidence. As the creator of the game, I'm sure it's easy enough for you to create an exact copy of Seto's deck; it would be a simple matter to order duplicates of any card that you've created." I shot back, and watched the grin on his face widen.
"Ah yes, you've never been one to accept things at face value. It's one of the things I admire about you, and also think is hilarious coming from someone like you. After all, where are your facts when it comes to signing new artists to your label? How accurately can you predict how popular a new band or solo act will be when you enter into negotiations? For someone who gambles so much on the unknown, you're amazingly obsessed with facts." I lapsed into silence as we both turned to the screen as Yugi summoned his Dark Magician and destroyed the fake Seto's Giant. I couldn't answer Pegasus's question because he was right; ever new artist was a gamble. But I didn't want to get into a discussion about contract signing and the process of choosing the one that my company would take the risk on.
"Why am I here, Pegasus? What could you possibly hope to gain by taking me prisoner?" Speaking of gamble, I was taking a huge one here; throwing caution to the wind and facing the problem head on. But I needed to know what he planned so that I could plan to counter it. "I'm virtually useless to you as a prisoner; the only thing you'll gain from taking me is making my uncle your enemy."
Pegasus laughed loudly. "Oh Reila, how little you know. There are much more important things in this world than who you make enemies of. And as far as your uncle knows, you've taken an impromptu trip with Mokuba to see Seto and the three of you are enjoying a nice, cozy little vacation somewhere far away to help Seto clear his head. And how unfortunate that you weren't able to properly inform your uncle, what with it being a last minute decision. Shame shame Reila, acting so impulsively. It's really quite disgraceful for a young woman to go off traipsing off with a handsome young man with only his little brother acting as chaperon. What will everyone think of such a scandal?" Pegasus watched me with an almost predatory look on his face, as though he was relishing the supposed tarnishing of my public image.
My chin lifted defiantly as I narrowed my eyes, trying to understand his reasoning. "My uncle would never believe such a story. It's too out of character for me." I didn't mention that Shuichi had been there, for I feared that Pegasus was ruthless enough to have harmed in to cover up my being taken. But a small part of me dreaded knowing if anything had happened to Shuichi, so I attempted to guide the conversation into another direction. "Even if he did believe that ridiculous lie, it still doesn't explain what you hope to gain by my being here. If your intent is to use me against Seto, I have news for you; I'm worth a lot less to him than his brother or his company. Don't think that you can force him into anything by using my well being as a threat."
"Ah that's where I think you're wrong Reila; I think that Kaiba-boy cares for you much more than he's willing to admit. After all, he allows his treasured younger brother to be around you, and a little birdie told me that it was you who were there for him on the night of his defeat at Yugi's hands, as a shoulder to lean on of course." Pegasus had no problem flaunting that he had spies inside either Seto's company or home; neither of those were good signs. It's not as though corporate spying was a new concept, I myself had a few select people positioned within companies all across the world feeding me information. But to know that someone had such knowledge... I made a mental note to warn Seto.
Before I could respond a flash of silvery white appeared in the corner of my eye, and I turned again to the screen... And saw the Blue Eyes White Dragon. I sucked in my breath, knowing that only Seto's deck had that particular monster in it. It wasn't until I assured myself that Seto would currently be on his way to the island that I trusted myself to speak again. "So how many duplicates of the Blue eyes White Dragon did you create?" I asked, my voice surprisingly steady. Pegasus was silent for a moment as we both watched Yugi summon his Magical Hats, and the "Seto" proceeded to eliminate one empty hat.
"No duplicates were made Reila. Don't you believe that Kaiba would willingly come back from the grave to seek revenge against Yugi?" Pegasus seemed amused by my lack of trust in him.
"This has nothing to do with what I believe; this has everything to do with the fact that you want me to believe in the unbelievable and that you're refusing to answer my question. Now either answer me, Pegasus, or I'll return to my quarters. But I refuse to sit here and listen to one more insinuation that Seto is gone; not even you possess the power to get away with murder." I locked eyes with Pegasus, trying to use my eyes to intimidate him as so many others would be when fixed with my onyx gaze. But Pegasus is not an ordinary man, and instead my attempts caused a chilling smile to form on his face.
I knew that I was out of my league when it came to facing off against him. I might be able to shake up a business meeting and out think those with whom my company dealt, but Maximillian Pegasus was another type of man; one who had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. If his plans with the Kaiba Corp. executives didn't work out, there was no legal proof of his actions thus far. And if he managed to defeat Yugi...
That wasn't an acceptable option.
"My, you are a most ungracious guest. How many other girls can say that they have had a vacation on a private island? So shameful Reila, I do feel that your uncle would be quite disappointed. However, as I have no intention of revealing my plans to you just yet, I suppose I shall have to send you on your way. But given that it's already been made clear that the security of my tower isn't what it ought to be, I'll have to move your lodgings to a more secure location. After all, it wouldn't do for you to go gallivanting around on the island without a proper escort." Snapping his fingers, Pegasus summoned Croquet, along with two other guards. Sparing a glance to the screen I saw that the second Blue Eyes White Dragon had come into play, and was quickly losing attack power, appearing to melt. I'd never fully understood how a computer virus could effect a card game, but regardless it made me smile.
Seto was on the attack, and that meant things were going as they should.
Pegasus scowled at the screen before laughing. "It would seem that Kaiba is still very much alive. Ah well, this just means that I'll need to rethink my plans." Turning his attention to me, each of his two goons grabbed one of my arms in a bruising grip. "Reila, you're far too intelligent for your own good; I can't risk you running away just as Mokuba did, so I'm afraid you're being relocated to a room where the chances of you escaping are absolutely zero. But don't worry, I have a feeling you'll be getting company soon." With a wave of his hand, Pegasus dismissed me and his hired thugs began leading me away. I managed to get them to stop briefly as I called over my shoulder to Pegasus.
"Don't think that I'll forget this Pegasus; mark my words, I'll enjoy taking you down once I'm free." I didn't receive any response other than his mocking laughter trailing me down the hall. Sighing in frustration, I belatedly realized that if I hadn't let my temper get the better of me, I might have been able to get some real information out of him. But I was too stressed, worried about both Mokuba and Seto to really think clearly, to plan and scheme like I normally did. Gathering information and plotting were my strengths, but I'd allowed emotions to cloud my judgment. And thankfully, I hadn't felt anything unusual sensations that I'm sure went along with someone reading the mind of another person. Hopefully I'd kept my thoughts safe... Somehow.
But the big question of how to warn Seto to not duel Pegasus was what weighed most heavily on my mind. Glancing around the hallway, I saw a staircase leading down and realized that I was being relocated to the dungeon, where Mokuba and Seto would both eventually end up. A real life dungeon; as if Pegasus wasn't psychotic enough, he just had to have a proper dungeon with manacles and heavy iron bars.
I hate castles.
Glancing at the two guards, then again at the stairwell I realized that the two of them together would never fit side by side; their shoulders were too broad, especially when I was in the middle of them. That meant that at least one of them was going to have to release his hold on my arm. Keeping my body from tensing in anticipation, I waited until we'd gotten to the top of the stairs and the man on my left released his hold on my arm, moving to step down in front of us.
It was just the moment I was waiting for. Since I'm right handed the right side of my body was the slightest bit stronger than my left, and I was able to wrench my arm out of Goon Two's hold. Although both men were larger and stronger than I am, I was fairly quick when it came to running and that speed was what I was relying on now. Ducking around Goon One before he could turn around fully, I bolted down the stairs blindly, thinking only of hiding somewhere until the coast was clear and making my way out of the castle. If I could find Yugi and his friends, they were bound to run into Seto and I could warn him of what was happening. Then together we could form a plan to get Mokuba back, and get off this stupid island and away from that jacka-
My thoughts ended abruptly as pain blossomed in my left ankle; I was so distracted by my thoughts that I'd over stepped, the heel of my stiletto landing wrong on the edge of a step and I felt a tear in my ankle as the heel broke off my shoe. Suddenly off balance, I pitched forward and crashed hard on the floor, every part of my body throbbing in pain; there had been about ten steps in between where I fell and the flat floor of the hallway I was now sprawled in. I tried to scramble up quickly, but the minute I put weight on my left ankle I cried out and crumbled to the ground, scowling at nothing in particular as I realized what had happened. The tearing I'd felt and the pain I was now feeling caused my to grit my teeth in frustration; I've sprained my ankle before and I wasn't going to be running, let alone walking without help for a long while.
Goons One and Two smirked as the walked casually down the stairs, clearly laughing at my misfortune. They didn't say a word as they hauled me roughly off the ground, practically carrying me down the hall and into a cell, complete with iron bars and stone walls. "You could at least get me a damn pillow." I grumbled under my breath, using the bars and uneven stones in the wall to ease down and sit on the ground. As the cell door slammed shut and they walked away, the bastards actually had the nerve to laugh at my comment. Glowering at their retreating forms, I let out a gusty sigh; I should have known something like this would happen. Running in heels is never a good idea, but I couldn't exactly go around barefoot, especially if I had managed to get outside. I could have taken them off as I was running and put them back on once I was outside the castle, but that would have taken up precious time that I had been trying to use to get away.
Not that any of it mattered now. Now I got to sit here like a damsel in distress and wait to be saved, a thought that made me grimace. I'm going to demand Seto buy me a new pair of shoes after this nightmare is over; it'll soothe my wounded pride if nothing else.