Chapter 10

Bandit Trouble

Seto awoke to the sound of Mina mumbling in her sleep. She twisted and turned, sweating slightly from her brow. Seto hoisted himself up, until he was sitting with his back leaning on the flimsy headboard. He looked at the groaning woman beside him on the bed and hesitated. He sighed and decided to go for it, no matter what she would do to him after she woke up. He slid back under the covers and pulled her body towards his, enveloping her in the warmth of his body. He stroked her hair, whispering undefined words into her ear trying to calm her down, yet this action only intensified her moaning.

"Leave me alone!" Seto's head was close enough to Mina's to hear her mutter this under her breath. He almost thought she was talking to him until he realized he was dreaming. "No… No stop. Please…" She began to cry and Seto couldn't take it. What was she dreaming about that made her feel so bad?

Her muttering continued. "Yugi? Where are you? Please help me? He's back! No! Stop it!" Mina's voice rose higher and higher and she began to scream like she was in pain, all the while tears were running down her face.

Seto looked around in panic. He hadn't really been in this situation before. The closest thing he had ever got to comforting someone was when Mokuba woke up crying from a nightmare and came into his room seeking comfort. Even then, Seto didn't do much. He just sort of told Mokuba to suck it up and let him sleep in his bed. Seto wasn't really the comforting type. Before this, he was seen as a rich, arrogant tycoon and he liked it like that. But now, after meeting Mina, he had changed unconsciously. Seto looked down at the crying girl, who had now wrapped her hands around her body. Her knees had risen up and were now hugging her chest and she was curled in a defensive ball, as if trying to hide her body from someone. To Seto, she looked like someone who had just been beaten or ….

'Or raped.' Seto thought grimly and stared at the woman shivering next to his body. She didn't look like the type who would allow herself to be raped or to be abused. Maybe it was just a dream, but to Seto it looked like she was re-living the past.

"Help me someone! Get off me! Please! Someone will find me here and you will be…" Something had cut her off. "Stop it Ke - " Seto listened to her in anticipation. She was about to say her attacker's name and Seto wanted to know it so if the man were real he would be able to kill him.

Mina was now thrashing about in the bed and Seto grabbed onto her to keep her safe. Mina pushed him away as if he had hurt her. Suddenly, her attitude to Seto completely changed and she buried her head into his t-shirt.

"Yugi! Yugi!" She sobbed clinging onto him while still sleeping. "He… he…he did it. Keith… Bandit Keith."

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'Bandit Keith?' Kaiba held onto the sobbing woman while she calmed down in her sleep. Soon her sobs turned to sniffles which in time also faded away to the occasional hiccup. 'Wasn't he the one…'

Flashback

Mina looked around and thought she saw a familiar face under a hooded cloak. She grabbed Yugi's hand and held it hard. Yugi looked round and saw him too. 'Bandit Keith. I cannot believe he is here. We must stay away from him least he comes after Mina again. I will NOT allow that.' Yugi held Mina close reassuringly and the others gave them strange looks. Yugi mouthed to them the name of the evil man that had hurt Mina and the gang nodded and kept a look out. Seto Kaiba and Mokuba were out of it though. They had no idea who this Bandit Keith was and why everybody else was so tense when his name was said. Just as Mokuba started to ask about him, a voice rose above all the chatter…

End of Flashback

'That's why they were so tense around him. I wonder what he did. I have a good idea but I better get the details before jumping to conclusions. After all, that's what I'm renowned for. Smarts and cool calculations. Regardless, he must have done something terrible to make Mina react like that. I just can't see her succumbing to that man. She's so tough…' Seto's thoughts were interrupted by Fallen Angel walking into the hut.

Fallen Angel looked at the position Seto and Mina were in and raised an eyebrow. Seto looked at the girl next to him. He was curled around her, his arm placed over her body holding her protectively while she unconsciously nestled closer into the curve of his body. Seto looked at Fallen Angel and shrugged. He slowly eased himself out of the bed and stretched.

"Do I even want to know what happened?" Fallen Angel asked, knowing nothing had happened but wanting to see Seto's reaction.

"Who's Bandit Keith and what did he do to Mina?" Seto came out directly and Fallen Angel started back in surprise.

"How do you know him?"

"Mina had a nightmare about him in her sleep…"

Seto told her about what had passed through the night and Fallen Angel looked at her friend worriedly.

"I thought she would be ok after all this time. I guess she was just bottling it all up." She muttered under her breath.

Seto looked at her curiously and Fallen Angel gave him a reproachful look. "I don't know if I should tell it to you. If you want to know, you're going to have to ask Mina. Now go and eat with Ahanu. You must be hungry."

Seto wasn't really but he left anyway, thinking about what had just passed.

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"But what about the southern forest?" Seto asked Ahanu as the walked into the door of Mina's hut.

"There is no sign of anything strange but - " Ahanu stopped abruptly.

Seto turned to look at what Ahanu was staring at. Mina sat weakly in bed, propped up by a few poorly made pillows. She was talking to Fallen Angel with a sad look on her face but when the men came in she stopped and bestowed them with a feeble smile. Seto quickly walked over to her and sat by her side while Ahanu wished her a speedy recovery and quickly left giving the three some privacy.

Fallen Angel took one look at Seto's face and smiled internally. "I'll leave you two to chat." She walked out of the door, spread her wings and shit of towards her Chamber.

"How're you feeling?" Seto asked Mina, cautiously not wanting to show her what he was feeling for her at that moment.

Mina sat there, pale and weak but still looking like a queen. Her green eyes were sparkling with life and her smile was as fetching as ever. Just being around her made Seto feel light-headed.

"I'm ok. It was a bit stupid to go off by myself I guess."

"Damn straight. Never do that again!"

"Is Seto Kaiba worried about someone?"

"I –uh No. I'm just saying that 'cause if I end up going back to our time without you, my brother, Yugi and your other friends would kill me. Not that they would be able to."

"You are so up yourself. Just admit it. You were worried about me."

"I was not."

"Fallen Angel told me that you slept in the same bed as me and whenever I shivered or anything, you would hold me and make sure I was ok."

At this, Seto felt his cheeks slightly redden. He calmed his thoughts and pushed the heat away from his cheeks. "I – I"

Mina began to laugh and Seto joined in. "Thank you Seto."

Seto's heart skipped a beat. She had called him Seto again. Not Kaiba but Seto. He still remembered the time when she first called him Seto.

Flashback

Mina looked up to see that the Tyranno had cut her off. She turned her head wildly looking for a place to escape but to no avail. The Tyranno charged towards her, mouth open ready to chop down on its sweet prey. Just as the Tyranno snapped at her, Mina was thrown back by a large force and landed on a soft (well softer then the concrete) mass who gave a loud groan as he hit his back on the concrete pillar. Mina craned her head back to see Seto Kaiba, with his eyes closed, groaning. His hands were still around her waist where he grabbed her to safety. She quickly pried open his hands and saw that the Tyranno was coming back. She touched her hand onto Kaiba's face urging him to open his eyes.

"Wake up, wake up! Please Kaiba. Kaiba? Kaiba hurry." Mina looked back to see the Tyranno picking up speed and nearly reaching them. "Seto!!!!" she screamed.

Kaiba's blue eyes snapped open…..

She had then gotten out of his grip and laid a soft, warm hand on his cheek and urged him to get up. 'That parts not so weird.' She had called him Seto. 'Ok that's the weird part. Definitely.'

End of Flashback

"Mina, you should rest."

"Yeah, I kinda feel tired."

"I'll bring you some food too."

"Thanks, that'd be great."

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The days passed peacefully, with Mina resting until she got to full strength again and Seto journeying with Blue Eyes and Ahanu, looking for the portal back to their own time. Every night though, Mina, Seto, Fallen Angel and Blue Eyes would sit by a small fire in Fallen Angel's Sacred Chamber and talk. That night, Blue Eyes lay contently by the wall, dozing off by the fire while Fallen Angel leant back on his white body, sleeping. Mina and Seto sat by the fire, chatting quietly.

"What do you think Duel Monsters dream about?" Seto asked Mina.

"I dunno, but I'm pretty sure I know what Fallen Angel's dreaming about."

"What?"

"Dark Magician." Mina giggled.

"Hey, isn't it funny that although you, Yugi and I all have Egyptian God Cards, that we've never actually called them forth before."

"That's 'cause we know what destruction they can cause and because we prefer out original cards."

"Remember the Pyramid of Light?"

"Don't even mention that adventure. It freaked me out to no end."

"Freaked you out? I was the one who's mind got taken over."

"At the time, I thought it served you right for trying to get back at my brother."

"At the time? What about now huh?"

"I still do. Why can't you get over the fact that Yugi is better than you at duelling and just leave it at that. You'd probably get better if you accept it instead of being such a brat."

"I think I already have… I mean staying her for this time sort of taught me that." Seto stayed quiet for a while not mentioning that staying here with Mina taught him about care and accepting.

The two stayed quiet, staring into the flickering fire.

"You know that only good that came out of that adventure?" Mina asked, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" Seto made a noise with his deep, strong voice.

"I got to fly in Pegasus' chopper. That's not it actually. He dropped us off at this really nice place for a while, while he arranged a new driver. It was like somewhere on his island. I got to swim in a crystal pool with a waterfall above me. I loved that."

Seto looked at her and smiled briefly and turned his face away before she saw him smiling. He cleared his throat. "There's a natural hot spring near the village that I came across while looking for a portal. It might not be a crystal pool but it has a really pretty waterfall… If you're feeling up to it, I could take you tomorrow morning."

"No way! You serious?! I love you!" Mina leant over and gave Seto a hug, not knowing the effect she was having on him.

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The sun was just rising above the forest as Seto and Mina walked along the village. Mina, dressed in a tank top and her denim mini shorts while Seto was dressed in a pair of track-pants and a top. Seto had gone to Ahanu the night before and borrowed 2 hand-weaved towels as well as woven basket filled with food. As their packs had fallen through the portal with them, both Mina and Seto had their bathing suits with them and they walked silently together towards the west of the village, along a dusty path. Seto lead Mina to a clearing and in the middle of it lay a rock pool. No, it wasn't a rock pool per say. It was more of a hot spring. A large waterfall fell down to it, its waters spraying slightly out of the pool. The bottom of the waterfall, frothed white and Mina gave a slight squeal. She ran towards the water and touched it experimentally. It was warm.

Mina sighed and dipped her feet into the water. She laughed softly and Seto smiled slowly, loving the way she laughed at the smallest things. He sat by the side and watched as Mina stood up. His eyes widened slightly as she pulled of her top and shorts to reveal a white bikini. The top was tied up from the back and it suited her elegant cat-like form perfectly. She stepped into the water and walked through it until her whole body was submerged. Only her head was above and she tilted it back, resting it on the buoyancy of the water. She relaxed and floated on the water, her black hair fanning around her head like a glorious crown. Seto his heat beat a little faster and a little shiver went through his body as well as a feeling a little down south. He had never actually felt this way about a girl before. Sure, he's had loads of girlfriends before. I mean, come on. He was voted the world's most eligible bachelor for three years running. Girls practically threw themselves on him. Yet Mina was so different from the girls he would usually go for. His usual girls would complement him and swoon on him while Mina simply ignored him sometimes.

Mina stared at Seto who was lost in his own little world. She was feeling particularly happy today and smiled as she saw him sitting under the tree, thinking intently. She splashed some water at him and he jerked his head up. Mina giggled and motioned for him to come into the water. He sighed, as if she were a burden and stood up. Mina wondered what he was going to wear into the water. She watched as he pulled of his t-shirt displaying his perfectly chiselled abs and biceps. Again the thought of when the uptight CEO would have time to work out crossed her mind. Yes he was really, really good looking but Mina didn't like him. Couldn't like him. For even if she did, she knew Joey, Tristen and possibly Yugi would never approve and she wouldn't be able to live with that. Seto had just pulled of his track-pants to reveal a pair of jammers. They were a sort of men's swimwear. It was made out of the usual bathing suit material except that it reached up to his knees. Not that Mina was expecting the underwear style bathing suits. Somehow imagining Seto Kaiba strutting around in a male model bathing suit shoot didn't come into her mind very easily. What he was wearing right now suited him.

Seto walked slowly into the water and relaxed as the warm water un-tensed his muscles.

"So what were you thinking about so deeply over there?" Mina asked swimming closely to him. Seto moved slightly away from her, as her naked stomach that close to his was making him feel slightly hot.

"I – er. Nothing. Actually no. I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Who's Bandit Keith?"

Mina's eyes darkened as Seto said this and she fell quiet.