Author's Note: I'm posting this from school... I really shouldn't be. But I felt like it anyhow. So here it is. OH AND HEY. Seto's actually in this chapter. Scary, I know, right? XD Warnings for this chapter: Disturbing themes, slight suggestive themes
"The boy?" I asked, more of an answer than a question. The two boys nodded in unison, but the brunette girl was apparently beyond answering my questions, and she threw her arms up into the air. I didn't budge, though she looked fully prepared to slap me; she just didn't seem to be much of a threat, even if she thought she was. "And what exactly are you doing?" I snarled, quite obviously startling her. She backed up, a flush falling over her cheeks in embarrassment. I couldn't tolerate the stuttering that followed, and turned my back wordlessly on the group. Unfortunately, I bumped into a blond woman who interrupted my quest for the exit… and the young boy from before. Mustn't forget him.
"Uh, watch where you're going!" she barked. My eyes scanned her from head to toe, as though assessing danger; I determined her, like the brunette, to be mostly harmless. I scoffed, quite unimpressed, despite what any normal person would've done: apologize and moved on. She was tall and thin, skin pale with golden blond hair. Her eyes were a light violet color, her figure alluring. This one seemed older than the others I'd run into, apart from Pegasus and his goons. Involuntarily, I swept to her right, and immediately proceeded through the door. I didn't do that; I didn't think to do that. My body is acting on its own accord. "Hey, you!" the blond called after me. "Where's your manners?"
I turned my head to glance over my shoulder at the woman. "Sorry," I replied. I darted away from the group before they could ask me anything else, for example, my name; I slammed the door back to the foyer behind me. After I'd caught my breath, my mind began reeling. I couldn't afford for this to happen now, and yet it was now my mind had decided to replay the day's events before my eyes… I had killed two people; I still didn't know my own name; I had been utterly rude and disrespectful to nearly everyone I'd met. The first thought disturbed me the most, and as my gaze fell silently upon one of Pegasus' fallen henchmen, I felt suddenly ill. What had I done?
I couldn't describe the feelings to you if I tried, but trust me when I say that they were sickening and unbearable. I clutched my gut as I walked down the stairs, falling to the floor when I reached their bottom. What was this burning sensation in my head? Why had all of the pain from before come back now, just as I was at the brink of my escape? The bruises ached, my stomach swelled, and my head was pounding with blood. I felt bile gathering in my mouth, and dragged myself over to a potted plant. I vomited a viscous black substance onto the poor thing's leaves. I had killed! Another hurl into the pot. Two men! I groped my abdomen in agony. Would this torture be of no end?
The thought that plagued my mind above all others: what was I? I seemed to be the epitome of imperfection. I didn't give thought to my actions; I had no memory, and so I could call on none of my previous personality traits to guide me. I was learning myself all over again. For the time being, my brain mostly remained an empty shell, so each situation I'd been involved in had called upon different physical reactions. I called these reactions involuntary thus far. I wanted to know, though, how easily the ability to kill had come to me. I wanted to know why I spoke without reasoning, and why rationalizations were the only part of my thinking process not foreign to me.
Movement in my peripheral vision disrupted my inner monologue. I tilted my head up, staring at the source of distraction. The raven-haired, soulless boy had moved. Mokuba, that was his name. Pushing myself up and away from the potted plant, I stole a few more glances at his body. To my disappointment, he wasn't moving anymore. I weakly called out, bile dripping from the edges of my mouth "Mokuba?" There was no verbal response, but he lifted his head, violet eyes drifting across my figure. He seemed quite lost, much like I'd been upon opening my eyes for the first time after Pegasus had drugged me. Although now in considerable pain, I managed to clutch onto the stairs' railing and pull myself up into standing position. "Mokuba," I said, much louder than before. He still said nothing.
I felt undead as I strode across the foyer toward the young one. The picture of reality before me had blurred, and every one of my joints felt as though it'd been shot out. I may have shed a tear, but if I had, by the time I collapsed at the boy's side, I had no recollection of it. My body still felt heavy, though I was quite lean; this was a feeling I could, once again, try to explain and fail at doing so. One of my shaking hands touched the boy's face, and suddenly, he registered what I was doing. He sprang away from me, ridding my crippled body of support. I fell to the side, barely catching myself on my bruised elbow. I winced as the nerves shot electricity along my arm.
"W-who, what I…" Mokuba nervously stared down, voice fading into oblivion. In spite of his fright, a tiny smile spread across my face – there was something comical about his reaction to regaining his soul. When he looked back up at me, I straightened myself against the closed doors behind me. I nodded at him, and made a gesture similar to tipping my hat, if I had ever owned such a thing. "Y-you… hey, you're the girl from the cell, aren't you?" he asked, expression brightening instantly.
Oh, at last he had spoken to me. And I was more than willing to give reply. To get an actual response from my sore throat, however, proved a challenge. "Y-" I coughed, earning a pitying glance from the boy. "Yes," I corrected, smile growing just a tad. He looked practically ready to embrace me, an act which I would have accepted quite willingly if it hadn't been for the loud bang of a door slamming above us. Mokuba jumped, and I must admit, so did I. I sensed a stormy aura heading toward us, though the youth before me seemed very much at ease… happier than before, even. I raised an eyebrow, rolling my head onto my shoulder to get a quick look at the man now striding down the stairs.
He was tall and lanky, yet with powerful, broad shoulders. Brunette hair hung down in front of his eyes, shielding them from the world; his skin was winter white. This man carried himself with an air of certainty, of confidence; someone wiser than I may have placed it as arrogance, even. He wore a black turtleneck, a deep purple overcoat atop that; black pants and a multitude of belts decorated his lower body. His appearance struck me as intimidating: a word I'd never considered using prior to this moment unless describing myself. I would not even place Pegasus in this man's rank. I watched him move fluidly, gracefully, much like a tiger stalking its unknowing prey. His composure changed quite quickly however, as Mokuba ran to him, and tightly hugged his waist.
"Mokuba, there you are," he muttered, leaning down to cling onto the boy's shoulders. A tiny smile graced his expression, which was otherwise unreadable, due to the concealment of his eyes. "Are you hurt?" he asked, clearly in some sort of parental tone. He seemed too young to be the boy's father; perhaps they were brothers. I watched from afar, shifting uncomfortably against the brazen doors behind me. "Did Pegasus harm you in any way?" I could've made several wise-ass remarks at that statement, but remained silent for the time being. It was as though I was invisible to the brown-haired man. To my amazement, Mokuba shook his head.
"No, I feel fine, big brother," he cheered. "It's like nothing ever happened to me!" The older one seemed unsure of the youth's words, pouting a bit as he leaned against the wall for support. Mokuba blinked, tilting his head curiously at the brunette. "What's wrong, Seto? Did Pegasus hurt you?" Again, I was brought to the edge of making some sort of derogatory remark. Instead, I allowed myself to consider the name: Seto. Why did my head start hurting at that name's very sound? I placed a hand to my forehead.
"He took you away from me, Mokuba. Of course he hurt me," the other replied, swiftly embracing the other again. "But Mokie… how did you escape? I saw you in the dungeon when Pegasus first brought me here. Did you get out by yourself?" Once more, the raven-haired teen shook his head.
"No, not by myself. She helped," Mokuba cooed, pointing directly at me. Fuck. I don't want to deal with him; his little reunion's really none of my concern! I just want out! Surely enough, the one identified as Seto was now walking toward me, Mokuba trailing just behind. He extended a hand, as though expecting me to take it; I judged him to be ignorant, blind, naïve, extending a hand to someone who may very well kill him. Had I just thought that? All the same, I couldn't take his hand, for my bones had become like lead pipes. I opened my mouth to say something witty to convey the point that I was in horrendous condition and he was actually considering shaking my hand, when all at once…
"What're you doing?" I blurted, realizing that I was rapidly being pulled upward. Soon, I was standing, whether I wanted to be or not. Yes, my legs were shaking – it felt like I wasn't even in contact with solid ground, like it was quicksand beneath my feet. I would've sworn, even, if at that precise moment I hadn't looked into Seto's eyes. They were ice blue, cold and unfeeling, much like I pictured my own to be. The lightning that ran through those eyes startled me, and all the same, this felt so right, and so very familiar. I questioned myself immediately, and tried to back up, falling weakly against the exit doors.
"I was trying to help!" he replied, glaring at me when I pulled away from him. "Rude much." He muttered to himself, his head falling forward and hiding his eyes from me. Thank gods; I didn't know how much longer I could stand looking into them. As I settled into my place, Mokuba gasped. I quirked an eyebrow at him, only to find one of his tiny fingers pointing directly at my chest. A flutter of anger rose in my stomach, and I was about to tell him off for inappropriate behavior, when I too stopped and recognized the tiny metallic object still hanging around my neck. It rested just above my breasts, the dragon image facing outward, the initials in toward me. I couldn't help but reach up to touch it. Seto also seemed to notice, and his sudden closeness surprised me to the point of blushing.
"S-Stop it, get away from me," I growled, though anyone could tell my threat was halfhearted. His hand fumbled with the top hanging from the chain round my neck. I wanted to slap him, but for once, my body was preventing me from acting violently. I was paralyzed by some unrecognizable emotion. Breathes caught awkwardly in my mouth, and I felt very uncomfortable. When he raised his head, I got another look into those sapphire orbs. They were alive now, swimming with feeling, which scared me a bit; he didn't seem the type for frequent emotive responses. "What's wrong?" I asked, sounding as though I cared a great deal more than I thought I did.
"It can't be…" His eyes darted down again, and he twisted the metal object in his hand. His gaze lingered on the "SK" carved into its side. With an expression of shock, he gently pulled on the chain, forcing our eyes to lock only inches apart. What came next was a large variety of senseless babble, followed by a very unexpected question.
"Rina?" An overwhelming pain gripped my head, my vision giving way into shadow.
For the second time in my life, I'd fallen into the arms of Seto Kaiba.