A/N: Holy cheeseballs. 20 chapters. Little insight, I haven't written anything this long EVER. I'm actually pretty proud of myself for being able to write this long!
Granted there have been many, many month or longer long gaps between chapters, and I do apologize for that. The problem is twofold: One, I know what I want to happen in the story but I sometimes have such a hard time writing it. Like I know the beginning and the end, but the middle always gives me such a hard time. Two, life gets in the way. I have been pulling quite a few 10+ hour days at work at times to help out with us being short staffed, and yeah things have to be pushed back. Thank you for your patience!
There have been some reviewers that pointed out to me that the duel at the end of the last chapter was… Meh. It was my first time writing a duel in a story, and by trying to avoid the things that I find a little dry in stories (over explanation of card designs, over explaining dueling rules, etc.) I may have inadvertently given too little information. I have gone back and re-written the duel part, taking the comments from those who pointed out a few of the flaws into consideration. I hope it's a little better than what it was!
I would also like to explain how I got the cards that Reila drew: truthfully, I used Duel Links. I played a duel against an NPC, and used the cards that I drew in that duel for her hand. So if it seemed like it was a little too easy for her to pull the cards she needed to beat Johnny Stepps, it's because it was literally the cards that were dealt in the mock duel I played. There is a possibility that it was easier to beat Stepps because when I build decks, I don't really waste time with low level monsters unless they have a fantastic ability to backup the lack of power. If that makes sense. I go for creatures that can hold their own until they're used to summon higher powered monsters, and in truth one thing that always bothered me about the duels in Yu-Gi-Oh! is how long it takes then to get to the good monsters. Seriously, ask my friends and they'll tell you my strategy in card games is hit fast and hard. So if it seems like she's pulling high powered monsters too easily… Well that's because it's literally how I designed her deck.
As always, a huge shout out to those who left reviews - Counting Sinful Stars, Like Stars in the Sky, Drachegirl14, and Scythe - and to those of you who favorited/followed the story. You guys rock, and a super special awesome thank you for making Monachopsis the 3rd most followed Seto/OC story on the site!
Anyway, now that I'm done rambling onto the chapter!
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 20
After leaving the pharaoh and Tea so that they could finish the night as they were supposed to - AKA meet up with Ishizu - I wandered down the street towards the restaurant that Mai and I had agreed to meet up at for dinner. It made me chuckle a little just how much I tended to eat out in this life. In my first one I had hardly ever eaten out, preferring my mother's home cooked meals to anything out of a restaurant, and saving money had been a constant struggle anyhow. But given that I had access to high class food in this life, and the funding to back it up I indulged a little. Not too much, because a public figure has to maintain a healthy weight and all but my metabolism was higher than in my first life, allowing me a little more leeway. I mused a little over the differences between my two lives before Ydor spoke up.
You have been thinking a great deal about your first life recently young one. Have you developed homesickness?
No Ydor, just musing. I stepped around a young couple lost in one another's eyes, frowning at the obliviousness of the two. Honestly who just stops in the middle of a sidewalk to stare at one another like that? Hey, quick question for you: how come I couldn't sense any magic from the monsters that Johnny summoned? I felt some from mine, most noticeably Element Doom and Cosmo Queen, but anything from his side of the field had nothing.
The previous duels you have been present for were duels where the combatants had some form of magical ability. You yourself have the ability to wield magic, so the monsters you summoned held trace amounts within them. As for this Johnny you faced, he holds absolutely no magic ability, therefore his monsters have no magic to have transferred to them.
I continued walking as I pondered Ydor's words. So basically, every time I duel I'm putting out a beacon to others with magical ability. Like a big neon sign that says 'Hey guys this chick uses magic too!', is that about right?
That is correct. You were too busy concentrating on your attacks, but I could sense the one you call 'pharaoh' spreading his awareness and picking up on trace amounts of the magic you subconsciously infused into your monsters.
I stumbled as Ydor's words rang through my head - the pharaoh knows I can wield magic! Sitting down on a bench I rubbed my forehead as I grimaced.
Dammit, he's not SUPPOSED to know about that! Him knowing about my ability opens the door for too many questions that I don't know if I can or want to answer! Son of a… I dropped my head into my hands and threaded my hands into my hair, scowling fiercely. I already have a hard enough time keeping quiet when he gives me THAT look. Like he knows there's something more about me that he needs to know. I can't have him sniffing around, and I'm going to be in his line of sight a lot during this tournament.
Tell me honestly, would it truly be so bad for him to know you have abilities? He could be of use to you in your quest to protect your friends. Ydor's words were calm and soothing, but he just didn't seem to understand.
Of course it's bad, if things don't play out the way they're supposed to…. UGH this is bad, soooooooooo bad. If dueling brings out my magic like that then no, I can't duel anymore. Period. I'll just do whatever it takes to avoid any future duels.
You are missing the broader picture young one. If he knows about your abilities, he can assist you in making sure that your friends are safe from harm. And perhaps he will be able to help you wield magic more effectively.
My head jerked up as I glared into the street, wishing I could dive into my mind and glare at Ydor instead. No, YOU'RE missing the point Ydor. In the story the pharaoh is able to triumph in the end on his own abilities and the friendship of Tea, Tristan, Joey… Oh what the hell, add in Duke and even Seto in a rival-ish sort of way. I can't let him know that I have abilities because then I get added into that grouping and I'm too much of an unknown factor. It's too risky for him to know-
"You know, if you're going to talk to him like that you really should put a book in front of your face or something. Makes it a little less obvious that you're zoning out."
A feminine voice jolted me out of my mental rambles as my eyes focused sharply on the woman standing in front of me. My limbs stiffened not just from her words, but from the aura that seemed to surround her like a cloak. The people walking down the street gave her a wide berth, seeming to sense the same thing I sensed from her.
Danger.
I looked her over, trying to pinpoint what is was about her that made me suddenly feel like an animal cornered by a hunter. She wasn't beautiful in the conventional sense, but there was an exoticness about her that made her stand out. Long black hair fell in thick waves down her back, layered tastefully with a few scattered braids woven through with various colored threads and bronze beads. Her eyes were shielded by black aviator sunglasses - really, in the middle of the night? Her lips were full and tweaked into an amused smirk, and her nose look like it might have broken and hastily reset at one point. Dressed in tight leather pants, knee high Doc Marten boots with silver skulls decorating the sides, and a tattered Godsmack t-shirt, she looked like any other goth/punk woman walking down the street despite her sun-kissed olive skin tone. The only jewelry she wore was a choker made of leather strips and white beads.
But it was that aura that surrounded her that made me nervous. It felt… Old. And powerful. At first fright locked my limbs in place, but Ydor didn't seem to be on guard, in fact he seemed amused if anything. If Ydor wasn't sending a threat I should be alright.
I licked my suddenly dry lips, clearing my throat lightly. "I beg your pardon?"
"I said if you're going to talk to him in public like that, make yourself a little less conspicuous. Kind of easy to pick up on people dialoguing with a beast in their soul if you know what you're looking for." Her voice was fluid but slightly husky, and there was an accent in it that I didn't recognize. She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning on one leg as she raised an eyebrow with a scar intersecting it in my direction. "I mean seriously, you'd think you'd be a little more covert what with not wanting anyone to know that there's something off about you. Do you have any survival instincts stuffed in that pretty head of yours?"
"H-How did you-"
"Never mind that." The woman said, waving a hand like she was batting my question away. "Look I'm only here to deliver something as a favor to… No there's no need to give you specifics. Let's call them my employers, okay? Or at least that's as close as an explanation as you're going to get. So I'm going to give you this and then be on my merry way to cause chaos and mayhem."
Her hand dug into her pocket and then popped back out, thrusting in my direction. Without thinking my hand reached out and she dropped the item into my waiting palm without another word. Pulling my hand back, I studied the object with a confused frown. Thin strips of braided gray silk held five gray stones in a necklace, but even though the colors were bland the thread seemed to glimmer in the darkness, and the stones caught to light from a nearby streetlight in a dazzling display. Beautiful in it's simplicity, I was still confused as I looked back at the woman.
"Uh… Thanks?" I said, picking up one end of the necklace with my other hand and holding it up to get a better look. "But I don't…"
"Oh for the love of… That beast inside you hasn't told you a damn thing, has he? Men." She growled before sighing in disgust before leaning over and tapping one black painted nail lightly on one of the stones. "This is called a sfora amulet. Very old, very powerful. Priestesses in the ancient world used them as a storage vault for magic. Feed a little into the stones every day and you'll always have a backup supply." The woman straightened and jerked her head to the side, and I heard the bones of her neck crack while a satisfied smile graced her lips. "Well, for those who have to worry about going dry. Some of us are good enough to never have to worry about draining. But you're still too new to this particular game and you need a boost. Since you've handicapped yourself by letting so much negative emotion dwell within you - regardless of how deeply you've buried it - this little beauty is your Plan B."
"But how… Who are you? And how do you know so much about me?" The words tumbled out of me as I tried to wrap my head around the situation - strange woman handing out magical items and blathering on about negative emotions? And what did she mean by 'some of us'? And how in the name of all things holy did she know so much about me?
"You don't need to know who I am. Normal people who get involved with me have a nasty tendency to wind up missing." I grimaced at the implication, but she just gave me a savage grin. "Do yourself a favor and curb that curiosity, it's more beneficial to living a long life. If anyone asks just say some crazy woman on the street gave you that and you thought it was pretty enough to keep. As for how I know about you, my employers have a vested interest in your continued well being. So here I am, playing gopher for a woman with a serious stick up her rear and playing nice. Although why they're hinging so many lives on you is beyond me." The last part was a murmured growl, almost as though I wasn't supposed to hear it.
"What do you mean so many-"
"Do you always talk so much? Seriously, shut up and listen and you might learn a thing or two." I scowled, and the thought of telling this woman that she'd barely let me get a word in edgewise crossed my mind. But she sighed and continued as people walked obliviously by, purposefully ignoring my frown. "Look, beast, give me a hand here. You're being awfully quiet for someone who claims to know so much. Jerk."
Tell this mad woman that her gift is appreciated, but her continued chatter is not.
"Yeah yeah beast, love ya too." I gasped as the woman responded to Ydor's words without my having repeated them, which she answered with a cheeky grin and a waggling of fingers. "Isn't magic fun? Anyone strong enough can sense and the really strong ones can hear him in your head. But don't worry, he's too deeply cemented in your soul for anyone else to take. Only you can pass him on to another host, but that's something you should only do in the most dire of circumstances." Here her face fell into a serious expression, catching me off guard. "I mean it Reila. If ever there's a chance that the beast within you could be harmed, give him to someone else. Someone strong enough to keep him safe until you can get him back. You destined guardian, don't even think about risking his safety."
That will never happen. She and I will NOT be separated. Ydor's growl sounded deep within me, causing an itch in my throat.
"Sure thing beasty. And I'm the flipping tooth fairy. Accounting for all possibilities is the first thing taught to anyone who has to do battle. And the two of you are heading into a battle whether you like it or not - time to step up your little tutoring sessions. And teach her how to load up the sfora while you're at it." The woman turned and took two steps away before tilting her head to gaze at the stars. "It's unfair to put so much on someone so young but fate has decided that you, Reila, will play a deciding role in future events. Guard yourself, and trust the beast within you. Even if he is a member of the male species, he will guide you well."
"Wait, who are you? And HOW do you know so much?" I asked, standing up and reaching a hand to grab her. But she turned to me with a sharp gaze, one I could feel even from behind the dark lenses shielding her eyes.
"I know because you and I are not really that different. Well okay we're a lot of different but that's beside the point." Reaching up a hand, she removed her sunglasses and fixed her gaze on me - a gaze with eyes just as black as mine. A gasp escaped me as I saw the emotions hidden within them - loss, pain, and a touch of madness hiding at the edges.
"A person whose soul has been touched by a god will always be able to recognize another with a god touched soul - just look for eyes like ours." She said while I gaped in amazement. I'd never met anyone with eyes the same color as mine, and I suddenly had a whole new appreciation for how others felt under my gaze. It was otherworldly, and revealing her eyes seemed to intensify the dangerous aura that bled out of her.
"Please, just… Just tell me your name. If you and I are alike… I want to at least know your name." I could feel it, the brief connection between us. I didn't want her to go, I wanted answers… But her gaze hardened as the thought crossed my mind, and I swallowed back the childlike plea for her to stay.
A manic grin slid onto her face as she donned her sunglasses again, the hardness vanishing from her eyes. Her mood swings were hard to keep up with. "Ah, what the hell. Name's Melaina, but don't tell anyone about me. No one knows I exist anymore." In the blink of an eye she stepped into a stream of people and disappeared, leaving me more confused than I had been before she showed up, clutching the sfora tightly in my hand.
Meeting Melaina had thoroughly shaken me, and I could still feel the effects of the encounter when I finally stepped into the warm light of the restaurant where Mai sat waiting. I could barely pay attention to what she was saying during dinner, my mind reeling with unanswered questions. Who were Melaina's employers, and why did they have a 'vested interest' in me? What prompted them to give me the sfora? Had my soul really been touched by a god, or gods? I think I would remember encountering a god and I'm fairly certain being touched by one is something I would remember.
Was she lying? She did appear to be two steps this side of insane with her dangerous aura, the slight manic light in her eyes, and sharp grin; but Melaina hadn't appeared to be lying. I could read a person's body language fairly well, but there hadn't been any signs of deception in her stance or actions. Either she was very good at lying, or had been one hundred percent honest.
"Hello, earth to Reila! Are you even listening?" Mai asked, and I quickly glanced up at her. Despite the annoyed frown on her face, she did appear concerned behind it. I felt guilty for not paying attention to her, because she was so excited about this tournament and had been chattering on about battle strategies she'd devised while I had zoned out.
"I'm sorry Mai, my uncle called and gave me some troubling news earlier and I got lost in thought about it." Not a complete lie, so I didn't feel any guilt about not telling her the whole truth. "Remember how I found the mole in our company and found evidence against Manabu? My uncle was reviewing the evidence we found today and… There's a possibility that it wasn't Manabu to begin with. Little things that I initially overlooked have led my uncle to the conclusion that someone might be attempting to frame him." I frowned, taking a sip of water.
"You're joking, right?" Mai asked, jaw dropping. When I shook my head she scowled. "Why on earth would anyone want to frame him? Are you both sure that he's not making it look like he's being framed to cover his tracks?"
"It's a possibility, but we can't prove anything one way or the other right now. And my uncle doesn't want me to be a part of the investigation anymore, what with the tournament and starting to work on my first album." I sighed and tilted my head back, eyeing the crystal chandelier above us. "I just can't think of anyone who would want to frame Manabu. In retrospect, I guess it was a little too easy to catch him. It's almost… Almost like he either wanted to be caught, or whoever might be framing him wanted it to be easy to find the false evidence."
"Well I guess you'll just have to wait and see what your uncle digs up, huh?" Mai asked, resting her hand on her chin. I spared a moment to glare at a woman who sniffed indignantly at Mai's elbow being on the table, and said snoot wisely kept her comments to herself after glancing at my stony expression.
"Sitting and waiting isn't exactly something I like to do. I get that my uncle is worried about me but I wish he'd let me look into it."
"I for one agree with Sota." Mai said, and I blinked in surprise. Mai and my uncle got along well enough, but… This was Mai. She didn't normally do well with authority figures. "I mean think about it Reila - Kaiba's going to have your time monopolized the entire length of this tournament. And then after that you should be devoting all your energy to the album so that you can really wow everyone with your best work. You're good at multi-tasking Reila, very good at it. I've seen you juggle thirty things when others would bow under the weight of ten. But if you spread yourself too thin nothing will be accomplished." She paused to take a sip of her water. "And not only that, but if your uncle let's you continue the investigation you'll lose focus on everything else. You say that Kaiba gets tunnel vision when it comes to winning, but you don't even realize you yourself get tunnel vision when someone threatens your family, hun."
Mai… Wasn't wrong. Now that I thought about it, I do tend to fixate on taking down my family's enemies. It was a weakness in some ways, but it had allowed me to take down rivals quickly and quietly. Well, sometimes quietly - Royalty Records had been a rather in-your-face take down. Patience was not a virtue that I had in this life, and was something that I hadn't had much of in my first one either.
"I could be hurt and offended by that, but I can't deny the truth." I said, grinning at her. "I think even Yugi noticed that I tend to get that way earlier when I dueled Johnny."
"I still can't believe you didn't wait until I was there to see your first duel. And what a doozy it was according to your story. Seriously, you took the guy out in less than five turns!" Mai said, laughing. "I mean I knew that you'd built a decent deck but that goes beyond any expectations I had for it."
"To be fair, Johnny was a pretty big pushover. And I only dueled him because he pissed me off." I said, waving to our waiter to bring the check. It was getting close to the time that we needed to get to the square for the big reveal. Seto would be furious if I missed it, not that I was looking forward to seeing him hanging out of a helicopter. Honestly the guy seemed to not take personal safety seriously. I frowned as I made a mental note to scold him about that later.
"That's an understatement. I'm actually more shocked that he didn't recognize Yugi right away - only an idiot would challenge him if they're not a seasoned duelist." Mai said, leaning back and crossing her arms.
"True, but it's not like Yugi's pictures are plastered everywhere. His name may be well known in the duelist community, but that doesn't account for the lack of pictures or people who know him personally. I mean those of you who participated in Duelist Kingdom would know him on sight, but to someone who doesn't know he looks like any other kid."
"Not with that hairdo." Mai said, and the two of us laughed as we left the restaurant. I felt better after talking with Mai, a little dose of reality after my bizarre encounter with Melaina. As the two of us made our way to the square, my phone went off with a message from Seto: Meet me at Kaiba Corp. after the reveal.
I rolled my eyes at his curt message. Despite the urge to remind him that I didn't take orders from him, I decided to be civil and not get into an argument right before his tournament started. He was probably just stressed and too focused on that to think about common decency. I hit the reply button and reminded him that Mai was with me, but that I would swing by on our way back home. I didn't receive a reply but I was sure he'd gotten it.
"Kaiba?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course. He wants me to meet him at his office after the reveal. You don't mind tagging along do you?" I asked, pocketing my phone.
"I don't mind. Not like I have anything else planned." Mai said, shrugging. "But maybe I should just wait outside or something, if he's discussing something about the tournament I should stay out of the conversation. I don't want any accusations that I won by cheating." Her expression was serious, and I merely agreed to her waiting outside. Her pride wouldn't allow rumors of cheating, despite the fact that she had done so in the previous tournament with her perfumed cards trick.
Oh the irony.
"That brings up another thing… It's probably best that you not mention you've known about the tournament so long. I'm sure by now rumors have already started to swirl around but hearing mention of a tournament and being outright told that Seto is hosting one are two different things."
Mai agreed to keep quiet about that little tidbit, which I was thankful for. I wasn't sure how Seto would take my giving her the knowledge of an upcoming tournament, despite the fact that I hadn't told her specifics.
The two of us made it quickly to the square, a comfortable silence between us. Mai was probably lost in thought about the tournament, while I was still trying to silence the unanswered questions from meeting Melaina. Glancing around, I tried to see if Tea and the spirit had already arrived and steer Mai in that direction-
A powerful wash of magic stopped me in my tracks and I felt my spine stiffen in response. The magic in the air felt sick, perverted in some way as it slid along my senses with an oily feeling. I could barely make out the maniacal laughter that seemed to follow in its shadow. My eyes darted left and right, trying to pinpoint where it originated from when I spotted the pharaoh's gaze also sweeping the area, coming to a stop as his gaze met mine I hurriedly tried to hide the tenseness I felt sure was on my face, but I couldn't be sure if I had covered it quickly enough. As Mai followed my gaze and spotted Tea and the spirit - well Yugi to her - she called out to them cheerfully as I followed a step behind her, momentarily shaking the fear off.
Marik's presence felt like madness given physical form.
Seto stood waiting outside of Kaiba Corp., leaning against the limo waiting to take him home. His tournament had been announced, and in one week it would begin. Anticipation ran swiftly through him and he again had to silence the voice that demanded the tournament start right away. But the city council hadn't given an inch on when they would allow the tournament to begin, citing time to gather additional resources and police schedules. Not even Reila had been able to get them to budge, and her negotiation skills were nothing to sneeze at.
Speaking of Reila, Seto frowned as he pictured her again standing near Yugi. This was twice now that he had seen her with him, and it didn't make sense that she would willingly hang around him. Yugi and his gang of dorks couldn't meet her needs mentally, and her personality was more aligned with his own than it was Yugi's. Mai hanging around he could grudgingly understand, but the thought of her spending time with Yugi and his gang made Seto's fists clench as some unbidden emotion burned in his gut. Shaking it off for the moment, he turned his head as Reila's car pulled up behind his own. Reila stepped out and bent to say something to Mai who was settled into the back before shutting the door and making her way to him. He noticed that her steps were quieter without her usual stilettos, but her shoes still gave her the usual height bonus that she had.
"You know, next time you decide to be… Well you, could you give me some heads up that you're planning on dangling yourself out of a helicopter? I about had a heart attack." Reila said, a scowl on her face. But even behind the scowl he could see genuine concern in her onyx gaze.
"I had control of the situation." Seto said simply, pushing off the car and turning to face her fully. "You have everything ready?"
"Yes Seto." Reila said with a small sigh, pulling her PDA out of her back pocket. Unlocking the screen she began scanning through her list. "Final rental agreements for your registration locations went through no problem, the staff hired have signed confidentiality agreements, and the additional staff needed for your tracking system begin orientation and training tomorrow. Feedback on the reveal itself is up in the air at this point, some seem impressed while others thought it obnoxiously over the top. Case in point while there were shouts of 'Kaiba you're cool!' there was also a comment about 'not knowing which is bigger - his ego or his melon on the big screen'."
Seto ignored the startled laughter from Mai hidden within the car, it didn't take a genius to realize who had said that.
Nodding his head, Seto felt the tiniest bit of tension drain from his shoulders. "During the tournament Mokuba will be acting as Commissioner, and I will be dueling to get my share of the locator cards. I'm counting on you to be walking the area as well, keeping an eye for anything unusual."
"I already planned on it." Reila said, stowing her PDA away before biting her lip in thought. "But really Seto, I think you should assign a guard to Mokuba if he's going to be out on his own - it would be far too easy for someone to try and pull another stunt like Pegasus did."
Seto scoffed. "This is my tournament, in my city. No one would dare."
Reila scowled, crossing her arms as she glowered. "I would like to remind you that Pegasus managed to kidnap Mokuba out of your own building. Assign a guard, or at least promise me that you'll be keeping track of him somehow."
Seto closed his eyes and tried to be patient with Reila. She wouldn't let this go, and part of him was grateful for how fiercely protective she could be when it came to his brother. She loved Mokuba almost as much as Seto himself did. "Alright, if it will help you focus on your job then I'll make sure that I have a way to track his location at all times."
Reila pursed her lips in thought as before nodding. "Fine. I'd still prefer a guard but it's better than nothing."
Seto barely kept the small grin off his face - only Reila could make sulking look like an artform. Her face was so expressive when she wasn't in business mode, her eyes especially so. Despite their unusual color they were by far one of her best features, equal parts mysterious and enlightening. She could hide her emotions well, but around people she trusted the walls came down. It was a strength but also a potentially fatal weakness. And speaking of weaknesses…
"You should be more careful about where you spend your free time. Already fourteen scandal papers have gotten word about you being in the arcade today, and one of them is already claiming you're in a relationship with Yugi." Seto said, that unnamed emotion coming back fiercely. What was it that was burning in the pit of his stomach?
"Do I even want to know how you found out about that?" Reila asked, her voice taking a deadpan tone. Shaking her head she sighed as she looked out across the street. "I bumped into him and Tea earlier and decided to kill an hour or so since I was waiting for Mai to meet up with me. Apparently Tea wants to be a dancer and I agreed to see a sample of her dancing to get a gauge of where she is talent wise. She's got a lot of work ahead of her but she's got decent spunk." Reila said, shrugging a shoulder briefly. "If she turns out to be a halfway decent dancer and I can get her to sign on with Sarota, even better."
"So it was business?" Seto asked, the feeling in his stomach subsiding a little.
"Yeah it was just business. Then the crowd asked for me to do a routine and I figured free publicity so why not?" Reila stopped and turned her face towards him, one brow raised delicately. "Why the sudden interest in how I spend my free time?"
"Your name popped up in an internet scouring program I developed. I saw you with them in the arcade and couldn't understand why you would spend time with Yugi and his dweebs." Seto didn't see the point in hiding it from her, there was nothing unusual about the situation besides who she had spent the afternoon with.
"You have your program scouring the internet for new information regarding me." Again she spoke with a deadpan tone, blinking slowly. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered or creeped out that you're stalking me via the internet."
Seto scowled. "If you're going to be around my company and brother so much, I need to know if something has the potential to affect me negatively through you."
Reila blinked slowly again before a puzzled look came on her face. "Seto, you're not… Jealous that I spent time with Yugi, are you?"
Seto's spine stiffened in response and he knew that Reila's sharp gaze had picked up on it. "Of course not. I just wondered what it was about them that would make you waste time hanging out with a bunch of dorks. But as you said it was just business." Turning quickly on his heel he opened the door to his car. "I'll be in touch if I need anything else from you Reila."
"You are jealous!" Reila said, looking surprised as she darted forward and placed herself between him and the seat. Standing in the doorway of his car, she directed a placating smile at him. "Seto, don't brush me off like that. It's alright, I get it - Yugi is your rival and my spending time around him makes it look like I favor him to win over you. I'm sorry if it seemed that way, and I promise that I'll be standing behind you one hundred percent during this tournament."
Seto hesitated a moment, not trusting himself to speak just yet. She had to be right - the sudden jealousy he felt had to be because of his rivalry and people misconstruing Reila's kindness to… Tea, that was her name, as support of Yugi. It was the most logical explanation for the emotion suddenly popping up. Relaxing his shoulders Seto nodded, which Reila took as a good sign and smiled before stepping out of his way.
"I'll probably be busy the next few days getting work out of the way to free up time for the tournament. I do need one more thing from you though." Seto said, reaching into the backseat and pulling a folder out of his briefcase.
"What do you need Seto?" Reila asked, taking the folder instinctively as he held it out to her.
"Find me a qualified crew to fly a blimp. The crew I hired backed out of the contract."
Seto lost the battle against his grin as he watched the horrified expression dawn on Reila's face. With a wave of his hand his driver began pulling away, leaving an incensed Reila behind them.
"SETO YOU JERK!"
"I can't believe the nerve of him! A week, a WEEK to find a qualified blimp crew? There are maybe a total of forty blimps in the world and qualified crews are so rare - UGH! I could throttle him!" I paced back and forth on the sand of my inner mind, venting to Ydor who lay on the sand looking decidedly bored. We were supposed to be practicing, but I was having a hard time focusing on anything that wasn't a blimp crew. Oh and raging about how Seto seemed to get a kick out of my dilemma.
"Young one…"
"No seriously, who does he think he is dumping this on me? As if I don't have enough on my plate, now he has to add this into the mix? Oh I'm going to wring his neck the next time I see him, how could one person be so infuriatingly-"
"Reila."
Ydor's exasperation finally got me to quiet down as I turned to look at him sheepishly. "Sorry Ydor, it's just so frustrating." I plopped onto the sand, running a hand through my hair. "I mean really, really frustrating."
"All the more reason to train now - you will not have the luxury of a focused mind when you are not in here. In the past I have pushed you to let go of outside influences, but this is as good a time as any to see how you contend with negative emotion affecting you." Standing Ydor made his way to the water, pausing to cast his scarlet gaze my way. "Also, today I shall give you access to half my power. I have thought about your previous comment to not underestimate this Marik, and I am inclined to agree after sensing his magic last night."
I shivered at the memory of its oily presence running across my senses. "It didn't feel like normal magic. To me magic appears as colored threads, woven together to create a presence, a tangible force. But this… There were no threads, just a darkness that spreads thick and heavy. And if I had to categorize the color… Somewhere between blood and rust would do it. Like a dirty, sick brownish-red."
"In my many years I have never encountered magic like his. I can tell you that his magic is fractured, much like his mind must be. Such sickness cannot be allowed to remain in this world."
"... By that you mean that his evil side has to go, right? The real Marik is actually a halfway decent guy if I remember correctly." I said with a frown. I didn't hate Marik, but I certainly hated his Yami side.
"His evil side is the cause of his fractured state and the source of the perverted magic. If the boy is truly a victim of his own mind, then yes destroying the evil within him would suffice." Ydor continued making his way into the surf after that little nugget, and I pondered his words.
A part of me recoiled at the thought of taking a life, but the other part… That was the part of me that had been willing to shut Noah down with extreme prejudice just for being a threat to Seto and Mokuba. I was completely willing to let a child die just to save my friends some grief, and yet I was defending a guy that I'd never even met.
Yeah okay so I'm a hypocrite. But the real Marik wouldn't be a threat to Seto and Mokuba. Noah is and will continue to be one.
Deciding to not say anything, I shook off the thought as I stepped forward and readied myself for today's lesson. And if I heard another set of doors slamming within the depths of the temple, I ignored it.
Three days after the announcement of the tournament, I sighed and sat back in my office at the Sarota building. I had secured a blimp crew, and it had been easier than I thought. Despite their misgivings about working for Seto, I was able to get them hired on and even at the same price that the original crew had been contracted at. I'd also been able to have a meeting with Gorou earlier and get some work done on my album - nothing too extensive, just a general overview of how many tracks I was looking to record and deciding on one or two songs that I'd previously written to include. Gorou had even offered up a song or two of his own creation, and after reading the lyrics I had fallen in love with them and made sure to tell him how honored I was that he had given me permission to record them. This coupled with the fact that Ydor was confident in my ability to use half of his power with no serious discomfort made me feel like I was walking on cloud nine.
All in all, a very productive day.
Smiling I touched the sfora amulet that I had started wearing around my neck and gave Ydor a mental nudge. He had been dozing at the edge of my awareness all day, but responded readily enough to my nudge and sent a tendril of magic my way which I slowly fed into the amulet just as Ydor had taught me to do the day after meeting Melaina. To my magical senses, it appeared as a deep aqua thread coiling within the stones. Ydor and I had determined that the desire to protect others was the easiest for me to harmonize with, and apparently aqua was a color of protection. Feeding a little magic into the stones everyday was becoming second nature, and it did give me a certain peace of mind knowing that I would always have a little extra magic on hand.
Stretching my arms over my head after I had finished, I glanced outside and saw that the sun had already set and it was growing dark. Ringing down to Shuuichi, the receptionist at the desk informed me that he had gone down the street for a quick dinner. I stopped her from calling him, telling her I could walk down and meet up with him no problem before making my way downstairs. The streetlights were on, and despite the few clouds scattered in the sky it was a beautiful evening. Stepping out of the building, I took a deep breath and smiled as a light breeze blew down the street. Even though Domino City wasn't a small town by any means, it wasn't quite large enough to have that dirty city smell that some places did. The council went to great lengths to ensure that the streets were kept clean and that the air didn't become overly polluted.
Walking slowly down the sidewalk, I lost myself in thoughts about the songs that Gorou and I had chosen. I was so wrapped up that I almost didn't hear my name being called.
"-la! Reila, hey over here!" I heard Yugi's voice call out, shaking me out of my thoughts.
Turning I saw Yugi, Tea, Tristan, and Joey. Blinking in confusion as to why they were wandering around downtown so late at night, my eyes landed on the boxes Yugi and Joey were carrying - they had just finished picking up their duel discs from the looks of it.
"Hello." I said, walking over to the four. "What brings you guys out here so late at night?"
"Just got our duel discs for the tournament! I can't wait to try this baby out." Joey said, hugging the box happily with a grin so wide I'm surprised that his face didn't crack.
"Ah right, I forgot that Seto had put a registration site so close to my office." I said, shrugging.
"Wait, your office? I thought you worked from home." Tristan said, tapping his chin. "There was something in CURE magazine about a home recording studio at your estate wasn't there?"
"Yes, the Sarota estate does house it's own in home recording studio. But we don't strictly work from home, we also have the Sarota Entertainment building." I said, gesturing over my shoulder to said building. "My uncle, cousin, and I all have offices in the building."
"Wow, that's your building? It's even bigger than Kaiba Corp.!" Joey said, eyeing the rooftop.
"Now that you mention it, it might be a few stories taller." I said, frowning as I tried to gauge the difference in my head. "But that's probably because we employ more workers than Kaiba Corp. Plus we have to have room for dance studios, recording studios, production rooms, and a few sets for shooting music videos, aside from the meeting rooms and offices for workers."
"You guys fit all that into that building? I can't even fit stuff in my closet, nevermind a whole mess of studios into a building." Tristan said, causing Joey, Tea, and Yugi to laugh.
"Yeah I'm not helping you organize your closet." I said in a teasing voice, chuckling along with them. After we'd calmed down Joey grinned at us all.
"Hey guys, I gotta get going. My sister Serenity's operations tomorrow and I told her I'd stay at the hospital tonight."
"I didn't know you had a sister." I said, frowning as I realized that I'd completely forgotten Serenity. "I hope that the operation isn't for anything serious?"
"Well see, she's kind of losing her eyesight from a disease that she's got. The operation is really expensive and we couldn't afford it, not until Yugi gave me his winnings from the Duelist Kingdom tournament. It's not life threatening, but she's still scared to go through with it." Joey said, a soft smile on his face.
I glanced at Yugi, who blushed in response to the praise before turning to Joey. "That was very kind of you to do Yugi. If I had known that your sister needed help Joey, I would have been happy to offer assistance."
"Wait, what?" Joey said, blinking. I noted the shocked look from Tristan as well, and realized that of the four friends Joey and Tristan were the ones I had spent the least amount of time around. They probably only knew about me from second hand sources, which would explain the shock.
… Or maybe they're just that narrow minded and lumped me in with Seto as a "snobby rich kid".
"Sarota Entertainment and the Sarota family in particular do a lot of charitable donations, both through organizations and to private parties. A young girl potentially losing her eyesight because of financial worries? I couldn't imagine the fear she must be feeling losing some of her eyesight every day. I would have been more than happy to help if you had told me the situation." I said calmly, placing a hand on my hip with an exasperated look on my face.
"Well I… I mean we've barely talked before Reila, so why the sudden interest in helping us?" Joey said, a suspicious look on his face.
"Yeah, we figured since you were friends with Kaiba you wouldn't be… You know, as nice as some people." Tristan said, not meeting my gaze.
"Guys that's not fair! Reila has been really nice to us when she can be. I mean she risked her life to keep us safe when we went into the virtual world, and she even gave Tea an offer to help her with her dancing once she's done with high school." Yugi said, frowning at his friends.
"It's alright Yugi, Tristan does have a point. I haven't really had a chance to spend time with them, not like I spent time with you and Tea the other day." I said, thankful that I hadn't slipped and said 'Tea and the pharaoh'.
"It still doesn't excuse the fact that they're being so rude to you." Tea said, frowning at the two.
"Tea really, it's alright. Look Tristan, Joey, I know that Seto can be brash and rude but that doesn't mean everyone associated with him is. Just look at Mokuba, I know you guys get along with him." My words seemed to make the two teens uncomfortable. "I'm not saying that I'm a saint - I've had my share of times where I've had to set my feelings aside and be tough. But you both, along with Yugi and Tea have helped Mokuba and Seto enough to make you alright in my book. So I'm serious, if there's anything I can do to help you guys let me know."
Joey and Tristan looked thoughtful for a moment, embarrassment clear on their faces. "Thanks Reila. And I'm sorry for misjudging you and all. I guess I didn't really stop to remember the times that you've been really nice." Joey said, a shy grin on his face.
"Don't worry about it. Anyways, I have to get going. My driver should be done eating by now and I have to get home. You guys aren't planning on sticking around much longer are you? Domino City is fairly safe but downtown can get a little rough after dark." I blinked hard as a sudden flash of memory came back to me - Joey would be confronted by the rare hunters tonight. Crap, to let it happen or not let it happen? From what little I remember there wasn't any harm in bypassing that little part… It made Joey late for Serenity's operation, cost him his Red Eyes for a little bit, and would eventually lead to Yugi 'meeting' Marik through one of his mind slaves as he got the Red Eyes back.
Nope nothing important to the main line of the story. Not happening, Serenity shouldn't have to deal with that much fear and anxiety before surgery. Minor, and I mean minor character development loses in the face of keeping someone undergoing surgery calm and healthy.
"Nah, we were just getting ready to head our separate ways when we spotted you. Anyway I'll catch you guys later!" Joey made to run off down an alley when I grabbed the back of his jacket, accidentally grabbing his shirt to and causing him to choke a little.
"Did I not just get done saying that downtown can get rough after dark? And the first thing you do is head for a dark alley." I scowled and pointed behind me where Shuuichi had just pulled up after spotting me. "Get in the car Joey, I'll get you to the hospital. And the rest of you get in too, no sense in anyone risking a run-in with a mugger."
"Reila I've lived in this city my whole life, I can take care of-" Joey's argument was cut short as I gave him the look, the same one I used when I was laying on the guilt with Hojo or Mokuba. I had perfected this particular look after seeing how quickly Hojo caved into it, and most of the time it worked on Mokuba to. It was a face that brokered no arguments and when turned on a somewhat immature person got them to stop arguing.
Joey froze under the weight of my gaze before sighing and holding his hands up in defeat. "Alright alright, I'll ride in the car. Geez have you thought about bottling that look? It's a freaking deadly weapon!"
This time I laughed right along with Tea, Tristan, and Yugi as Joey grumbled under his breath. It felt good to know that at least one person had been spared some pain and torment at Marik's hands already.
Take that canon plot line!