A/N: Hello everyone! Can I just take a moment and say how wonderful it feels to be back writing? Because it does. I was filling my time with a game called Ingress and I dug out my DS to play some Pokemon, but it just wasn't the same :(
As I said in the last chapter, I know Chapter 10 was kind of short and meh, but it had to be done. Hojo and Sota needed to be fleshed out a bit more and I feel that it resolved most of the drama brought up by the Duelist Kingdom arc, at least on Reila's end. And now, onto the next arc! Or mini arc in this case, since it isn't really that long. I had wanted to get this chapter up Friday, but honestly it's so dialogue heavy that it took me a while, sifting through the episodes to make sure I was getting the dialogue right.
Now this chapter may seemed rushed, but given that the next "arc" is only three episodes long... Yeah I can only stretch that out for so long.
A special shout out to animagirl, Drachegirl14, lalalei, and kiki56 for reviewing. Thanks for sticking with me and the story! You guys are amazing :3
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 11
After Seto and Mokuba had left the previous night, Hojo and Uncle Sota had spent the rest of the day with me, just the three of us with no work. It's not very often that the three of us can just sit and talk, joke, and be a regular family. We try to have at least one night a week where we all have dinner together and put work aside, but the three of us are so busy with various projects that it's hard to make it happen every week. But at the end of the day we're still a family, and the bond between us is strong. By the end of the night Hojo was his usual joking self, and my uncle was back to being calm and collected without the undercurrent of rage. Some might think he is rather aloof, but the reality is he keeps his emotions guarded and hidden from public view. He shows them more to Hojo and me, but it's hard to let that mask go when you've had to wear it for as long as he has. A corporate CEO doesn't have the luxury of acting on or showing his emotions as most people do. Every move, gesture, and word is judged not just by the public but by the board members, and in our case shareholders. Although our board is loyal to him, it's still best to show that you are in control and not guided by emotions at all times.
When the three of us finally went to bed, I took a moment to check my email and PDA, which Shuuichi had found at Kaiba Corp. after my abduction. I cringed when I saw the sheer volume of emails, messages, and voice mails that I would need to sift through; by day three of my captivity people had begun to question where I was, so Uncle Sota had let a story that I had been slightly injured spread. It was good thinking on his part, as the story would match with the sprained ankle when I returned to work tomorrow. We could spin the story that my ankle had been sprained badly enough to warrant bed rest, and that as CEO he'd ordered me to not work but focus on recovery. There might be a few who would question it further, but if we presented a united front with the same story it would prevent anyone from prying too much. A bulk of the messages and emails would be from our various partners, artists, and workers wishing me a speedy recovery.
Still, I was restless after so much had been going on. I wanted to work, not just on my company projects but also on what was coming in the future. The most immediate threat was Noah. Gozaburo's biological son was out there, lurking and waiting to try and take Seto's body. I couldn't discourage Seto from holding his own tournament, and even if I started learning how to play the game now there was no way I would become skilled enough in such a short time to make a difference. Dueling wasn't an option; it made myself too much of a target, and if someone like Marik were to take control of me, with my knowledge of the future it would be catastrophic. Although Ydor was confident he could match the power of a Millennium Item and keep me safe, I didn't want to risk the slight chance that he could be wrong. But there were other tools I could use to my advantage, other ways that I could try and negate events in the future.
Glancing at the clock and deciding that ultimately it didn't matter what time it was I picked up my phone, dialing a number I'd long since memorized. Listening to the dial tone, I could picture the bright red phone ringing, with it's multitudes of charms dangling from the side. Unless she'd changed the ring tone, it should be Metallica's "Enter Sandman". As I knew she would, she let the phone ring longer than normal, probably lost in the song before she ultimately answered.
"Is there a reason that you're calling me so late? Well, late for you." A husky feminine voice answered, and I snorted in response. She slept even less than I did. "Look, I haven't gotten any hits on those files you had me plant in your database. No one's taken the bait yet, although there have been multiple people accessing them. But none have copied or moved them anywhere... Yet."
"That's both good to know and disappointing. I'm not a patient person and until someone takes the bait I can't act." Aside from my immediate family, only one other person knew of how I had planned to take out the mole in our company; Jillian Heard, computer expert and one of the few people that I trusted with something like this. I met Jillian at an electronics expo in California that I had attended with my uncle to view the latest recording technology. She'd been eyeing some new computers, and though both of us are the type to not trust others, something about her caught my eye. We met up a few times after that for coffee, and eventually she gained my trust and I hers. Our relationship isn't exactly a friendship, more like a friendly business transaction. If I need something done that involves computers, she offers her assistance – for a price. Not only can she rival Seto when it comes to encryption and strengthening a computer network, she's an expert hacker who lives to break into the unbreakable.
She's also crazy enough to break into any network she can, just to test herself.
That craziness was what I was counting on now. "Does the name Gozaburo Kaiba mean anything to you?"
Jillian hummed in acknowledgment. "Yeah, power hungry slightly insane corporate big-wig. Made a fortune by producing and selling weapons before his adoptive son took over the company and turned it into a gaming giant. Wait, aren't you friends with his son? Or sons since there was two he adopted."
"Yes, but that's... Well actually it is kind of the point. I can't go into the how I know, but Gozaburo adopted Seto and Mokuba only after his biological son had an accident that rendered his body useless." Jillian would keep quiet – the amount of money that she made off of me guaranteed her loyalty and discretion, so I didn't think too much of revealing such a major scandal. "My sources tell me that his son, Noah, was used as an experiment and had his mind uploaded into a super computer. The plan was to find a body suitable to implant his mind into after some more tests and studies were done, but Gozaburo decided to give up that scheme when he realized that Seto is a genius and chose him as the better candidate to inherit the company."
"You know this sounds like some crazy science fiction story, right?" Jillian said, but I could tell by her voice that she was intrigued. The idea of uploading your mind into a super computer was something that would fascinate her to no end, and I could practically hear the anticipation to study it in her voice. "So what does this have to do with me?"
"If my sources are right, it would be a major blow to Kaiba Corp. to have a biological child come forth and claim that he should rightfully run the company. If he's found a way to continue the research to implant himself into another body..."
"He could return and try to take down Kaiba Corp. Which, considering your friendship with the current CEO would be a very bad thing for you." Jillian finished, and I gave her a moment to think it over. "You realize that my cost will double since I'm working on two simultaneous projects for you, right?"
"When it comes to protecting my friends cost isn't a problem. Those two are the first real friends I've ever had and I won't stand by and see them hurt because of some kid's tantrum." I suppose I should feel bad for Noah, but I don't – he's a threat to my friends that I want removed now. "But the first thing I need done is finding the data banks his mind has been transferred into. I don't know where they'd be located; Seto would have had them destroyed if they were within Kaiba Corp. so I'm assuming that they're elsewhere."
"You're talking to a freaking computer genius over here, Reila. There isn't a network in existence that I can't find or get into." I smiled into the phone, knowing that Jillian would handle things from here. "You want me to take a peek into Kaiba Corp.'s network just to be sure?"
I bit my lip in thought, going over the pros and cons quickly. Jillian was good, but if Seto found out and traced her to me... "No, better to leave them be. I haven't told Seto about any of this, and it's best that I handle this quietly and without his knowledge. He'd never believe me and with the amount of pressure he's under right now he'll think that I'm trying to sabotage him or worse. If you need anything you have my number."
"I think I'll be alright. But if anything changes I'll let you know. And don't forget, payments have doubled." She hung up the phone as I laughed – she could afford to buy three houses with all the money I'd paid her but instead still lived in a tiny studio apartment. All the money she made went into her electronics, which she called her babies. But despite the cost she was well worth it.
Sighing and feeling better that I'd set into motion a way to take down one threat before it popped up, I sat back in my chair and stretched, letting out a satisfied grunt when my back cracked. Tomorrow I would go through my workload and figure out what I could do from home and what I would need to take care of in the office. Uncle Sota wanted me to go see our family doctor Dr. Yukiko tomorrow, just to make sure that Dr. Juhei hadn't missed anything. I thought it was unnecessary but to ease his mind I would. I was a little vague on when exactly the next tournament would be, but it would be a while considering that Seto needed to upgrade and mass produce his Duel Disc system. If I had to take a guess, it would be somewhere around four to five months before that mess came up; plenty of time to heal and hopefully Jillian would have everything ready by that point.
Why not let things play out as they are meant to?
Because that would mean leaving my friends to have to relive the horror that was their childhood under Gozaburo's 'care'. I didn't change that part of their fate, but dammit I'm going to do what I can to change it so that they don't have to relive that again. Ydor has the ability to shield me from the Millennium Items yes, but I didn't want to rely on his powers to try and shield Mokuba and Seto. Besides, Noah wasn't using an Item, so that meant that I needed to do the leg work to try and protect them myself.
If I may give you a piece of advice, you should allow things to play out as they are meant to. When you begin to tamper with fate, you are courting the wrath of the fates.
There's no harm in our bypassing this part of the story. The only thing I would be doing is permanently deleting Noah's mind, along with Gozaburo's and the Big Five's which would happen regardless. But if Jillian can find the data base before the tournament begins, I can take them out of the picture before they cause any further psychological damage to my friends.
Ydor was silent for a moment. You are willing to sacrifice the mind and souls of seven people to protect your friends?
I winced at the tone of Ydor's voice, but my resolve was set. Noah is misguided yes, his actions fueled by jealousy and abandonment from his father. But to me, Noah is just a character in a story; Seto and Mokuba are real people. To protect those that I care about, there is almost nothing that I wouldn't do.
Ydor's questioning my motives actually made me a little uncomfortable, bringing to light that in this life I was much more ruthless than I ever was in my previous life. Before I'd been murdered I was actually a fairly mild, friendly person. However, years of being shafted by life and protecting my family and company had hardened me. I had sworn at my mother's funeral that I wouldn't leave my fate to others any longer, and if that meant that I needed to get my hands dirty and suffer momentary guilt over destroying someone, then it was a price I was willing to pay.
If this is truly the path you will take, I wish you all the best. I will offer what assistance I can, as always.
Ydor's willingness to help me, even after voicing concerns made me smile gratefully. I couldn't let the guilt or possibility of guilt stop me; I needed to protect Mokuba and Seto as much as was possible in the future. Sitting forward again, I opened my email and began reading through them; I probably wasn't going to be able to wind down for a while, so I might as well do something productive while I waited to hear from Jillian or became sleepy, whichever happened first.
The next day I spent at the corporate office, something my uncle had surprisingly been alright with. Wearing wide legged slacks helped hide the boot, while Uncle Sota and Hojo felt better having me close and surrounded by our corporate security force. It also gave me a chance to reconnect with our workers, since I hadn't had the time to physically come into the office. Everyone was full of cheerful good wishes and glad to see that I'd come back to work, while I smiled and thanked them for their concern.
The day had actually been rather productive, and had sped by amazingly quick. I had wanted to call Mokuba or Seto and ask how his confrontation with the executives went, but I'd been so busy all day that I hadn't had a chance to do it. Instead I'd rushed from one meeting to the next, in between sitting in on a few recording sessions. Yumi was coming out with a new album within the next year, and she liked for me to sit in on her recording sessions to see if there was anything that I thought should be changed or added. It felt good to be back doing what I knew best; music and artist management.
As the day came to an end, clouds rolled in lightning streaked across the sky, promising rain. I stood for a moment in my office, overlooking the city below; even now I still love the sound of rain, flashes of lightning and rumble of thunder. Storms to me are energizing, exhilarating, and make me feel like I'm me ready to face anything. Sighing happily as the rain began to fall, I gathered my things into my briefcase and made my way downstairs to the waiting car that would take me home. Uncle and Hojo were staying at the office to finalize the plans for the next shareholder's meeting, where we would introduce future projects and projected revenue for the upcoming year. It is probably one of the most important meetings we have throughout the year and everything needed to be perfect in order to impress the shareholders and have their continued support.
Sarota Entertainment is one of the few publicly traded record companies in Japan, something that makes us both more powerful and more vulnerable. If our shareholders lose trust in us, we lose capital until we have nothing. But, the more shareholders we have and the more they trust us, the more power we have and the more our influence grows; especially when those shareholders bring in millions of yen with them. Although my family might be the face of Sarota and we wield the power of it, the shareholders are what hand us the power to wield. So in the grand scheme of things, keeping the shareholders happy and interested in our company was one of the most important things we do throughout the year. Uncle Sota was a master at keeping them happy, entertained, and interested – which was something that he was passing onto Hojo. As the future CEO of the company, he was under the microscope in almost every corporate function, but he was a remarkable young man that was already showing signs of sharing the same genius that my uncle had. He has charisma, charm, now if he could just keep his emotions from getting the best of him at times... He's gotten much better lately, but there are still times when either his anger takes over, or his sense of humor shows up in the wrong situations. Although I personally adore his humor, it's not always appreciated by other people.
Stepping out the front doors, I used my briefcase to shield my hair as I quickly stepped to the car. Well, as quickly as I could with my boot that is. Once settled in Shuuichi pulled the car away from the curb, making our way to the estate slowly through the rain. It was taking longer than normal to get home, as there was an accident in the middle of town. Thankfully it looked like no one was seriously hurt, but it was still holding up traffic enough to make me impatient. Sitting forward, I looked over Shuuichi's shoulder and eyed the roads. "Shuuichi, isn't there a back road that you can take? I don't want to be stuck waiting here forever." Nodding his head in acknowledgment he took a left and began winding his way down surface streets. Looking out the window, something about the scenery was nagging at the back of my mind, almost like deja vu. Frowning to myself I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to get rid of the feeling. I was missing something, I could feel it in my gut. Sighing I rubbed a hand down my face and looked out the window, where the Moto's game shop had just come into view.
Something about the sight of it eased the feeling, but it didn't fully go away. "Shuuichi, wait. I need to stop in that store for a moment."
Shuuichi looked at me from the rear view mirror, slowing down to a stop. "Ms. Sarota, what business could you possibly have in a store like that?"
Granted, the store did not really match my usual MO, and I have never touched any type of game aside from solitaire or the occasional round of poker. Video games, card games... Those were things that I just didn't have time for in this life. And unlike Seto, my company doesn't revolve around gaming. But still, something about the shop was calling to me... "The grandfather of an acquaintance was recently released from the hospital. Since we're right here, I thought I'd stop in and ask how he's doing."
Shuuichi looked skeptical, but eventually pulled the car to the curb. Taking the umbrella that he offered to me, I opened the door and stepped out, stopping in the doorway to shake off the umbrella before entering the shop, the bell above the door chiming happily.
Five faces turned to look at me, and if I was anyone other than me, I would have probably felt very uncomfortable. However I squared my shoulders back and walked in slowly, casting an eye around the place. Solomon Moto had done a rather nice job arranging the interior and displaying his wares, and I briefly scanned them as I made my way towards the front of the store where Yugi, Tea, Joey, Tristan, and Solomon stood watching me with open mouths.
"Reila... What are you doing here?" Yugi asked, stepping forward and taking the lead in the conversation. I suppose it made sense, given that he was the sort of leader of this little group.
"I happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I would stop in and say thank you again for all your help." I said, glancing at his grandfather. Solomon seemed to have made a full recovery and smiled pleasantly at me. I was unsure exactly how much Yugi had told his grandfather and so chose not say too much, in case he'd kept the truth from his grandfather.
"How's your ankle?" Tristan asked, glancing down at the boot and giving us a chance to change the subject.
"Very well, thank you. The doctor's think that I should be fully healed in a month at the most. It looked worse than it was, although it's still pretty bad." I said, smiling pleasantly. "And you, Mr. Moto? I heard that you weren't feeling well. I trust you've made a full recovery?"
Solomon seemed surprised, but I could see the spark of recognition in his eyes; he knew the truth, and he knew that I knew. Smiling he nodded and assured me that he was indeed fully recovered and felt better than ever. I was actually very happy to hear the news, but made sure to keep my demeanor mild and pleasant.
The silence between us stretched out a little uncomfortably, but I wasn't too surprised by it; I didn't have anything in common with these people, and I certainly wasn't going to suddenly develop a deep meaningful relationship with them. But it would make things... Smoother in the future if I could at least be on a friendly acquaintance status with all of them. "I apologize for coming unannounced, I was on my way back from the Sarota office and just thought I'd drop in."
Tea smiled brightly, and opened her mouth to say something when the door slammed open, all six of us turning and standing in shock for a silent moment, staring at Mokuba standing slumped against the doorway. He was breathing heavily, and drenched from the downpour outside. Lifting his eyes, he focused on Yugi. "Please... Please help me."
It felt like my body was moving on it's own, because I was at Mokuba's side before I even realized what I was doing. Seeing me, his eyes widened as he hugged me tightly, his little body shivering from the cold. Yugi and Solomon ushered him upstairs, and in a moment they had him wrapped in a thick blanket and have given him a cup of warm to to get the chill off of him. I sat next to him, one arm wrapped protectively around his shoulders as he explained that Seto had become trapped in a virtual reality game that he'd designed, but the executive officers who had tried to take over the company with Pegasus had rewritten the programming so that he couldn't leave it.
I stayed quiet, partially to let him speak and unload some of his worry, but also partially because I was pissed. I'd completely forgotten about the Legendary Heroes arc, and had let Seto go face those two-faced jerks on his own. I'd been so focused on the threats of Noah, Marik, and Dartz that I'd overlooked this part. And Seto, who for once hadn't thought things through clearly had willingly walked right into a trap. He'd allowed his ego to get the better of him, again, and had left Mokuba in a dangerous position, again.
I'm going to beat the snot out of him once he's back in his body.
"So you're saying the only way Kaiba can escape is by winning the game?" Yugi asked, clearly shocked. They had never heard of such a thing before; until this point this world had never encountered something like this. I had the luxury of knowledge, and came from a world where such a plot line was quite common. There had been multiple shows and movies with a similar plot line in my first life so although the reality of it was odd, the concept wasn't.
"But if those creeps reprogram the entire adventure just to keep Kaiba trapped there, how is that possible?" Tea asked, having perched herself on one of the ottomans. Yugi sat on the other side of Mokuba, while Joey and Tristan stood on either end of the couch. Reading their body language it was a defensive gesture, showing that they had subconsciously decided to help and protect Mokuba already. Perhaps failing to keep him safe on the island was spurring them into action, but I think it's more of an inherit trait that the two share.
"I don't know, but I thought... I thought you could help." Mokuba said, staring into his tea. Leaning my head against his damp hair, I offered him comfort which he took, scooting closer even as he fought to remain in control of his emotions. Looking over his head at Yugi, I could see determination forming in his eyes, even as his grandfather assured Mokuba that they would help. "Now tell us more about this Virtua-pod your brother was designing."
"I don't know much, I was pretty young when he started it. I remember is him spending countless hours working on the prototypes, trying to make it perfect." Mokuba said, still looking into his tea.
"Prototypes? So there are other ones?" Joey asked, frowning in concentration. Although I'd known of the existence of them, giving Joey a moment to show that he could actually pay attention to details and come up with solutions kept me silent; Joey's not dumb, and although he can be irritating at times he does have a big heart, and his ability to care for people is something that can be admired. As everyone began talking about the plan to help Seto, I spoke up for the first time since Mokuba had arrived.
"I'm coming too."
Everyone turned to me and stared, trying to comprehend what I had just said. Tristan and Tea exchanged worried looks while Yugi's eyes darted to my boot. "Reila..."
"Look, I appreciate the concern about my ankle but I'm not a freaking china doll, Yugi." I said, my irritation at Seto and myself coming out and making me snap at the boy. "Seto is my friend and although I know you will do all you can to help him, I'm done sitting around waiting to see if everything turns out okay. I'm going with Mokuba and all of you to make sure that Seto is brought back, and if you think you can stop me then you don't know me very well."
Mokuba grinned for the first time since he'd arrived. "She's right, there isn't much you can do to stop her. Besides, I want her there – Reila might not know computers like my brother, but she's still a genius and can pick out details most other people miss."
I smiled warmly at Mokuba and had him finish the tea; the sooner we got going the better. The other four seemed to accept the idea that I was going quickly enough, but I still had to figure out a way to convince them that I was going to be doing more than just hanging around and waiting for them to rescue Seto.
As everyone grabbed umbrellas and began running towards Kaiba Corp., Yugi's grandfather and I shared an amused look; they were so ready to go that they'd forgotten one tiny detail. "Hey guys?" I called, stopping them all in their tracks. Hiking a thumb over my shoulder, I pointed towards my car. "Why run when we can ride?"
To say that Shuuichi wasn't happy with me would be an understatement. His orders from my uncle had been that I go directly home, no other stops without Uncle Sota's permission. But it had taken less than a minute to get him to agree; Mokuba's puppy eyes could melt the heart of just about anyone. Added onto that, I assured Shuuichi that he could accompany me this time, something that actually worked in our favor. Shuuichi was larger and stronger than Tristan and Joey, and if Kemo showed his creepy mug I knew Shuuichi would avenge me.
"This is it, my brother's personal laboratory." Mokuba said as we arrived, before darting out of the car and scaling the gates so we could pull the car in. I bit my tongue on lecturing him for his reckless behavior, but after this was over I was going to have a serious talk about climbing over slick metal in the pouring rain. I swear the child is just as reckless as his older brother. Between the two of them I feel like I'm going to have gray hair by the time I'm thirty.
Mokuba guided Shuuichi to the building we needed, and while they were occupied I turned to the others. "Forgive me for sounding rude, but I need your words that you will not say anything about what you see here." The four of them look confused, so I continued. "Anything that you see such as future projects, prototypes, or programs is to be kept confidential. Understood?"
"Hey now, we're the one's helping you out. Why are you suddenly threatening us?" Tristan asked, frowning at me.
"I'm not threatening you, and yes Mokuba and I are very grateful that you're helping – But Seto is going to flip a lid when he finds out we've been here. Yes it's to rescue him and not to steal from him, but you have to understand how protective he is of his projects. I've known both Mokuba and Seto for years, and even I don't know about half the things that he's working on here. It's less a matter of trust and more a matter of keeping him calm about us being here. If I tell him that you've all given me your words, he knows that I'll ensure that nothing gets leaked to his rivals."
"So, what you're saying is that by giving our word that we won't reveal anything, you're taking responsibility for bringing us here." Tea said, her eyes wide.
"Exactly. If Seto wants to get mad let him get mad at me. Besides," I said, opening the door as we came to a stop, "I've got a few choice words for him when this is all over." I wasn't lying about that, I was truly furious at Seto. How could he trust those five jackasses after they'd tried to not only take over his company, but had tried to kill him? Seto is a freaking genius at times but in this instance he'd allowed his ego to do the thinking for him, not his mind. Not only that but this is twice, twice now that his actions have placed Mokuba in danger. It sounds to me like he needs a freaking reality check, and I'm more than happy at this point to do it.
Mokuba led us quickly inside, down the maze like hallways until we came to the right door. "There they are." He said, and over his head I spotted three purple pods connected to a generator.
"Those are the prototypes? Wow!" Mokuba made his way to the control panel and smiled, claiming that these were the exact models that Seto had used. As Joey commented on the fact that there were only three pods, I sidestepped the little wrestling match between him and Tristan, managing to pluck Joey's deck from his belt before making my way to one of the pods.
"Hey wait, that's my deck!" Joey called out, turning to me. "What did ya do that for Reila?"
"Because you were too busy arguing with Tristan to hear me; I'm going with Mokuba." I said, holding up the cards. "And since I need a dueling deck to go into the game, I'm borrowing yours."
"Reila, I don't know... You've never dueled before." Mokuba said, biting his lip in thought.
"Look I may not be a duelist but I get the basics; the monster with the higher attack points generally wins, unless there's a spell or trap involved. You and Yugi know enough about Duel Monsters to help me, and I know enough about duel monsters to not be a complete novice after spending so much time with you and your brother. Besides, you know as well as I do that the minute we launch these pods and enter the game, there's a good chance that those idiots who trapped Seto in the first place will try and stop us. Joey can actually fight and run at this point; my injury makes me a liability if I'm left behind."
"But won't the injury channel through into the game?" Tristan asked, looking to Mokuba.
"I don't think so. My brother wanted everyone to be able to enjoy the game, including those with disabilities or injuries. So I think her ankle should be fine in-game."
Turning to Joey, I sighed. "Look, I'm very grateful that you want to help Seto so much, given that the two of you don't get along that well. But if there's a chance that I can help my friends then I'm taking it, and I'm not going to let anything stop me. Will you lend me your deck so I can do that? Yugi knows your deck well enough to help me, and from what I've heard you've got a few strong monsters in here."
I could practically hear Joey's internal groan of defeat; I'd played the friend card, something that I knew would make him cave. Although I admire his dedication to his friends and how highly he values friendship, I knew that it was also his biggest weakness. He'd do anything to help out someone who was trying to rescue a friend. Besides that, I'd flattered his ego a little by praising his monsters. Although it wasn't the Blue Eyes White Dragon, his Red Eyes would come in handy. When he nodded, I smiled gratefully. "Thank you Joey."
Making my way to the pod that Shuuichi had opened, I smiled to ease the worry on his face. "Don't worry Shuuichi, I'll be fine. You just make sure that no one gets into this room before we get back, alright?"
"Ms. Sarota, I don't like the idea of you putting yourself at risk like this." He said, his hands tightening into fists.
"Tell you what, if you want to take out your frustrations on someone look for a sunglasses wearing idiot named Kemo; he's the one who split my lip, so if you could return the favor I'd be grateful." I said, smiling cheerfully. Shuuichi barely held back a snort of laughter, but I could see the truth in his eyes; he was going to comb this place looking for Kemo to get revenge for me. Satisfied that I'd have that particular news waiting for me, I settled back into the seat.
"You guys had better be careful." Tea said, looking between the three of us. Although I find her immensely annoying at times, Tea's one redeeming quality is her love for her friends. Maybe that's why I've always tried to steer away from her, given that she's only given that one trait in the show. It's not a bad trait at all, but it's definitely one that needs something else to go with it. Who knows, maybe if I talk to her a little more I'd find out more about her personality.
"Don't you worry about a thing. We'll have Kaiba rescued in no time." Yugi said brightly, and Mokuba explained how to launch the program to Tristan. As the capsule lid closed, I tightened my hands into fists; this time around, I wasn't going to sit in the background. I'm taking control this time, and I'm going to make this as quick and painless as possible.
I just hoped that my ego wasn't clouding my judgment.
The transition from real world to virtual world was actually easy and painless, although I could have done without the light show and dramatic buildup. I'm a simple girl with simple tastes, most days anyway. Landing lightly on my feet, I took a moment to study the area around me; it was so lifelike that I had to remind myself that it was a game, not a real forest. Yugi and Mokuba had arrived at the exact same moment as I had, and the three of us began walking, duel decks strapped to our wrists. My main thought though that I had been right; the sprained ankle hadn't transferred into the game, so I was free to walk and run as I pleased.
"I'm glad I've got my dueling deck with me, but this life point count makes me a bit nervous." Yugi said, frowning at the device. "I mean, I know what happens in a video game when you lose a life, But I wonder what happens here. Kind of a scary thought."
"I understand your worry, but I doubt that Seto would have programmed a fatal outcome like that." I said from behind him. "The real concern is whether his corporate officers will have reprogrammed that aspect of it. I doubt that they would have had the time, but better to be safe than sorry. We'll just make sure that none of our life points reach zero." Yugi nodded in agreement as we came upon a graveyard.
"Whoa! Speaking of scary..." Mokuba mumbled as we made our way deeper into the graveyard. I shivered as I eyed the tombstones.
"I swear Mokuba, your brother needs more sunshine and rainbows in his life... What with creepy clown cards in his deck and now this? Either he's just that imaginative or he needs help." I said, causing Mokuba to laugh loudly. Even Yugi let out a chuckle or two while we steadily made our way through.
"It's hard to believe all of this is virtual and not real." Yugi said, walking bravely through the swirling mists.
"When Seto works on a project it's never half-done; he's an all or nothing kind of guy." I said absently, eyeing the clear sky. "Although I think he might have surpassed even his expectations with this particular program. All five senses can be used, and I'm pretty sure that -" my words were cut off by the sound of breaking stone, and turning quickly I found a freaking zombie samurai coming at me.
I did not scream like a girl; I did however call out for Yugi and Mokuba to warn them. At my shout, two more zombies joined the first one, a purple dragon and a clown. Taking a step back, I eyed the numbers above their heads. Their attack powers were strong, but they have no defensive points. If I could just remember...
Yugi and Mokuba summoned their monsters, and attacked as I became lost in thought. As the zombies reformed, it came to me. "Yugi! If I activate Sword and Shield, you can take them out in one shot, right?"
"Uh, yeah that would do it." Yugi said, blinking at me in surprise. Smirking smugly, I pulled the card from the deck and held it up, activating it and watching as the zombies all switched to having no attack strength. One blast from the Dark Magician and it was over.
"Wow Reila, that was some quick thinking!" Mokuba said, jogging to my side. Even Yugi looked impressed as he joined us, and I tugged on a curl as I tried to think of a way to explain my thinking.
"Well it seemed the most logical choice; if a monster has no attack points it wouldn't harm us, and if your monsters can take it out for good even better. Besides, I wanted that freaking clown out of here as quickly as possible." I said, shivering as Mokuba stooped to gather the cards that had dropped. "I mean seriously, what is with your brother and creepy clowns?"
Mokuba started to laugh, but a different giggle caught my attention. Looking around, I saw a trail of glitter behind a tombstone and approached slowly. I remember the little sprite from the show, and I remember it being helpful and shy. But this time around, she spotted me and made her way to me quickly, nuzzling her face against my cheek in an affectionate gesture before perching happily on my shoulder, wrapping one of my curls around her like a blanket.
"Uh Reila, who's your friend? Or what is your friend?" Yugi asked, tilting his head up to get a better look.
"I honestly don't know. I heard her giggling and came to see what it was and well..." The fairy giggled again and made a chiming sound, starting to fly and gesture for us to follow her. "Wait, aren't there some games that have little helpers like her, to show the players what to do next?"
"You're right! Let's follow her." Mokuba said, leading the way. The fairy flew slowly, making sure that we were always within sight as we wound our way through the forest. At the end of the trail she hovered in place, waiting for us to join her. Once we did, she returned right back to my shoulder instead of flying off, something that made me raise an eyebrow.
"I think she likes you Reila." Yugi said, smiling at the fairy. In return the fairy chimed happily, and I shrugged the shoulder that she wasn't sitting on.
"Well if she wants to hang around I won't stop her. She's cute, and light enough to not be in the way and she could help us in the future." Mokuba called us over to the ledge, where we could see a town at the bottom of the cliff. The three of us decided that the town was where we were supposed to go next, and made our way down a new path that led to the bottom.
The good thing about being in the virtual world is that you don't get tired from so much walking like you would in real life. Plus Seto had included standard video game logic, meaning that long distances could be covered fairly quickly; what would have taken us hours in the real world only took a matter of minutes. Along the way Mokuba, Yugi and I went over what course of action we would take next, but without any clues we didn't really know what our next move would be. So we agreed to search the town for clues, while avoiding as many side quests as possible.
The town was bustling with virtual people, some peddling wares typical of a village including food, tools, and clothing while others sold items meant for the game, including Duel Monsters cards. But given that they cost 2000 points and we'd gotten five from defeating the zombies, we passed those quickly enough and concentrated instead on finding clues about Seto's whereabouts. The three of us split up and combed the town, but every virtual person I encountered had little to no information that could help me. As I continued on, I noticed that many people were looking at me in awe, like I was some kind of celebrity that they knew. I was used to the look in the real world, but their looks and whispers, combined with the fact that the fairy had stuck around with us instead of going off like she had in the canon story line made me wonder if there was something more to this than what I knew from my memories.
Glancing at the fairy perched happily on my shoulder, I raised an eyebrow. "So, can you offer any help?" Her response was a giggle and merry little chime, but she stayed seated on my shoulder and offered no help. "Well there goes that idea." I mumbled, making my way to the fountain in the center of town, our designated meeting place. Yugi was already there, and with neither of us having found anything we waited for Mokuba to appear, hoping that he'd found something useful.
"You guys, I got a great lead!" Mokuba called out as he came into view. He pointed in the distance towards a snow-capped mountain range. "See that mountain? Well an old woman I was talking to said that she saw a man with a prisoner headed there this morning. Supposedly, there's some kind of ancient temple at the top, and the only way to get there is by crossing this desert." Mokuba said, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Right, so we cross the desert and then... Wait, Mokuba wait for us!" Yugi called, and took off after Mokuba who was already running straight into the desert. I sighed and rolled my eyes; I remembered this part well, we couldn't cross on foot. The other two were too far away for me to call them back, and I wasn't about to go traipsing across the desert for no reason. Walking back towards one of the houses, I sat on the porch and waited for the inevitable.
An old man came out to join me just as Yugi and Mokuba appeared, and he gave me a knowing look before sitting down on his chair. Standing up and brushing off my slacks, I walked over and made sure that neither of them were hurt before gently shaking them awake.
"Reila, how come you stayed behind? I thought you wanted to help Seto!" Once he'd fully woken up Mokuba turned his frustrations on me, and I scowled in response.
"Mokuba, when is anything in a game as simple as that?" I asked, and his anger seemed to die out. "If you'd waited just a moment I would have told you that I overheard someone in the town saying that you can't cross the desert on foot; you need a special card in order to get across."
The old man laughed at my words, and the three of us turned to look at him. "The sorceress is right! You need some of those desert-crossin' Niwatori chickens!" I exchanged a puzzled look with Yugi and Mokuba, mouthing the word sorceress in confusion.
"Oh, you mean the Niwatori card." Yugi said, looking back to the desert. The sand twister that had brought them back could still be seen in the distance, and I was momentarily lost in trying to figure out the physics of how such a phenomenon could transport someone. "Thanks mister. Could you please tell us where we could go to get a card?"
"I wish I could, but they can't be got. They can only be won." The man's cheerful smile was making me lose my patience, but I kept my temper under control. Although this arc had always been a guilty pleasure of mine, since it allowed Mokuba to really flex his wings and show that he was capable of taking care of himself, I wanted to get this over with quickly – I was still pissed at Seto and the first chance I got I'm letting him know just how much of an idiot he can be at times. Not to mention the longer we took, the greater the chance that the goon squad might pull the plug on the pods.
"Where can we win the card old man?" I asked, cutting to the chase.
"Well you see it's a prized bird, especially around here." The old man was speaking in riddles, and although I normally enjoy word games I wasn't in the mood for them today. Turning away from the cryptic geezer, Mokuba suggested we check the card stands in town. All of us agreed it was our best shot and set off once more into the town. We checked every stall, but none of them had the Niwatori card that we needed. It was a frustrating situation, and I was ready to put my fist through a wall before I remembered that we needed to beat the champion in the arena to win the prize.
Leaving Mokuba and Yugi talking, I made my way to the announcement and read it over. "Hey guys? Looks like we'll need to enter a contest to get it." Yugi and Mokuba joined me, reading over the announcement themselves.
"A prized bird. So that's what the old man meant!" Yugi said, putting the pieces together. Making our way to the coliseum, I realized that we would need to figure out who was entering. I was out, since I needed Yugi and Mokuba's help in order to use Joey's deck effectively, and if memory serves me right Mai Valentine was the current champion and would join our little band after helping us outsmart the battle chief or whoever was running the show.
"Yugi, I think you should be the one to enter. I'm no use on my own, and I'm worried that Seto's monsters might be flagged and overusing it might cause some kind of alarm to go off inside the system." I said, and both of them agreed it was the best idea. Once we got before the battle chief, I was glad we'd come up with a game plan before getting here; the way he eyed me made my skin crawl, and stating that I was a healer and supporting fighter only seemed to take his lecherous eyes off me fast enough. Yugi put on the cape and pig mask – which I did my best not to giggle at, I really did but once the fairy got started it was impossible not to laugh – and made his way to the arena while Mokuba and I went to the stands to watch the match.
"Reila, are you sure it's alright to leave things up to Yugi like this?" Mokuba asked as he overlooked the crowd.
"It's really the only choice we have Mokuba. Like I said, I'm worried that overusing your brother's deck will cause an alarm within the system – it's what I would do if I were trying to trap someone here forever." I said plainly, and Mokuba barely flinched; he was too used to the shady side of business to even question why I would think about something like that. "And on my own I don't trust my skills to be good enough to take down a champion in this world. Given that there's a life point counter it's best to use our strongest player in this situation, which happens to be Yugi right now."
"Still, it seems... I don't know, kind of weird to be sitting on the sidelines when it's my brother who's in trouble." Mokuba said, and his real frustration became clear to me. He wanted to be the one to rescue Seto, not rely on others to do it for him.
"You're doing the best that you can, Mokuba. Sometimes we have to take a step back and let someone else do the fighting for us. But the important thing is that you were the one who went for help and you're the one who's led us this far." As Yugi came out, I had to bite my lip from laughing again. "At times you're going to have to fight your own battles, but remember that choosing the battle and the conditions on which it's fought are also skills of a leader."
Mokuba contemplated my words while Mai – or Madame Butterfly as she was known here – came out into the arena. Another reason for choosing Yugi to battle? Mai knew him and would call off her attacks, just like she had with Joey in the canon story. Or at least, I was placing my bet on that outcome.
I only hoped that I was right.
But as the duel began, and puns about pigs and bacon were flying left and right from Mai, Yugi must have realized who it was on his own because he took off his mask, causing Mai to call off her own attack and take her mask off, beginning to speak to him. I couldn't hear what they were saying over the mumbles from the spectators, but I had a oretty good idea what they were saying to one another. Nodding to Mokuba, the two of us jumped down and ran over to meet them as the two spoke.
"Mokuba, Reila... I'm testing this game for some suits at Kaiba Corp. But what are you doing here?" Mai said, clearly puzzled.
"Look Mai, you could be in danger. Those suits kidnapped Seto and are holding him inside this game; he's in a temple across the desert but we need that Niwatori card to get there." I said quickly, eyeing the restless crowd around us. They were looking awfully upset about the match being segued, and I wasn't keen on sticking around and finding out what pain felt like in the virtual world.
Mai studied meas Yugi and Mokuba eyed the crowd, who was growing increasingly restless. "Well, I'm not so sure about crossing a desert, but I'm over this place..."
"We'd love your help Mai, but we need that Niwatori card." I said, moving to stand beside her and eyeing the distance. "How good is your Harpie Lady with that thing?" I asked, gesturing to the rose whip that her monster had clutched in her clawed hand.
"Reila, I always knew that you and I thought along similar lines." Mai said, winking and ordering her Harpie Lady into action. The whip lashed out, taking hold of the card and a tug from the Harpie had the card safely in Mai's hand. "Run for it!" She called, taking off her cape and leading us in a mad dash to the exit.
As we ran, I glanced behind us and saw the crowd getting closer as they chased us through the streets. "You know, I kind of wish that we'd thought to throw up the Mirror Force before we'd left the arena!"
"Why didn't I think of that?" Mai asked, grinning over her shoulder. "Does anyone have a trap card that could help with crowd control?"
"Joey's deck does! Reila, activate the Trap Hole!" Yugi called, panting heavily. Reaching into the deck, I found the card and turned around, holding it up and activating the trap. As the giant hole formed and the crowd went tumbling in, I felt guilty for exactly half a sedond; they were just virtual people after all. Smirking across the hole, I turned and darted after the others, making our way steadily to the edge of the desert.
These chickens better have what it takes to cross after all this effort to get them. Thankfully, for whatever reason the Niwatori were able to easily cross once Mai summoned them, and the four of us made our way across the desert at a good pace. I still thought it was a stupid plot point, but hey we got Mai as another companion out of the deal, and we would need her Harpie's Pet Dragon later. "So Mai, you were paid to come here and test out the game?" I asked from my spot in the middle of our little chicken-train line.
"That's right, on my way back from Duelist Kingdom. They said they had some brand new virtual game that needed to be tested and that they'd pay me for my time." She said, shrugging. "I figured it was easy money so why not?"
"It was most likely to test how the game would work for when they tricked Seto into it." I mumbled, moving my hair to shield the fairy still perched on my shoulder. She smiled gratefully at me and I grinned back, but a shout of alarm from Mokuba drew our attention to the giant monster that had appeared.
"We're never gonna get past that!" Mokuba said, but I am so done with this desert and being on this chicken that I spurred mine forward, reaching into Joey's deck.
"Red Eyes Black Dragon, attack! Inferno Fire Blast!" As the monster formed and took down the sandstorm monster, everyone turned to look at me with wide eyes. "What? I'm sick of this desert and even I know that a monster with 2400 attack points beats one with only 1300 attack points."
"I don't think I've ever seen you jump into action like that before Reila." Mokuba said, blinking in surprise.
"Look, your brother managed to get his mind captured within his own game because he's a freaking moron who can't seem to think without his ego getting in the way at times. I just want to get him out of this game as quickly as possible so that I can personally slap him upside the head for being so gullible." I said, turning the Niwatori I was riding towards the others. "If he wants to play fast and loose with his life then the least he could do is consider how others will feel about it!"
Mai nudged her mount closer to mine. "Reila... You're scared, aren't you?" She asked quietly, and I looked away quickly. Yes, I was scared; although I knew how things played out, it was getting harder and harder to think rationally when my friends were in danger, to remember the outcomes. Yugi, Tristan, Joey, Tea, even Mai... To me they were still characters in a story. Characters that I knew, but I don't care for them the same way that I do Mokuba and Seto. Those two... I don't think that I've ever seen them as just characters. Maybe it was because I've known them for so long, or maybe it was all the time we spent together when we were children but they weren't characters to me, they were real. They're my friends, and one had managed to get himself trapped in a virtual world just days after getting his soul back.
"I'll admit, I'm terrified. Seto just got through that whole incident on Pegasus's island, and now he's trapped in his own game?" I turned back to Mai, struggling to keep my emotions leashed. "And the worst part is that all of this could have been avoided if he'd thought with his brain, not his ego. But no, Seto just had to be the first and best no matter what, even at such a high cost! Sometimes I just want to throttle him into the ground, even when I know what drives him to continually be at the top." I sighed wearily, rubbing my forehead. "I'm so angry at him for endangering Mokuba again, and for endangering himself..."
"Sometimes friends get mad at each other. The important thing right now is that we get Kaiba and Mokuba out of here safely, then we worry about putting people in their places." Mai said, smiling at me. I returned the smile with a small one of my own. "Besides, I'd love to see the look on Kaiba's face when he realizes that a friend who isn't even a duelist and a girl who technically works for his company had to come in and rescue his rich butt."
I laughed at the thought; once we got through this I would never let Seto live that down. Ever.