A/N : Hello guys! I'm so sorry I've not worked on this story in such a long time! I truly appreciate it if you are still following along with it though. You've been very patient. So I do bring the next Chapter to you, although I do feel I need to apologise as I don't feel its up to my usual standards. I think because I haven't worked on this story for a while, I lost the feel for it a little. I will continue to work on it though and will hopefully get back on track with it. Once again, sorry for the delay. Xx
Chapter 12
Standing back to admire her work, Yukiko wiped the sweat away from her brow. She'd woke up early that morning, knowing a lot needed to be done to transform the Kaiba mansion into a haunted house and finally, at four o'clock in the afternoon, she'd finished. The place had fully transitioned. Outside, she'd strung up lanterns and streamers, used blood spatter stickers on the windows and created a pathway up to the house out of pumpkins. Despite her pride at the job, she was disappointed she'd had to use plastic pumpkins, but there was no way she'd have been able to carve them all out herself and Kaiba definitely wouldn't be willing to give a helping hand. Yukiko walked up the pathway, taking in the surroundings with scrutiny. She reached the entrance to the Kaiba mansion and walked in. There, in the open hallway was the rest of her handy work. Polystyrene Tomb stones lined the walls along with more Jack-o-lanterns and bloodied foot prints. A short way down the hall, the way was covered in semi-transparent shredded plastic sheets, each smeared with fake blood. Yukiko knew behind a few of the spooky props were fog machines and knew when they turned the lightbulbs to red ones it would make the scene rather scary.
"I hope you're aware, you are tidying this mess up," A voice scoffed from behind her. Yukiko started before turning. Kaiba was stood halfway up the staircase besides a "painting" of a creepy family, each one holding the others decapitated head. Yukiko stifled a laugh. Kaiba scowled at her.
"I'm prepared for that," Yukiko replied biting back her sheepish grin.
"Good, because if any single item of trashy decoration remain, I'm holding you responsible." He spoke accusatively. Yukiko nodded.
"I know, but you could at least pretend to have fun," She suggested sweetly. He snorted at the idea.
"I don't intend to get drawn into the geek squad's idea of fun," He retorted. Yukiko frowned and walked over to the bottom of the stairs and looked up at him her brow creased.
"You… you don't even think it looks a little bit cool in here?" She asked tentatively, crossing her arms. Kaiba stared at her, evaluating her. He stepped further down the steps until he was on the one above her. Yukiko still had to strain her neck to look into his face. He smiled very, very briefly before patting her on the head. Without saying another word, he turned on his heel and walked back up the stairs, disappearing from her sights. Deciding to leave him to it, Yukiko walked towards the dining hall. As she got closer, walking through the fake blood stained sheets, she could hear the voices of her friends getting louder.
Yukiko entered the room, a smile already plastered across her face. She turned on the spot, taking in the Halloween madness with awe. The large over-sized dining table had been covered in a floor length black cloth, a whit flimsy one thrown over the top with tears in it. There were flickering electronic candles at intervals along the table with pumpkins each with terrifying expressions carved into them. There were cake stands, cobwebs draping off them, dozens of cupcakes on each. The rest of the room was draped in cobwebs, with a giant spider dangling over the entire area, suspended from the ceiling, its thick hairy legs spreading out in every direction. Fake blood spatters were across the walls and floors along with piles of polystyrene bones and skulls. The rest of the group were just adding the final touches across the table when Yukiko entered the room.
"This is amazing!" she exclaimed. Téa walked across to her, smiling wide.
"We still have the balloons to blow up and the party lights to set up, but we're nearly done!" She smiled.
"I'll help!" Yukiko smiled brightly. Soon enough, she was sat in the corner of the room, blowing up black, purple and orange coloured balloons which would be scattered across the floor. She was feeling the bubbling of excitement in the pit of her stomach. It was such a nice feeling. She was so glad she had friends. Thinking about how life had been before she'd been abducted by a five thousand year old spirit, well, she preferred the life she was living now. She owed the evil spirit her gratitude for delivering her these friends. She felt herself chuckle at the thought. She didn't like thinking about her experiences with the spirit, but here she was, feeling grateful for his interference in her life.
"Yukiko!" a familiar voice exclaimed. She turned round in time to see Mokuba Kaiba bounding towards her. He was wearing a massive grin and looked delighted.
"Hey, Yukiko! This is amazing!" He said as he reached her and sat on the floor beside her.
"You like it?" Yukiko spoke breathlessly as she tied what felt like the thousandth balloon she'd blown up.
"It's great! I'm surprised my big brother has let you get away with it all!" He laughed picking up one of the balloons and inspecting the creepy ghost motif on it.
"I have no idea how we've got away with it," Yukiko laughed, stretching her legs out in front of her.
"Hey! Yukiko!" A voice called out from the centre of the room. Yukiko looked over and saw Tristan waving her over. She stood up and went to him curiously.
"What's the matter?" She asked reaching him. He was stood before several cardboard boxes each open with wires and other electronic stuff spilling out of them.
"Well, you see… I can't seem to put the lights together," he spoke sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"Weren't there any instructions?" Yukiko asked, looking through the boxes, taking care not to move any of the contents.
"Well, I didn't think we'd need them… I kind of tore them up," He continued. Yukiko looked at him with a frown.
"Joey said he didn't think I could put them together without them, so I made sure I would… but… Do you think you could ask Kaiba?" He laughed it off. Mokuba had followed Yukiko over and was stood by her side now, looking into the box.
"Oh yeah, Seto will be able to put this together easily!" he exclaimed.
"How'd you know that?" Yukiko asked curiously.
"He created the duel disks! Made the prototype himself! He's a genius!" Mokuba spoke. Yukiko grinned. She took the boxes and walked out of the room without needing anymore encouragement.
She didn't need to search for Kaiba long, she'd known where he'd be. She staggered up the stairs, the boxes in her arms balanced precariously above her eye line. Yukiko somehow managed to make it up the stairs, along the hall and stumbled her way into Kaiba's office, arms aching and out of breath. She dumped the boxes on the desk and turned to face Kaiba. He wore an expression of annoyance at been disturbed like that.
"What's this?" he demanded sternly. Putting on the brightest expression she could muster, Yukiko told him blazingly,
"These are the lights!"
"So?" was his short cool response.
"We… lost… the instructions and need help putting them together!"
"I've already said I don't want anything to do with this Halloween crap," He grumbled. Yukiko frowned at him. He was probably the only person who could help them sort this out. She hurriedly pulled together a plan of action, knowing she'd need a cunning one to get her way.
"Oh… I didn't think you could, I just thought I'd check…" Yukiko sighed before beginning to gather the boxes up into her arms.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kaiba demanded. Yukiko resisted the urge to grin.
"Well… Mokuba said you'd be able to, but I doubted it, I mean you wouldn't have any instructions and I mean if Tristan can't do it without them then…" Yukiko explained, heaving all the boxes back into her arms.
"Tristan," Kaiba scoffed, "You're putting me in the same boat as Tristan!"
"Look, it's no big deal! I'll just see if Joey can make any sense of it…" Yukiko turned on the spot, meaning to leave.
"I don't think so!" Kaiba's agitated voice growled from behind her. Yukiko turned to see him looking as agitated as he sounded. Yukiko put the boxes back down in front of him.
"If you think I'd let that quivering puppy near any form of electrics, you've got to be joking. You'd all end up electrocuted," He snorted as he began pulling parts out of the boxes and spreading them across his desk.
Kaiba knew he'd been played and although it annoyed him, he couldn't deny her tenacity impressed him. He glanced up at her over the edge of the box. She was watching him with a triumphant grin across her face.
"First you try and seduce your boss into doing what you want, now you manipulate me…" he mused. She laughed in response to his comment.
"Well, you shouldn't be so easy to play…" She grinned folding her arms. Hiding his grin, Kaiba reached down to the lowest draw in his desk and opened it. He reached inside and pulled out a neat leather case and opened it up. Inside was a selection of tools, including a variety of different shaped and sized screw drivers. Yukiko slid into the seat opposite the desk and watched him work quietly, unable to take her eyes of the expert way he constructed the multi-coloured light strips.
"You're good with your hands aren't you?" Yukiko broke the silence after almost ten minutes. Kaiba glanced at her, laughter dancing in his eyes. Yukiko felt herself freeze up at her comment, realising it could be taken the wrong way. Her embarrassment wasn't helped when he added,
"You tell me," Her only response was to flush bright red.
It didn't take him long to fix the lights together and before long all three of them had been assembled. Yukiko watched as he gathered them up and placed them back inside one of the boxes.
"Wow, you really are a man of many talents," Yukiko mused as she stepped forwards and took the box off the desk. He nodded curtly in answer.
"Are you sure you won't dress up for the party? I'm sure we could fashion you something out of the many suits you own…" Yukiko asked, pouting at him for increased effect. He glowered at her making his answer clear.
"Okay then," Yukiko laughed at his reaction. She headed out of the office, still chuckling to herself. She was so excited for the party to begin and despite Kaiba's obvious absence from it, it would be fun.
They soon had everything set up. The stereo and speakers were set up in the Dining hall along with the disco lights Kaiba had constructed and the table was piled high with food. The smoke machines in the halls had been switched on along with the creepy Halloween music and the lights with their red bulbs had been switched on. Everyone else was already getting ready, putting their costumes on when Yukiko saw everything had been sorted. She smiled and bounded up the stairs to put her outfit on. She walked into the bedroom she now shared with Kaiba and walked into the closet. She hurriedly undressed and pulled on her costume with excitement.
"So, what are you?" A voice behind her asked, making her jump. She span on the spot.
"Don't make me jump like that!" Yukiko exclaimed, watching Kaiba smirk. She walked out of the wardrobe, her full length dress almost fully on. She stopped before the mirror and examined her appearance.
"Please can you fasten me up?" She asked as she tried and failed to reach the zipper for the third time in a row. He grinned in response to her request but obliged and pulled the zipper up to the top.
"So… What are you?" He asked, still wanting an answer. Yukiko turned to him with a smile. She reached back into the wardrobe and pulled out a long silvery wig. She placed it on her head, gripping it in place.
"A Zombie bride!" She exclaimed brightly. Kaiba's expression falter for the briefest of moments as he examined her with the long white wig on. Yukiko turned on the spot, examining her reflection in the mirror. She needed to do her makeup, but she liked the effect of her costume. The dress could have been classed as pretty, if not for the greying white and shredded lace. That and the bloodied stains transformed it.
"You're missing this" Kaiba spoke sternly. Yukiko turned to him and saw he was holding out the veil. She reached out to take it but he didn't give it her, a smirk playing across his face.
"Hey! I need that!" Yukiko laughed, trying to snatch it from his hands. He lifted it up, so it was way out her reach. Yukiko jumped to try and get it, but he was too fast for her.
"Please!" She laughed, trying and failing again to get it back from him. Yukiko stumbled into him and he caught her round the waist. Yukiko glared up into his face with a grin. Without saying a word, he pressed the headband into Yukiko's hands.
"Why are you wearing a wig?" He asked "I prefer your own hair," Yukiko beamed at his words, accepting the compliment.
"It's creepier." She replied simply.
Yukiko walked into the hall to see a variety of creepy costumes. Mai, the girl who'd opted in for doing all the make up, was just finishing up working on Yugi, who'd dressed as what appeared to be a ghost. Yukiko smiled as she turned on the spot, examining the room for the hundredth time. It was so satisfying seeing how much work had gone into it all. Despite what Kaiba might believe, it was definitely worth it. Yukiko sighed as her thoughts wandered to Kaiba. She'd tried to persuade him to come down to the party, but he'd point blank refused, stating he had too much work to do. Yukiko didn't deny that wasn't true, but he could at least have a break from time to time.
"Couldn't convince him, huh?" A voice asked her. Yukiko glanced around and saw Mokuba standing next to her all dressed up.
"No, I'm sure you know what your brothers like," Yukiko mused, examining him. His costume seemed relatively normal, aside from a fake wound across his throat which oozed fake blood.
It wasn't long until they were all sufficiently face painted and ready. The party started swiftly. People started to turn up in small crowds. People Yukiko had never met before, but who Yugi and the gang knew from school and their adventures. It was nice really, and soon enough the party was in full motion. There were a crowd of people dancing in the hall, people often visiting the brilliant spread of creepy themed food set out across the table and even more people lining the entrance way, inspecting all of Yukiko's hard work. They were all dancing away, pop music blaring out. Yukiko was having such a good time. She stepped off the dance floor and wandered over to the table of food. She picked up a cupcake and quickly munched into it. She washed it down with a glass of her favourite drink. Yukiko admired the scene of dancing and the crowd of friends. Her mind easily wandered to the man sat upstairs, no doubt nose deep into his work. She felt desperately sorry for him. He worked so hard to protect herself and Mokuba. He deserved a break. He'd ever give himself one though. She wished he would.
Yukiko picked up another cake and marched across the hall. Before she even had chance to leave the room, Joey bounded over to her, draping his arm over her shoulder and grinning from ear to ear.
"YUKIE!" He shouted out over the sound of the loud music, "WE'RE GONNA PLAY A GAME!" He continued. Yukiko grinned at him as the music in the room was turned down slightly
"What game?" Yukiko asked intrigued. She herself hadn't had any input regarding the games for the nights entertainment. She was more than a little curious to find out what they'd managed to come up with as ideas.
"Apple bobbing!" He told her brightly, already starting to pull Yukiko away from the direction she'd been heading. Yukiko glanced back towards the exit to the room, before turning and walking with Joey, stuffing the cake she'd been carrying in her mouth as she walked.
Yukiko laughed harder than she should have as she watched Joey shove his head in a large bucket filled with freezing cold water. When he withdrew from the water, his hair and face were completely drenched, the water splashing across the floor.
"Nearly, Joey!" Yugi laughed as he gazed back into the bucket of water.
"Alright, alright, I got this," Joey grumbled through the droplets of water tumbling down his face. He clutched onto the sides of the bucket once more, his knuckles practically turning white. He thrust his head back into the water determinately. This time, when he withdrew, he had a shiny red apple clutched in his teeth. He pulled the apple out of his mouth and threw his hands up in celebration. He fist pumped the air before sitting back to the side. Téa handed him a towel which he took to try and dry off his soaking hair. The front of his shirt was completely drenched too. Yukiko examined his appearance, suddenly very curious as to what Joey had dressed up as. He was wearing a crisp, almost perfect fitting, suit.
"Joey…" Yukiko began curiously, wondering what the answer would be.
"Yes?" He turned his golden eyes to Yukiko with a beam across his face.
"What have you dressed as? I can't work it out," Yukiko voiced her question with an apologetic smile.
"That's actually a fair point," Téa nodded. Everyone in the circle turned their attention towards the blonde, who didn't seem at all put off by the attention. In fact, he stood up rather proudly, puffing his chest out.
"I can't believe you guys haven't guessed it." He laughed. They waited patiently for the answer.
"I'm Money bags!" He exclaimed proudly. Yukiko frowned in confusion. No one else spoke either.
"You know, Kaiba!" Joey exclaimed. Yukiko stared at him before bursting into a fit of laughter.
"You best not let my big brother hear that," Mokuba chuckled. Joey pulled a face.
"I can take on ol' money bags any day," He snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Sure you can, unless it's a duel," Tristan teased. Joey rounded on him and the pair began to squabble. Yukiko joined in with the laughter as they watched them.
Everyone had a go at apple bobbing and by the end, the water in the bucket had turned a murky colour from everyone's face paint and the floor was drenched. Yukiko bit happily into her apple, brushing the wet strands of her wig out of her eyes. Yukiko turned to Mokuba and beamed at him. He too sat eating an apple he'd successfully managed to bob for. Yukiko felt content. It was as if the previous issues had all melted away, her worry evaporating with it. For tonight, they could forget the issues that were haunting them. She cast her eyes around the rest of the room. She could see Mai chatting animatedly to Duke by the table and a group of people laughing and dancing to the music. A lot of the people here were friends the gang had known from school. Yukiko found herself wishing she could have gone to school with them. She imagined it would have been a lot of fun. More so than it had been where she'd gone to school. Yukiko thought back to herself when she'd been shy little Kaori Endo. She hadn't had a lot of friends and the ones she did have weren't close. Yukiko shook her head and forced her thoughts back to now.
"What's next?" someone asked pulling her attention back to the circle she was sat in.
"Mummy making!" Yugi exclaimed excitedly. He sprang to his feet and dashed over to the other side of the room, collecting together a bunch of toilet rolls and returning to them.
"We pair up and one person wraps the other in toilet roll. The person with the best mummy at the end of the time wins!" Yugi beamed.
"I'm going to pass," Yukiko smiled standing up. Despite how much fun the next game sounded, she really wanted to go check on Kaiba. There was resounding sound of disappointment from the group which Yukiko smiled sheepishly at.
"Sorry, I… I'm going to check on Seto," She explained apologetically.
"That's okay," Yugi smiled encouragingly at her. Yukiko bowed slightly before turning away and striding towards the exit of the room. Yukiko had almost reached the exit when she changed direction. She instead headed towards the table off food and hurriedly pulled together a plate full of the different foods, savoury and sweet. When the paper plate was full, she then left the hall. Yukiko walked the creepily decorated hallway back towards the bottom of the stairs, pushing past small groups of people she really didn't recognise. Once at the bottom of the stairs, Yukiko changed her course once again as she recognised a figure by the front door. Kenta was stood there, back straight and expression blank. Yukiko approached him with a grin.
"Kenta!" She exclaimed in greeting. She wasn't really surprised to see him. After the last attempt at a social gathering within the Kaiba mansion walls had ended in an explosion, one of the conditions for the Halloween party to go ahead, had been security had to be tight. There had been no arguments from her on that condition. At her greeting, the well-built man, dressed in a simple black suit turned to her and nodded his head in greeting.
"Miss Yukiko," He smiled briefly.
"How's it going?" Yukiko asked nervously, glancing around them as a pair of giggling girls passed them by, whispering in hushed tones.
"No disturbances to report," He sighed.
"Good. I'm sorry," Yukiko whispered back, her ears still ringing slightly from the loudness of the party. Kenta turned to her eyebrow raised.
"What are you apologising for, Miss Yukiko?" He asked. Yukiko shrugged, not sure herself.
"I'm not sure… I just feel bad that you have to stay on guard like this," Yukiko laughed awkwardly.
"Do you want anything to eat, Kenta? I can get you something?" Yukiko offered.
"I'm alright, Miss Yukiko, thank you though," He smiled, still remaining professional. Yukiko looked down at the plate she'd brought out for Kaiba. She held it out to Kenta and forced it into his hands.
"At least take this then. Thank you Kenta!" Yukiko grinned, speeding off before he could protest been given a plate full of party food.
Yukiko headed back into the party to once again fill up a second plate with the Halloween themed party food.
Yukiko walked up the stairs with a spring in her step. She hadn't seen Kaiba in a while, but was surprised to find herself anxious to see him and give him the food. Not that he'd eat it. Smiling to herself, Yukiko reached the landing. She walked the familiar path toward his study, buzzing from the party and the drinks that had so far accompanied it. She practically bounded the last few steps until she reached the door. Yukiko wrapped her knuckle against the wood rhythmically. Yukiko waited with bated breath for the inevitable dull tone that would respond. There was no response. Frowning slightly, Yukiko tried again, knocking more stoically now. She waited again for a response, but yet again, Kaiba didn't respond. Yukiko bit her lip and reached for the handle. She twisted it and opened the door a crack. It was dark inside his office, the lamp upon Kaiba's intimidating wooden desk off. That was odd, Yukiko thought to herself as she closed the door once more. Had he gone to bed? Yukiko doubted it, he wasn't exactly the type to give in to fatigue easily. If he had gone to bed, was he okay? Maybe he was ill? Yukiko walked back down the corridor towards the bedroom they both now shared. When she reached the bedroom, Yukiko tapped lightly against the wooden door, cautious of how loud she was knocking. If he was in bed asleep or ill, she didn't want to disturb him. When there was no response, yet again, Yukiko opened the door and stepped inside, still balancing the plate of party food in one hand.
"Seto?" She whispered into the darkened room. Nothing. Frowning, she stepped further inside.
"I'm going to switch the light on," She whispered. When no one protested, Yukiko reached around until her free hand found the light switch on the wall. In an instant, the pristine room was bathed in luminous light. Yukiko blinked, needing a few seconds to adjust to the brightness. When she could see again, it was to find the bed neatly made, as they'd left it that morning. The bathroom door was ajar and there was no sign of any occupant.
"Strange," Yukiko whispered to herself as she placed the paper plate of food upon the coffee table. She wandered into the bathroom, needing to double check he wasn't in there. Despite herself, Yukiko couldn't deny the pit of worry opening up inside her the longer she went without seeing him. When satisfied Kaiba definitely wasn't in the bedroom or the walk in closet, Yukiko strolled out of the room as fast as she could, no longer able to contain the sudden spike of panic she felt at his absence. She knew she'd probably be curled up in his embrace that night, enjoying a side of him no one else was ever privy to, but that couldn't deter her anxiety for the moment. She practically flew down the stairs in her desperation to find him. Yukiko darted back along the hallway towards the closed off sitting room. She burst into the room, hopping over a set of polystyrene tombstones to get into the room. It was empty. Yukiko left the room, closing the door with a snap behind her. She then went to the kitchen, wondering if he'd decided to grab a drink. As Yukiko had almost come to expect, the room was empty and in pristine condition. Yukiko felt her heart accelerate as panic really started to set in. Part of her felt incredibly pathetic for feeling so lost without him. He was here somewhere, he had to be. Why did she depend on his presence so much? Yukiko shook her head trying to regain control of her thoughts. Yukiko had to find someone to help her look for him. She battled through a small crowd of people stood along the hallway chatting. Soon enough Yukiko saw the man she needed to speak to.
Kenta was still stood by the door way, his black suit immaculate and intimidating. Yukiko ran over to him as quick as she could. She'd worked herself up and as soon as Kenta laid eyes upon her, he could tell. The girl was almost in tears.
"Miss Yukiko, what's the matter?" He asked, his posture stiffening, ready for any imminent threat.
"Kenta… I… I can't find him…" Yukiko spurted the explanation out frantically.
"Calm down, Miss Yukiko," Kenta spoke soothingly. Despite everything, Yukiko found his calming tone seeping into her, forcing her to relax if not a little bit. She wasn't making much sense.
"Now, tell me calmly, what's wrong?" He finished gently. Yukiko nodded and took a deep breath.
"I… I can't find Seto… Kaiba… I can't find him," She spoke, suddenly feeling stupid. She had lost her mind because she couldn't find him, but she'd not exactly checked the entire building. The places she'd checked may be the most likely places she'd find him, but this house had hundreds of rooms. He could be in any one of them.
"I… I'm sorry Kenta… I'm being stupid. I… I just panicked." Yukiko continued awkwardly, toeing the ground and refusing to meet his gaze for embarrassment.
"Miss Yukiko, that's quite alright. Bear with me a sec," He smiled. Yukiko gazed up at him. Kenta's finger was already pressed against his ear. He muttered something Yukiko couldn't hear into the piece before turning back to Yukiko, a kind expression across his face.
"Let's go find him, I'm sure Mr Kaiba's around here somewhere," He nodded curtly. Yukiko nodded well aware and horribly conscious of the flush in her cheeks.
Within no time at all, they'd searched the ground floor, gazing through the crowds for that one familiar brown head to catch their eye. When they returned to the bottom of the stair case, Yukiko was once more close to hysterical and even Kenta seemed oddly on edge.
"Miss Yukiko, where did you say you'd checked?" Kenta asked, working hard to keep his tone calm and collected. Yukiko wasn't fooled. His body language gave him away.
"I looked in his office and our room," She replied pulling on the hem of her costumes sleeve nervously.
"We'll go check his office again, okay?" Kenta said. He didn't even wait for Yukiko to respond before heading up the steps. Yukiko followed after him, starting to feel nauseous. Once more, Yukiko found herself on the landing walking towards Kaiba's office. She couldn't help but chew on her bottom lip nervously as they walked. Kenta reached the door first and wrapped his knuckle professionally upon it. There was no answer. Kenta turned to Yukiko.
"Did you go inside?" He asked softly. Yukiko shook her head.
"I peered in, but didn't go fully inside," She admitted awkwardly. Kenta turned back to the door and made a decision. He opened the door slightly, and stepped inside. He stopped dead in his tracks as he switched the light on. Yukiko frowned as the larger well-built man stopped in the doorway, blocking her way and view. He just seemed to freeze in place.
"Kenta! I can't see!" Yukiko exclaimed, trying to look past him, but it was hopeless. Yukiko frowned and shoved her way through, pushing the door out of Kenta's grip, so it banged against the wall. Yukiko walked inside and stopped.
Kaiba's office was a mess. His laptop lay broken on the floor across the room from his desk. His desk was even over turned, everything that had once been upon it now scattered across the floor. Nothing seemed to be untouched. Yukiko's eyes drifted over the scene and up towards the window behind where Kaiba's desk always was. It was broken, the cold air whistling in through the gaping hole. Yukiko felt her body unglue at the realisation.
"Seto?" She whispered as she tried desperately to process the scene before her.
"Seto!" She shouted out as the realisation hit her hard. She darted across the room towards the broken widow before Kenta could stop her. She clutched onto the ledge, cutting the palms of her hands on the jagged shards left in the frame, but she didn't care. Yukiko gazed out over the edge, trying desperately to see below them. Was he there? She couldn't make anything out. Yukiko shook her head desperately. She needed to find him. He couldn't have gone far. She turned back to the room, tears already in her eyes. Nothing in the world mattered more to her at that moment in time than finding Kaiba. Where ever he was, she needed to locate him.
"We need to find him. We have to find him!" Yukiko choked the words out, forcing them from her lips. Her mouth had gone very dry and it took all her effort just to force a decipherable sentence from her throat. No longer to maintain the pretence any longer, Yukiko felt the absolute terror overwhelm her. Still ignoring the blood that had began to spread across her palm, Yukiko turned and ran as fast as she could from the room. Kenta immediately ran after her. Yukiko took the stairs two at a time in her desperation. She reached the entrance hall as tears threatened to blind her. The front door was closed, but unlocked. Yukiko darted past the security guard who'd replaced Kenta and she wrenched the door open. She sprinted out into the cold October air, the chill making itself immediately known. Yukiko didn't care though. She turned to her right and ran the length of the building, rounding the side and heading towards the back of the building. She stopped bellow Kaiba's office window, the light from the room still on and illuminating the scene just enough for her to see the area.
"Miss Yukiko!" Kenta cried out trying to catch up to her. He reached her side almost as soon as she'd finished running. Yukiko was scanning the area desperately, her eyes darting across the broken shards of glass that littered the well maintained lawn. Despite the clear mess from the broken window, there was no sign of anything else. There were no clues and no body. Yukiko wasn't sure how to feel about that. Yukiko felt a tear break free and run down her cheek. She brushed it off her face as she span on the spot, squinting into the darkness. She needed to find him.
"Miss Yukiko, I must insist you return indoors," Kenta's voice broke her frantic searching, breaking the terrifying quiet that had clutched onto her. Yukiko turned to stare at Kenta.
"Miss Yukiko, you very well could be in danger," Kenta soothed, walking forwards, his hand outstretched to her. Yukiko gulped down the lump in her throat, unable to contain her shaking any longer.
"We'll find Mr Kaiba," He said reassuringly. Yukiko met his gaze as her own wide eyes filled with tears, making her vision swim.
"Where is he?" Yukiko choked feeling terrified. She hadn't until this moment understood just how much she relied on Kaiba, how much she needed him. He was her comfort. Without him, she felt afraid. She was back to being the scared little girl the evil spirit of the ring had managed to capture and manipulate so easily. Without Kaiba, she felt vulnerable again. She couldn't even be certain he was gone, he could still be inside somewhere, unaware of the damage that had befallen his study. Yukiko knew better than to hold on to that pathetic hope. The evidence spoke louder than anything. Kenta reached her and Yukiko left her last ounce of strength crumble. She collapsed against the man's chest, exhaustion well and truly enrapturing her with ease. Kenta caught the trembling girl easily. He supported her, helping her walk back into the Kaiba mansion as tears flowed and her small frame trembled helplessly.