Aoi: hi everyone! This chapter is a bit of a time skip from the last chapter.
Akai: i.e. six months.
Aoi: hahahahashutupAkaihahhah
Akai: …
Aoi: also there is a lot of stuff about old time clothing so I'm sorry if got it wrong. Anyway, on with the story!
"I. Cannot. Believe. This." Akina said, standing in one of the Kaiba Corp. guest rooms. "A French masquerade theme? Are you kidding me?"
Eiko stood with her arms held above her head has Akina slipped the dress over her. It was the end of summer, and not much had changed. Eiko and Seto were still together and Eiko's hair was still in a short boy cut. The only thing that had really changed was Kiba and Mokuba, who had both grown a significant amount over the summer.
"The woman he's marrying is French," PK explained. She was referring to Mr. Takahada, who was throwing an engagement ball tonight for him and his fiancé, Marie.
"That's no excuse for forcing people to wear corsets!" Akina exclaimed. She looked back at the dress, which was now placed over Eiko's body. The dress was light blue, had white bows, and there was dark fabric draped down the two sides of the dress. Eiko had to admit: Even though Akina wasn't exactly thrilled about the whole 'masquerade' thing, she sure did do well on the dress.
"Well, that's as good as it's gonna get," Akina said, placing her hands on her hips.
"Akina, it's so pretty!" Eiko said, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah, let's see how you feel when you have a tight corset around your waist and a wig that weighs as much as Kiba." Akina pulled the dress off of Eiko. Suddenly, Eiko's phone rang and she checked the caller ID.
"Mai? What's up?"
"Hey, Eiko," Mai said over the phone line. "You're with that fashion genius, right?"
"Yeah, I'm with Akina. Why?"
"I need to pick out an outfit to wear for my date with Jonouchi," Mai explained.
"Wait—date. With Jonouchi?" Eiko asked, exasperated. "When did this happen?"
"He asked me earlier today," she explained. "We're going to the arcade, not exactly my dream date; but hey, what are you gonna do?" the other side of the line was quiet for a second. "Anyway, the fashionista please."
"Oh, yeah, sure." Eiko pulled the phone away from her ear. "Akina," She said.
Akina turned to face her. "Yes?"
"My friend needs some fashion advice."
Akina snatched the phone out of Eiko's hand.
She brought it up to her ear. "Akina Sachi, secretary by day, notorious fashonista by night." She was silent for a second, as it seemed that Mai was explaining her situation. Akina nodded sometimes, occasionally saying "u-huh" over the line.
She pulled the phone away from her ear for a second. "Go take a shower, I'll be back in about half an hour to get you all ready." Akina and PK walked out of the room. Eiko walked into the huge bathroom and proceeded to take off her clothes.
Seto walked through the halls of the mansion, still wearing his work clothes. He needed to find Akina and Eiko; they didn't have much time before they had to go to the ball. He came across Akina and PK standing beside each other in the halls. Akina was busy talking on the phone, so he walked over to PK.
"Have you seen Eiko?"
PK gestured to the guest room. Seto walked over to the door, entered the room, and shut the door behind him. He looked around the room but didn't see Eiko anywhere. He then heard the sound of soft humming coming from the bathroom. He turned; the door to the bathroom was slightly ajar. Seto opened the door full way, and he saw Eiko standing in the foggy bathroom, a towel loosely around her body. Seto was about to leave when he noticed something. There was a light yellow tint on the left side of her back, but it wasn't just a random blob. It had a shape; a familiar shape. Seto remembered something from a few months ago: Red's strangely shaped tattoo. It was strange that Red would have a tattoo that Eiko wouldn't know about. Seto looked closer at the yellow shape. It reminded him of a griffon, with a long tail and eagle-like wings. The fog in the bathroom started to fade. Eiko slowly turned around.
"Um, Seto?" Eiko said with a shocked look on her face. "what are you—"
Suddenly something hard hit Seto's face.
"You pervert!" Red yelled at him, an angered look on her face. She grabbed Seto's collar and started to shake him furiously. "I knew you were bad, but this? I mean really!"
"Red, stop!" Eiko said, pulling her off of Seto. "Seto, are you okay?" Eiko asked while looking over at his face.
"Ugh, what do you brake bricks in your spare time?" Seto asked, looking over at Red. Her arms were crossed and she was wearing a pissed off look. "And what's up with that tattoo on your back?" Seto asked, looking at Eiko now.
"Tattoo?" Eiko said, a confused look on her face. "What tattoo?" Akina and PK came walking in.
"What happened?" PK asked. Seto was about to answer when she cut him off. "May I remind you we have little over an hour to get you two ready for the ball? And from my understanding it takes quite a while to get all this stuff on, right, Akina?"
"Mai wants to talk to you," Akina said, handing her the phone.
"What? About what?" PK asked looking at her.
Akina shrugged. "She referred to you as the fighting guru or something."
PK took the phone and walked out of the room. Akina turned to look over that the two.
"Kaiba, my friend Oda is here to help you with your outfit; Eiko, you're with me." Akina looked at them. "Eiko why are you, on to of, and why is Red?" she said, taking her in the room. "You know what, I don't have time. Kaiba! Out!" Akina said, pointing at the door with her thumb. Seto got up and slowly walked out of the room. He turned to look back at Eiko when the door slammed in his face. Seto turned to see PK talking on the phone.
"So, remember: SING. Solar plexus, Instep, Nose, and Groin. Alright, glad I could help, Mai." PK shut the phone; she turned to see Seto standing by the door. "I don't need to explain myself." She then walked away.
Jonouchi walked alongside Mai through the arcade. Jonouchi had to admit; he was pretty proud as he walked with Mai. A lot of guys from the arcade took a double take when they saw him with her. Jonouchi like to think that the others were impressed with his date. Which was true, but they hadn't really noticed Jonouchi. Jonouchi looked over at Mai. She wore a short, sleeveless purple dress that was laced up at the bust. She wore long, dangly earrings that reminded Jonouchi of chandlers.
"So, um… you hungry?" Jonouchi asked.
Mai smiled slyly. "Yeah, I could use a bite."
"I'll be right back! Don't move!" Jonouchi ran off towards the food court. Mai chuckled, 'he's sweet, a bit overconfident. But that just makes him even cuter,' she thought, smiling. Mai suddenly had the feeling she was being watched she turned around quickly. She saw a familiar face.
"Hey Mai," a man about Mai's age said.
"What the hell are you doing here, Jacob?" Mai asked, angery. Jacob had thick brown hair jelled up in spikes, and his green eyes had a creepy glow to them. He wore a light brown trench coat that covered his stained white t-shirt and old pair of jeans. He had that I'm-the-Creepy-Guy-that-the-Neighborhood-Watch-Comittee-Warns-you-About look.
"What, a guy can't visit an old friend?"
"Not when they come up in the most shady way they can fathom. I mean, really Jacob, you should be like selling watches in a New York subway!"
"Oh, come on, don't be like that," he said, approaching her.
"Jacob, stay back, or I'll—"
Suddenly a cloth covered Mai's mouth. She could feel herself fading as the room got dark.
"Mai, you remember my brother Eddy, don't you? He's been fired from his job as a chemist but he took some souvenirs from it. Right, Eddy?" Mai herd a strange cackle, and then everything when dark.
Jonouchi came running back with two packs of sushi in his hand. He looked around furiously for Mai. 'Great, don't tell me she left…' Jonouchi thought. 'No, Mai wouldn't do that.' He looked down at the ground.
"What the…?" a piece of paper tacked to the floor said 'we have Mai Kujaku. If you want to see her again you'll go to the back of the arcade. Alone.'
"Oh, you've got to be—" he dropped the packs of sushi and ran towards the back of the arcade. "I'm coming, Mai!" Jonouchi yelled as he ran.
Eiko and Seto stood next to each other on the sidelines of the dance floor. Eiko turned to look over at Seto.
"Let me guess, you don't want to dance?" Eiko asked. Seto wore a light blue coat over a white linen shirt; he looked like someone straight out of the 'Marie Antoinette' movie. Minus the wig; he refused to wear it. As had Eiko, mainly because it itched and made her top-heavy. Instead, she wore two blue bows on the side of her head. They were slightly better, but they did tug at Eiko's short hair, which wasn't exactly comfortable. Neither were her high-heeled shoes, which Akina said she had to wear.
"Hrm." Seto growled. "Why? What possesses a man to wear such a thing, and why does he forces others to wear it too?"
Eiko smiled. "Oh, come on, have a little fun," she said. "Eat some escargot." Seto looked at her.
"You ate escargot?" he asked.
"I was…. But I got freaked out…" Seto chuckled. "How was I suppose to know you suck it out of its shell. It's creepy!" Eiko said.
"Mr. Kaiba." A man with black hair came up to Seto. He wore an outfit similar to Seto's, only his jacket was black, and he wore a mask that covered most of his face. The mask was black with a small sliver of white on the side. It reminded Eiko of a crescent moon. "May I speak with you for a second?"
Seto looked over at Eiko. "Go ahead, I'm going to go get some punch." Eiko walked over to the concession table.
"Champagne? It's shipped from France," a waiter with a sun and moon mask asked.
"Sorry, I don't drink," Eiko said, smiling.
"That really is a shame," a voice with a thick French accent from behind her said. "It really is good champagne." Eiko turned to see a woman with a black dress and white hair. Eiko couldn't tell if her hair was real or a wig, but it topped her head nicely, making Eiko feel more like she was in some old movie. "But it is healthier for you, no?" the woman looked over at Eiko. Her face had been paled with some sort of powder, making her ruby lips even more stunning. She wore a completely black mask with a white feather sticking out from the side.
"I suppose so," Eiko said, answering her earlier question. The woman took a sip of her champagne.
"You're Eiko Tsubaki, no?"
"Um… yeah… how did you—"
"Oh please, child, everyone knows you. Your Kaiba's little souffle crème." The woman said. Eiko wasn't quite sure what souffle crème meant… or why she was referring her to it. "Come now, I must show you the drawing room; they have such lovely painting there." The woman grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
"Um… okay. What did you say your name was?" Eiko asked as the woman pulled her arm like a leash for a stubborn dog.
"You may call me Nouvelle Lune, and my husband is Lune Crecent," by now the two had reached the end of the ballroom. Nouvelle led Eiko to a door in the far corner of the room.
"So, is this the door to the drawing room?" Eiko asked. Nouvelle smiled, "Why yes," she opened the door and tossed Eiko into the dark room. "Yes it is." She shut the door behind her, leaving Eiko in complete darkness.
Jonouchi flung the back door of the arcade open. He ran into the dark alleyway.
"Mai!" he yelled.
"Ah, so glad you could join us, Jonouchi," Jacob said, his arms crossed. Jonouchi turned to face him.
"Who the hell are you? And where is Mai?" Jonouchi demanded.
"Relax, would you?" a man with black shaggy hair and a dark brown trench coat came out from the darkness of the alleyway. Mai struggled to breakfree of his grasp.
"Let go of her!" Jonouchi yelled at the man in the dark coat.
"You heard him, Eddy, let her go," Jacob said. Eddy let go of Mai and she quickly ran over to Jonouchi. "Now where were we? Oh right, you two were just about to duel us."
"What?" Jonouchi yelled in confusion.
"Yeah right, you creeps," Mai said.
"Look you two, it's not up to us," Jacob said. "We were hired to duel you. And needless to say, he won't be happy if we don't uphold our half of the bargain," Jacob explained. "Right, Eddy?" Jacob asked, looking over at his brother.
"Oh yes… he'll be very disappointed in us," Eddy replied darkly.
"So you see we have to duel you," Jacob explained. "Unless you two except defeat, because that's really what we came here to hear. So, do we have a duel? Or is this going to end quicker than I anticipated?" Jonouchi and Mai looked at each other with the same look. It was a look all true duelists had seen, the look of a champion. The look of someone who was not afraid to lose, because even if they did, they lost with honor and pride, Jonouchi looked back at the two men.
"We'll do it!" Jonouchi said proudly. Eddy and Jacob threw them a pair of duel disks, and the game began.
When Eiko's eyes had gotten use to the darkness, she scanned the room. It seemed like a storage room with its lack of furniture and decorations. Eiko walked over towards the door. She pulled at the doorknob to find it was locked. She banged on the door.
"Hello?" Eiko yelled through the door. "Is anyone out there?"
A minute passed. No one had answered. "Hello?" she said louder. "Is anyone out there? I'm locked in!" she called. She heard a faint voice from outside the room.
"You may want to step back," the voice said. Suddenly the door opened as Seto was tossed in.
"Seto!" Eiko yelled as she rushed towards him. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"You didn't happen to meet a woman named Nouvelle Lune did you?" Seto asked as he got up from the floor.
"Um, yeah I did… why?" suddenly spotlight came down on the two.
"What the?" Seto questioned looking up at the light. Two other spotlights turned on to reveal Nouvelle Lune and the man with the black crescent mask.
"Ah, so this is your little Eiko," the man in the black mask said, his voice thick with a French accent. "My, my, very assez, no, Nouvelle?" he asked looking over that the woman.
"If you think weak and gullible is pretty, than yes she is."
"What do you want?" Seto asked, looking at the two with disgust.
"Nothing much, young Kaiba, just a simple game. Actually, it's one you're quite familiar with," the man said, revealing a duel disk on his arm.
"You guys kidnapped up just so you could play Duel Monsters with us?" Eiko asked. "Are you out of your mind?" Nouvelle spoke to the man quickly in French. When she was done, they both laughed. "Seto, I don't speak French. You have to tell me what they're saying," Eiko told Seto.
"I'm not fluent myself," Seto admitted.
When the two were done laughing, Nouvelle spoke. "Now, let us begin, shall we?" Two duel disks appeared in front of them. Seto dramatically threw off his coat and picked up the duel disk. Eiko pulled the bows out of her hair and tossed them aside. She too picked up the duel disk in front of her.
"Let's duel!" the all four said at once and the duel began.
Everyone was tied up at 1000 life points. Eiko had 'Mystical Elf' on the field with one card face down, and Seto had 'Sagi the Dark Clown' on his side. Lune Crecent had 'Flower Wolf' on his side of the field and Nouvelle Lune had 'Silver Fang' on her side of the field.
"'Flower Wolf', attack Kaiba's 'Sagi the Dark Clown,'" the wolf, charged at the clown, leaving Seto with 700 life points. "I end my turn," Lune said. It was Eiko's turn she drew her card.
"I play the card 'Polymerization!' I fuse my 'Mystical Elf' with the card 'Dark Elf' to summon, 'Queen Elf!' with 2900 attack points! Attack 'Flower Wolf!'" the elf fired a ball of white energy at the animal, Lune's life points dropped down to zero. It was Seto's turn now.
"I play the card cost down! Then I summon 'D.D. Warrior Lady, and sacrifice her to summon 'Blue Eyes White Dragon!' then I play the card 'Sudden Attack' and attack 'White Fang.'" The dragon attacked and Nouvelle lost all of her life points.
"N-no! We can't lose!" Lune exclaimed.
"What will our boss say?" Nouvelle said in a frightened tone.
"Your boss?" Eiko asked, "what are you-?" suddenly Nouvelle started to fall to the ground. Eiko ran to catch her,
"Nouvelle!" Lune yelled as her rushed towards her. They all huddled around her,
"H-he told us that… if we lost…" Nouvelle's breathing was slow; she seemed even paler than before. Eiko looked up at Lune for an answer.
"He said that if we lost we would enter, he called it limbo but I didn't believe-" suddenly Lune fell to the floor as well. Seto leaned down,
"Who hired you?" Seto asked.
"We never met him…. But he said he worked for," Lunes voice faded. His eyes started to close "Ward Sharier…" his eyes closed. Seto leaned down closer to him,
"He's still breathing," Seto said.
"As is Nouvelle, but she isn't responding," Eiko said. The two looked at each other. "Seto…. I know what Ward Sharier means…" Eiko said, a worried look on her face. "Its Arabic, it means evil flower."
Aoi: yes polorshipping…. What did you expect? By the way, Lune Crecent means crescent moon and Nouvelle Lune means new moon in French. Souffle crème means cream puff…. I guess I got hungry. All the cards except Queen Elf are real (that's right, there is such thing as Dark Elf.) Well, that's all for now, bye!