Anime Freak Sammy- I love Red. I'm trying to figure out how I can work him in some more. I think I've said this in another review response, but the Magician's character is one of my favourites. Yeah, it's random, but you can't expect all the monsters to act like Krin. And that's cool that you and Mokie are just about the exact same age! Thanks for the review!
ZQuill- I really enjoy your reviews. You always seem to catch onto the tiny little details that I put in chapters. It lets me know that you are really paying attention. And you like the same lines as me! "Kisara, baby!" was a favourite. Hope you like this chapter as well!
Aqua-Princess of Imagination- I am mean to poor Mokuba! (I'm meaner to Seto in this chapter) And technically, if you follow the time line of the story, it hasn't even been a day since Seto and Mokuba ran away. So they have nine days until the bombing. You'll have to stick around a bit longer to see if everyone "actually [goes] BOOM."
Pk Love Omega- Woah. You reviewed. . . a lot. What was it, like six times? Haha- thanks for reading (and boosting my review total!)
Shinryu-Twilight Dragon- Was it "well made"? I tried so hard. Haha- you have no idea how many times I rewrote that chapter. Red is such an interesting character. But you'll have to wait a bit longer to see more of him. And I like the description of Kisara, however, you reminded me of one of the quotes from earlier in the story. So I went back and found it for you. "Don't try anything stupid. Kisara may seem harmless, but she will do whatever it takes to keep you with her" -Kara. I just felt that for this chapter, you needed to be reminded of that. Keep reading please!
The Prime Director- Your reviews are so long! Then again, half of that last review was killing Kuriboh. . . And thanks for the broken bone information. I'll definitely have to use some of that here in the next few chapters, because I had no idea. So your wish is for all the Dark monsters to die, or just Kuriboh in a firey death?
Havelock Vetinari- Kaiba being their only hope is kind of the point. Haha- I just adore Seto. (And it feels weird calling him "Kaiba") I was going to give you a more detailed response about manipulating the dragons, but then I would end up giving out spoilers. So, keep reading and you'll see how Seto handles the dragons.
AyaseFanGirl- Haha- I was thinking about that conversation while writing the last chapter. And you will like the slaver again, starting in this chapter. (Maybe. It might take you a while to warm up to him again) And yeah, his foot is just broken. Yuck, cutting it off would have been dreadful. Seto's POV is the one that I had written entirely, then decided it didn't flow well. So I completely rewrote it. I generally do better on the third draft in writing. And I don't like writing as Mokuba more, but I need to show the dragons while Seto isn't there. That is why his POV has been longer recently. And although this chapter isn't nearly as long as the last, Seto's POV is longer than Mokuba's here.
Everwild- Will there be relief/fluffy/heartwarming type stuff in this chapter? Maybe if you squint a little. You'll see what I mean. Enjoy the angst!
Lace Kyoko- Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you like this one too!
Minor edits: 9/30/15
Seto
The slap knocked me backwards. When I collided with the roof, I stayed where I fell. The sky shone too blue above me. Kara stepped into my view, blocking out the cloudless sky.
She glared down with an intensity that had my heart pounding. In my time around Kara I had yet to see her quite so angry.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but slammed it closed. I saw her jaw shaking as she tried to keep it closed. Her entire body began to tense, from her balled fists to her wrinkled nose.
From my position below her, I watched her lungs fill as she took a deep breath. The action calmed her down somewhat. Her fingers uncurled as she walked away. Both Krin and Kisara stood across the roof watching Kara approach them. All three dragons wore equally angry expressions, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from them. I had to know what they were going to do.
Krin and Kara began to speak in voices quiet enough that I was unable to hear their words. Kisara didn't participate in their conversation. Her eyes stayed on me, burning darkly in her anger.
After Krin and Kara finished their discussion, Krin turned to me. When I compared the two dragons, Kisara scared me more. Since we had been on the ground, she hadn't spoken a word. In addition, she refused to take her eyes off me for more than a few moments.
Krin bent down in front of me.
"The moment I saw you running away, I swore that you would suffer for that. In fact, I spent most of the day planning how to hurt you in the worst possible manners."
I couldn't move away from him since I was lying on my side on the rooftop. I didn't want to display my trepidation by trying to slide out from underneath him. Out of all of the dragons, Krin would be the most likely to act the most harshly against me. I could barely hold back from trying to get away.
He leaned in closer.
"Then I considered my options and decided that I am not going to do anything to you."
My face remained motionless. Another statement would follow, one that would explain how that choice made things worse for me. Krin spent time mulling over this decision. He knew what he was doing.
"Nothing I do to you will be worse than what my little sister has in mind. I choose to leave you to her."
I glanced over at Kisara who still glared. I faintly noticed Krin standing up and moving back to stand with Kara as I was fixed on Kisara. Her eyes pinned me in place, although I realized that I couldn't go anywhere. If Krin planned to turn me over to her, then whatever she had in mind must be horrible.
Several minutes moved by before anyone moved. I, and I assumed Kara and Krin as well, waited for Kisara to take action. When she finally took the first step towards me, I found myself relieved that at least now something was occurring. The cliché thought rolled through my head that the sooner she started, the sooner she would be finished.
Just as Krin had, Kisara knelt down in front of me. Her lips were set in a firm line as she reached out a hand to pull me closer to her. She wrapped her fingers around the back of my neck and brought me into a regular sitting position just inches from her.
The hand that had been on my neck lifted to run through my hair. The action was far gentler than I had been expecting. Her touches were light, as if she had forgotten all her anger. Yet, I could see the fury still burning in her eyes. She was angry, but biding her time.
"If I asked you to explain, your answer would just be Mokuba, wouldn't it?" she asked.
I nodded.
She too nodded with understanding. Her fingers continued running through, and I winced as she unexpectedly pulled out a few strands with the motion. From the expression she wore, she didn't seem to notice what she had done.
"You tricked me, Seto Kaiba," she said. I inferred that the use of my last name was to remind me exactly what it was that she was referring to.
Her fingernails scraped against my scalp as she spoke, digging deeper and deeper with each passing. I still couldn't tell if she knew what she was doing. Krin's words stuck in my mind. She wanted to hurt me. Most likely, she was deliberately starting slow just to play with me. Perhaps she wanted me to believe that she had no intentions of torturing me.
"I had done nothing to harm you, and you repay that by escaping?" Her pitch rose as the sentence progressed. "You couldn't just escape though, could you? Of course not, you had to kiss me. You wanted me to believe that you cared about me to let my guard down. And I fell for it."
Her hand wrapped around the back of my head and pulled me even nearer to her face. All I did was look at her. There was no point in further patronizing the dragon by trying to talk her out of believing that I had done what she claimed. She had all the facts straight. She knew exactly what I had done. I would gain nothing by attempting a lie.
"I won't be so foolish again. My beautiful Seto," she said as she pushed all the hair away from my face, "You will never leave me. I will do what it takes to keep you with me forever. And if I have to beat that idea into you, so be it."
Forever. I heard the beating portion of her statement, but that didn't register as strongly as the concept of living out the rest of my life as a dragon's plaything. I could handle pain; it was nothing more than a momentary feeling. Pain would fade away with time. But life with Kisara? That had me more nervous than anything else she had said.
My heart beat sped up. Even though my facial expression remained the same, I had no control over the reaction inside my chest. And as Kisara's free hand fell against my chest, I knew that she could tell how truly afraid I was of what she had just said.
She smiled. The hand that had been in my hair slid around to my face. She hadn't liked the scratch when we first met, but she seemed to enjoy it now. One of her fingers started out by tracing it, then moved to dig down inside the previously closed cut.
I bit down on my tongue to keep from reacting. She was searching for a demonstration of the pain I was experiencing. I had hurt her, and now she wanted to hurt me in a similar manner.
That was when I made myself the promise to just take whatever she could think to deal me. She wouldn't stop until she thought that I had been punished fairly, so nothing I could say or do would change her mind. Krin and Kara would most likely enjoy nothing more than to see me grovel for mercy. I wasn't the type to do so. I would sooner let Kisara kill me than to beg her to stop beating me.
She didn't stop her attack on my cheek until the cut had been entirely reopened and deepened. Even though the cut wasn't the worst of my problems, I still had to wonder if it would ever receive the chance to heal properly. I was beginning to think that it would be a permanent fixture on my face.
"Remember Seto, I tried to just show you love," Kisara whispered, not speaking loud enough for her siblings to overhear.
She placed her hand over my face and shoved me backwards. With my hands still cuffed in front of me, I had no way of catching myself to break the fall. So my back collided with the hard surface that was the roof. All I managed to do was lift my head up so the impact didn't knock me unconscious.
Kisara stood above me, staring down blankly. She no longer appeared angry. Now, she simply seemed unconcerned with her surroundings.
None of the dragons wore shoes. That was a fact that I had noticed within minutes of meeting them. When they changed into their human form, all of the dragons were clothed. While their clothing was far from elaborate, it was still there. Shoes however, were one type of clothing the dragons never wore.
Before Kisara's bare foot kicked at my side, I hadn't expected it to hurt quite as badly as it did. Shoe or not, Kisara's kick easily bruised my side. I didn't have to look at the skin to know that it purpled. Trying not to respond to the kick caused me to bite through my tongue. Upon doing so, I realized that I might be better off not trying to hold back any reactions. I had just created an injury out of my own act.
So when Kisara's second kick hit, I allowed myself to let out a heavy breath. Her foot had come into contact with the same place as before, making it hurt far worse the second time around.
The third time knocked the air completely out of my lungs. I pulled my legs nearer to my chest to give her a smaller target.
The fourth time, I heard a crack. It worried me that I didn't feel my rib break right away. Whether it was adrenaline or the already-present pain, I didn't know, but it seem unnatural only hearing a bone break.
Kisara heard it as well. I glanced up at her when it happened and saw her eyes briefly widen. She probably hadn't meant to seriously injure me when this began. At least, probably not to the breaking of bones.
I let my head fall to the side to get a look at the other dragons. They had both taken a seat near the edge of the roof and were watching intently. Neither seemed excited or bored. They only observed with straight expressions. I had previously assumed that they would be thrilled to watch my torment. They actually seemed more upset.
Kisara got to her hands and knees beside me. I still was trying to recover from what I believed to be a broken rib so I didn't look at her. She reached out a hand and grabbed at my face to force me to stare at her. In a swift movement, she pulled me up to her and pressed her lips against mine harshly. When she fought for access inside, I allowed her to maneuver between my teeth which had been gritted together. She used her teeth to grab hold of my bottom lip.
Seconds later, she pushed me away from her, taking a piece of my lip with her. A drop of my blood smudged on her mouth. Without waiting a moment more, she slapped me across the cut side of my face. In reaction, I let my head fall. My hands grabbed at my waist, covering the rib I thought was broken. The pain started to overcome the adrenaline.
Kisara slapped the same place again. My head jerked to the side and I ended up biting down on the inside of my cheek. I took a deep breath to try to combat the pain. I could handle it. It wouldn't last much longer.
I turned away from her and spit out the blood that collected around my teeth.
"Apologize to me, Seto Kaiba."
No matter how much she hit me, I wouldn't apologize for doing what I knew was the right course of action. Even knowing how she would react to my escape, I would have repeated the escape thousands of times over.
I brought my line of sight to the dragon abusing me. Wiping every trace of pain off my face that I could manage, I stared her in the eyes and said, "Hit me all you want. I'm not sorry."
She raised an eyebrow and turned to her siblings. Krin appeared mildly irritated, but Kara was smirking.
Kisara placed her hand on my shoulder before softly sliding her fingers down the length of my arm. I barely felt it underneath the material of my coat. However, just knowing that something else was coming sent a series of chills through my body. She had another idea in mind.
"Darling, I don't want to keep hurting you. One more chance," she offered.
"You can tell when I lie," I said, receiving another slap. This time, I didn't let my head fall, but held it up.
Kisara grabbed a fistful of the front of my shirt and threw me forward and I just barely reacted in time to catch myself. But Kisara didn't just let me push myself back up. She pulled my hands out in front of me, sending my face falling. When my chin hit the roof, my teeth slammed together hard enough that some of them had to have chipped.
Kisara stepped on the chain connecting my wrists. Then very slowly, she moved her foot to the space between both arms.
"Let's go over here," she said, then slid her foot underneath the chain and began walking. The end result had me trying to crawl to keep up while being half dragged across the roof as she stood each step. Even with the clothes covering my elbows and knees, I wasn't protected from the friction. It burned through my clothing, almost instantly tearing large holes out of the material and revealing my skin below. Soon, the skin there also began to tear.
Kisara took a larger step than she had been taking and I could no longer support myself. I fell and my face scraped against the rough surface of the roof. Although I tried, I couldn't push back up to where my face was safe, so I had to let it be dragged until Kisara came to a stop.
She took hold of my hair and pulled me up. Her face showed horror when she got a look at the damage that had just been done to mine, but she quickly brushed it off. She used her grip at the back of my head to direct my gaze at Krin.
"What do you think, brother? Can any of us make him apologize?"
Krin cocked his head very slightly. His electric eyes stared through me, examining me.
"Not if he doesn't believe that he needs to. Our slave is very stubborn."
Kisara twisted me around so she could look at me. "Love, if you aren't going to cooperate, then there is no point in keeping you."
My mind worked through her possible meanings. Kisara would never let me go. She sooner would kill me. But if she loved me even a fraction of the amount she professed, then that wouldn't have been much of an option either.
I glanced back to Krin, to see if he would go along with her statement. This wasn't just Kisara's decision. According to the monsters' rules, I belonged to all three of them. She couldn't make the decision for all of them. But Krin shrugged.
"You would kill me for refusing to apologize?" I asked, now looking back at Kisara.
"Of course I would. You underestimate me, Seto dear."
I closed my mouth, which I hadn't realized I left open. If I was dead, then I couldn't help Mokuba. The idea of dying didn't bother me as much as I knew Kisara was thinking that it would, but I couldn't leave Mokuba alone in a world like this. He would never forgive me for leaving him, even if leaving meant dying, not now.
"Then I'm sorry," I whispered, diverting my eyes so that I didn't look at any of the dragons.
Kisara leaned down so not making eye contact wasn't an option. She smiled sweetly at me while bringing my head back up. She bent forward and kissed my nose. Her kiss was brief, yet Kisara didn't stop there. Without lifting her lips, she ran her mouth down to my own. Once more, I allowed her to do as she willed. If she wanted to kiss me in exchange for my life, I could let her.
She slipped her tongue out of my mouth and began to run it along the line of my jaw. I squeezed my eyes together waiting for her display to finish. At the same time, I worked to control the shivers that tried to take hold of me.
Kisara pulled back just enough that I could see her. When our eyes met, her smile dropped.
"Not good enough."
She threw me straight to the ground. The impact brought a groan out of me which I bit back. Instead of getting back up, I remained still, bowed over her feet.
"Prove to me that you are sorry. Beg. Beg me for your life."
The insincere apology was difficult enough, but begging was not in my nature. I had been trained with a ruthless hand to never so much as ask for help. How could I turn entirely from my nature to beg this dragon to spare my life? I never attempted to hide the fact that I was a proud person. My pride was a large part of who I was. Surrendering my pride might break me to the point where I could never return to my true self.
What would happen to Mokuba if I didn't continue living? He needed me. If I died, then he would be alone in the world. There would be no place for him to run to, that is, even if he could escape yet again. When he found out that I had been killed, what would he do? I couldn't even imagine what the rest of his life would be like. As arrogant as that sounded, I knew that Mokuba depended on me, just as I depended on him. What did I have to live for without him?
Would Mokuba even be allowed to live for what he did? Kisara had just beat me for not apologizing to her. I wasn't even able to imagine Mokuba getting off easily for attacking Kuriboh. I tried to picture what Mokuba currently was going through, and the images actually scared me. They might kill him. As I debated my options at Kisara's feet, my little brother might already be dead.
"Do it," I said. My words were so faint that I barely heard them. They came out without my even realizing I was speaking them.
"What?" Kisara asked.
Instead of taking it back, I repeated my words, only louder. "Do it. Kill me. I won't beg you." I pushed myself up to my knees to make eye contact with her as I spoke.
"You want me to kill you?" She asked. Her confusion was apparent.
"No. But I will not beg you to forgive me for doing nothing wrong."
"You ran away. You broke a rule," Kisara said angrily.
"Your rule. Killing me is the only way you can keep me from doing what it takes to get to my brother."
"Are you willing to die for him?" she shouted.
"I've worked too hard for that kid to just abandon him now. Imagine what they are doing to him right now."
Kisara still stared at me in shock. "It can't be that bad."
"Kisara, you love me, and look at what you did to me."
And she looked. First her eyes traveled across the torn surface that had previously covered my face. Enough blood flowed from the cut to cause concern, but in addition to that were the scrapes from being dragged across the roof. Similar marks decorated my elbows and knees. More importantly were the red hands and what they clung to at my side.
"Oh, Seto," she gasped, but couldn't finish whatever she was going to say. She dropped down so she was level with me and put her thumb beneath my eye to wipe away a tear I hadn't noticed fall. She kept shaking her head and mumbling under her breath. Without warning, she covered her face and began to sob.
I looked towards Krin and Kara, whose eyes had grown to several times their normal size. None of us quite knew how to respond to this sudden breakdown from the dragon. Personally, I was just glad that she was no longer threatening me or hurting me, but she was unstable. I had no idea what she would do next.
She threw her arms around my neck. I winced sharply as she hugged me. The embrace forced my chained arms to press down on my ribs.
"I'm sorry, darling! I shouldn't have done that to you. But I was so mad and upset, and I didn't know what else to do! You just left and I missed you!"
"Mokuba comes first in my world. He always will."
She pressed her lips together and nodded while wiping away her tears. "I don't want you to be unhappy with me. So, if get Mokuba for you, will you stay with me?"
"Kisara, you can't-" Krin started.
"Stop!" she exclaimed, cutting Krin off mid-sentence. "Seto, will you stay with me if I give you Mokuba?"
Aside from the fact that she considered Mokuba an item to be given, it was actually a tempting offer. If she let me stay with Mokuba, then at least I would know he was safe. I would be giving up any chance at freedom, but with the current state of the world, freedom was a distant concept. I wouldn't be losing much that I hadn't lost long ago.
"If Mokuba stays with me, and he is safe, then yes," I answered slowly.
Kisara smiled brightly, but added, "Swear it."
"I swear."
She shook her head. "Do it right. I don't want you finding a way out of this. We are making a very serious deal here."
I narrowed my eyes, but did as she asked. "I swear that as long as Mokuba is with me and safe, then I won't run away again."
Krin moved up from his seat next to Kara and knelt down beside Kisara so he too faced me. "Swear it on Mokuba's life."
"No."
"Swear that if you run away again, then we have the right to kill your brother," he said.
"I'm not going to swear on his life."
"Then there is no deal," Krin stated. "But as long as you hold up your end of this arrangement, he will be fine."
I would never do anything that might risk Mokuba's life. Krin had managed to find the one thing that would actually make me keep my word. I would never put my brother's life in jeopardy by breaking a promise. If I agreed, then I would be entirely trapped in the agreement.
"You already swore that you wouldn't leave, Seto. Is this so much harder?" Kisara asked.
I knew that the two deals had me doing the exact same thing. However, just knowing that breaking my word would result in their killing Mokuba made me wary. It prevented me from ever changing my mind. There would be no backing out.
"It's his life, Kisara."
"Then don't run away and it won't be a problem. Besides, it isn't like we'd make it easy for you to leave even if you agree," Kisara said.
"Can't you just accept my word that I won't leave?" I asked, searching for a way out of their deal.
"No," Krin said.
There was only one way to make sure Mokuba stayed with me. By doing so, I would be ensuring his invisible chains as well. Kisara wouldn't let him leave if it meant keeping me with her. He would have no say in his future freedom. But he would be safe.
"Okay. I swear."
"Continue," Kisara pressed.
"I swear on my brother's life that I will not run away under the condition that he is with me and kept safe," I said with my eyes closed.
Kisara clutched her hands together happily. Krin smirked and walked back to sit next to Kara, who seemed to be in a good mood.
Kisara got to her feet and formed each hand into a fist determinedly. "Seto, I will get your brother for you." She paused and looked me over quickly. "And maybe find a healer as well."
Mokuba – The following day
Waking up felt like dying. The pain that engulfed the entirety of my body made me want to be dead. I couldn't so much as twitch a finger without feeling that shoot through my leg. And even though I did my best to remain motionless, Kuriboh refused to stay still. He rolled and snuggled against me every few minutes.
When I first woke up, I tried to ask him to stop. However, because he had cut my lips open, they had healed together while I slept. I considered breaking the scab open, but then I'd just have to suffer through it rehealing. So I didn't say anything.
Kuriboh shifted again. I gritted my teeth together, as if that would block out the pain. Of course, it didn't help.
I was worried about my foot healing properly. The last time I broke a bone Seto had taken it very seriously. He rushed me to the hospital and flew in a specialist. That was just for a fractured finger. My current injury was far worse and I knew that I would receive no treatment for it. What if I ended up unable to walk?
That was the point. I wasn't supposed to be running away. Now I had absolutely no possible means of escape. Even if I didn't have chains on every limb, I still would have no chance.
In all the previous times I had been kidnapped, the feeling of complete hopelessness never really set in. I always maintained the hope that even if I couldn't break out, then Seto would come for me.
No one was coming for me this time. I couldn't escape.
But I pushed that thought aside. Someone would help me. The help may not be coming from Seto, but I wouldn't be here forever. They would make a mistake and I could use that opportunity to break out. Lying here would not be the rest of my life.
I looked to Kuriboh who remained at my side. How had he managed to win? Although I based my knowledge of these creatures off a card game, Kuriboh still seemed to be considered just as pathetic as his cardboard counterpart. He shouldn't have any standing.
For a while, I debating telling him about the bombing. After all, who was I to determine who lived and died? I hated the beasts, all of them. But I wanted no part in their deaths either. By telling Kuriboh, I might even be saving the innocent lives of the people kidnapped by the Dark monsters. That all relied on Kuriboh being of a high enough standing to be believed. The Magician helping him might have only been to take from the Blue-Eyes.
"Finally awake!"
I chose not to look at the slaver standing in the doorway. I had never hated anyone more in my life and I didn't want to acknowledge his presence.
"So child, how is the ankle?" He asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him come closer. I stared straight up at the roof while trying to keep a level expression.
"And he ignores me again."
The slaver stopped walking when he stood over me. Then quickly, he kicked out at my ankle.
I sucked in a large breath to keep from crying out. I wouldn't give him that. But it hurt so badly that I couldn't keep the tears from welling up.
"Do I have your attention now, boy?"
In order to keep him from repeating the action, I rolled my head as far to the side as I could manage. It wasn't very far due to the chain holding my neck in place. While looking at him, I put as much hate into my gaze as I could. With the pain that was coursing through me, I doubted that my intensity was where I wanted it to be.
"Hello, how did you sleep?" He questioned politely.
My mouth was still sealed together. Answering him didn't seem worth breaking the scab. And since he still had my attention, I didn't think he would kick me again.
"So not very well?" He glanced at Kuriboh. "You are required in the conference room."
Before he left, Kuriboh lifted his head to look at me. I tilted my chin in the opposite direction. He would soon understand that my forced relationship with him had changed. I had no intention of putting up with his antics any longer. I wouldn't speak to him, cooperate with him, or even glance in his general direction.
He got up and flew out of the room, leaving me alone with the slaver.
"Are you enjoying your accommodations?" The slaver asked. Although I met his eyes, I made a point of ignoring his question. Mostly because I didn't want to have anything to do with him, but also because of my lips being healed together.
He smiled. "I will not leave until we have had a conversation."
Taking a deep breath, I came to the realization that I would have to answer him. My hopes of keeping my mouth closed to heal were dashed right then. It wasn't that I thought breaking the scab would hurt. One small cut in comparison to the bonfire on my lower half seemed almost pointless to compare. I simply didn't want to continually be fighting for time for my mouth to heal completely. Now, however, I had no say, so moving very slowly, I started gently cracking the scab. My hopes were that by doing it slowly, I would prevent any unnecessary damage.
When my lips were finally separate, I said, "Are you trying to gloat? If so, bug off." My voice was quiet since I didn't want to move my mouth, and I felt that it was missing my usual note of sarcasm.
His smile remained. "I have no intention of gloating, child. I am here to talk, nothing more."
He sat down Indian-style beside me, getting close enough that I put no strain on my neck. As considerate as that was, "I'm not really in the mood for a casual chat."
"Do you have something better to do?" He asked.
"I do, in fact. It's called, 'try to fall unconscious again.'"
"How is it that you still bite, even after being broken?" The slaver abruptly questioned as he propped his head up on his palm.
"Because I'm not broken," I paused after feeling the pain in my ankle double in intensity. "Well, not mentally."
The slaver's grin grew larger. "I have seen people in better situations than you give up all hope. So why have you not?"
I would have shrugged if I wasn't chained down. Instead, I actually had to answer. "If I give up hope, then I'm resigning myself to being stuck here for the rest of my life. So I'm hopeful that one day you and Kuriboh will be a far-off memory."
"You cannot believe that you are actually going to escape?" He said, making a broad gesture to the chains covering my body.
"I did it before," I answered smugly.
We both entered into a state of quietness. I saw his thoughts racing behind the eyes that continually stared at me. His smiled remained steady, which made the stare incredibly disturbing. After just moments of the silence, I found that I much preferred his questions to his uncomfortable hush. At least then I could hear his thoughts and not only see them.
"I usually can read humans easily," he began. "But you confound me. I never can tell what you will do or say. You are so interesting."
And he stopped there. I waited to see if he would go on, but he didn't. The slaver looked own expectantly.
"I'm glad I amuse you?" I said.
"That is exactly what I am speaking about! It is as though you do not even realize that I am the one who chained you here. I have the ability to make your life miserable," he said as if his words should scare me.
"Then it is my job to return the favor in the only way I can."
He threw his hands into the air. "Fascinating!" He stopped for a moment to fix his tall red hat. "That pathetic excuse for a monster should not be allowed to have you."
I didn't answer with one of my "interesting" responses. From what I knew of his job, he ensured humans remained with the monster that chose them. It wasn't up to him to judge the validity of the pairs. He was called the slaver. He was known for trading people, not for his interest in their personalities. According to what I knew about him, he shouldn't have said that.
"Come live with me," he said.
I blinked; he didn't. "Excuse me?"
"I want you to come be my slave."
That got a small laugh out of me. I immediately regretted it as it shook my body and hit my ankle against the chain holding it. But the little chuckles continued to come. "Why ever would I do that?"
"You would not be kept in this situation," he offered.
"Even so, I think I'll stick this out."
"Your brother is currently with the Blue-Eyes, is he not?" The slaver said.
He knew Seto? I remembered the Blue-Eyes sending him after my brother, but I hadn't known that he knew we were related. But why was Seto important?
". . . yes?" I answered hesitantly.
"If I get your brother for you, will you come with me?" He pressed.
He was serious?
"You would kidnap Seto to get me to be your slave?" I asked, thinking that he had to be joking. It was his job to keep me here with Kuriboh. What could possibly be so special about me that he would be willing to risk countering the Magician and the Blue-Eyes?
"Yes," he stated simply.
The slaver wanted me to live with him. He wanted that badly enough that he was even willing to go as far as to steal Seto away from the three scariest creatures I had seen. He would take that risk for me. What had I done to merit his unfortunate attention?
But if I could stay with Seto, that might make it worthwhile. I had been willing to stay with the Blue-Eyes and Seto had lived with Kuriboh and me. What would the difference be if we switched locations to stay with the slaver?
"I won't be much of a slave," I said, referring to my inability to walk.
"That will not be an issue. Your brother can do the work. I want you for entertainment purposes."
It wasn't fair to Seto to make a decision regarding him without his approval. I had no way of asking Seto what his views were, but that didn't change the fact that I worried over speaking for him.
But when it came down to it, I wanted to be with Seto.
"Okay," I said. "If you get Seto, then I agree to come with you."
He got back up to his feet and stared down at me. "Wonderful! I will make the arrangements. Until then, stay there. I will get your brother for you, then be back."
Then he spun around and left the room, pausing just briefly to whisper, "See you soon."
There you have it! Check out my blog for notes on this chapter and information about Chapter Sixteen!
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