A/N: I need to get this arc FINISHED. GOD, it's like I'm behind on a deadline that wasn't even set. XD
~Ava
~XxX~
"..."
"...This is a very long elevator ride..." I mused, prompting a remark from the person who was leaning on the railing opposite me, arms folded and staring out of the glass across the virtual city. Doubtless he'd seen this sight so many times it didn't do anything anymore, but looking out like that made me feel two parts queasy and one part amazed.
"Thank you for stating the obvious, Callaghan, as usual your deducive powers leave me awed." The remark in question didn't seem like it was meant to actively offend, more taunt me. I continued to very deliberately not look near the glass wall and instead busied myself with my nails.
"Anytime, Lieutenant Sarcasm." Was my answer. They look so scruffy. I splayed my palm open to inspect my cuticles, since when do I bite my nails? How did I not notice? I finished my examination of my nails and then glanced over to Seto, trying not to see outside. "So," I began, voice a tad shaky from being this high up, "where are we going exactly?" He didn't look away from the glass while he answered.
"The top floor, Callaghan; my office." I heard him mutter something else lowly, it sounded vehement though...
"..." I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came. It suddenly struck me than maybe I shouldn't have come, it was going to get personal, I had already intruded on most of his childhood memories and insisted on wandering into his office for no other reason than company and coffee. This was going to be hundreds of times worse, a talk between Father and Son, but with both of them wishing for the other's slow death. Not to mention the fact that said Father could destroy the Earth if we weren't careful.
The lift dinged.
~XxX~
"I should have taught you to knock." The voice from behind the desk sounded like a mix between smug and malevolent, I hung by the door for a moment after Seto walked over to said desk and glared at the chair that had it's back to us.
"You weren't one for manners, Gozaburo." Was the sharp reply, I took a few quiet steps into the room, hovering by a cheeseplant when Gozaburo turned the chair to face Seto. His attention was solely focused on him, so I loosened a little.
"Now Seto, I just want to talk." The way he enunciated the word 'talk' made it clear he wanted to do anything but. Instead he just looked down a the large chessboard that was infront of him, moving another piece. The game looked half played, and in the final stages of a Scholar's Mate. I frowned, he didn't want a re-match with Seto did he?
"Even if we had a hundred years to talk,Gozaburo, I would still only have one thing to say to you." A glance down to the chessboard before Seto locked eyes with the man opposite again, "Let us out of this Virtual farce." I snickered, I couldn't help it after such a well delivered snark. Unfortunately, it drew attention to both myself and my cheeseplant shield. I quashed my rising urge to flee at the dark look Gozaburo gave me, instead doing what my Mother had always taught me when selling houses. Channel the nervousness into a smile.
"Hi." I said, keeping my voice normal, "We've met before." Two pairs of eyes looked at me in varied levels of vague amusement and utter annoyance.
"Get out of my office, girl." The cold finality behind Gozaburo's words made me suddenly know what the anxious feeling that people who had just been fired was, but a thought occured to me.
"It isn't your office." I answered, knowing what I was going to say next and just feeling the hate I was going to get retro-spectively, "It's his." I nodded my head to Seto, not taking note of his expression. I took a step forward and gestured with my hands like a professor, "Admittedly, it isn't his either, but that's only because this office is virtual and the real one isn't." I looked up from my gesticulations to see eye-to-eye with the dead CEO, feeling my fear kick my heartbeat up a few extra notches, "But the real office is Seto's." I finished with a shrug, what followed was a pause in which I started to feel like a rabbit in the headlights of a car. But not any car, freaking Christine. A car that felt vengeful. I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"You seem exactly like the type Seto would go for." Gozaburo said as I felt an insult brewing, "Brash and annoying, no class and uneducated." The words were said with malice but I didn't feel hurt, I knew he was a bastard already.
"Oh come on," I said, feeling self-concsious, "I scored pretty high on that IQ test in London."
"Quiet girl."
"Callaghan..." The look Seto gave me made me roll my eyes.
"Fine." I sighed and went back to examining my nails and stood just a little behind him, leaning against one of the low sofas. Once it becaome clear that I wasn't going to look up or answer back again, Gozaburo stood up to walk past us both. I overheard snippets of low conversation.
"-I hate you to the point of death, Seto-"
"-You couldn't even beat me as a kid-"
"-Duel Monsters, familiar?"
"-You're blaming me for your suicide?"
"Well then Seto, I believe it's time to duel." Gozaburo's final words to his step-son before leaving the virtual office made me freeze. Should I go? I wanted to, but my earlier crisis of...faith? Affection? Privacy? Stopped me. I looked up from my nails and stood up straight.
"No, Callaghan." The words sealed my thoughts as Seto was halfway towards the door.
"I know...Kaiba." My words seemed to not have been expected, if only for a moment as he hesitated before nodding and leaving, not looking at me once. Once I was alone in the office I regretted it. I knew that I would rather be there, in the same arena, providing moral support that he didn't really need...but that was it. He really didn't need it. And this time, of all times, he needed to do it on his own. I got that now, I understood it. Instead, I wandered over to the bookshelf in the corner, picking up a book.
KaibaCorp Stocks: '65-'75
I felt a sinking feeling, there was going to be nothing of interest to me on this bookshelf was there? A few more quick checks of book titles, and that feeling was confirmed. I turned on my heel and glanced around the room again, there had to be something to do while they were dueling...I absent-mindedly tapped the Isaac's Cradle on the desk and heard the rythmic clacking for a moment.
The computer.
Gozaburo had left the desk computer on after he'd left.
Glancing left and right, feeling like a naughty school-child, I sat in the high-backed chair behind the desk. After revelling in the sense of power I got from being in the boss's chair for once, I turned my attention to the screen.
Kaibaland.
I held back a giggle, Gozaburo had been the one telling Noah the blueprint's then? How petulant. I shook my head, manouvering the mouse to click on some more files, to snoop as it were. A part of my brain found it hilariously hypocritical of me to be complaining about privacy and then doing this, but the rest of me was intriuged, besides, it was all Gozaburo's stuff anyway. I whipped through several files containing information on the death of Noah and his virtual resurrection, what struck me was, for a Father trying to save his dying son, the dying son wasn't mentioned a whole lot. In fact, the tech was mentioned far more. I sighed, feeling a tad sorry for Noah before closing the window and looking for another interesting file to click on. He really should log off before leaving his computer... I thought while browsing the names of folders, stopping when I came to a paticularily eye-catching title of melodrama.
Death-T Analyisis: CONFIDENTIAL.
The last word drew me in, reverse-psychology working a treat as I hovered the mouse over it, expecting a password prompt. None. I pondered over it for a second before realising that I was at Gozaburo's computer, it obviously had the highest access.
I clicked the file name.
Read it with growing horror.
And nearly screamed.
~XxX~
A/N: FFFFFFFF, so none of you saw that coming right? For those of you unaware of the "Death-T" arc in the manga...you have two choices, Wikia it, or review and ask me.
And yes, she didn't follow Kaiba to the most important duel, yes she just called him by his last name again, yes it will be explained next time, yes I will be explaining what "Death-T" was anyway in a few chapters XD
~Ava