Chapter 46

It had probably been one of the most restless night sleeps of his life, but Kaiba didn't care. All he could think about was how they were finally getting the chance to get CiCi and Damon back. He was up long before anyone else was, packing everything they needed into special pouches and holsters. He felt like he was preparing for battle. It wasn't a good thought, not when he remembered who the enemy was, but it wasn't one he was quick to chase away. They were preparing for battle. A battle for the safety of his children.

A strange smile pulled its way across his face. Since his talk with Taylor the night before he'd become much more comfortable with the context he saw himself in. He knew Taylor probably didn't care about titles. And if truth were told, neither did Kaiba. Still there was something about the way he wanted to see himself which made everything feel right.

For a few moments he paused what he was doing, as he slipped into an almost dreamlike trance.

'Pure?' Kisara's voice sounded from behind him, snapping him out of his stupor.

'What is it?' He turned towards her blurry image, still unable to believe his cousin could have hired someone without telling him.

'Um…well it's not something I really should be admitting, I know. I mean, it's not something I should have been doing in the first place, but…'

'What is it?'

'Oh gee, please say you won't tell on me first.'

'I won't,' he sighed, 'now spit it out.'

'I've been visiting my parents.'

'What?'

'I'm the Vii Sen daughter of a Vii Sen, as well as being quarter demon,' her words came out in a bubbly rush, 'and I've been visiting my parents. They live together down in hell, in one of the smaller cities. They're not evil; they just choose to live down there because it's so out of the way and they didn't want anyone to take any notice of them. And nobody does, so I guess it worked and…'

'Just get on with it,' Kaiba cut her off, already finding her more annoying than the teenaged Joey Wheeler he'd encountered in his son's virtual reality game.

'Well I went to see them yesterday. I needed to talk a few things through with them. I guess I was feeling homesick or something,' she gave a nervous cough. 'Anyway, whilst I was there they mentioned something to me about one of the mid-sized cities being almost completely empty now.'

'And? We already knew…'

'No, you don't understand. She wasn't talking about where the Veronsen-Vii were.'

'Are you sure about that?'

'Positive. I mean, I'm almost completely certain.'

'Why was this other city empty?' Kaiba frowned, trying to work out if there could be some kind of connection.

'I think…' she hesitated.

'You think what?'

'I think it has something to do with… with…'

'Kisara.'

'It's complicated.'

'Just tell me Kisara.'

'An unequal trade.'

'What?'

'I think it has something to do with an unequal trade.'

'What kind of unequal trade?'

'I don't know for sure, just… Well it was something my mother said about it.'

'Oh?'

'She said… she said… she said…'

'She said what, Kisara?'

There were a few long moments of silence, during which Kaiba wished he was able to see her face to try and work out what she was thinking. As the silence went on he half considered reading her mind to find out, but instead he just waited for her to be ready.

'She said that after the city became empty, Ni had come to visit them,' she finally broke the silence, 'saying something about trying to get…' she hesitated again. 'Ni knows about me.'

'And?'

'No, you don't understand.'

'Then start explaining,' Kaiba was beginning to feel more than a little frustrated with her, 'I don't have time to play games with you.'

He heard Kisara suck a deep breath in, hesitate, then turn around and begin moving away.

'Wait,' he called after her, 'where are you going?'

'You don't understand,' she stopped for a moment, her form too out of focus now for him to tell anything about it.

'And you're not even attempting to let me.'

'That's because you can't understand.'

'How do you know that?'

'I know that because I can't tell you.'

'Why not?'

'Because I can't.'

'You're not exactly being helpful here,' he glared in her general direction. 'If this has anything to do with…'

'I don't know if it does,' she cut him off. 'Forget I said anything.'

'I can't forget you said anything,' he took several steps towards her, 'not when…'

'It's not connected,' her voice became strangely icy, 'I assure you if it was I would take the time to explain it. But it's not.'

'Then why did you even bring it up with me in the first place.'

'I don't have to give my reasons to you,' she began moving away again.

'KISARA,' the volume and anger in his voice was enough to get her to stop again. 'I'm not buying it, so stop trying. Just tell me.'

'No.'

'Kisara…'

'I can't tell you Pure,' she turned back round to face him. 'If I told you then I'll be responsible for ruining everything and I can't be responsible for that.'

'Why not?'

'If you knew then…'

'Then what?'

'I have to go now.'

'Kisara!'

Again there was silence. The blurry, blobby mass which was Kisara remained in position, but it was so impossible for Kaiba to make out anything about her he had no idea what she might be doing. He hated having to wait for her to break the silence, but if he tried probing her mind now then she would never trust him and he needed her to trust him if he was to get his children back.

'SK believes I have a place in the new order of things,' she gave this uncertain and heavy sigh. 'An important place, but I don't see how I can accept it without… And I can't be the one who ruins everything, just like I can't be the one to break the chain.'

'What chain?'

'It doesn't matter,' she began moving away again, 'I'll be back in a few hours when you're ready for me. Until then, just forget I even exist. Because I wish more than anything that you didn't know I do.'