Author's Note: sorry for the wait, guys... also... this is NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. IT KIND OF NEEDED TO BE FLESHED OUT MORE SO YEAH. I PROMISE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE LAST ONE. But as a consolation prize, have some peachshipping (yay B-pairings!).
Um... enjoy! I hope the next update won't take as long but... school...
"Sister?" Marik opened the door, eyes wide with disbelief, a strange, cautious tone coloring his voice, as Ishizu shifted her duffel bag strap onto her shoulder, biting her lower lip and trying not to cry.
Trying with all the strength she could muster-to just focus on how happy she should be. Here. Now. Home at last.
Free to spend precious days with her brothers until she returned to London. Each moment anticipated a gem. Happy things.
What she'd wanted in the first place.
This.
-and it felt sour.
"Marik-" Ishizu began, her voice cracking on her brother's name as the blond man stood in the doorway, leaning on his arm, framed by painted wood, his body blocking her entry.
Perhaps intentionally.
He must be surprised to see me here-like this-
"Brother-" Ishizu tried again. Shifting uncomfortably under his lavender gaze, something prickling under the surface of her skin.
Is there even any way to describe-
Marik spoke once again, his tone slightly softer, laced with concern. "Ishizu-"
Is everything all right-?
Not one day ago-I thought we'd figured this problem out-
-she wanted to be with him, and we accepted that-
Ishizu pressed her lips together, scrabbling for a fragment of her poise. Control. Anything to hold onto while the ground still trembled under her feet. Ceaslessly.
"Seto and I-"
She froze. Stopped herself from continuing, mind beginning to race wildly and erratically. I surely can't tell him-what I would have done for him-for us-
-no doubt he'd cast me out as well-
-as he should-
Marik gulped, pushing up his glasses with one hand as he reached out to grasp her shoulder comfortingly with the other. Something like cruel realization dawning upon him, his pulse beginning to quicken under the skin, his mouth tasting suddenly sour.
That bastard-
-what did he do-?
Ishizu nearly recoiled from her brother's touch, but submitted to it before he could notice the reaction, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment as she searched for words. Words that wouldn't sound false. That would convey this strangeness that lay around her-the disconnect between mind and body that had engulfed her ever since-
She bit back a soft sob, the raw emotion stabbing at her throat as she remembered how cold his eyes had turned. All warmth draining out of that beautiful face as she'd told him the truth. The awful vulnerability of it all.
"I came with you-because I was going to kill you. Be-because you threatened my family-my brother-I was-"
The way he'd regarded her then. Her standing before him, face drenched in tears, clutching at herself and shuddering with full-body cries as she'd prayed-fruitlessly-against the inevitable.
Like he didn't know her.
Like she was a stranger.
"Well, I must thank you for being so forthright with me, Miss Ishtar. It feels like I'm talking to an entirely new woman."
How she'd told him. Again and again.
Fruitless.
"I love you. That's the truth of it. The whole blasted, bloody truth of it. I-I can't bear to think of you being hurt now-by anyone-"
His face unresponsive as she'd wept, openly and nakedly, struggling to get the words out of a mouth crowded with tears.
"I don't want you to be hurt-or angry or bitter any more-I want to stay with you, Seto-I want to be with you-to make you happy-and for my own sake-"
His too-calm, frighteningly controlled reply.
"And how exactly am I supposed to believe that, Miss Ishtar?"
Ishizu blinked back hot tears, her nose turning red from the effort.
It could only ever have been that way-
-there is no world where I deserved more than what I got.
Marik felt her shivering under his palm and, abandoning all misgivings, felt his heart crack open in his chest. Reached out to her again with both hands and pulled her into a tight embrace. His skin blessedly warm through his shirt, heating as well he could the coldness of Ishizu's skin. The dull ic clinging to every limb. Every finger and toe. Frostbitten. Scarcely feeling it at this point.
And still willing tears not to fall. Desperately.
She buried her face in her brother's shoulder, clutching at his shirt as she sniffed down another tiny cry. Pushed it down to where it would never be realized.
Then another. As they followed each prior one in merciless waves.
"What did that-that fucker do to you, Ishizu?" Marik wrapped his arms around her even tighter, trying to keep his voice calm for her sake. Trying and failing to hide the undercurrent of rage that threaded through his words.
Ishizu almost laughed, a dry, raking sound that sounded more like a sob.
What did Seto do to me? What a question-
"Marik-it-it's not what you think-he didn't do anything. Never. Never anything to hurt me. Not even when I-"
-was his hostage.
"It-we just-"
She felt herself nearly gag on the lie as it burned its way up her throat. Spilled from her lips like a curse.
"-didn't work out, I-I suppose-"
-that's one way of putting it-
May all the gods forgive me for misleading my brother in this way-
Marik nodded slowly, carefully, and kissed her forehead softly as he patted her back soothingly. "I'm so sorry, Ishizu-I know you really cared for him-"
Ishizu released a silent sob on her next exhale as she felt her brother run his hand through her hair. Awkwardly and carefully, like she was a tiny China doll. Fragile. Porcelain. Chipped glass.
I "cared for him"-
-what a useless, patronizing euphemism-
I loved him. That was it. The long and short of it. The breadth and depth of it.
That's what it was-
-that's what it is.
Ishizu let go of her brother and tried to smile up at him. "Well, as you can see-I'm back now."
-at least until I really must get back to school-
Her brother grinned down at her, idly fiddling with his glasses. "Ah-yes." And we're impossibly glad-
Remembering himself, Marik quickly reached out and took the bag from her, Ishizu wincing as her shoulder finally began to sting from all the rubbing the strap had done, wearing the skin into a reddened, patchy welt beneath the fabric of her dress
As she crossed the threshold into the Ishtar apartment, Marik standing to the side and closing the door behind them, she reached up to the scrape and began to pick at it. Scratched at it, noting with little concern and little care that it barely hurt.
She scarcely noticed as the blood collected underneath her fingertips.
-one week later-
"Mr. Kaiba, sir?"
Seto narrowed his eyes reflectively, a scowl tearing across his face as he looked up from his computer to find his secretary in his doorway. A Miss Vivian Wong, dressed as usual in some disgustingly pink-yet somehow work-appropriate-blouse and skirt, her dark hair done up in two rather unflattering buns. The silly girl swaying slightly, her eyes wide and searching as she regarded her employer.
"What do you want?"
Vivian swallowed hard, then checked her wristwatch once more. "Sir? It's nearly eight-I'm going home for the night. Shall I have Roland pull the car around for you?"
"Don't bother." His voice was curt and low. Settling the matter. Finality. He dropped his eyes back to the computer screen, his fingers having not stopped moving. Typing. Drowning. In his work. The mindless charts. Graphs. Diagrams and models. Facts and figures. Profits. Losses. Casualties. Everything he'd ever been concerned with-the numerical, the quantifiable. Things that could be calculated. Hacked about to fulfill his impeccable standards until they were perfect. Unimpeachable. Worthy of his attention. His name.
The girl cleared her throat gently, prompting Seto to snap his eyes to her, the blues hard and glittering with irritation. "What?"
A slight ring of concern in his secretary's voice. "Mr. Kaiba-if I might make an observation, sir...?"
Seto folded his hands under his chin and shifted his weight in his chair. Features unctuous. Upper lip curling. Gaze almost brutal in its coldness. "You may."
This foolish woman-if she doesn't leave soon-if she doesn't dispense with whatever nonsense she's got in mind-I might have to fire her-
Vivian scratched at her wrist nervously, her voice coming out quavery-with fear or with concern, Seto couldn't tell-as she replied, "well, sir-you haven't had me send for Roland to take you home in-well, for the past week, sir-and you've been having your dry-cleaning brought directly to the office-"
Seto leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "What of it, Miss Wong?" His tone flat. Bordering on testy. Damn my observant secretary-
-no wonder she's gotten some ridiculous idea in that pathetic mind of hers-
Vivian bit her lip nervously, then continued. "Um, Mr. Kaiba-well-if I might be so bold, sir-are-well-is there a problem at home, sir?"
Her hands beginning to shake. Folding them behind her back to hold them steady. Lowering her head to gaze at her feet. Supplicant.
Worried.
Despite his manifold faults as a human being, Seto Kaiba was nothing if not a magnanimous employer.
Seto gritted his teeth at her half-whispered query, willing himself not to lose his temper at her completely inappropriate question. None of her damned business-
He adjusted his posture in his chair and began typing on his keyboard once more, the faint blue-white of the screen washing out his face, giving his pale features a wasted glow. Almost skeletal.
"You may go."
Settling the question.
Vivian bowed her head, releasing a tense, hiccupy breath. "Yes, sir." She turned on her heel and left, the hallway lighting up and darkening once more as she disappeared, turning off the soft ceiling lights as she left.
Complete silence. Each clatter of fingertips on keys echoing heartlessly throughout the high-ceilinged room.
Seto groaned quietly and swung his chair around to face his massive floor-to-ceiling windows, rubbing at his wrists, only then noticing the accumulated discomfort of hours of nonstop typing. He uncrossed and recrossed his legs once more, gazing out at the nighttime grid of Domino City laid out before him. All pristine and detailed. All of the tiny streetlamps. The ant-sized people walking along the sidewalks. Anyone and everyone, regardless of stature, regardless of position in society, rendered so before his eyes. So toy-like and yet untouchable.
He wanted to crush them all between his fingers. Leaving behind a trail of dust. Nothingness.
Releasing a sigh, biting the inside of his cheek almost to the point of pain, he swiveled the chair around to face his desk.
I ought to call Téa and let her know the situation hasn't changed-
He pulled his phone out of his trouser pocket and tapped on the screen idly, then pressed the sequence of numbers and lifted the device to his ear.
"Kaiba Manor, Miss Gardner speaking-"
"It's me." He began to slouch in his chair almost reproachfully as he heard Téa release a concerned-if slightly irritated-breath on the other end of the line.
"Sir-"
Seto cut her off, his voice growing slightly hoarse as he cradled the phone with his shoulder, beginning to pick at the skin around his fingernails. "I'm staying at the office tonight."
Téa pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger, finding it impossible to conceal the almost sisterly worry coloring her voice.
"Mr. Kaiba-really, you should think about coming home-it's not good for your health to be sleeping in that chair-"
At this, Seto laughed without humor. "What sleep are you referring to, Miss Gardner?" Not as if I ever slept much, anyhow-
When he'd managed to collapse from exhaustion in the wee hours of morning, his chin propped up with his elbow, he'd wanted to scream himself back awake.
The dreams were really too much for him to fathom. Rendering him a shuddering mess each and every time, only inordinate pride preventing him from crying.
Mourning.
That strange feeling that something had died. Something indescribably important and rare.
A pause on the other end. "Mr. Kaiba-you certainly spent enough on that mattress that it's a waste if you don't sleep on it-"
"I'm not sleeping in my damned bed, Miss Gardner," Seto hissed, wincing as he pulled off a bit of skin around his thumb, revealing the raw and red shiny layer beneath.
Not while it's still-
-tainted-
-tainted with her-
Téa released a sigh, pity crawling into her chest and nestling there. Tender and caring. Something she couldn't avoid.
Ever since Miss Ishtar left-
-he hasn't been-
Seto cleared his throat and spoke again, his voice coming out perfectly smooth and businesslike. Controlled. "Please see to it that my suits continue to arrive here for the time being."
Téa bit back a cry of frustration. "Mr. Kaiba-"
At her insistent, impossibly cloying manner, Seto found his voice coming out a growl. Ragged throughout, the previous illusion of power shattered. "Miss Gardner-do not press the matter any further if you value your position as my chief of staff, understand?"
After all, Mokuba's gone back to school-and I can conduct all my affairs from here-
-and I can't go back there-
Back to where she still haunted. His foyer. His kitchen. The myriad staircases. The sitting room with his art collection. The others, all perfectly appointed. The front yard with its imposing columns. The idyllic back lawn. The duck pond by the grove of trees.
His bedroom.
His bed.
Everywhere.
Taking up space in a most disgusting and sentimental way.
There and not there.
Téa swallowed hard. If not at the threat-for she knew Seto would never find anyone as good at the position as she-then at his tone. The clear pain bleeding into his words. Pain he refused to acknowledge as such. Exorcise it from his system. Still holding onto it all like a pearI in a child's fist-
"I understand, Mr. Kaiba. Please call me if you require anything further."
Seto hung up and dropped the phone onto his desk, his hands rippling with uncontrollable tremors as he placed them flat on his desk in an attempt to control himself. His body. From it all beginning again. The bile he felt churning in his stomach. The lack of feeling in his legs and arms, the pins and needles making him grunt with each micromovement.
His eyes scanning his office wildly before settling on that pedestal with the glass case.
The carved counterfeit comb lying on rich velvet. Mocking him.
To think all of this trouble-
-because of this damned comb-
He almost wanted to chuckle at the strangeness of it all. How innocuous a piece of ivory. That little snide remark from Hawkins and what it had led to.
How rage and fury had driven him to the Ishtar shop apartments. Led him to do what he had done. Past the point of understanding.
How easily and willingly he'd been misled by a pretty face and bewitching eyes. Each move of hers perfectly tailored to fit every possible scenario. Meek and obedient where he was bossy and brusque. Joyous and enchanted in the light of the cracks of kindness she'd somehow managed to draw from behind the waxy mask.
And when he'd been taken by surprise by the strength of his own desire-
-she'd matched it. Kiss for kiss. Touch for touch. Until there was nothing left to discuss.
Seto winced then, realizing his nails were now digging into his palms, nearly drawing blood from the soft flesh. The memory of her and everything that had transpired between them-from the first bizarre encounter after the dinner with Pegasus, when he'd stopped her drunken advances-to the drowsy way they'd enjoyed one another on his bed following his release from holding, when they'd both wanted it all, well and fully-
-and every jewel-like instant in between those two such disparate events-
-all more painful than the fists he'd unconsciously made right then. The crescent shapes he'd carved into his hands stung as he wiped the sweating skin on his pants.
He didn't dare think of her name.
Not with that ever-present lump in his throat that had been there ever since the limousine had pulled away.
Not what she'd given him.
Done for him.
Made him believe that he could be forgiven. For the things he had done. The people he had hurt. Destroyed.
Gozaburo.
Accepted him. With what seemed like impossible wholeheartedness, irrepressibly soft and loving-
Seto forced himself to breathe, a cold sweat beginning to trickle down his spine.
-And the whole time, she'd wanted him dead. To end him. Every action of hers in service of this goal. Revenge in a ruthless manner he'd only recognized in himself. Surpassing his own capacities for bloodlust and raw hatred. Curdling in her more rancidly than he'd thought possible.
Each moment that had passed between them. Each smile. Each touch. Falsehoods. Orchestrations. All part of her magnificent design.
"-be-because you threatened my family-my brother-"
Unimpeachable.
I have to tell them-
It's only fair that they damn me as well.
Ishizu wiped her sweaty palms on her nightgown, crossed her legs in her chair and looked to where Marik was sitting on the threadbare couch, legs tucked under him, pillow clutched to his chest, talking animatedly with Odion, who was meticulously drying off the chipped bowls they'd used for their dinner.
When Odion had brought out the ramen, its scent fragrant and mouthwatering, his eyes shining with pride at his victory over the fussy dish, Ishizu had nearly screamed then and there. At the table. In front of her brothers.
Felt her stomach turn as memory poured into the cracks of her mind. Stinging everywhere it touched.
She'd found it nigh-impossible to eat, causing her brothers to watch her with no small amount of concern.
As had so many before it, the lie had come easily. She was just tired. She'd been up late the prior night working on her research-fruitlessly, she'd added with an embarrassed smile. Couldn't find the stomach to eat something so rich.
"I believe I told you last night, Miss Ishtar, that I did not want to discuss matters related to my childhood. This is such a matter."
And yet on the boat-
-as she lay all tangled up with him, breathing heavily from lust and intentions-
-he'd told her. All of it.
His truth. Again and again. Every delicate glass piece of himself. Without agenda. Without guile. Almost innocently, heart in this throat.
She should have known before he'd said it.
"You're right."
She suddenly felt the pressure of his forehead against hers. Hips and chests and a smug smile dotting her neck and ears. Her burning cheeks.
"I love you."
His eyes confident and sparkling when he'd spoken those words, punctuated with soft kisses. No risk in saying the words that came out so naturally from this strange, cold man.
She'd laid her hand bare first. Quite unlike her to do such a thing.
No more.
Ishizu swallowed hard as Odion put the bowls away and joined their brother on the couch, using his large frame to bump Marik out of the way, a rumbling chuckle issuing from his chest despite Marik's protestations.
As Marik scrambled to put his glasses back on, for in the slight commotion they'd fallen to the floor, Odion turned his dark gaze over to Ishizu. "Sister?"
"Y-yes?" She was speaking too loudly. It nearly screeched from her, startling both of her brothers.
"You seem rather quiet today. Are you feeling all right?"
No. I don't see how I could-
"I-I-well-" she twisted the nightgown in her hands as Marik looked at her then, eyes wide with worry.
That bastard Seto Kaiba-
-I knew he'd done something horrible-
"I have something to tell you." Placid. Calm. Like the words she was about to speak meant nothing.
No-
They meant everything. What she'd planned-
-what she'd in all hopes intended to do to Seto Kaiba-
-the one promise she'd made to herself, keeping her sane as she'd sat alone in that vast bedchamber, the fury clouding within her like a disease.
"I will kill you, Seto Kaiba."
Despite her best efforts, she felt salty tears brimming at the corners of her eyes as her brothers looked on, aghast. Looking at one another in slight desperation as she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands, a sniffle escaping her.
"Marik."
Her brother's violet eyes grew even larger at the sound of his name, all thick with emotion. "Yes, sister?"
"Did you ever wonder why I offered to go with Seto Kaiba in your place?"
Silence filled the room for the briefest of moments as Marik considered.
He shifted position on the couch, discomfort creeping onto his face. I never should have let her-
-it was selfish of me not to step up-
-to protect my big sister-
-to do the protecting for a change-
"I mean-you and I agreed then, didn't we-? The business wouldn't have stood a chance with me gone, since you and Odion don't have the same information I have-didn't study with Father like I did-"
And yet you still made a mistake, Ishizu wanted to snap at him. Cruelly. That temper. The bristling anger beneath the surface. That side of her she truly needed to suppress.
The part of her that had caused her-and Seto-needless amounts of pain.
Marik trailed off at the look on her face. Self-loathing mingled with now-trailing tears along her cheeks.
"That was part of it." Ishizu uncrossed and recrossed her legs-noting with a pang that the move was precisely the one Seto made in uncomfortable, delicate moments-
"Part of it?" Odion repeated, voice quiet. Curiosity flickering beneath the surface. And something else. Suspicion.
Ishizu closed her eyes for a moment, gripping the cloth of her nightgown even tighter.
Goodbye, brothers.
It was all for your sake, Marik-
-for our promise-
Her tiny brothers. A toddler and an infant suddenly standing before her.
"I'll protect you now. Okay?"
"I won't let anything hurt you again. I promise."
A promise made in my youth-
-taken too far. Over a limit of rationality. Humanity.
And she deserved every ounce of pain that came with such a violation.
Goodbye, my brothers.
She opened her eyes and waited for her vision to clear.
"I went with him because I was going to kill him."
Another pregnant moment of silence as her brothers exchanged glances, Odion's face turning stony as Marik's forehead crinkled in confusion.
Ishizu looked down at her lap, clenching her fists tightly enough that her knuckles ached.
"I went with Seto Kaiba because I promised you, Marik."
At the sound of his name, Marik slowly turned to face her once again, his features gone pale with horror. As if the woman sitting before him was not his sister who had cared for him all his life. Helped him grow up.
No-
-Ishizu-
"Sister-"
Ishizu cut him off, a low, sad laugh coloring her voice. "I promised the both of you that I would always protect you from harm. I would never let anything hurt you." She swallowed hard
"And Seto Kaiba had threatened you-us-our family-our livelihood."
I had to do it-
-for us-
-because no one should be able to threaten you-or us-
Odion's face was completely blank as he finally spoke, his voice sounding impossibly distant. "Sister, you're speaking utter nonsense. You should go to bed now." Definitive. Not accepting dissent.
Ishizu gritted her teeth, a fresh wave of tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "No, Odion-I'm not-I am telling you both the truth-the whole blasted thing. I was going to get close to him. Gain his trust bit by bit each day I was forced to live in that damned house of his. Using any method I thought I could-"
At this, Marik looked sick. She can't possibly mean-
"I was going to do it. I was." She lifted a shaking hand to wipe her eyes, agony twisting through her completely and utterly. In disorienting pulses, each more lingering than the last. Until her entire body was screaming, the hairs on the back of her neck standing stick-straight.
Sister-
Marik immediately rose to his feet, tossing the pillow aside and walked over to comfort her, to wrap his arms around her shoulders and dispel this strange manifestation her grief had taken. As bizarre as this was-
"Don't touch her, Marik."
The curtness of Odion's voice rippled down Ishizu's spine like icy fingertips.
Halfway between his siblings, Marik froze, his face going meek. Bare feet sticking to the scratched wood floor.
"Why didn't you?"
Ishizu broke out into a chilled sweat, a knot tangling in the pit of her stomach as she regarded Odion, dry-mouthed and quiet.
Brother-
-once again, you don't understand my reasons-
-although this time I can understand why-
"Because you thought you were in love with him?" Odion's voice, so low and soft, was laced through with a bitter, contemptuous edge.
My foolish sister and her ideas of love-
Ishizu bit back a cry of frustration, her body going tense as his words took hold. "Odion-don't you dare-"
Just because you didn't want to accept it-
-it doesn't mean it wasn't something-
Odion interrupted her, rising from his place on the couch, hands flying to his hips, shoulders trembling with barely-suppressed rage as he approached her. "Sister, you are the one who is completely out of bounds-first, your strange behavior towards me during the phone call, which got us even more worried about you-then you come back here and tell us you're in love with the bastard and aren't coming home, despite the fact that we need you here-then you defend him and somehow convince Marik to drop the charges, even though, for all intents and purposes, he kidnapped you-and now you tell us you were going to kill him, and expect me to be all right with this? Sister-"
"Oh, like you weren't perfectly happy to hold me to the yolk of the promise I made when I was seven, Odion-until, of course, you turn it around when it's convenient for you-and decide to condemn me for planning to uphold that very same promise-" Ishizu leapt to her feet, folding her hands in front of her in an attempt to keep herself from lunging at Odion; Marik, standing between them, looking increasingly frightened and worried as he held up his hands in a placating gesture. Unfamiliar with playing peacekeeper between his usually stoic elder siblings, he nearly wilted under the intensity of their gazes towards one another.
Odion broke the eye contact first, letting out a scoff as his face settled into granite once more. Shrugging his shoulders, he threw back one last baleful glance at her as he slid past Marik, walking down the hallway to his bedroom and closing the door behind him.
Ishizu couldn't prevent the thick tears that began to race down her cheeks then, the nauseating hiccupping of her breath as she collapsed to the floor, her shins hitting the wood loudly as she buried her face in her hands, furiously suppressing the bone-rattling scream that threatened to escape her.
Marik bent down beside her, his hand tentatively reaching out to pat her back. Unused to inhabiting such a role. As she had done for him so many times. Wiped away his tears. Attempted to soothe.
He couldn't make himself touch her, his arm erupting into gooseflesh as he hovered. Something tearing and seeping into his stomach as he regarded her bereft form.
My sister-
-was going to kill a man-
-for us-
Her dark hair, plaited over her shoulder. Her hunched, inconsolable form. All foreign to him in that moment.
"He's right-" Ishizu wiped her nose on the sleeve of her nightgown, feeling a shudder trail through her. A heaviness soak into her chest.
He is-
"Ishizu-sister-"
I'm the one who is a monster-despicable, utterly so-
"It's all right, Marik-" Acutely she felt his hand wavering by her back. His hesitation to touch her. The clear fear lurking in those lavender eyes that made her throat grow tighter.
Her shoulders sagging as she understood.
It's nothing more than what I deserve.
"You must have really loved him. Seto Kaiba, I mean."
Marik's voice wasn't angry or condemning. Just observational. Detached. His hand still unwilling to touch her. As if she were repelling him. Something floating about her. Encasing her.
Ishizu sniffed faintly, peeking at her brother from between fingers, sliding them down her face to reveal the swollen lids and impossibly wet blue-green irises. The red crackling lines staining the whites of her eyes.
The use of the past tense, however innocuously done, registering as a pang.
"What makes you say that?"
Marik allowed himself a tiny, crooked smile as he looked at her. "Well, for one, he got you to change your mind about killing him-Sister, when you set out to do something, most times it takes hell and heaven and then some to get you to decide against it-"
Despite herself, Ishizu let out a dry, cracked laugh at his words. My brother does indeed know me.
"What else makes you think so, Brother?" Allowing a drop of curiosity to spread into her voice. Something.
What else could he have perceived?
Marik's eyes turned serious once more as he very gingerly moved his hand to her upper back with a slight intake of breath. Patted at her shoulder blades through the fabric of her nightgown. Color finally returning to his cheeks as he spoke.
"Because if you didn't, you wouldn't be so sad right now."
-one week later-
The room swirled about him like the contents of a glass. Flashes of color. Fabric. Texture. Flesh. Blinkings of light. Finery. Conversations. Deals being struck. Vast sums promised. Changing hands.
Tastemakers. The cream of the crop. Domino's wealthiest and finest all flitting about the dim lounge. Promises. Curves of lips in sultry smiles. Hands gliding to lower backs. Whispers in darkened corners. Changing futures.
And he couldn't bring himself to care.
The vultures dovetailing him on the way into the club. Swarming upon him. Swooping, the flashes of cameras blinking behind his eyes and the din of useless, stupid questions ringing in his ears.
"Mr. Kaiba-" "Mr. Kaiba-where's the mysterious lady?" "Seto Kaiba-" "Mr. Kaiba, is it true you were recently arrested? Do you have a comment?-" "Seto Kaiba-" "Where's your girlfriend, Mr. Kaiba-"
Where indeed.
His lip had curled, his shoulders hunching slightly as he'd pushed through the flock, narrowly avoided being swallowed whole as he pushed open the heavy doors into the dimly-lit interior of the club. Allowing the pulsing bassline of the music flooding the room to wash over him. Numb him from the inside.
I suppose she's gone back to London…
He detachedly watched the ice in his glass of scotch jostle and clink as a figure emerged from the shadows to settle in the seat beside him.
"Ah, Kaiba. My dear boy…"
Hawkins.
The last person I want to see in the world right now-
The mustachioed man's eyes were cold and arch as Seto turned towards him, his lips approximating something like a smile as he crossed his legs. "Good to see you, old friend."
Get the fuck away from me.
Hawkins raised his own tumbler of amber liquid perfunctorily in a show of cheers as Seto did the same, then lifted his glass to his mouth. Sip. Swallow. Smile. Like a human. Play the part.
Hawkins held his glass in both hands, his gaze turning calculating as a false grin prickled the ends of his moustache. "You've been quite the tabloid fixtures recently, old chum… some bad habits you wanted to get behind you, perhaps? The errant acts of youth, no doubt…"
Seto gritted his teeth behind a toothy smile. The damned Domino Herald and its fixation with my goings-on. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, pal."
His older colleague leaned forward in his seat knowingly. "Why, of you and that delightful Ishtar girl-and your recent arrest. Very naughty, Seto, my boy…"
Seto bit his tongue, an icy sweat clotting under his bangs as he stiffened in his seat slightly. His hands shaking around his glass, just visibly enough to garner Hawkins' eagle-eyed notice. How the hell does he know about Ishizu…
"You're not the only one capable of doing research into the Ishtar family, Seto…" Hawkins tutted, waving a finger at the younger man faux-scoldingly. "Quite interesting that you lovebirds' little tryst began around the same time that the Ishtar boy misidentified that silly fake comb, hmm?"
Seto adjusted in his chair, recrossing his legs and grinning frostily at Hawkins, willing his breathing to settle down. To return to normal. Deep breaths. Shallow inhales and exhales, all centered in his chest. He doesn't know. There's no way he knows about what happened-
-about the hostage agreement-
Hawkins took another sip, the sour-sweet liquid giving his words a silkily sinister coating as he spoke. "Seto, my dear young friend-"
He doesn't know-
-he can't possibly-
"-you really should have learned, your relatively youthful age notwithstanding, not to let pretty girls-as lovely and succulent as they may well be-get the better end of you in a business deal." Hawkins leaned back and finished his glass, unable to keep the smugness out of his tone.
"After all, the piece was clearly a fake-you must have been… distracted by your little fling with the boy's sister-"
Wait-
Bravado. Bluff.
Seto forced himself to smirk at the older man, lacing his voice full of implications. "I don't know that I did get the worse end of that deal, Hawkins, dear friend-after all, as you say, she was just remarkable-" His mouth tasted sour as images-damned memories-of Ishizu floated before his eyes each time he blinked.
Speaking of her in this way-
-it felt wrong.
Wrong but necessary-
She was remarkable.
Utterly.
Dangerously so.
Seto allowed himself to take in a deep, shuddering breath of relief as Hawkins looked at him, triumph flickering in those ancient-looking eyes.
He thinks he knows.
He doesn't-
"Hmm." Hawkins' voice was falsely thoughtful. "I'm sorry you two are no longer involved, then-if she was as enchanting as you say."
He doesn't know.
Thank god.
"Now, my lad, the story of your arrest-now, that's something these old ears wouldn't mind hearing…"
Seto leered at Hawkins fully, rising from his chair as the other man followed suit. "I do think that'll have to wait for another time, old fellow-I do think I see our mutual friend Pegasus looking for me…"
They both knew it was a lie as they shook hands. Gliding around another keenly likes pieces on a board. Their swords sheathed.
He may have won the battle-
-but he thinks he's won the war.
As Seto walked away, striding confidently towards the bar for a refill of his drink, he finally allowed the mask to slide off. Melt briefly for a moment under the flickering black shadows. Only to himself as he passed through the darkness.
This victory was hollow.
-one week later-
Ishizu hugged Marik one last time, burying her face in his shoulder as the harsh crackle of the loudspeaker rang overhead:
"All passengers to Heathrow, please commence boarding…"
Her duffel bag felt impossibly heavy, crammed as it was with her various books and research materials. The itchy strap dug into her shoulder as she broke the embrace, then stepped back, looking up at Odion with slightly wary eyes.
Ever since the other night-
-he's been cold.
Ishizu bit the inside of her cheek as her brother's face remained stony, his jawline set hard. Dark eyes boring into hers, as if he were searching. Through her.
Still.
For a sign of the Ishizu who had made him that promise so long ago.
Who hadn't, in the heat of that promise, planned to murder a man in cold blood.
Somewhere.
Promises don't have to remain the same.
They don't have to fossilize.
They can grow and change shape-as the one who made the promise ultimately must-
She caught Marik looking back and forth between them with increasing degrees of nervousness. Glasses sliding down his nose as his eyes grew wider and wider at this strange impasse between his older siblings.
She felt something like a hot tear burning in the inner corner of her eye as she nodded at her brothers, then shifted her duffel bag on her shoulder as she turned to go.
"Sister."
Odion-
A hand, thick and callused, took hold of her wrist. And then she was enveloped in warmth. Just for a moment. Thick, muscular arms wrapping around her, pulling her in tightly.
His voice was unsteady. Almost like a rumble from deep within his chest.
"We love you very much, Sister."
After all you have done for us-
-and will continue to do-
Ishizu let out a breath she didn't notice she'd been holding, a lightness flooding through her veins as Odion let her go, smiled gently, and gestured towards the boarding line.
"Until next time, Sister."
"Miss Gardner-" Seto managed to choke out, phone to his ear, his voice coming out strangled and low. Feet planted hard on the floor of the sitting room, eyes glued to the sight before him. Impossible to look away. The images burning themselves into his retinas.
His heart growing sharp and heavy in his chest.
The lack.
His free hand clenched into a fist which he shoved, trembling, into his pocket as Téa replied, the words stumbling off her tongue, worry threading into her voice. "Mr. Kaiba-what's wrong? Where in the house are you, sir?"
Seto swallowed hard, something sickening and violent racking through him as he managed to sputter out, hearing Téa's voice grow ragged as she began to move quickly throughout the endless corridors of Kaiba Manor.
How the hell did I get here anyway-?
Like his feet had brought him here unawares. Without warning.
"You-you need to get Wheeler and Taylor in here-get them in here now."
Get them in here to remove all this-
He heard his chief of housekeeping's light footsteps approaching the room from behind, then falling to a limping slow walk as she leaned against the doorway.
Catching her breath as she understood, hanging up the phone and putting it back in her pocket.
This is-
-the art collection we brought out for Miss Ishtar-
The magnificent array of paintings and sculptures laughing at him. Looming large and disgustingly tender. Each hung and arranged carefully to complement one another. To provide a more thrilling visual experience for-
"I'll have them get to it right away." Téa withdrew her phone from her pocket and pressed a sequence of buttons quickly. Eyeing her employer carefully, with no small modicum of concern as the usually composed and businesslike man stood as if he would crumple into a faint. Stiffly. Thinly. Delicately.
Ishizu.
Her strange presence like a hit to the gut. Her everything still lingering. Wafting. Teasing. Peeking from behind the Calder. Standing before the Rothko. Observing. Taking it all in. Appreciating. That joyous expression lighting up her exquisite features, making his heart stutter wildly. Uncannily.
The Rodin-
-the lovers in their inseparable embrace-
The phone fell from his hand onto the floor before he could stop it. He winced as he bent over to pick it up, cursing his sudden loss of grace.
He smoothed out the front of his suit jacket, turned on his heel and walked past her, head lowered, voice thick and weakening. "Have them do it now."
Not up for discussion.
Téa nodded at him, her eyes wide. "O-of course, sir-"
She was sure he couldn't hear her as he strode away, shoulders up by his ears. Once he had turned a corner and was out of his, his arms instinctively wrapped around his middle. Pressing his back to the wall and sliding down to the floor, knees bent at a sharp, uncomfortable angle.
Frozen. Freezing. Eyesight blurred and wet.
Dipping his head inward. Almost curled up completely. Hands at the back of his neck as his body shook of its own accord.
As if to protect himself from the still-remaining blows. The ones whittled away at him daily and nightly.
And would continue to do so in their merciless way.
Ishizu flicked on the light switch to her London flat and blinked a few times as the fluorescent ceiling lights came to life, their seeming hesitance to struggle to wakefulness reflected in her own heavy, listless yawn as she allowed her duffel bag to slide off of her shoulder.
Home. Such that it was.
London real estate was certainly not cheap; she'd managed to let her flat from a Courtauld professor who had been on sabbatical that year. A studio. Barely three hundred square feet. Enough room for the kitchenette, the coffee table, the couch, and the bed. A minuscule bathroom tucked around a corner of the place.
A rather large window against the back wall with a rather nice view of a small park-neatly trimmed lawn, now all gone springy, Ishizu supposed, with dandelions and wildflowers.
Slipping off her sandals, she walked a few feet, past the nook-like kitchenette, and collapsed onto the narrow twin bed pressed against the back wall, finally allowing that deep-seated groan rising up from deep within her chest to be given voice.
The mattress was so thin. A spring from the bedframe threatened to dig into her stomach.
Something she hadn't noticed last time she'd slept there-
Errantly she thought of Seto's mattress. How plush it had been. Firm. A mattress for a king. Heavenly. How comfortable.
How comfortable she'd found herself there. Perfectly natural and easy. Like breathing. His breaths. Hers. Limbs brushing against limbs. Wrapped up in his arms-
Bile tore at her throat as she shifted on the bed, coming to lie in a fetal position, heart stuttering in her chest.
Don't think about this.
Compartmentalize.
She'd always been so good at that sort of thing. The spring term was due to start in a few days anyway; plenty of work and researching and pure logic to turn to. Her thesis and presentation. Distractions. Useful. Something to take her mind off of this. Him.
Although it wouldn't really do to think of my work as a distraction from this-
-this strange love affair-
Just thinking the word hurt.
Sitting up and pulling the blankets at the end of the bed over herself, she shivered at their thinness and rolled to face the window, pressing her fingers against the smudged glass. The last vestiges of sunlight fading her view of the park.
If she squinted, she could barely make out the form of a small child chasing a dog around the perimeter.
Someday, this will all be just a bizarre fond memory-
-someday-
Even in her head she knew it was a lie.
-three months later-
With a trembling hand, Vivian picked up her desk phone, the innocent-seeming envelope burning a hole in her desk.
Casting a wary glance towards her employer's office, she bit her lip nervously as she dialed and placed the device to her ear, praying under her breath that her call would be picked up-
"Kaiba Manor, Miss Gardner speaking-"
Vivian let out a tiny breath of relief. "Oh, thank goodness you picked up, Miss Gardner-"
On the other end of the line, Téa responded, a mite of concern in her voice. "Miss Wong-is everything all right at the office-is Mr. Kaiba-"
Is he doing any better-
-any better at all?
Vivian sighed sadly, catching the other woman's meaning implicitly.
Mr. Kaiba-
-at least he's now sleeping at home. I suppose that's a plus-
-though it's not as if his mood has improved any these past few months-
Her usually cold and implacable employer had developed something like a rough, almost panicked edge to his voice whenever he spoke. His calm and businesslike manner stripped away. All of a sudden his irritability with everything managing to rise to the surface, unable to be suppressed. Showing on his face. In his eyes. His tense and snappish body language.
It was beginning to be noticeable. Not only to KaibaCorp employees-
-but to business partners and potential investors as well, prompting a round of rumors about KaibaCorp's general health in the erstwhile Domino Herald's front pages. Which in turn caused the slightest of ticks downward of KaibaCorp stock, which in turn caused Seto Kaiba to be even more nakedly sour on a daily basis.
Vivian could only imagine how his home employees were being treated-
"He's pretty much the same, unfortunately, Miss Gardner-but-but that's not why I'm calling-um-well-the thing is-"
Téa waited for the secretary to finish babbling in circles, keeping her voice patient and sweet for the poor flustered girl's sake. "Yes, Miss Wong?"
Vivian cast another furtive glance towards Seto's office before picking up the envelope in her free hand, taking in the neat printed handwriting. "Well-I got a letter at the office, Miss Gardner-and, while I can't verify that it isn't some sort of sick joke-well-"
Téa's breath caught on itself, her hand floating to her cheek in shock. Could it be-
"It-it's from her." Vivian threw another look in the direction of Seto's office, praying to everything she could manage that he wouldn't choose this moment, of all moments, to leave his office and come to her desk-
Ishizu Ishtar-
Téa hadn't heard that name in months. Hadn't dared to speak it, even in confidence with Yugi or Serenity or one of the other household staff members. The name that held so much within it. What it entailed meaning so much to Seto Kaiba in a way that little else could have.
That woman-
Despite the unorthodox nature of their meeting-
-the strange way a connection had seemed to blossom between them, effortlessly as taking in a breath of fresh air-
-and the way her employer clearly had had some sort of unfamiliar tender feelings towards her-that much had been plainly evident-
-despite the darkening gray morality of it all-
"And to think, Mr. Kaiba-when Miss Ishtar asked me about you-I defended you-your character-and here you are, taking advantage of the poor girl-using her for god knows what-"
-she'd been good for him. While she'd been at the house, he'd-
-somehow-
"I've only been sleeping in her bed-well-"
"-because she asked me to."
-softened.
If only for moments few and far between.
Errantly she thought of what she'd told Ishizu the day they'd spent time together. Walking about the house, Ishizu's being there still a thorn in the younger woman's side. When Ishizu had still clearly loathed her captor and every aspect of her situation-
"He's an incredibly difficult man. Judgemental. Proud. Arrogant. Unsatisfied. Angry. But-I promise you-he's not all awful-I know it's difficult for you to believe me. But I can't help thinking-from what I know of you, that is-perhaps, had you two met under different circumstances…"
How Ishizu had brushed off Téa's now-accurate prediction with a heartbreakingly disappointed look. A respond with coldness equalling that of Téa's employer at his frostiest.
"I don't believe you."
"Miss Gardner?" Vivian's anxious voice broke through the haze of reverie. "Are you there, Miss Gardner?"
Téa swallowed and cleared her throat. "Yes, I am, Miss Wong-sorry, I was just-"
Lost in thought, I suppose-
-now, what to do with this mysterious envelope?
"Well-I mean-I can't possibly give it to him right now, can I, Miss Gardner?" Vivian's voice shook as she considered something that really seemed very high above her pay grade-
"Ah-yes, you're right, Miss Wong… he'd chew you to bits if you were the one to bring him the this envelope-"
I have to be the one to give it to him-
"W-what do I do, Miss Gardner?" Vivian practically wept, straining to keep her voice at a low whisper, fairly certain that her employer would somehow appear before her, failing to control his rage at her not only taking a break from her duties, but also keeping something of this level of personal importance from him-in addition to her poor luck of being the one to have received it in the first place-
Téa chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, picking at loose thread on her sleeve idly.
I suppose I could-
"Miss Wong, it's rather lucky that you called me when you did-the staff hasn't taken their lunch break yet, and I should be able to get away from the house for about thirty minutes. Is it possible you could meet me somewhere-take your lunch outside in the courtyard behind KaibaCorp today?"
Vivian nodded thoughtfully. "I-I think I could, but we'll have to be careful that Mr. Kaiba doesn't see you-or that Roland doesn't tell on you-"
Téa laughed then, quietly and under her breath. "Don't you worry your head, Miss Wong-I promise I'll be able to meet you in the KaibaCorp courtyard-shall we say, at noon today?"
Vivian's voice sounded miserable on the other end of the line. "Better make it one o'clock-Mr. Kaiba has me transcribing his notes from the German clients and I don't understand half of what he's written…"
"One o'clock then."
"Thank you so much, Miss Gardner-you're positively a lifesaver-"
Téa lifted the phone away from her ear and ended the call, then, a slight flush rising to her cheeks as she dialed another number. This damned large house-
"T-Téa?" came the voice on the other end of the line, high-pitched with surprise. The sound of her name imbued with a smile of pleasure.
Téa fought the urge to giggle uncontrollably. "Hello, Yugi-where are you right now?"
Yugi cradled the phone with his shoulder and gently lifted the embroidery off of his lap and onto his sewing table. "In the studio-did you need me for something?"
"Don't go anywhere, Yugi-I'll be right over." Téa turned on her heel and left the room then, making her breathless way along the hallways and corridors of Kaiba Manor, down several flights of stairs until she arrived at the door of Yugi's sewing studio.
Self-consciously, she smoothed out the front of her striped dress and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before knocking; after merely one rap of her knuckles the door opened, with Yugi staring up at her with pinkened cheeks.
Could it be that he'd been waiting by the door?
Téa didn't dare dwell on it, bowing her head in greeting as Yugi stepped aside to allow her into the low-ceilinged, brightly-lit studio, with its sewing machine in the corner and its large plastic-topped table in the center, the space in front of the walls punctuated with dressmakers' forms-mostly cream in color, with broad shoulders and a very narrow waist. That must be Mr. Kaiba's…
"Ah-it's been so long since I've been down here…" The familiar smell of dusty fabrics wafting through her nostrils…
"Ah-yes-" Yugi stammered as Téa sat down on one of the stools by the table, crossing her legs, causing her dress to hike up slightly around her legs.
Perhaps now is not the time to be caught looking-
Yugi cleared his throat. "I-is there something you needed, Téa?"
At his own question, he felt his palms grow damp as Téa turned those blazingly serious eyes upon him. Then, to his delight, her pink lips turned up into a beguiling little grin.
"Mind giving me a ride to KaibaCorp around twelve-thirty? I have to meet Vivian Wong in the rear courtyard during her lunch break." Téa drummed her fingers on her exposed knee restlessly, her eyes sweeping along Yugi's form in what she hoped was a subtle way.
A ride-on the bike-?
Yugi coughed, wiping his hands on the rear of his black leather pants before walking towards her, her luminescent energy drawing him helplessly closer; he could have sworn he saw Téa's cheeks bloom crimson as he paused right before her, leaning on one elbow on the table, looking up at her with wide violet eyes.
"M-might I ask why, Téa?" Yugi asked, licking his lips unconsciously as he lifted himself to a seated position on the sewing table, then turned to look down at her.
Téa's eyes darkened for a moment, her cheeks paling suddenly. Oh dear-
-I mean, if I can't tell Yugi-
-whom can I tell? He was rather fond of her, if I recall correctly-
Téa interlaced her fingers and rested them on the table, her elbow by Yugi's hips, her voice coming out in a half-whisper as her brows knitted together.
Yugi blanched at the sudden change in her demeanor. I hope everything's all right-
Téa bit her lip. "Well-you see-this morning, Vivian Wong received a letter addressed to Mr. Kaiba. From-"
From her-
From Ishizu Ishtar.
Yugi nearly bit his tongue in half as he understood Téa's meaning, clenching his fingers into fists by his sides.
I-Ishizu?
That-that woman-
That woman, with her blue-green eyes that had only recently begun to shine with life in Seto Kaiba's presence-
-their utterly strange yet fitting connection they'd managed to make, despite the gravity of her situation-despite Yugi's and Téa's own fears about their employer's bizarrely overt behavior towards his impossibly confusing hostage-
-that one day when all of the staff had been gossiping, their voices flustered and engaged, about how there were now two croissants and two cups of coffee on Seto Kaiba's breakfast tray-
It hadn't taken a genius of Seto Kaiba's level to understand what had happened.
Something did happen. Ishizu wasn't lying to me…
"If what happened last night, Ishizu, is to be believed-I daresay I can no longer in good conscience call Mr. Kaiba a good man."
"Please-I know you won't believe me, but-I initiated all of that. All of those things. Not Seto-he wouldn't have dreamt of doing something like that. I'm the one who invited him into my bed-I'm the one who-well-"
They'd all seen it. Been called down to the security room by Joseph, who'd had the acute misfortune of seeing his employer and Ishizu Ishtar making intensely amorous advances towards one another. Her reaching out. Climbing atop his lap. Pulling him in close.
That kiss-
Their mouths saturated in full with a bitter taste.
"Ishizu… but why?"
"Because I- because I wanted to, Yugi."
Her admission had certainly been a surprise-
Yugi swallowed hard, remembering the rough, pained nature of his employer's voice when he'd asked his tailor to please, for the love of god, take the clothes out of that dresser-
That sad broken sound. So foreign. Unlike him.
"What should I do with the dresses and other garments, sir?"
Seto Kaiba hadn't minced words then, his reply spit from his lips like a curse.
"Burn them."
Ever since she left-
-with no indication as to why-
Mr. Kaiba's-
A memory of his employer rather uncharacteristically snapping at him for a too-loose button on one of his suit jackets barely a week ago slivered to the front of his mind, registering with a pang.
Téa closed her eyes briefly and nodded sadly, her cheeks flushing, her words coming out dry and cracked. "E-exactly, Yugi-I told Vivian I would take the letter off her hands-the poor girl's too afraid to be the one to give it to him-but-"
But either way-
-the one who makes him think of her-
-they're surely going to suffer his wrath as well.
Yugi's eyes widened with fright as he reached out and gently squeezed Téa's forearm, finding it rather impossible to care in that moment about the fragility-the intimacy-of such a gesture.
"Téa-"
You could be sacked.
Who knows what Mr. Kaiba would do in response to you giving him a letter from her-
A tiny tear bubbled out of the corner of her eye as she gritted her teeth; Yugi felt her body tense up and began to remove his hand, only to stop when Téa gasped out around a shaking sob, "no-Yugi-you can leave it there."
Feeling his heart lift despite the circumstances, Yugi lowered his hand back onto Téa's exposed forearm and squeezed soothingly once again, fighting the urge to run his other fingers through that dark, soft-looking hair in some inappropriately sentimental gesture.
"I just-I don't know what to do with this-I don't know what she could possibly want-"
Why would she send him a letter-
-after just leaving like that?
It was hard enough keeping Mokuba out of the loop-Seto Kaiba's younger brother was much more perceptive than anyone gave him credit for, and it was only the threat of some vague form of punishment, bestowed from the performatively cruel hands of Téa Gardner, that was preventing Mokuba from leaving school in the middle of the term to come stay with his elder brother.
"Miss Gardner-Téa-I haven't been able to get Seto on the phone for weeks now. Is-is everything okay?"
Téa had pressed her lips together hard, something unpleasant dancing in her stomach, wondering whether it was better to lie.
"I-it's nothing, Mokuba. He's just extraordinarily busy-the German clients have been extremely demanding with the new designs. That's all…"
She remembered approaching her employer on what must have been the morning after Ishizu Ishtar had quit the Manor. The dark circles under his eyes. The puffiness of them. Redness. Like he'd been crying.
She hadn't dared to dwell on it, asking in all good faith, "Mr. Kaiba-are you ill? Is everything all right?"
That haunted look he'd given her. Like he'd seen death and beyond. All gray and puckering and senseless.
"I'm fine, Miss Gardner."
As he'd walked away from her towards the front door, something had tugged at Téa's mind then. Dangerously.
Her voice beginning quietly. Measuredly. "Mr. Kaiba, is Miss Ishtar all right? The maid reported that she didn't eat her breakfast this morning-is she ill?"
Seto Kaiba had paused then, his fingers gripping the polished door handle like he wanted to rip it off. Shoulders tensed.
Voice flat and quiet. Defeated.
"Miss Ishtar is no longer staying with us. She left last night."
Téa had almost gasped aloud, covering her mouth with her hands at the last possible moment to stifle the rather rude sound.
"Mr. Kaiba-"
"As far as I'm concerned, she never was here. Understood?"
Ishizu Ishtar-
-how could she-
Téa looked back at Yugi tried to force her lips into a smile, her attempt at a light-hearted laugh falling flat. "Anyway-you don't need to worry. Mr. Kaiba won't fire me-he wouldn't be able to run his house without me-"
Yugi took in a deep, shuddering breath, before turning towards her and moving both of his hands to cup her face, causing Téa to blush impossibly crimson at his touch.
"Y-Yugi-"
His features impossibly earnest as he replied. "Well, Téa, I hope you're right. But in the event that he does dismiss you-" and he gently pushed back that annoying unruly strand of hair out of her face, making her lips start to tremble. Her eyes so adorably large.
How he wanted to kiss her-
"I want you to know that if that does happen-just-just know that-that I would quit."
Téa's mouth fell open with shock. He wouldn't-
"Yugi-you couldn't-not with Solomon still here-not after all Mr. Kaiba did for you-"
Yugi's mouth was a thin, hard line. "If he decides to be so petty as to sack you for this-well-he doesn't deserve our working for him. Besides-" and here he leaned in tentatively, carefully watching every sweet flutter of her eyelashes- "the best part of-of being here, Téa-is getting to see you every day. So-I mean-"
And here he trailed off awkwardly, closing his eyes tightly, thoroughly embarrassed at the saccharine nature of his statement.
I certainly hadn't planned to tell her that way-
Tea's neck and forehead dipped past pink to match her scarlet cheeks.
Does he really mean-
Despite herself-
-despite the mess of a situation she'd found herself in-
She allowed herself an almost giddy, toothy grin as she looked back up towards Yugi. His eyes still shut, lips still parted, his breathing unsteady and entire face gone brilliantly red.
She moved her hands to Yugi's thighs and pushed off them lightly, lifting her rear off the stool to plant a kiss on his burning cheek. Then on the other.
Yugi's eyes blinked open, his vision gone blurred for a moment as the sensation of her lips registered. "Téa-"
Could she really-
-could I be so lucky-
Her tone was characteristically businesslike as she hopped off the stool and came to stand before him, pressing her forehead against his.
"Yugi, just kiss me properly already so we can get on with the rest of the day…"
Yugi cradled Tea's face gently, closing his eyes again as he bent down to fulfill her request.