Chapter Four

Vivian Wong lay on her bed in her hotel suite, deep in thought. She was still all a-tingle from her dinner date with Lector, even though he hadn't been at all interested in taking things any further. He was still the only person who had ever taken her out despite his anger at some of her prior behavior—although Yugi was so sweet that she imagined he would be capable of doing something similar. She still found him utterly adorable, but at the moment she was completely enraptured by Lector.

She hadn't ever thought she would be interested in someone so much older than she was. She was around the same age as his younger sister Evangeline. She had checked. But when the Big Five had started to appear in the news again, first because of their connection to Seto Kaiba and then because of their Penguin World business venture, she had started to find the tall, broad man with the Southern accent and impeccable manners absolutely riveting. Her feelings had only continued to grow, and had expanded exponentially upon actually meeting him. How had she not ever noticed the appeal of an older man before? The wisdom, the maturity . . . the strong chest . . . !

She couldn't deny that she had been undressing Lector repeatedly in her mind. She still wanted him, badly. His best friend Nesbitt was a catch too, but he was thoroughly hostile towards her because of her forward behavior and inappropriate propositions towards Lector. She doubted she would ever get anywhere with him. But with Lector, she couldn't help wondering if she might have a chance.

Probably not, she frowned to herself. She had done some other research ever since their initial encounters, and Lector had been honest with her about the dating scene. He hadn't ever put himself out there. The closest he had come was an arranged engagement years ago with someone back in New Orleans, but he had broken it off because of her cruelty and selfishness.

He had already pretty much said that he found Vivian to be cruel and selfish too, repeatedly. Not to mention that now she was starting to believe him about him not having any real interest in romance or intimacy. Some women had tried, but he had never taken the bait. Even when they were perfectly nice, he still hadn't had any such feelings for them.

Well, maybe there really wasn't any way to his heart. But on the other hand, her actually being helpful had gotten her a dinner date. Maybe, if she continued to play her cards right, she would have more of a chance.

In the morning, she might go see Mai Valentine. They had made a good dueling team, and it was obvious to Vivian that Mai and Joey Wheeler shared a special relationship. Maybe she would ask Mai what her secret was. Yes, that was a good idea.

She rolled over and frowned. She couldn't forget about her mission, either. She had to find and return all the Chinese magical objects to their rightful place in China. Two were still missing, and one was somewhere in the river. As much as she wanted to spend all her time thinking about Lector and fantasizing about them together, she had a duty to do.

She would think about that tomorrow too. Tonight, she would just wrap herself in her fantasies. At least she had those, even if they never would come true.

She smiled as she turned out the light.

xxxx

Lector wasn't thinking about Vivian at all. He had other, far more important things on his mind. His thoughts were filled with Noa and Mrs. Anderson and Mokuba as he slowly undressed back home and prepared for bed. When he emerged from the bathroom and found Nesbitt in the bedroom doorway, awkwardly resting his arm against the doorframe, he couldn't say he was surprised.

"Tomorrow's no doubt going to be strange and busy," Lector told his friend. "We need to be rested up."

"You said you were thinking about when Noa was struck down," Nesbitt said, even more awkward. "Did you want to talk about it at all or . . . ?"

Lector sighed but smiled a bit. He was always touched when Nesbitt tried to make an effort to be thoughtful. It was still very hard for him to always know how to interact with people, but he was trying.

"I don't know," he said. "It's the past now. And if Noa's truly back, I should be able to stop feeling haunted about it. I know it's likely true that that madman would have tried to find another time and place to murder Noa if it hadn't worked that night."

"But it's not so easy to make yourself stop thinking about it, is it?" Nesbitt's eyes flickered. He spoke from personal experience on that; he was always haunted by the things he had done that he wished he hadn't, even things that he really wasn't at fault for and things that had long ago concluded.

"No, it isn't," Lector conceded. "I don't know how Noa's mother hasn't ever absolutely hated me. Maybe she has and she just kept it from me. The boy and I were arguing that night and he ran away. I tried to find him, but I wasn't fast enough. How is it not my fault in some way?! I shouldn't have let him get away!" But he looked away and drew a shaking breath. "I know it does no good to keep thinking on it, though. Maybe I'll feel better after some sleep."

"Will you even be able to sleep?" Nesbitt wondered.

"I hope so." Lector started to walk to the bed but paused. "I really wanted to see Noa tonight," he confessed. "I wanted to see for myself that he's alive and well."

Nesbitt nodded. "Well . . . maybe with any luck, we can see him tomorrow."

Lector hoped so. He climbed into bed. "We'll see. Goodnight, Nesbitt."

Nesbitt started to back out of the doorway and into the hall. "Goodnight." He took the knob to pull the door shut.

"And . . . thank you," Lector said sincerely.

Nesbitt kept pulling on the door. "Sure."

It quietly closed and Lector settled into the soft mattress and pillows, smiling to himself as he dozed.

xxxx

Nesbitt left Lector to sleep and quietly moved into the hall, where the others had gathered farther down and far enough away that they wouldn't disturb Lector with talking.

"How is he?" Gansley asked.

Nesbitt awkwardly shrugged. "I think he'll be alright. It's just really starting to sink in that Noa's apparently alive, and that seems to be combining with his lingering feelings of guilt over what happened when Noa died."

"It is strange to think about Noa being alive," Gansley acknowledged. "There's no doubt about that."

"No kidding," Crump exclaimed.

"But he did help us when he came around as a spirit several months ago," Johnson said. "Do any of us still hold ill feelings towards him because of what happened in virtual reality?"

"Oh, I don't know," Gansley sighed. "You can't deny the boy went through something horrendous. We lost almost all sense of self wandering in cyberspace for only a few weeks! What on Earth amount of damage happened to Noa over six years of being there?"

". . . That certainly puts it into perspective," Johnson remarked.

"Not to mention, we weren't alone," Crump said. "That's probably really why we kept hold of any sense of self at all, not because of revenge like we thought."

Nesbitt sighed and nodded. "While Noa had no one except virtual people and dogs for all those years until we came along. It's no wonder he was out of his mind by then."

"I would say he's tried his hardest to make up for all that he did," Gansley said. "We have no reason to fear or recoil from him."

The others agreed.

"So . . . I guess we should get to bed and prepare for whatever comes at us tomorrow?" Crump said.

"We'll need our strength," Johnson said.

They all bade each other Goodnight and vanished into their respective rooms, each wondering what the morrow would bring . . . and if Noa would be as nice and as helpful as he had been upon his last visit to the mortal plane.

xxxx

The night passed without anything else strange happening, and in the morning the Big Five collected Mokuba—with Seto's permission—and headed back to the middle-class neighborhood where Noa's mother and Johnson's parents lived. Mrs. Johnson hadn't had any chance to talk to Betty Anderson yet, but the group decided to go ahead and try again themselves, armed with the information the Paradox Brothers had given to them.

Mrs. Anderson seemed even more hostile than on the previous night when she answered the door and found the group there again. "I told you, there's nothing for you here," she snapped in greeting.

"Mrs. Anderson, let us explain," Johnson pleaded. "Let's assume that hypothetically, you revived Noa with the missing crane tiara. You don't need to keep the tiara to ensure he stays alive, and there won't be criminal charges brought against you for having the tiara. If you give it back to us now, we'll deliver it without any questions asked and you and Noa can live in peace."

"But don't keep the kid cooped up," Crump beseeched her. "You don't have to, and I know he'd be happier being able to be out and about! What kind of life would it be if he just has to stay in all the time?"

"And I'd like to see him," Mokuba said softly. "Please?"

Mrs. Anderson frowned as she studied the group. "How can you really promise everything will be alright?" she asked.

"We've spoken with the people looking for the tiara," Gansley said. "They won't even have to know your identity. All they care about is getting the tiara back where it belongs."

"Please, Mom," a new voice spoke up from the shadows of the house. "The only reason I've stayed hidden was because I was worried about you! But if there's no need to, I want to come out!"

Mokuba's eyes brightened. "Noa!" He ran forward, trying to peer around the doorway.

Lector just stared. Even knowing that Noa was apparently back didn't brace him for the shock of really hearing the boy's voice, and not an ethereal spirit voice like before, but an actual body and soul voice. "Noa," he whispered. "It really is him. . . ."

Mrs. Anderson looked like she didn't know what to do now. But when Noa came around her and ran over to Mokuba, she didn't stop him.

"Mokuba, I'm sorry about last night," Noa said. "I wanted to see Lector, and you too, but I realized I couldn't unless I knew Mom would be safe, so I turned and left."

"I understand," Mokuba said. He beamed. "I'm just so glad you're back. . . ."

Noa smiled. "I am too." He laid a hand on Mokuba's shoulder, then slowly and hesitantly went over to Lector. He stood looking up at the man while Lector stared back down at him.

To everyone's surprise, it was Lector who came to life first, pulling Noa close in a firm hug. They had made amends before when they had met on a spiritual plane, and when Noa had tried to protect him and some of the others from Dr. Portman's henchmen. Lector saw no reason to be standoffish now.

"Noa," he whispered, his voice shaking. "All these years, I've blamed myself for what happened to you. . . . I've never been able to deal with it. . . . And now you have a chance to live again. . . ."

Noa initially went stiff out of surprise, but he quickly warmed and clutched at Lector, burrowing against his trenchcoat. "I'm so sorry, Lector," he choked out. "For that night . . . and so many nights. . . . All the times I treated you so poorly when you were only trying to look out for me. . . ." He sobbed. "This was what I wanted to tell you last night. . . ."

"You told me before," Lector soothed. "It's alright now. You're back safe."

Mrs. Anderson half-turned away, brushing aside forming tears of her own. Now the tiara held in one hand was very visible.

Gansley looked to it. "Mrs. Anderson?"

She sighed and held it out. "Here. Take it."

Gansley accepted it and turned it around in his hands, soon noting that both eyes of the crane were lit up. "It's been used on someone before Noa," he said in surprise.

"I don't know who that was," Mrs. Anderson said. "I got hold of it because a friend of mine gave it to me. He said he bought it and the other items from its set and that I deserved to have the tiara more than anyone else he knew."

"You got it from the guy at the museum?!" Nesbitt exclaimed. "The one who tried to hurt Lector in the canyons?!"

She flinched. "Yes," she admitted, "but I had no idea what he was doing until I heard on the news about his disappearance and probable death after he attacked all of you."

Gansley continued to study the tiara. "If you don't mind my asking, what was the price you paid to bring Noa back?"

She looked away. "I chose to cause a blizzard in Domino Canyon that night. That seemed the least dangerous out of the options I was given."

Everyone jumped.

"WHAT?!" Nesbitt cried. "That blizzard almost killed Lector! He was out in it!"

Noa gasped. "Oh no. . . ."

Mrs. Anderson wavered. "I . . . I had no idea at the time," she stammered. "I didn't think anyone would be that deep in the canyons in the middle of winter. . . . I thought I was choosing an option that wouldn't hurt anyone. When I learned that Lector was lost, I was horrified!"

Nesbitt growled. "You might have caused less damage if you'd chosen something else!"

Lector sighed. "Let it go, Nesbitt," he said. "In her position, I'm sure you or I would have done the same thing."

Nesbitt didn't look pleased, but he had to concede Lector's point—even if he didn't want to admit it out loud. But he couldn't refrain from saying, "And if it wasn't for your 'friend,' none of us would have been out in that blizzard and he wouldn't have tried to kill Lector!"

"You know, that's a good point," Crump mused. "Actually, the guy we met was so power-crazed, he sure didn't seem like someone who'd be thoughtful enough to think of anyone besides himself. Why would he give up something like a life-giving tiara?"

"I suppose people could have said the same about us in Noa's world, and that we didn't seem like people who would or could care about each other," Gansley said. "That said, I have to admit it's strange. I wonder if the pendant can possess or otherwise negatively affect the user's mind."

"We didn't find out what its powers are," Lector remembered. "We figured it couldn't even be looked for until Spring, since it's most likely in the river."

"Here's a creepy thought," Crump exclaimed. "What if the dragon item was being used by somebody and it controlled him through the pendant to do a lot of what he did? The Paradox Brothers said the dragon item could control any of the others!"

Mrs. Anderson looked horrified. "Are you absolutely sure the body you found is his?"

"No, we aren't," Johnson admitted. "But it doesn't seem likely it isn't."

"Oh. . . ." She looked down.

Noa looked to her in concern. "I'm sorry, Mom. . . . I know he was your friend. . . ."

She sighed. "I knew deep down he was probably doing something illegal. He said he'd bought the items, and I should have questioned whether he bought them for the museum, but I didn't because I wanted the crane so badly."

"He either bought them illegally or he stole them directly from China," Johnson said.

"Well, I hope you can get it back to where it belongs without any trouble," she said. "I don't regret using it, not at all. But I'm sorry that I caused all of you such pain when I chose to cause that blizzard as payment."

Lector sighed. "It is a very dangerous item indeed. I hope Ryou Bakura won't still want to use it, especially since it looks like there's only one available slot left and he wouldn't be able to revive both his mother and his sister. We should get it to the Paradox Brothers as soon as possible."

"Can I go with them, Mom?" Noa asked. "I'd like to see everyone, especially now that I know it's safe. . . ."

From Mrs. Anderson's expression, she wondered if she could stand to let Noa go even for a little bit of time after getting him back at last. But she finally nodded. She knew she couldn't keep him cooped up indefinitely. "Go with them and see all your other friends, Noa," she said. "But stay in touch with me and don't be out too late!"

"I'll be fine," Noa assured her.

"We'll take good care of him," Lector promised. "I won't allow anything to happen to him again."

Mrs. Anderson finally smiled a bit. "I know you'll do everything in your power for him, Lector. You always did."

"I only wish I hadn't failed before," Lector lamented. "But I need to look forward and not back. It will be different now." He bowed. "Thank you for entrusting me once again."

She smiled. "Oh, go on now."

The group headed down the steps, Mokuba talking enthusiastically to Noa about all the things they could do now that he was here. Lector listened to them for a while but then tuned them out, staring ahead with worry in his eyes.

"What is it?" Nesbitt grunted.

"You know, we haven't thought much about the fox whip," Lector said. "We've been focusing on the crane since we figured Mrs. Anderson had it. But where's this item that brings death?"

"Maybe we should go back and look through that guy's house," Nesbitt said. "We could have overlooked something like that."

"We should," Lector agreed. "But neither the crane nor the whip had a reproduction made of them, as the others did. And if he gave the crane to Mrs. Anderson, what did he do with the whip? What if he didn't keep it?"

"Would he really give something like that to someone else?!" Crump yelped.

"I don't know," Lector said, "but with our track record, I'm afraid we really need to worry about where it is."

Gansley sighed. "I do, Lector," he said. "I most assuredly do."

xxxx

Mai was both surprised and bemused when the doorbell rang that morning and she opened it to find Vivian there. "Hello," she said slowly. "It's been a long time. . . ."

"I know, right?" Vivian exclaimed. She walked in without waiting for an invite. "I thought it was about time you and I had a heart-to-heart. Woman to woman, you know?"

Mai shut the door after her, smirking a bit. "Is this about Lector? Or one of the other guys you've been interested in?"

"Oh . . . you could say that," Vivian said. She whirled to face Mai again. "I'm wondering about you and Joey Wheeler."

Mai stared at her. "Huh?!"

"I mean, anyone can see that the two of you have something special going on," Vivian gushed. "How did that happen? What did you do to attract him?"

"There's nothing romantic going on between us," Mai insisted. "I'll admit, I think Joey may have crushed on me a little bit when we first met on the boat to Duelist Kingdom, but our relationship has very little to do with any kind of physical attraction. We love each other for who we are . . . although I'll admit I've struggled many times with how Joey can see anything worth loving in me at all. But he does." She sighed and folded her arms. "If your only interest in guys is how they're going to be in bed, you're not going to go very far in finding a deep relationship . . . or a decent guy."

"I care about more than that," Vivian pouted. "I love Lector's gentlemanly manners!" She clasped her hands in dreamy delight.

"But do you really care about finding out who he is as a person?" Mai countered.

Vivian frowned. "Of course I do. And I know a lot about him as a person. He's strong, and loyal, and muscular, and he has beautiful skin, and . . . !"

Mai facepalmed. "Honestly, I don't think you're going to get anywhere with Lector," she said. "He's not interested, hon. And I know hearing that might make you think of him all the more as some kind of challenge to conquer, but I think you need to sit down and evaluate what you really like about him, and about all of these other guys you're into. Do you really care about any of them? Or are you just infatuated and lustful?"

Vivian looked away with a scowl. "Are you telling me you've never had feelings like that for anyone?"

"That's not the point," Mai sighed. "The point is that a real, healthy relationship has to be built on so much more than that. And it also doesn't do any good to pursue someone who just isn't interested. Take it from someone who's been the one pursued."

That brought Vivian back around with wide eyes. "You've been pursued and you weren't interested?! Why?!"

"For one thing, because the guy was a chump," Mai said. "He felt like he could buy anything and everything he wanted with money and fame, including me. I can't live in a relationship like that. No one should. I wanted him to see me for myself, a hard-working woman with dreams, and that he couldn't just get me as a decoration to take to parties and host them for him."

Vivian frowned. "I've worked hard for everything I have. I've been in the movies, I have a high ranking in kung fu, and I'm the top Duelist in China. I wouldn't want a guy like that either."

"Then don't you think you should also work hard at any relationship you want to have?" Mai said. "And that doesn't mean thinking up elaborate and underhanded schemes to try to force men to do what you want, or thinking you can just use a man as your love slave. No self-respecting person wants to be in a relationship like that. And if you hurt someone's loved ones to try to force their hand, like you did to Yugi's grandfather at Kaiba's tournament, what kind of relationship are you going to have from that? Even if you'd won that duel and Yugi felt he had to fulfill your condition, he wouldn't have been happy and he wouldn't have cared about you. He would have only resented you, even hated you. Is that what you want?"

"No," Vivian admitted. She frowned. ". . . Maybe I don't really know how to get a guy interested," she said in a hypothetical tone of voice. "Maybe they never have been, so I just got used to taking the initiative and going after whoever I liked."

"Maybe you need to start by showing some respect for their personal space," Mai said. "You can't just go up to a stranger off the street and start cuddling them. That's going to give them a bad impression right away."

"Lector's the only one who's ever actually taken me on a date in spite of how I acted," Vivian said.

"Because he's a gentleman and he felt he had to fulfill your condition, since it didn't go against his moral standards," Mai said.

Vivian wrung her hands and started pacing the floor. "What should I do to get him interested, Mai? Or any guy? I always thought you were supposed to be yourself."

"You are, but within reason," Mai said. "You need to put a filter on your fangirling and treat the guys like real people and not decorations to snuggle with or take to bed. That's the same way that guy acted with me. You can still be quirky, determined, all of the traits that make you who you are. And sooner or later, you'll find someone who's attracted to all of that." She sighed. "Just don't get your hopes up about Lector being that one."

"It's still hard to understand him not being interested in romance," Vivian said. "Or Nesbitt feeling that same way. . . ."

"Some people just aren't," Mai said. "They don't feel they need it, especially if they're happy and fulfilled with what they have. And some have just . . . never had the desires or urges. I don't think they can explain it either. But that doesn't change that it's who they are."

"It's not who I am," Vivian said. "I can't remember when I wasn't interested!"

"And I'm sure that someday you'll meet someone who's interested in you," Mai said. "But you need to remember what I'm telling you."

"I guess." Vivian stared out the window.

Mai could tell she still didn't seem convinced. But she was out of ideas for advice. It seemed bizarre to her that anyone would come to her for love advice in the first place. "Listen to me or don't, it's up to you," she said. "But if you keep going on like you have been, you'll just alienate all the guys and everyone else too. People don't like to be around someone who acts like you have, thoughtlessly and selfishly making demands and propositioning whoever and whenever you feel like it."

". . . You don't pull any punches," Vivian said.

"That's part of why we made a good Dueling team," Mai said. "And . . . don't you have an assignment you should be focusing on right now anyway?"

"I do, but I don't know where to begin," Vivian said. "I've checked all the places I can think of for the missing items. What if they were on that guy when he attacked Lector and they're in the river too?"

"Then there's nothing that can be done until Spring," Mai said. She sighed. "But knowing our luck, I'm sure the items will turn up sooner than that." She wasn't sure she should tell about what she had been told of the crane, since the Big Five had wanted to try again to talk to Mrs. Anderson about it and they didn't need Vivian's kind of interference with that. And then all of them were clueless about the whereabouts of the fox whip, which was more than a little disturbing.

"So what should I do? Just wait around for them to show up and try to practice being nicer with the guys?" Vivian frowned.

"Maybe for now, that's about all you can do," Mai said.

Vivian started to back up towards the door. "Well, thanks for the girl talk, Mai," she said. "I'll be sure to drop around again sometime." She waved before opening the door and scooting out.

Mai shook her head. "I never thought about it before, but I think she and Jean-Claude Magnum were made for each other," she mused aloud to the room. "She could fangirl him and he would lap it up."

She quickly took out her phone to get back to more important matters, like finding out the latest about Noa.