A/N: Hello dear readers! Thank you all so much for your kind words on the last chapter, I'm not proud of that chapter and will most likely rewrite it in the future. But for now focusing on the new chapters!
Oh, and I forgot to mention in the last note… Panda has made her YouTube debut! (Sort of, technically there was another video up already but we won't count that one) My dear friend Sereni the Undead has a YouTube account under the name "Neko" (if you search for 'Nekobit' her page will pop up) and the two of us shot a Try Not To Sing Challenge video. Go check it out if you want to see us acting like complete music loving dorks, and also check out her other videos while you're there!
Shameless plugs are shameless.
Anyway as always a huge shout out to those of you who reviewed: Counting Sinful Stars, Drachegirl14, Lightsbane1905, and Like Stars in the Sky. You guys are the best! And also big hugs to those who favorited and follow the fic. It makes me smile everytime to see it :)
I would also like to add that I know in the show Seto did his final test seemingly the same night he made his big announcement for the tournament, but the timing seemed off to me. So I took a small amount of creative liberty and deemed that part of the episode a kind of 'flashback' to the night before or something like that. It makes more sense in my mind that even though Seto can be very arrogant and think everything he produces is flawless, he would give himself at least one day's notice to make sure everything works properly with a completely new system and hardware. I like to think of it as Reila's influence rubbing off on him a little.
Also, please be patient with my attempts to describe duels - as I mentioned before, I only recently started learning how to play Yu-Gi-Oh! So I am by no means an expert, and if I get something wrong in the rules or if the cards are newer than Battle City I apologize in advance. I'm basing almost all of my knowledge on Duel Links.
Disclaimer: The song mentioned in this chapter is Vanilla performed by Gackt. I claim no ownership over this song, all rights belong to the respective parties.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any characters created by Kazuki Takahashi. This fic is written purely for entertainment purposes only.
Chapter 19
The day after discovering that Egyptian God cards and I do not mix, I woke up earlier than usual to get in some extra training with Ydor. I had progressed to the point where I didn't need Ydor's help going to my mental safe place, it took me less than a minute to relax and let my consciousness slip out of reality and onto the glittering white sand. But this morning Ydor wasn't there to greet me as usual, which left me puzzled. I knew that during times when we weren't communicating he slipped deeper into my subconscious, so maybe he hadn't felt my presence yet. Huffing out a frustrated breath I started to sit on the sand and wait, but stopped as I glanced down the shoreline.
That damn temple was still there, even if I wished it would go away. Ydor said that my inner turmoil was locked away within it, and I didn't understand his sense of urgency in dealing with it. I didn't see how some small lingering grief could hurt me in the long run; people deal with grief all the time. It was a part of life, learning to deal with the loss of those we cared for. I mean sure I had also had to cope with the grief of losing my old life on top of my parents in this world but I had overcome it pretty efficiently in my opinion.
Scowling I started walking towards the temple, intent on taking a peek inside. One little look at this supposed danger couldn't hurt, could it?
I stopped about fifty yards from the entrance, trying to see inside. Now that I was closer I could see that the walls themselves weren't pure white, but the sun had probably bleached the stones that it was 'built' from. I could still see light streaks of soft gray laced throughout the walls, giving it a subtle marbled effect that you could only see once you were closer. Despite the bright sunshine that I was standing in, the inside of the building appeared almost pitch black, looking less like a shadowy interior and more like a black void. Anything past the initial columns supporting the roof was indiscernible, but a heavy presence weighed on my shoulders when I gazed into it. It was different than the presence of magic, and something about it was familiar but I couldn't place it exactly.
I took another three steps before my spine stiffened and I froze as a faint image flickered into existence. I had to stifle a gasp as the image grew stronger, until I was face to face with an image of my late father - Marcus Castille, smiling gently at me.
"Daddy…" The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. There was no way that he could be here, not like this. A memory I could understand but this wasn't a memory. I don't ever remember him having such a sad smile on his face.
"My pretty little genius. I've missed you Reila, missed you so much." He reached out a hand to brush my cheek, but it felt more like a warm breeze instead of an actual touch. "How you've grown. I've been watching over you and I'm so proud of you."
I took a step back, shaking my head slowly. "You're not real. You're just a figment of my imagination, or some kind of vision brought on by lingering grief, or…"
The sad smile on the image's face brightened and widened just a bit. "Always so logical. If it makes you feel better to think that way then by all means do so my girl." I watched him intently as he stepped to my side, looking out over the waves. I didn't trust this… Vision, not at all.
"I never meant to leave you and your mother that way, Reila. I had every intention of staying with you both for as long as I could, for us to have a long life together. Your mother and I had even thought about having another child, since you seemed so lonely at times. You never really fit in with the neighboring children, and we thought a little brother or sister would be good for you, to have a companion."
That was news to me. I don't ever remember my parents talking about trying for another child, but then again they had been typical parents and had kept some conversations away from me. Turning so I stood next to him, I didn't say anything as I was still wary of the entire situation.
"Reila, I know you've had a hard time since your mother and I passed away and I'm sorry for it. Maybe it would have been better all those years ago to give up Katsumi and let her live the life she'd been groomed for. But we were happy, so I thought it was alright that I had been selfish and taken her away from her cold world."
"Mom… She never once complained." I don't know why I was trying to comfort him. Maybe it was because he looked like my father, or maybe it was the bittersweet smile on his face. Either way I felt like I should reassure him. It was a little hard to justify, and I was having a hard time concentrating on anything but him. "She never said she wished for anything other than you still being alive. As for me… Well there are worse lives to live. And I was happy when we were all together."
"You were? I'm glad. You've always seemed so much older than you really are. Even now, look at you. You act like a thirty year old woman instead of a young seventeen year old girl. Always pushing yourself, always striving to prove yourself, like you had something to prove to someone." The figure… My father bent and picked up a handful of sand, letting it trail through his fingers slowly as he stood up again. "But you never had to prove anything to me, your mother, or anyone else. Your mother and I loved you from the very first moment we laid eyes on you. You were so perfect, and always have been in my eyes."
"I… I wasn't trying to prove anything or gain anyone's approval. I just never want to give anyone power over my life. I will be master of my own fate, and in order to keep control over my own life I have to stay ten steps ahead." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked out over the waves. "I've always known that I would have to accel in order to achieve my goal."
"Even when you were a young child, you felt that way? Is that really true?" My father tossed away the rest of the sand, and turned to look at me.
Again I hesitated, unsure of just how much I could tell this vision of my father. On one hand, if he really was just a part of my subconscious there was no harm in telling him how I really felt. On the other hand, if he really was the spirit of my father… Part of me wanted to tell him my real reasons. A part of me wanted to throw myself in his arms and beg his forgiveness for keeping so many secrets from him, for not telling him who I really am.
I can't stand liars, and in my book withholding the truth is just as bad. I justify my doing it by saying that it's for the better good, but it still didn't feel right keeping so much from my family and friends. Every time someone calls me a genius I want to tell them that I'm really not, I just have more collective life experience than most do. All the times that someone's praised me for being able to spot talent a part of me wants to tell them it's because I know what way the music industry is going already. Sometimes I feel like an imposter in my own life, because I know that in reality I shouldn't even exist in this world. And my continued presence here, the continued lies and keeping the truth from everyone is so exhausting at times…
"Young one! Step away from him!" Ydor shot out of the ocean, sending a blast of magic infused water at my father. The image of him shattered into smoky fragments which swirled back into the depths of the temple, a resounding crash of doors slamming following shortly after.
"Ydor! How could you do that to my…" I trailed off as the heavy feeling lifted off my shoulders. The entire time I had been talking to the vision I hadn't even felt it slowly trying to press me to my knees, hadn't noticed that my mind had slowly been growing foggier. Now I was able to think clearly and blinked. "What… What just happened?"
"That was not your father. That was your own self doubt manifesting in a physical form to try and drag you down, to steal away your confidence and with it your ability to wield magic." Ydor said, shaking water off his scales as he snorted. "You do not have the time to properly deal with the negative emotions that you have sealed away within yourself, I have told you this before. You must stay away from such negativity if you are to survive your encounters with that mad Egyptian boy. In the future, do not go near that temple. Once this trial is over we shall discuss purging yourself of this and other turmoils you have thus far refused to deal with. But for the time being, we concentrate on training so you will survive"
"R-Right." I said, still a little shaken up by the vision of my father. Why had my self doubt manifested as a vision of him? Shaking my head to clear it more, I followed Ydor away from the temple and pushed the questions from my mind. And if I heard another door slamming from the depths of the temple, I ignored it.
After training had ended, I showered and went downstairs to meet up with Mai. She'd ditched the leather jacket she once favored for a more summery outfit since the weather was heating up - that is she replaced the jacket with a sleeveless vest and started wearing a crop top underneath with long glove arm-warmer things. I can't say I blame her, and she pulled the outfit off beautifully. I was a little more sedate in a pair of high waisted black shorts and a white button up shirt. I'd swapped my usual pumps for wedges and rolled up the sleeves of the shirt to give it a more casual look, and included a few bracelets and a long necklace for fun.
"Reila do you own anything that isn't business casual?" Mai asked, scanning my outfit.
"Now that you mention it… No not really. I have a handful of jeans and sweaters, maybe a t-shirt or two but probably 85% of my clothes can be worn to a business meeting." I said, frowning as I thought about it. "It's kind of my style by this point."
Mai shrugged as we headed out to the car. "Whatever floats your boat hun. At least you make it look good and not stuffy. So, you've got your deck right?"
I nodded and pulled the deck box out of my purse. "I still don't see the need to do this, I mean it's not like I plan on dueling in the near future. Or at all, for that matter. I'm more of a bystander you know?"
"Look, you're part of this new tournament that Kaiba's throwing, right? So you should at least have a deck that gives you half a chance of winning. We talked a little about it last night but what do you feel is your strength when dueling?" Mai asked as we climbed into the backseat of the car.
"I guess I tend to duel the same way I take down a rival corporation; set a trap and wait for it to blow up in their face, then attack them with everything I've got. And if I can set counter traps or counterspells even better." I said, flipping through my cards. "That or just completely overrun them with powerful monsters. Whatever fits the situation."
"Alright like I said last night, I think effect monsters are going to be your best bet. That way you get the magic you're looking for while still being able to defend and attack. Plus you won't clog up your deck with just traps and spells like it is now." Mai said, leaning over to take another look at my cards. I almost giggled at her comment about magic, given that I was training to wield magic. But I was able to stamp down the urge.
"Well of the two of us you're the expert so I'll defer to your judgment." I said, grinning. I really enjoyed spending time with Mai, she was closer to my mental age and once you got past the tough as nails attitude she really was a kind hearted person. A part of me felt bad for not warning her about the danger to come, but even with Mai being as open minded as I knew her to be, I couldn't risk her not believing me and putting herself in more danger.
We stopped to have a late brunch before making our way to the card shop. With Mai's advice I was able to build a deck that seemed suited to me. Whereas Mai prefered her Harpies and Amazons, I drifted more towards spellcasters and fairy types. Mai seemed a little hesitant to let me add one card into my deck though.
"Are you sure you'll be able to pull off a ritual summon? I mean Divine Grace - Northwemko could be a powerful addition to your deck but if you don't use it correctly…"
"Mai, if I didn't think I could handle it I wouldn't… You know what that's not true. I would put it in there just because it's freaking awesome." I said, sighing. "I have to have at least one mega high powered monster, right?"
"Not necessarily, but if you do want a high powered monster… What about this one?" Mai asked, pointing to Cosmos Queen.
I thought it over and eventually nodded. "Yeah I think that might be a better choice. Wait, didn't I see a Double Coston around here somewhere? I could use him to summon Cosmo Queen without having to sacrifice anymore monsters… Right?"
"And you say you don't know anything about Duel Monsters. That's actually a very smart plan Reila, but you'll have to guard your Double Coston well if you summon it too early. Just keep that in mind." Mai said, gathering up the cards and handing them to me.
"Thanks for all your help Mai, it's nice to have someone talk to me about this in a way I can understand. Seto gets frustrated too quickly to really teach me and Mokuba hasn't learned how to teach without bombarding someone with unnecessary information." I said, paying for the cards and leading us out of the shop.
"No problem Reila. Someone had to teach you eventually, and this way I can rub it in Kaiba's face that I was able to teach you and he couldn't." Mai glanced at her watch. "Hey, I have to go meet up with an old acquaintance in a few… Want to meet up for the big reveal later?"
"Sure. I didn't really have anything else planned today, why don't you take the car and I'll head over to the Sarota building and catch a ride from there. And don't argue with me about it, I've already made up my mind for you to take the car." I said, cutting off her protest.
"One of these days Reila you're going to let me win an argument." Mai said, but there was a smile on her face. Mai didn't like to admit how much she appreciated the kindness I showed her, and I didn't like making a big deal out of it either. I waved off her sarcasm and turned to head to the building once she was out of sight, almost running straight into Tea who dropped her purse in surprise.
"Oh, Reila! Sorry about that." Tea said, flustered as she bent down to pick up her purse.
"Don't apologize, I was the one not paying attention." I said, stooping down to help her gather her things. Straightening up I glanced over at Yugi - well, the spirit. It was weird how I could tell which was which, because despite the anime showing them being so drastically different in reality there wasn't any physical difference between the two.
I think the animators exaggerated the features of Yugi and the spirit to make it easier to distinguish in the show who was who. In reality Yugi really was fairly short, although I didn't have a lot of room to talk. Truthfully he was just a little shorter than me, probably around 153cm (that's about five foot even) and there was no suddenly growing taller when the spirit was the main personality in charge. His gaze appeared a little sharper when the spirit was in control, and there was a tiny difference timbre to his voice from what I remembered of the short amount of time I've spent around the spirit. Which to say is almost no time since I didn't hang around them a lot. Or at all.
"So… You guys on a date or something?" I asked, glancing between the two. Tea's face exploded in a blush while the spirit blinked slowly as though he was trying to piece together what I said.
"No, we're uh… Just hanging out today!" Tea said quickly, a little louder than necessary. I almost felt bad for poking fun at the poor girl, but didn't let it show. "We decided to spend the day seeing what kind of adventures we could get into."
"Ah. Well sorry for keeping you two from your adventure. I was just heading home anyway, Mai was helping me with something but she had to leave so…" I trailed off, not sure why I was explaining myself. Maybe it was because the spirit was focusing his gaze on me, like he was trying to probe my thoughts. The last time I'd seen him he had been focused intently on me as well, and part of me worried that he could sense something different about me.
"I didn't know you dueled Reila." He finally said, and I realized I had been right - his voice was slightly deeper than Yugi's. Not by a lot, but as someone who trained in music I could hear the slight difference in pitch.
Following his gaze, I saw he was focused on the deck box I still held in my hand. "Oh, I don't really. Mokuba helped me build a deck a while ago to see if I could learn, but the kid is not tutor material. Mai took one look at the deck I used to have and decided it was her personal mission to fix it. Honestly I don't really need one but I suppose it doesn't hurt to have one on standby."
"May I see it?" His polite tone kind of took me by surprise, but I handed him the box after a second and glanced over at Tea who was watching our interaction intently. I didn't see any jealousy on her face, but she knew the spirit better than I did. Maybe something in the way he was acting was unusual or something. That or she was trying to figure out if I was a decent person or a danger to her friend.
Finally the spirit nodded after looking through my deck. "It's not bad at all. I don't know you very well, but judging from your deck you are cautious and more of a reactionary type person. It reflects in your cards." He handed back the cards with a smile.
"You say reflexive, I say I enjoy crushing people when their egos are most inflated." I said, shrugging and stowing the box in my purse. Tea's eyes about bugged out of their sockets, but I flashed a smile to show her I meant no harm. "Relax Tea, I only do that to people who deserve it. Like those who try to steal from my family or harm my friends."
Tea nodded after a moment. "Right. I guess some of the rumors about you are true then?" Ah right, I remember Seto mentioning Tea was kind of a fan of mine.
"Rumors always have a grain of truth in them. Or a distorted version of the truth in them, in some cases." I said, shifting my weight as I started to relax a little. So far Tea didn't seem too bad, and I began to wonder again if the animators for the show had exaggerated certain traits of her personality. "In my line of work rumors can either hurt or help your reputation. It pays to have people fear crossing you, but too much fear begins to affect you negatively. Sometimes you can get away with having a bad reputation and still remain popular by having people love to hate you, but that comes with some nasty side effects. A good public figure will guard their image carefully and be very, very careful about what becomes public knowledge."
"Forgive me, but what exactly is your line of work? I know that you are famous for being the only female in your family, but I'm afraid I don't know what brought about your fame." The spirit said, and although his words could be considered rude his tone was more inquisitive. I got the impression he was genuinely curious versus being sarcastic.
"That's actually exactly where I got my fame, initially. My family is already well known in the music industry, and my mother's elopement with my father was quite the scandal. So when I was adopted back into the family, it was kind of a big deal. Now that I'm older, I'm beginning to take more responsibility in our company itself which only adds to the initial fame. But I am trying to show that I'm more than just a name; actually I announced to our shareholders just a week ago that I'm planning on releasing my own album within the next year." I said, tapping my bottom lip in thought. "Actually, you two are the first ones outside of the shareholders who know that little tidbit. I'd appreciate your discretion in not spreading that around just yet."
"Wow, your own album? That's so awesome! I saw a clip of the song that you and your cousin performed at the party you hosted when you first came back to Japan - it was really good, and you have a wonderful voice." Tea said, smiling brightly. "It's wonderful that you're following your dream like that."
"Actually I never had any intention of releasing an album. But it helps me further my true dream, so I'll endure being in the public spotlight like that if it means I'll be named head of A&R eventually." I said, shrugging. They didn't need to know the real reasoning, that the album was a way to silence a certain naysayer and cover up my blunder with the Royalty Records thing.
"Tea and I were just discussing our dreams earlier. Perhaps you Reila, being in the entertainment industry, can offer Tea some pointers on making her dream come true." The spirit said, nodding to Tea.
"Oh? Do you want to be a singer or something Tea?" I asked, turning my attention to the brunette. I vaguely remembered her wanting to be something… Oh wait, it was a dancer I think. 'Maniac' was suddenly playing in my head as I remembered the dance battle she got in at one point or another with some dread lock wearing jerkoff. Thanks again LittleKuriboh, now I'm going to have that song stuck in my head.
"Oh no, nothing like that. I've always dreamed about being a dancer though, I actually want to go to New York to study dance after I graduate." Tea said, a dreamy look on her face. "It's my passion!"
"Hmmm, dancing isn't the easiest thing in the world. And the top schools will only take the best of the best. Juilliard, for instance is one of the best known schools in the world but attendance is a battle royale and thousands apply a year." I said, thinking. "I myself have studied only a little dance - mostly just learning routines for music videos that I've been in. But if it's your passion, then go for it. There's a big difference between someone like me who can dance but lacks passion, and someone who is completely passionate."
"Do you think I've got a shot?" Tea asked, her eyes full of hope.
I chewed on my lower lip. "Well if I say yes it would be pretty hollow since I've never really seen you dance…" Her face fell a little at my words and part of me felt bad for taking some of the wind out of her sails. Glancing down the street I spotted an arcade, one that I knew Hojo sometimes snuck off to on his lunch break. I think it might be the same one they visited on the show, now that I thought about it. "Tell you what, if you two don't mind I'm gonna interrupt your day together. Come with me, I know there's a dance machine in that arcade. It's not the same as a true dance performance of course, but the amount of passion and energy you put into the routine from the game should give me a rough idea of where you are in terms of talent."
Tea's eyes lit up and her smile widened again. "Oh wow, thank you Reila! It would mean a lot to hear your opinion since you know so many professional dancers."
"Sure thing." I said, heading to the arcade with the two of them. I knew I was kind of messing with their day together, and if I remembered correctly eventually they would end up at the museum later on - I'd have to find an excuse to skedaddle before that point because I did not want a run-in with Ishizu. Who knows what that necklace of her would drag up, and explaining myself to her and these two was not a conversation I was looking forward to having at all.
Stepping into the arcade brought a wave of nostalgia from my old life - I'd spent a lot of time engrossed in video games before I'd died, and the familiar beeps and explosions from various games dragged up a sharp pang of homesickness. It wasn't often that it hit, but when it did it took me a moment to reorient myself. Thankfully, I was able to pull myself together before Tea and the spirit noticed.
"Alright Tea, let's see what you've got." I said, leading the way through the arcade to the large game showcased smack in the center. Loosely based off Dance Dance Revolution, this game focused not just on having someone step on four arrows but rather used state of the art motion recognition software to score a person based on their ability to follow a complete routine. The show might have shown it as a series of arrows, but it played a little more like Dance Central or Just Dance versus DDR. Namely because there were so many additional arrows and stepping areas, and also because it not only counted where your feet landed but also what you did with your arms. Definitely more inclusive than DDR.
As we made our way to the front of the crowd, I saw that dreadlock dude was there. Great, he had been annoying in the show and now I had to actually be around him. Watching him finish the routine he was playing I had to admit he wasn't a bad dancer, but definitely full of himself. His arrogance was apparent in his movements, and I knew at least three choreographers who could make him cry within five minutes of being under their instruction. Kind of pathetic, especially given that he was definitely older than the high school students who were throwing praise up at him. And he was obviously the type of person who loved being the center of attention.
When he turned and challenged Tea, she was all for it. Tossing her jacket at the spirit and giving me her purse, she ran up the steps excitedly to start the dance duel.
"Are you sure this is a good idea Reila? That Johnny Stepps seems… Arrogant." The spirit said, watching his friend closely. I may not know him very well, but I could see the small amount of worry on his face. Outside of a duel he was a pretty easy person to read, and I suspect it's from being out of contact with people for so long. As a pharaoh, he would have probably been taught how to keep emotions from showing on his face, something that I knew all too well.
"Like I said, I want to see just how much passion she brings to the stage. Any form of entertainment is equal parts hard work and passion, and having natural talent doesn't hurt either." I said, crossing my arms over my chest and watching with him. "I can say this - there certainly is a lot of passion in her moves. It's not as polished as someone who's trained professionally, but there is some raw talent there."
"I'm sure praise from you will make her very happy. Tea greatly admires you, especially your loyalty to your family and friends." He said, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
"Loyalty is a big deal for me. It was ingrained into me as a child and it's one of the few lessons my parents taught me before their passing." I said, frowning as Johnny began trying to sabotage Tea. The spirit tensed and took a half step forward as though he was going to interfere but I put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Don't. Tea can handle a chump like this."
His brows furrowed as he studied my face a moment before turning to watch Tea, "But if he hurts her…"
"You and I both know that Tea can handle this creep. He's a chauvinistic pig who gets off on the praise of people around him - he doesn't have any real talent, and Tea is threatening his title." Sure enough, Tea not only avoided his sabotage attempts but also kept her rhythm and timing almost perfectly. The spirit smiled as he began to relax, seeing that Tea was in control of the situation. "Besides, if she couldn't handle someone as petty as Stepps I wouldn't recommend she actually pursue professional dancing. It has the potential to be just as cutthroat as the music industry."
The spirit said nothing, but applauded along with the crowd as Tea finished the routine and turned to give a big thumbs up. The crowd cheered her win as she stepped off the stage with a big grin.
"That was actually a lot of fun!" She said, breathing a little harder and dabbing at the sweat that had formed on her face with the back of her hand.
I took a handkerchief out of my purse and handed it to her, which she took with a thankful smile. "You did very well Tea, and I'm impressed with the amount of passion you dance with. When you've graduated high school give me a call - I'll set you up with a few contacts to get a better gauge of your talent and what areas to concentrate on. I'm not a dance expert but I know talent when I see it."
The look on Tea's face was priceless - complete shock, which morphed into slight confusion before lighting up with pure joy and hope. "Are… Are you serious Reila?"
I gave her a half smile as I nodded. "Sure, I wouldn't want to see you mishandled by an idiot. You've got a lot of spunk, and it shows in your dancing. Plus you handled attempted sabotage very well, and anyone who can handle it with that much grace and composure can get far in any career."I shrugged to show it wasn't a big deal before being engulfed in a hug from Tea. I took me by surprise, and I stiffened initially which Tea probably picked up on because she let me go very quickly.
"Oh thank you! That means so much to me." She said, her face glowing with excitement.
"Don't mention it." I said, trying to downplay the situation. Really it wasn't a big deal, I had the means to help her so I would. Easy peasy.
"Hey wait a minute, isn't that Reila Sarota?" I heard a voice say, and I almost groaned. I had kind of been hoping to get out of here before I was recognized. But pale skin plus my distinct hair color made it kind of difficult to not be noticed, hence why I generally stay away from public areas. I've become used to it over time, but I still don't like being the center of attention if I can avoid it.
"Yeah it is! Hey Reila, Reila!" And just like that we were surrounded by a mob of people. I think some legitimately recognized me, but I noticed a few onlookers who got caught up in the crowd and didn't necessarily recognize me, just realized a celebrity was nearby and wanted bragging rights.
"Is it always like this when you go out?" The spirit asked, glancing around as he was forced to step closer to me by the ensuing rush of people trying to get closer.
"Kind of, it's one drawback to being so well known." I said, plastering my "Princess" smile on and waving while taking someone's pen and scribbling an autograph onto a napkin which had been thrust at me. Tea narrowly avoided being punched by the hand holding the napkin, but she'd thankfully dodged it in time.
"Did I hear you saying you were looking at scouting that girl? I thought you only dealt with musicians." A guy wearing a beanie said, frowning.
"Sarota Entertainment mainly handles musicians yes, but we do also manage a few model contracts and dancers as well. We sometimes outsource for dancers for live performances and music videos, but we prefer to use our own dancers when possible." I said pleasantly, posing for a picture with a girl and her boyfriend. Tea and the spirit got shoved to the side, and I saw Tea 'accidentally' stomped her foot on top of another person's as they tried to shove her aside again. That almost succeeded in making me laugh.
"Yeah but I mean you don't really dance, so how can you spot talent in a dancer?" Beanie guy said, and I almost rolled my eyes before remembering there were so many cameras trained on me. Mocking someone like that was a bad thing when cameras were trained on me.
"Reila's danced before, so she knows what to look for. Haven't you ever seen the video for Vanilla? It was Reila's first video!" Tea said, blushing when I raised an eyebrow at her. Really now was not the time to be bringing up THAT video, because it might lead to -
"Hey, this game has the routine for Vanilla! Reila, dance for us!"
That.
I sighed quietly as the mob began chanting my name, and Tea gave an apologetic look as the spirit seemed confused. He's probably never seen it, so I can't blame him for his confusion. That particular music video had caused a LOT of controversy, namely because of the subject matter for the song and the fact that I had been barely fifteen when I appeared in it. Although my uncle and I had been fine with it, any song that blatantly sexual involving a fifteen year old girl as the main dancer in the video is bound to raise more than a few eyebrows. But given that the crowd was so worked up, I didn't see the harm in performing it quickly. It really is a pretty tame routine, it's not like I pole dance in it or anything like that. Just a few borderline risque hip movements.
"Alright, alright." I said, giving in to the crowd as I made my way to the stage. It really wouldn't hurt to do the damn dance, and when I spotted the amount of cameras trained on me suddenly doubling I decided it really was a good idea. Free publicity and all that.
Sometimes I absolutely adore the invention of cellphones and the internet.
Seto paused in his typing as an alert popped up in the corner of his laptops screen. He had a basic algorithm that ran in the background and tracked any relevant news that was uploaded to major news networks or video sites, and Reila's name had popped up with a new video. It was a live stream from a fansite of hers, and Seto clicked on it after a moment. He had originally written the search program to track any news of his company and competitors, but recently he had added Reila's information into the search parameters since she had become a sort of fixed figure in his life. If something impacted her negatively he would rather be aware of it right away to judge how much of an impact it would have on him, Mokuba, and Kaiba Corp.
He raised an eyebrow at the video, a somewhat low quality video of Reila in a local arcade dancing to a Gorou Kimoto song. He didn't listen to that type of music so had never watched the video, although he knew that it had been one of the first she'd appeared in from when he'd done some digging into her life during the time they'd been apart. Still it was a harmless video so he moved the cursor to close the wind-
Seto froze as he focused more intently on Reila's figure. Where in the name of all things sacred had she learned to move her hips like that?
"Big brother? What's the matter?" Mokuba asked, looking up from his homework.
Seto clicked the exit button quickly. "Nothing."
Mokuba shrugged and went back to his work as Seto blinked while staring at the report he'd been typing up before the distraction. He'd never seen Reila move like that before, sure she had a certain grace to her but that was… Borderline sexual. And given that she'd been wearing form fitting shorts, it had drawn emphasis to her hips and her... Other parts. What was she thinking, acting like that in public? As if there weren't enough men drooling after her. For someone who claimed to have no desire to attract attention, she certainly seemed to be drawing a lot of it lately.
Another alert popped up and he clicked on it a little quicker this time, seeing another video. This one was better quality and showed Reila finishing the dance and making her way down from the platform where… Was she hanging out with Yugi and that annoying 'friendship is magic' friend of his? Seto frowned as he tried to understand what Reila was doing hanging around those two. They didn't seem to be overly friendly, and Reila had that practiced fake smile on while they made their way out of the arcade. He'd see Reila later tonight, and he'd get answers from her then.
As we left the arcade, I noted that the sun was already making it's way below the horizon. Had we really been in the arcade that long? Then again Mai and I had gotten a late start for the day since I'd taken time to train a little longer with Ydor this morning. And I may or may not have taken a bit more time in the shower than usual because the experience with my self doubt had shaken me more than I'd let on.
Without thinking I began walking with Tea and the pharaoh. I don't know what prompted it, initially I had every intention of making a quick exit to avoid going with them to the museum. But something in the way the pharaoh was looking at me made it clear he wanted to speak with me further, and I figured that as long as the conversation didn't go down the 'I sense something unusual about you' route I was okay with it.
Tea was practically bouncing as she walked. But I didn't find her as irritating as I did when I had watched the show. She wasn't nearly as overbearing on a regular basis as her character had been portrayed, in fact she kind of reminded me of a friend I had known in my first life - very optimistic and peppy, but she also knew when to tone it back. Perhaps she was a tad more emotional than I was, but it wasn't a fault per se. If anything it could be considered a strength at times, because she showed her emotions so freely. Her loyalty to her friends is admirable as well, and again that can be viewed as a strength.
I was reminded of something that an internet movie critic had once said in my old life, that female characters in the nineties weren't necessarily written well in American movies. They were either unbearably optimistic and bubbly or cold, hard women who hid an inner vulnerability, most of the time. Although the original anime had released at the tail end of the nineties, if I remembered correctly it had technically been in publication for a few years before that. So it kind of fit the time frame for her character to have been written a certain way. The reality was that Tea was a pretty average teenage girl, from what I could see so far.
"Thanks again Reila for taking the time to talk to me about dancing. It really is wonderful to have someone who knows so much about the entertainment industry give me a few pointers, and your offer for after high school… I'm just so excited!" Tea said as we came to a stop near the piers. This looked familiar, and I almost got caught up in a flashback to the show instead of answering right away.
"Really Tea it's not a big deal. This is the sort of thing I do all the time, granted it's mostly with musicians." I leaned against the railing and watched a sailboat go lazily by. "Besides, I owe you guys for helping rescue Seto from his own game."
"You don't owe us anything. We couldn't let Mokuba go alone and we certainly couldn't leave Kaiba to that sort of fate." The pharaoh said, a small frown on his face. Tea nodded her agreement to his response.
"No I do owe you." I said, tugging on a curl. Dammit I wish the pharaoh would stop looking at me like that, it was making me feel compelled to talk more than I normally would with them. "I don't like being in someone's debt, and Seto is the same way. Only he won't admit that you and your friends helped save him because then he would have to admit that he wasn't in control of the situation."
"It seems to me that you and Kaiba are always wanting to be in control." Tea said, but not unkindly. It sounded more like a casual observation.
I almost told them the reason was because we'd been orphaned so young, but I couldn't remember if it was common knowledge to these two that Seto had been adopted or not. If it wasn't and I told them, Seto might not be too happy about that. We'd just gotten over one fight, I didn't want to instigate another.
"We've both worked very hard to get where we are now. Giving control to someone else gives them a chance to sabotage us and take away everything we've gained." I said, shrugging. I was going to say more but my phone's ringtone stopped me. "Excuse me a moment." I stepped away from the two pulled out my phone, seeing Uncle Sota's name on the screen.
"Hello Uncle." I said, walking a few more steps away.
"Reila, are you enjoying your day out?"
"Yes, Mai had an appointment so I've been spending some time with some… Friends that I ran into." I said, keeping my voice down. I still didn't necessarily consider them friends, but it seemed easier to explain to my uncle.
"I'm glad to hear that you're spending some time with friends - I was beginning to think you didn't have any besides the Kaiba boys. But that's not the reason that I called."
"What is it? Is something wrong?" I asked, worried.
"Not wrong, just… The way Manabu was acting during the shareholders meeting got me thinking. So I did a little more digging and found something odd; the timestamps from the emails that he supposedly sent to Royalty are times that he was in private meetings with me. And he didn't have his PDA or access to a computer at those times."
That… Is not what I was expecting to hear. "But they came from his email. No one else has access to that, and there's no way he could have changed the timestamps… He's not tech saavy enough for that…"
"My point exactly. I'm beginning to think that either he has another helper, or… Reila we have to also consider that he may have been set up."
That almost succeeded in making me laugh. "Set up? Who on earth would set him up?"
"I don't know, but if he is being set up I need to know. And if he's not being set up then I need to know how he covered his tracks so well." My uncle's voice was low and serious, but I could also hear a small amount of worry in his tone as well.
"Alright, I'll start looking into-"
"No Reila, not this time. You have far too much on your plate as it is, and your schedule will only get more chaotic as the debut of your album comes closer." I tried to object but Uncle Sota cut me off again. "No 'buts' Reila. This time I will handle it personally. Besides, if Manabu really is this devious I don't want you anywhere near him."
"... Fine. But please keep me updated uncle." I said after a moment of silence. I really don't like it when Uncle Sota puts himself in the proverbial crosshairs, but I couldn't stop him even if I wanted to.
"I just wanted to let you know before you found out some other way. I'll see you tonight my dear."
I said my goodbyes to him and hung up, turning when I heard a brash voice call out to the pharaoh and Tea. I sighed as I stowed away my cell phone - I'd forgotten that Johnny challenged the pharaoh to a duel. If I remembered correctly, the pharaoh had no problem stomping him in the duel. It was still annoying to have to deal with that big of a novice-
An idea popped into my head as I approached slowly. Mai had helped me build my deck, but I hadn't tested it yet. Maybe I could use Johnny as a way to test it out. It made sense to make sure that the deck that I was carrying at least flowed alright, that way if I did happen to need it I could rely on it to not completely bomb.
"Tea, may I finish off your opponent?" The pharaoh asked as I approached, and I stepped next to Tea as I put a hand on her arm.
"Actually if you guys don't mind, I'll handle this duel." I said, smiling. "After all, I have a new deck that I need to test out. If that's alright with you two?" After the two shared a look, they hesitantly nodded their approval.
"Hey wait, you're Reila Sarota! You're the one who brought those two in and upstaged me!" Johnny said, scowling at me.
"It doesn't take much to upstage a no talent thug. But yes, I am Reila Sarota. And if you want to have a rematch with anyone, it's going to be me. And the game will be Duel Monsters." I said, crossing my arms over my chest as I waited for his response.
"Ha! This is my lucky day - because if I win this match, you have to agree to go on a date with me!" Johnny said, and I grimaced at the thought.
"Fine, I accept. But if I win this match, you're never to bother Tea ever again." I said, reaching into my purse and pulling out my deck. "Now, let's get started shall we?"
I don't know if I like this idea, young one. Just last night you blacked out from being so close to a duel. Granted that was because of an Egyptian God being present, but I think it is too soon to subject yourself to that stress again.
That's why I have you Ydor, to help me. If things start looking bad I'll just forfeit and take the penalty of going on a date with this dweeb. Ydor snorted his amusement at the idea in my head as I shuffled my deck, looking across the arena at Johnny. But I don't think it will come to that. If I remember, he has pretty weak monsters and duels even worse than I do.
"Challenging Johnny Stepps to a duel was a huge mistake! You three have no idea who you're dealing with!" Johnny called out, and I rolled my eyes at the obvious bluster.
"Please, let's not get caught up in pre-duel banter. Either shut up and duel or admit defeat now." I said, placing my deck on the panel. I heard Tea and the pharaoh snicker and shot them a confident smirk.
"Listen up Reila, Johnny doesn't lose. So I'd start picking out places for us to go on our date right now if I were you!" He said, placing his deck down as well.
"Shut up and make your move." I said, drawing my starting hand. Not bad at all - I had Magic Jammer, which I knew would come in handy if he tried to summon that guitar playing monster that I remembered from the show. I also had a pretty good setup for monsters, even if one of them was one that required a tribute. But Double Coston was in my hand, and with its special ability to be treated as two monsters in a sacrifice instead of one for a monster that bore the dark element, I was very pleased to have drawn it so early. Mai had voiced concern over my choosing high cost monsters, but really there weren't that many monsters in my deck that required sacrifices to summon. I just didn't waste time on any monster that had less than 1200-1300 attack points.
"Why don't I start off this show? Sonic Maid, in attack mode!" Johnny summoned his first monster, and I braced for the feeling of magic… But there wasn't any. "This maid's going to clean your clock!"
Ydor, what's going on? I don't sense any magic from that monster at all. The fact that I was suddenly not sensing magic worried me. Every other duel I've been around I've been able to sense some sort of magical energy, but this was a complete blank.
The boy does not possess the ability to wield magic. Perhaps that has something to do with it. Either way, keep your guard up.
As strange as it was, I decided not to dwell on it too much as I drew my next card. Double Summon, that could come in handy later on. Studying the field, my eyes flicked to the screen below - Sonic Maid has an attack strength of 1200, but I had plenty of monsters who could easily wipe it out. "Believe what you want Johnny. I summon Absorbing Kid from the Sky in attack mode." I placed the card down and waited for the monster to appear, the overweight teen with feathered wings scowling at my opponent. Absorbing Kid from is one of the weakest monsters in my deck at only 1300 points, but his ability more than made up for the lack of strength in my opinion. "And I'll use him to attack your Sonic Maid."
As the holograms battled and Johnny's faded, I smiled. "And thanks to Kid's special ability, I gain life points equal to your monster's level multiplied by 300, so thanks to your 3 star Sonic Maid I gain 900 life points." I glanced at the counter and confirmed that they had added on, the bright 2900 winking cheerfully at me. "I end my turn."
I could sense a little magic from my Absorbing Kid, but not nearly on the same level as Obelisk. It was a tiny blip on my radar, nothing more. I'd have to talk to Ydor in depth about it later, and why Johnny's monsters had no magic coming from them at all. After so many duels where I could feel the rise and fall of magic from the monsters summoned, it was a little unnerving to suddenly sense almost nothing.
"It looks like you just got lucky girl." Johnny said, blinking in surprise before a cocky smirk formed on his face. "But I wouldn't let it go to your pretty head. This duel just started!" He drew his next card and summoned Water Omotics in attack mode.
I bit my lip as I looked out over the field. My Absorbing Kid only had 1300 attack points, and Water Omotics has 1400. Johnny would probably take him out to prevent me from gaining any more life points, but that was alright. I could take a 100 point deduction and still be alright. Johnny hadn't mentioned Water Omotics having any special abilities, and from what I could remember about the card - which in hindsight is really nothing - there wasn't anything I needed to worry about.
"Water Omotics, attack Absorbing Kid from the Sky! Now that you have no monsters, I end my turn." Johnny said, grinning.
I blinked slowly as the counter took off 100 life points. I wasn't too concerned, I had plenty of monsters in my deck that could take out his monster with no trouble. I drew my next card and had to stop myself from laughing happily - Cosmo Queen. But rather than bring her out now, I decided I'd draw it out just one more turn, to ensure that the deck wasn't unbalanced.
"First, I activate the magic card Double Summon, allowing me to summon two monsters instead of just one this turn. My first summon will be Element Doom in attack mode." I waited as the hulking beast appeared, his dark wings flaring out as scaled fingers beckoned with a mocking 'come here' gesture to Johnny's monster. With his 1500 attack points, he would be able to take out Water Omotics no problem. "My second summon will be Double Coston, also in attack mode. Now, Element Doom attack his Water Omotics, and then Double Coston attack his life points directly for 1700 points of damage." I looked at the counter and smiled - I was still sitting at 2800 life points, while Johnny had a grand total of 100 left. Double Coston's double body swirled lazily in the air, the blue tongues waggling playfully as they twirled.
"T-This isn't the end! Johnny Stepps doesn't lose!" But even from across the field I could see that he was feeling anxious. "Spirit of the Harp, in defense mode! Along with a magic card, Chorus of Sanctuary! My little cherub friend increases the defense power of my Spirit of the Harp by 500 points!" As the monster formed, I kept my face blank. Johnny seemed to perk up a bit, probably thinking he was safe from my monsters.
Wrong. Spirit of the Harp may have 2500 defense points now, but my Cosmo Queen would still crush it with her 2900 attack points. I studied the calm face of his Spirit, her serene smile almost making me feel guilty about plotting her destruction. But then again, she was just a hologram and I had every intention of winning this duel.
"I end my turn." Johnny said, glaring at me.
"Then I'll make my move." I said, drawing and not even looking at the card - I knew exactly what I planned for this final round. "First, I'll sacrifice Double Coston and use his special ability to be treated as two tributes to bring forth a dark monster. Come out Cosmo Queen!"
The look on the faces of Johnny, Tea, and the pharaoh was priceless. Granted I may be a novice duelist but even I had to admit that drawing the cards I needed right away was a stroke of pure luck. As my Cosmo Queen formed, her red cloak billowed out as pale purple hands lifted up with a miniature galaxy forming between them. Of all the monsters I had summoned, she registered the most magic on my senses, followed closely by Element Doom. Still, neither one compared to the sheer force I had sensed from Obelisk.
I was beginning to see why Seto took this so seriously - it was pretty awesome being able to annihilate an opponent so quickly. Even one as moronic as Johnny Stepps.
"And now, we'll move on to the attack phase. First, I'll use Cosmo Queen to destroy your Spirit of the Harp." Johnny cried out in shock as his last defense fell, my Cosmo Queen's eyes flashing from beneath her headdress as Spirit of the Harp fell under the weight of her attack. "And now, Element Doom, attack his life points directly!"
Element Doom roared in approval, his wings snapping out as he flew in Johnny's direction, a black mass spilling from his outstretched hand and washing over Johnny as the two-bit dancer cried out in surprise. And just like that, the duel was over. Johnny stared blankly ahead while the holograms powered down and I gathered my cards.
"I believe the agreement was if I won, you would leave Tea alone forever." I said, smiling. "If I find out you have been bothering her, I'll be in touch. And it will be more than a defeat in a card game that you'll be facing." With that I turned and exited the platform, stowing the deck back in my purse.
"Reila, that was… I'm impressed that you were able to defeat him so quickly." The pharaoh said, a disbelieving look on his face.
"Honestly, if I hadn't drawn Cosmo Queen I would have been in trouble. I don't really have any other cards that could have handled a monster with 2500 defense points." I said, tugging on a curl. Not that I planned to make a habit of dueling, but it was nice to know I could more than hold my own against smaller opponents.
"That was so awesome Reila! I mean you took him out in three turns, just like that!" Tea said, smiling happily as she snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Maybe Kaiba and Mokuba taught you a little more than you thought."
"Maybe, but please don't tell them about this - they'll be really upset that I didn't wait for them to see my first duel." I said, biting my lip. I hadn't thought about that before I took control of the duel. "Anyway, if he does bother you in the future Tea let me know. I have to get going, I promised Mai that I would meet up with her later."
"Reila, thank you for everything today." The pharaoh said, holding out his hand. I hesitated only a moment before taking it and shaking his hand. I gave Tea a pat on the shoulder and exited the building, pulling out my phone to call Mai.
Time for the deadliest tournament yet.