Duel Seven: ThE mEdIcAl WaRd

Along the way to the Medical Ward I was going in and out of consciousness in some guard's arms. Pressure had been applied to my head and my eyes could barely remain open. Although I felt like I was dying, what with the massive headache and blood dripping out of it, all I could think about was how close I was to obtaining an answer, but only to fail.

For the first time in a long time, I began thinking like an actual child my age (the last being scolded by Father when I cried and all I wanted was Mama.) I wanted to stay here, not return home to what could have been a lie. Back home where Father and Mama would more than likely be extremely angry.

What if Pegasus and I were related?

What if the reason Father alienated me from everything was to hide me from things connected to Pegasus?

Surely he was everywhere, but why would Father be suspicious? Why would he think I would look at Pegasus and think there was a connection? Granted, these were all assumptions, maybe this was the wrong Pegasus, surely if there were a lot of Smiths and Kimuras in the world, there would be more than one line of Pegasus' right?

I wanted to stop thinking, but the more I thought the stronger the headache and the stronger the headache, the longer I remained awake. What if Pegasus made a personal visit to see me? I don't know why he would with everything else going on, but there was that small percent of a chance…

Mr. Kimura's Medical Office, Domino City

"This was your idea," a short, stout man snarled out from a video image on one of the five monitors projected against one of Kimura's office walls. His door was locked and the walls were soundproof, plus he had done this for years, he had plenty of practice keeping things secret. Very much like his business partners – the Big Five.

"Otaki-san, if you are so concerned, then get the girl yourself. One of your loyal cronies has already spied the girl on the island, it's not as if her location is unknown." Kimura replied back, ceasing any venom he felt he wanted to spout at the five buffoons in suits.

"Yes, but she is a potential threat if Pegasus finds out about her origins," another man, Ooka Chikuzen, retorted sharply, giving the doctor a sardonic look.

"She doesn't even know anything,"

"Then why is she even on that island?"

"Possible peer pressure," replied Kimura with ease, although his eyebrow ticked every five seconds from irritation.

"We have to keep her alive and out of harm's way, at least until we can hold her against Pegasus." Tatieichino claimed firmly, "these rules were set eight years ago after you aided the late Cyndia Pegasus in childbirth."

Kimura sneered grimly, the Pegasus' wedding procession barely made it to the vows before Cyndia's liver and lungs ultimately began shutting down. Kimura had been Cyndia's doctor since he graduated medical school with a steep loan debt. He marveled in the memory of when he first witnessed her grace and beauty, her soft voice and vibrant eyes. He also, quite vividly, recalled the equally handsome man Cyndia fell passionately in love with. He had only seen the silver-haired man once in person, but when he did it was after Cyndia's return from a year-long trip 'around the world.'

At least, that was her excuse. What Pegasus never knew was that Cyndia had come to Kimura seeking help, that she had taken pregnancy tests left and right and all pointed towards positive. The blonde beauty felt guilty about not waiting at least until their wedding night (she knew Pegasus' intentions of proposing to her since he requested for an audience with her parents one day.)

Abortion was not an option, she wanted children, but had been warned against it by multiple physicians and family members. Although a healthy glow radiated from her from the outside, an illness lay dormant within her brain.

Kimura strolled down memory lane as the Big Five continued to verbally plan the next step that had so carelessly left the Kimuras' hands – remove the child from the island or put her into effect now.

"Kimura," Dimon said, snapping the doctor out of his daydreaming, "we have decided."

Back on Pegasus' Island

Against my wishes, I had fallen into an uncomfortable slumber before the Medical Ward had even come into view. However, I awoke no more than thirty minutes later to a cold, wet cloth on my forehead. Voices speaking back and forth a few feet away.

"-heard Kaiba was out front, dueling Yugi Mutou-"

"You heard right, Pegasus-sama must be enthralled,"

My eyes fluttered softly, I didn't want to give anyone the idea that I was awake. Slowly fixing my eyes on two silhouettes a couple of paces away, I noticed that my head no longer throbbed, instead it only ached. My eyelids were heavy, probably from the lack of sufficient food and sleep for the last couple of days, but I immediately felt restless and couldn't think of falling back asleep.

Daylight was still burning, if the light flooding into the room was any indication. I closed my eyes when the voices drew nearer and someone stepped up to the right side of the bed I was laying on.

"We should keep her overnight, no one on that stupid ship knows the proper first aid if her stitches reopen."

"She only has ten stitches," the other voice grumbled, the cloth was taken away from my forehead.

"She can easily break into a full-blown fever, which is what I'm trying to prevent now - she's already at ninety-nine degrees…"

"Wouldn't it be better to send her to Domino Hospital then?"

"Don't insult Pegasus-sama, or me for that matter, he hires the best." I could assume this was a doctor, the man probably one of Kemo's lackeys.

"I wasn't trying to…" the man trailed off as the doctor walked away and he followed to continue their conversation, I remained still, not wanting to risk being seen moving with them so close by.

I began to wonder just how close I was to Pegasus, would I manage to sneak away and explore the castle (as I still assumed I was held within)? Fatigue pulled at my consciousness again, wanting to lull me back into slumber, my pride refrained me from doing so and my brain continued to ponder.

It barely registered that Yugi was right outside the castle, dueling Kaiba…the Kaiba, Mokuba's older brother, Kaiba? That was a strange name, maybe it was a surname…well, of course it was, Kaiba Corporation. How many people used their first names as business titles? So Mokuba Kaiba, wonder what he was even doing here. Then again, when those guards came down I was the last person they would expect, so they had came to retrieve Mokuba…but for what?

Approaching footsteps brought me out of my thoughts as a newly dampened cloth was applied to forehead again. The doctor was alone, the guard must have left.

"Kids these days…." He muttered, before walking away, "Makes me think back in the days when Kimura and I worked together….so long ago,"

My eyes shot open.

"Kimura? You knew my Father?" I asked, sitting up abruptly, the cloth falling into my lap. The doctor, an older man (possibly in his sixties) with neatly combed, snow-white hair streaked with silver, turned around slowly, as if he knew I had been awake the entire time. His warm, gray eyes looked through a pair of half-moon glasses at me. He stood straight, donning a white doctor's coat and brown pants.

"Ah, you're awake." The doctor spoke, "Misaki Kimura is your father hm?"

I nodded and his eyes grew bigger, at first, he remained where he was, staring at me in wonder. Then he began to inch near me, almost in disbelief.

"A coincidence, I'm sure, you were curious like those other two children that stowed away." He muttered, but seemingly to himself. I frowned.

"I wasn't curious about the tournament if that's what you're thinking, I only just got some cards a few days ago." I retorted evenly, reminding myself I had to be polite to my elders.

"Coincidence, coincidence," the man continued to mutter as he got closer, his eyes scrutinizing me from head to toe, his eyes getting wider every time.

"There's no way Kimura would have left you without supervision, if what you claim is true," the doctor spoke.

"Who are you and what about my father? What's a coincidence?"

"A coincidence is an event that happens without meaning to, but is remarkable to do so." The doctor explained, although I kept my mouth shut from stating I already knew what a coincidence was.

"I mean why is that it's a coincidence that I'm here?" would I even need to get answers from Pegasus? I consider it an awesome coincidence if this doctor (who apparently worked alongside my father) knew what I wanted to know.

"There's no doubt, you are her daughter, but the eyes, they're not hers." The doctor continued under his breath, his eyes shifting from my hair to my eyes.

"Who?"

"Pardon me Little Lady, my manners are lacking. I am Doctor Morgan Itozani, "

"You said you worked with my father?"

"Misaki Kimura?" he said in a questioning tone, as if believing I had another father.

"Yes,"

"Fine man, but like us all, he was not perfect." Itozani claimed, he sighed, "but those are not the matters a child like yourself should be concerned with, since you are awake, I should inform Kemo-"

"No!" I cried, reaching out toward him, "please, please don't." The older man gave me a refined, knowing look.

"You do not know, I can see it." He said, looking me straight in the eyes, I tried not to blink, afraid if we broke the connection I would lose the perfect opportunity.

"What do I not know? Can you tell me? Do you know who my real parents are?" I burst out, the man shook his head lightly.

"So curious, so smart, Kimura was deceptive, probably still is." Itozani looked off into the distance, I briefly wondered if it was time for his retirement, considering he couldn't concentrate on the conversation.

"What do you mean?" I asked, he shook his head again.

"Much too young," he said.

"If I were too young, I wouldn't have taken it upon myself to come here,"

"Ah, but not alone." The doctor replied back cleverly, I shut my mouth tight and fought the urge to cry.

"It is not a matter of knowing and not telling you, Little Lady. It is a matter beyond your imagination, of life and death. I witnessed an event that should not have transpired, I have been sworn to secrecy. If I broke it, you and I would both suffer." The doctor announced softly, I was suddenly under the impression that he thought he was speaking to an adult.

"I've known of you since the day you were born, Penelope." Itozani claimed, my eyebrows rose into my hairline.

"You know my name?"

"You are the adopted daughter of Misaki and Anako Kimura, there is no other Penelope Lucy Kimura." Explained the doctor, I flung the covers off of me and slid out of the bed.

"So I am adopted," I repeated his words to myself, over and over again. "Then you must know my real parents?"

"I know of them, you know of them, but he does not know of you." The doctor claimed, but he began to look slightly worried as his eyes scanned the Medical Ward several times as if awaiting for someone to pop out of the medicine cabinet.

"It's a coincidence then, that I came here because…Pegasus is my fa-"

"Ssssh," the doctor put his finger to his lips and I never managed to finish my sentence.

"You were not supposed to know of that for a very long time, Little Lady." He said in a hushed whisper, I gave him a pleading gaze and he sighed again. "You are a part of a plot for power, Penelope. For grown-ups, it is very dangerous, to involve children makes it very inhumane,"

"I want to meet him," I claimed, the man nodded in understanding, but looked very grim.

"If only we never met Little Lady, if Kimura and the Big Five ever found out that I had the power to stop you from ruining their plans I would be no more. Do you understand? This is no duel, not a fight you can win with strategy, it is a part of the dark side of life. Your conception made you into a pawn,"

"The Big Five? I'm a part of their plans? For what?" I felt like all I had coming out of my mouth were questions, but the older man seemed unwilling to explain, things like that don't happen on criminal shows.

"Oh…I should not have said that, my old age is getting to me." The man almost whimpered.

"What is the Big Five?"

"A business group that work for Kaiba Corp, I will say no more Little Lady," he replied, he was almost jumpy now, a chirp from a bird outside made him swing his head in that direction.

"Kaiba Corp? What is going to happen to Mokuba?" I asked, "what about the duel outside?"

The man looked even grimmer.

"Kaiba is in the castle, Mokuba is beyond my expertise at the moment however," Itozani replied, for some reason, his answer worried me.

"What about Yugi Mutou and the group of people with him?"

"Not in the castle," he replied simply as he turned away, leaving me to my thoughts for a couple of minutes.

This Big Five that worked for Kaiba Corporation, were they connected to Kaiba's appearance here on the island? Are they all connected in this plot against my biological parents? For power? What exactly did Pegasus do?

"Where is he?" I spoke, determination struck every word, Itozani peered over his shoulder at me from across the room to where he wandered to moments earlier. He was standing at a clean table, his hair slightly out of place since he kept running his hands through it nervously.

"Ah, probably dueling against Kaiba now, a couple of floors down at the end of the lobby," he claimed, muttering something else under his breath I couldn't hear. Without any attempts to stop me, I discovered I was barefoot and still attired in clothes from before, specks of blood decorated my shoulders and back.

Finding my shoes on the nightstand beside my medical bed, I slid them on and with one last glance at Itozani, I hurried to the door of the Medical Ward, looked for guards or Kemo then ran out.

Had I stayed longer, I would have noticed the old-fashioned cradle telephone Itozani had been blocking from my view on the table.