Aqua-Princess of Imagination: Haha- whether it is good or bad depends on how far ahead you look. Like Seto would allow any damage to come to his brain. And for the sake of my story, Tea got away. I don't need to complicate anything more so. Everyone seems to like the way the Slaver was killed. Haha- you might be right in that last part. Seto and Mokuba might be seeing a whole lot more of their monsters.
Lace Kyoko: I'm glad you liked it! And the subbed was so much better! I didn't watch too much of it, but like six or seven episodes. It is very different. Let's clarify, the light and dark are "working" together. The next chapter is going to be a blast. (Haha- I just realized how amusing that phrasing was)
TeresaShiho: I'm going to miss the Slaver too. He was so much fun to write. But who knows? (Me.) He may have to be replaced with a similar character. . . And I just wish I could write faster. It seems like I've lost quite a few readers over time.
Pk Love Omega: Thank you! Haha- I'm thinking he may be called Seto-freaking-Kaiba for quite a while, in my mind at least.
Drake0: It took you a month to read this? Wow. Okay, that isn't so bad. It has taken me two years to write it. Haha- thanks for reviewing!
ZQuill: Kuriboh's death is going to be quite fun to write, if it happens. After all, it depends on your votes. And yes! This is only Part One. But that is only because of an idea I had. I was originally planning to end the story at the end of Part One. You'll soon understand why that wasn't an option.
Author's Note: Does anyone want to beta for me? With school and everything, I don't have time to go through my chapters as much as I would like to. And I just finished re-reading everything that I had up until this point, and there are TONS of mistakes in the chapters. Also, if you'd like to beta Part Two, I'd appreciate that as well.
Seto
I leaned towards the mirror as I tightened the tie around my neck. In the reflection, I saw Kisara coming up behind me. She frowned as she wrapped her arms around my waist.
"Seto, what are you wearing?" She asked. While doing so, she put her chin on my shoulder.
"This is what us humans wear to important meetings," I stated. Running my hands down my shirt, I did my best to straighten out the wrinkles before turning around. In doing so, I knocked Kisara off me.
"I don't like it."
"I have to be taken seriously if I want to have any chance of putting an end to this bombing," I said.
Kisara took a step forward and spread her arms out as if to grab onto me again. I quickly slid back and walked to the door, pretending like I hadn't noticed Kisara's action. She made an irritated noise as I left the bathroom.
"Seto, can you grab me a bottle of water?" Mokuba asked when I stepped into the living room.
My brother was sitting on the couch with his legs propped up on the coffee table. Kuriboh was beside him, focused intently on his face. In the four days that we had been back in the house, Kuriboh had not acknowledged any of our presence. Mokuba enjoyed that fact more than he should have, turning it into a game to see how long it would take him to finally look at one of us.
I moved into the kitchen and opened a cabinet where I thought the water bottles were kept. The cabinet was empty.
"Did you move them, Mokuba?"
"No?" Mokuba said, sounding confused. He leaned forward on the couch so he could see through the doorway. Kuriboh also moved to block Mokuba's view.
"Kuriboh, who are you blocking me from seeing?" Mokuba asked. Kuriboh moved back, unwilling to admit that there was anyone else in the house.
I looked across the counter-top and noticed the number of items which were out of place. The realization of what happened hit. "Kisara!" I shouted.
"Yes darling?" She called happily.
"Did you move our stuff?"
Kisara entered the kitchen smiling brightly. "I did. It looks better now."
"It looks better? It is mostly all behind cabinets. Why does it matter how it looks?" I asked. I had to take several deep breaths to hide my annoyance with the dragon. She was trying to play along with our life-style. Yet, at the same time, she was unknowingly trying to make me hit her.
"Hey, Seto. Do you remember that 'Only Momentary' speech? Do that," Mokuba called out from the living room. Seconds later I heard, "Kuriboh, you've got to stop."
"Would you mind leaving our things where we put them?" I asked.
"But then I wouldn't know where everything is."
I caught Mokuba's eye through the door. He took an exaggerated breath.
I understood that I agreed to put up with Kisara. I knew that I needed to stay calm to keep her happy. The living arrangement was of my doing. But I really wanted to let all of my frustrations with her be known.
Mokuba made another motion for me to breathe.
"Then if you need something, ask me and I will get it for you," I said.
"After all, that is his job," Krin stated. He had positioned himself in the doorway so I could no longer see my brother. He crossed his arms and stared at me.
"You do realize that I'm not actually a slave, right?" I said.
Krin smirked.
"Where are the water bottles?" I asked.
Kisara leaned around me and pulled open a drawer. Inside were all of the water bottles.
"You put them in a drawer?"
"They fit so well!" She exclaimed.
I shook my head and grabbed one out for Mokuba. When I returned after the meeting today, I would have to go through the kitchen and put everything back in its original place. And after than I would have to show Kisara where everything went.
"Shouldn't we be leaving?" Krin asked.
"Don't we have to wait for the Magician?" I responded. I slammed the drawer closed a bit more forcefully than I had intended to.
Krin walked off then. I followed him into the living room and tossed the bottle to Mokuba. Kuriboh growled as it sailed through the air. Mokuba had to hold back a smile by biting down on his lip, which had nearly healed completely.
"Hey Seto," Mokuba said. I heard the tone of his voice clearly. He wanted something.
"Yes?"
"When you are trying to make this deal, could you ask for the slave market to be shut down?"
"I guess. Any particular reason?" I asked. I didn't disagree with Mokuba's desire to have it closed, but I wanted to understand his particular interest. Maybe it was related to the Slaver and his death.
"It's just, I made a promise of sorts to some of the kids while I was there. I told them that I would try to come back for them, but I can't with this ankle. I figure that this might be my way to pay them back for helping me escape."
I smiled at my brother. "Then I'll see what I can do."
Kara entered the living room, coming out of the bedroom where Mokuba used to sleep. "How much longer?" She asked.
"Whenever the Magician arrives," Krin stated.
"I don't understand why you three are letting him go along with you," Kisara stated. Her lips grazed my cheek as she brushed by me and sat next to Mokuba on the couch. Kuriboh made a grumbling sound at her close proximity, but did not look at her.
"Because we aren't going to be the only race to make this deal," Krin answered.
"If he doesn't agree to the deal, then the Dark has an advantage over us," Kara continued.
"He is secretly helping me with my escape," I stated.
My attempted humor didn't receive much of a reaction from Krin or Kara. Kisara just smiled and dropped her arm around Mokuba's shoulder. "You're not going anywhere. Isn't that right, Mokuba?"
"He'd better not be," Mokuba said.
I didn't get the chance to respond, as a pounding began on the door. I assumed it to be the Magician, who did not stop knocking until Krin opened the door.
"Let's get this over with," the Magician said as his greeting.
"Gladly," Kara muttered.
Before I reached the front door, a hand grabbed me. I turned around to face Kisara.
"Love, I don't like you leaving," she said. She ran the back of her hand across my face while she spoke.
"I'll be back in a few hours," I answered and tried to pull away from her.
"Your trip to the bathroom was only supposed to take a few minutes," she reminded.
"Kisara," I began, reaching up to grab her hand and remove it from my face. "As long as Mokuba is here, I will always come back."
She frowned. "That didn't sound romantic."
"It wasn't supposed to."
"Kisara babe, I want to be done with this. Just let him go," the Magician called out.
She stepped away from me. I could tell that she was still upset at the less than loving goodbye, but I ignored it. I moved to stand next to Krin to follow him out. Just before I closed the door, Mokuba shouted, "Oh, Seto! Do you have your keys this time?"
I leaned my head through the closing crack in the door and answered, "Very funny."
Mokuba grinned as Krin pulled the door to.
"Lead the way, dragon-boy," the Magician said, gesturing to the road with a broad sweep of his hand.
I was meeting up with Jeffrey Bryant, the man who had sent me the email about the bombing. He had been hesitant to come to Domino, but eventually he agreed. I had not told him about the suggested compromise, or that I had been chosen. Either of those might have kept him from coming.
We were meeting at City Hall, which Krin and the Magician had cleared out the day before. Bryant couldn't believe that anything was off if we wanted this to work. I already expected problems when he discovered that three monsters were accompanying me to this meeting.
I spent the last four days trying to decide how exactly to persuade Bryant to call off the attack. Telling him that there would be causalities would be useless; he would know that already. My best option would be to convince him that they couldn't risk destroying the portal. While monsters could still cross into our world, that was the only way for them to return to their own. What we needed to do was find a way to get them to go back to their side.
Another problem would be getting to speak with Bryant alone. After being kidnapped multiple times in the past week, I was very doubtful of Krin and Kara leaving me for even a few minutes. I might have had more luck if Kisara had come along, but she decided that it was not safe to leave Mokuba alone with Kuriboh. That I couldn't blame her for.
The roof of City Hall came into view above the tops of the buildings around our group. I tilted my head up to see it, drawing Kara's gaze.
"Is that it?" She asked.
I nodded.
"Is this going to take a long time?" The Magician asked.
"We are in day light, Magician, you have nowhere else to be," Krin said.
"Well if this deal works out, maybe that will change," the Magician answered.
"Go back to twirling your staff or something," Kara said.
I walked out ahead of the monsters, trying to get away from their argument. I had no doubts that Bryant would leave upon seeing the beasts that traveled with me. Yet there was no way to get away from them.
"Slow down," Krin ordered. I reluctantly did so.
We approached the steps leading up to City Hall. I stared at them for a moment, trying to decide if I was wasting my time. He couldn't agree to the plan. Even if he was risking lives, including mine, he would have to say no. They could not risk letting the monsters gain free rule.
"Are you going to walk or shall we drag you?" The Magician asked.
I didn't answer, but began to ascend the stairs. I bit down harshly on my tongue, preparing for the worst. However, the rest of my manner remained composed. If Bryant wanted to meet with Seto Kaiba, I would be nothing else.
Pulling open the front door, I marched inside. I let the door swing towards being closed, ignoring the monsters behind me. The action would irritate them, but I had never been one to hold open a door for another.
Men were milling about the lobby, probably waiting for my arrival. Upon seeing me, they became busy. Two approached and gestured for me to follow. Others walked into back rooms. I paid those men no mind.
My two escorts cast frightened glances in the direction of Krin, Kara, and the Magician. I snapped my fingers and without a word brought their eyes back to me. I smirked when their mouths opened and closed like a fish out of water. I had missed the rush of power.
They were eager to drop me off, and did so immediately upon leading me to a meeting room. I entered and stopped just inside the doorway. Crossing my arms, I said, "Jeffrey Bryant?"
A man at the end of the table approached. He was wearing an expensive suit, which made me slightly uneasy, as I was under-dressed. I tried to pretend as though it didn't bother me, though it did.
"Mr. Kaiba." He extended his hand towards the table, but I didn't move any closer to it. I had maybe seconds before Bryant realized that something was wrong.
"I need you to hear me out," I stated. I heard the footsteps drawing nearer.
"That is why I drove all the way out here," Bryant said.
"Seto, I told you to stay with us," Krin said as he walked up behind me.
Bryant's eyes narrowed. "You have been chosen."
"I have."
"You failed to mention that."
"With just cause."
Krin stood to my left, Kara to my right, and the Magician on her other side. It was an intimidating line, but we didn't need intimidation. If Bryant became too scared, he would leave.
I uncrossed my arms and walked to the table as he had earlier requested. It was Bryant who hesitated the second time. None of the other men in the room moved either.
"Mr. Bryant, we just want to talk," I said.
He didn't seem to understand my statement.
"Krin, can you give us a minute?" I asked.
"No."
"You are going to scare him off. Just stand at the door. I'm not going anywhere."
Krin and Kara glared at me. They seemed to be judging my words, trying to decide whether or not it was safe to leave the room. The Magician seemed even less willing to leave than the dragons.
"We're staying, dragon-boy," he said.
"Then sit down, all of you," I said, trying to make it not sound like an order.
Krin wasn't fooled. But luckily, he didn't say anything about it. He just smirked and moved over to stand next to me. He stared down at me and pulled out a chair, telling me silently to sit down. I did as he said.
"Mr. Kaiba, I don't believe we can go through with this," Bryant began.
I cut him off before he could talk himself out of it. "You need to hear me out. They are here because they are in charge of both sides in the Light and Dark war. They are willing to talk, and you should be as well."
"They are here together?" He asked. I nearly laughed at his statement of the obvious.
"Just talk with us."
He nodded slowly. He then walked in a wide arc to the other side of the table so that he could keep as much distance between himself and the monsters as possible. Once he sat down across from me, Kara and the Magician moved to sit on my either side. Krin remained standing over my shoulder.
"I can't let you bomb this city," I stated as the others in the room all took their seats around the table.
"As I said in the email, we will not tolerate the monsters presence any longer," Bryant said.
Kara snarled in his direction, so I quickly continued before she had the chance to say anything. "I understand your concern, but we will never be able to get everyone out of the city. You will be murdering innocent people."
Bryant clasped his hands together on the tabletop. "Do not believe that we are unaware of the risk. However, this is the city with the greatest number of the beasts."
"And that makes it acceptable to take the lives of the citizens still here?"
"As I have been told, most of the residents of Domino have evacuated."
"Not nearly," I said. "There are still hundreds of people here. Some stayed for family, others have been chosen. Over a hundred children are being held in a slave market as we speak."
"A slave market?" Bryant asked.
"You didn't know that they have been taking people as slaves?" I asked, being sure not to refer to them as monsters aloud.
"We knew, just not that it was an industry. But that has to show you our motives for preventing this."
"I'm bored, dragon-boy, get to it," the Magician mumbled.
"Mr. Bryant, we have come to an arrangement that I hope you will agree to as well."
"I cannot agree to anything. We don't negotiate with terrorists."
I chuckled under my breath. Terrorists was a perfect description of the monsters. I nearly got lost in that train of thought, but Kara moved her hand to rest on top of the table and began to tap her fingers impatiently. Then I remembered that I was supposed to be having a conversation.
"We have come up with a suitable compromise that you need to listen to."
Bryant's mouth remained closed. I could see him working through the situation in his head. True, the government was not supposed to give any leeway to terrorists, but this was a special circumstance. The normal rules could not really apply to all situations anymore.
"I don't believe there is anything that you can say to me that will change my mind, Mr. Kaiba. I gave you the opportunity to get out of the city. And there are still a few days remaining until the attack. Please take advantage of that time."
"What would that accomplish? If you haven't noticed, the leaders of the-" I hesitated, trying to pick a work other than beasts. No other terms came to mind, and I had to switch my phrasing, "-their leaders are right here. You are not just giving me time to evacuate, but them as well. The city won't be worth attacking in two days," I argued.
"We will not move on our decision," he said.
My jaw clenched tightly as I restrained the long rant that threatened to emerge. I began to breathe slowly to calm down as I thought through any other arguments I might be able to present. Only one came to mind, but that would require the monsters leaving the room.
I pushed myself up from my chair and turned to face Krin. Speaking in a low voice, I said, "I need you three to leave. He won't listen to me if you are glaring down at him."
"I don't trust you alone, slave," Krin said. The Magician and Kara stood up at that point.
"Stand outside the door so I can't run off. If he can just talk to me alone for a minute, I might be able to get through."
"This isn't working, boy. He won't listen to us," the Magician said.
"So you are willing to lose your portal back to your world? Or will you let me try one more thing?"
"How long?" Krin asked.
I held back a smile. "Five minutes? I can't be sure. But this is the only chance we have of saving this city."
"Five then."
Krin dipped his chin in Kara's direction and the two of them left the room. The Magician lingered a moment longer, but also left.
The instant that I knew they were gone, I turned back around. I didn't retake my seat though. Instead, I walked around the table to face Bryant directly, and to limit the volume my voice would need. The monsters could not hear what I was about to say.
"Look, I do not agree with this deal either. However, if it is between this and death, it is preferable," I began. I waited for Bryant to stand before I continued. "They have agreed to let us go about our lives as normal. All that they want is to live with us."
"You have to realize that no one-" Bryant started.
"That no one will agree?" I spat. "Clearly you don't know what it is like to live under these circumstances. In just the past two weeks, I have been kidnapped multiple times. I have been severely beaten. My brother's ankle was broken in punishment for his attempt to run away. I saw a girl nearly cooked alive for entertainment. A boy I went to school with is currently chained up in a freezer. I was used in an attempt to start a war. I was kept trapped on a roof away from my brother, and all for their needs. I have been a slave, a pet, and a companion to three animals, and I received no choice in the matter. Mr. Bryant, many of us who have been chosen might prefer death to this. What we are being offered is far better."
Bryant had obviously not been told how badly the state of being chosen was, as his eyes were wide in shock. For a minute, no one in the room spoke. But I knew that I was being restrained by time, so I continued.
"I do not like agreeing to let them live in my home. I don't want them anywhere near my brother. Quite frankly, I'd prefer that you did bomb them all so that we could be rid of them for good. But the loss of life is not worth killing a few monsters."
"Why don't you just leave?" Bryant asked.
"I can't. They have my brother and I will not leave him. So here is the real plan that I am proposing to you. Accept their compromise and withdraw the threat on the city. Give me time to try to find a way to defeat the monsters for good."
Murmurs spread through the room. I couldn't understand any of them, but hopefully, it meant that they were interested.
"How do you suggest we remove their presence?"
"I don't know yet. But I was there when the portal was opened. I saw how it happened and who was responsible. Maybe given time, he and I will be able to reverse the effects. However, if you bomb this city, you risk losing the portal. And if the monsters do not have a way to return to their home, we will be in even more trouble than we already are."
"You saw the portal being opened?"
I sighed. That was not the part of the statement that he was supposed to be listening to.
"Yes. I was there. So will you give me the chance to stop this, or will you ruin any hope that we have?"
"How long will you need?"
"Give me until the end of the year. If I haven't come up with anything by then, you can begin thinking of new methods to control the monsters," I answered. I was relieved that he was agreeing. But what I didn't tell him was that I had no idea how to remove the monsters from our world. All I could hope was that Yami would know something, and with this compromise, the Magician could not keep him locked away.
"Will they keep their word?" He asked.
"Krin and the Magician are the leaders of the Light and Dark monsters. If they give the order, then the others should obey. And they have the ability to enforce the rule."
"But will the people living in Domino agree?"
"That I cannot be sure of. The best that I can do is talk to them about it."
Krin entered the room at that moment. "Your time is up," he stated.
"If I can put up with them, certainly everyone else will be able to," I said quietly so Krin wouldn't be able to hear.
"So what is your decision?" Krin asked. He stood across the table where I had previously sat. The Magician stood beside him, but I didn't see Kara.
"The U.S. Government will agree to your compromise, under a few conditions," Bryant said.
The Magician groaned. "What more could you people possibly want?"
"There will be no more talk of war between the two of you. If we hear of an attack, then this deal is off. And you cannot kill any humans. I don't care what the circumstance is."
When Bryant stopped talking, I added another item to his list, pretending as though he had just forgotten. "And you have to close the slave market."
"And you will not bomb this city?" Krin clarified.
"As long as you uphold your end, we won't," Bryant answered.
There was a long silence. At one point, I was sure that I heard static coming from Krin, but that I couldn't verify. But the buzzing was the only thing that I could hear while everyone thought over the proposed arrangement. I tried not to tap my foot, as I often did when I was anxious, because I didn't want to show any signs that I lacked confidence in the agreement. It had to work.
"We will need to keep men in the city to ensure that you are upholding your half of the deal," a man across the room stated.
"No," Krin said.
"I'm actually going to agree with Krinny. You can't move your army here and expect us not to fight," the Magician added.
"Not an army," the man said. "But enough troops that we know you are abiding within the confines of the arrangement."
"You mean just like a couple dozen?" I asked.
"Something like that."
"It isn't that many, Krin," I said.
"To be clear, we remove the slave market, let our humans live in their own homes, and don't go to war. Is that all?" the Magician asked. His tone was angry. I assumed that like Krin, he didn't like being told what he had to do.
"If you want to stay alive that is," Bryant answered.
"Come over here, Seto," Krin ordered.
Bryant and I met each other's eyes for a brief second, as if to confirm our private agreement. I backed away to the edge of the table, then moved to stand with Krin.
"Go wait with Kara."
And I did as he said. Kara was leaning against the wall just outside of the doorway, so mimicked her position by her side.
"So they are actually going to agree," Kara said. Her words didn't sound like a question, but I answered anyway.
"It sounds like it, though I don't think that it will go very smoothly."
"I highly doubt that it will work at all. But Krin needs the time to come up with an idea to destroy your government."
I nodded in understanding. Krin wouldn't just agree to the compromise without an ulterior motive. He had been willing to let the city be destroyed. It was apparent that he had no ties to his other world, so he had no need to protect the portal.
Mokuba had mentioned Krin's initial excitement over hearing about the bomb. But that was before the Magician found out. A bomb would no longer serve Krin's motives. And if he didn't want the inconvenience of moving locations, he would have to compromise.
But that did mean that while I was looking for a way to take down the monsters, Krin would be doing the exact opposite. If he succeeded, everything would turn to chaos. If he won, he could actually make me his slave. He could enslave the entire world if he wanted to. Would he want to?
Krin then walked out of the meeting room. His eyes were closed in clear irritation as the Magician complained behind him.
"No war. How ridiculous. We could have killed them all right there, Krinny!"
"They aren't the government, just employees. Killing them would have made things far worse," I said.
"Still, it would have reminded them of who is in charge here."
"And gotten us all killed."
"Would killing him be an act of war?" Kara muttered as she glared at the Magician.
"Depends on who you ask. Some might consider it community service," I answered.
Kara smirked and pushed herself off the wall. Krin didn't speak, but as he began to walk towards the exit, he grabbed onto my arm and pulled me along with him.
"You agreed to it then?" I asked.
"For now."
"Then technically you shouldn't be dragging me, right?"
Krin froze and spun around faster than I would have thought possible.
"Do not believe for a moment that anything has changed. You still belong to me even if the situation surrounding us is shifting. You will do what I tell you to do, and in exchange, I will let your brother live. Do you understand?" He said, hissing the last part through his teeth.
"I don't belong to you."
Krin lifted the hand that was not holding my arm. I watched as a small strand of electricity traveled between his index finger and thumb. He moved it closer to me, and I slightly leaned away from it.
I didn't notice Kara coming up behind me until her hands were grabbing onto me. One attached to the side of my head, forcing it to one side, while the other pulled down the collar of my shirt. I realized immediately what they were doing and tried to free myself from their holds, but was unable to do so.
My eyes followed Krin's hand, or more accurately, the lightning he was creating. He didn't waste time in pressing it against the skin at the top of my back, drawing a gasp of pain out of me.
Seconds later, Kara let go. Krin's grip on my arm stayed in place while I lifted my free hand to feel the spot.
"You are mine, Seto. Don't forget that."
Krin went back to dragging me out of the building. I glared at the back of his head as we walked. Krin probably didn't realize that he just gave me a second motive for ridding the world of the monsters. Now it was no longer just for the sake of returning to normality, but to prove him wrong.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SETO KAIBA!
Check out my blog for thoughts on this chapter. And keep checking it and my twitter for Chapter Twenty-Two details. National Novel Writing Month starts in a week, so I won't be working on Possessions in November. Hopefully, I'll update before then . . . but no promises. I would love to have Part One completed soon though.