Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

10-10-2-Do-You Too

Chapter 5

Offline

Isis looked out over the clouds of the night sky. After her conversation with Malik, she updated the others that she was ready to go. Duke was more than happy to change their flight while Marik was indifferent to the whole thing. They packed up the rental and made the hour drive to Harrisburg International Airport, catching the last red eye flight back to Las Vegas.

They were two hours into their five-hour flight. Across the aisle, Marik and Malik were fast asleep, their complimentary blankets tucked up to their chins. Isis watched Duke's eyelids drooping next to her.

"Can it wait?" Isis motioned to the dozens of tattoo sketches on Duke's laptop.

"I've been procrastinating." Duke covered his mouth and yawned. "We brainstormed ideas for our booth at the tournament. Lumis and Umbra had a cool idea to do Duel Monster temporary tattoos."

"That will be a big hit."

"I told everyone to give me five sketches each. I have until the end of the week to get my picks approved by MGC. I've already sent the portfolio three times."

"What's been the issue?"

"The art's too sexy." Duke pulled up an email written in Japanese. He highlighted a sentence.

Isis looked at the kanji with interest. "...chotto eroi?" She had to know which sketches were 'a little bit erotic'. "Which ones?"

"I knew it was a risk, but..." Duke pulled up a sketch, "I see the vision and I love the piece."

Isis knew her brother's art style and while his interpretation of the three Harpie Ladies getting drunk from the contents of a Pot of Greed was wonderfully done, it wasn't very family friendly. The women's expressions as they greedily titled their heads back, tongues out, as the sparkling fluid dribbled on their chins and wetting their breasts, Isis wouldn't describe as only a little erotic.

"Was this the only issue?"

Duke pulled up another sketch.

Isis didn't know the Celtic Guardian bathing in a river, with his armor sitting on the banks, while Mystical Elf watching from a flower bush was something she was interested in, but she wanted the full story.

"Malik wanted to appeal to the shipping culture. Again, I see the vision and I love the piece. But it's not MGC approved."

"Were any of his ideas passable?"

"No," Duke said matter-of-factly. "I told him I was pulling his designs."

"Was he upset?"

Duke rolled his eyes, "He was trolling me. Said he wanted to see if I had the balls to send it to MGC and pull him from the project."

"That is very Malik of Malik."

"The joke's on him because I'm adding them to his portfolio." Duke returned to the sketches still needing review.

"I'm so proud of you Duke. You've come very far since our trip to Japan."

"Thank you," Duke shyly said. "I couldn't have done it without Malik. I'm glad he didn't quit. He's better than me with this stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Being a leader."

Her brother did have leadership qualities, but they weren't always executed the best. "You both have strengths and weaknesses. It's a good balance."

"I don't always feel that way."

"Malik calls the staff minions, Duke. Trust me when I say there's a balance."

"They kind of are."

"Don't encourage him."

Duke snickered and closed his laptop, putting the device away. "I need sleep if I think calling Keith a minion is OK."

Isis grabbed her blanket and pillow and tilted her seat back. She closed her eyes, but the darkness left her brain screaming. Kaiba said coming to her graduation was a waste of time and blocked her. Why waste the time flying to Japan? Wasn't this desperate behavior? But Isis was desperate. She owed it to herself and Kaiba to see where things could go, no matter how terrified she was. Five months of longing would be wasted without action.

"Hey..."

Isis opened her eyes to Duke's pensive stare.

"Did you want to practice Japanese?"

"You're not going to sleep?"

"Sleeps for losers." Duke motioned to Marik and Malik, still fast asleep. Case and point. "Just know we can practice if you want." Duke leaned back in his chair closing his eyes, before comically opening one eye. "Change your mind?"

Isis quietly giggled, "Is the practice more for me or you?"

"Mutually beneficial." Duke pulled his laptop back out and pulled up the website for their virtual class. "It'll keep us both from freaking out..." He looked like he wanted to say more but kept silent.

"Is my anxiety that obvious?"

"About as obvious as mine."

Isis sighed, "This shouldn't be so hard for us. You've been doing business in Japan for how long?"

"Since I was eighteen."

"And I miss Seto so much..." Isis felt shy admitting that out loud, but Duke was good company. And she needed practice expressing just how she felt in real time. No more meltdowns. "This should be easy."

"Are you scared of messing things up?" Duke scrolled their virtual Japanese class's website. "I am."

"Considering I have already messed things up, I'm attempting to be optimistic I can't do any worse." Isis chuckled humorlessly.

"That's oddly comforting...and true for me too."

Isis scooted in closer, feeling like their lowered voices were too loud for the quiet plane. "We can't let our past mistakes ruin what we have now."

"Malik said something along those lines."

"What did he say?"

"Fuck the haters and try again."

"Straightforward wisdom at its finest." Duke and Isis quieted their giggles behind their hands.

"I feel like this is my last shot."

"Why do you feel that way?"

Duke's tone softened. "I lost my confidence. Pegasus was my idol...super embarrassing to admit that now but he was. And he used me to further his career and fatten his pockets. Guess I still feel stupid for letting him get me."

A loss of confidence, was that Isis' issue too? "You're very hard on yourself to be so young."

"I could say the same about you." Duke gave her a cautious smile. "There's still room for you to figure it out."

Maybe Duke was right? There was still time, and this was the perfect time to test her confidence. Isis reached into her purse and produced a black card with the sleek silver script. Nothing could start until she called Isono, and she didn't want to waste any more time.

"Duke, would you mind being my moral support?" Isis handed him the card.

Duke inspected it before it clicked whose name was on the card. "Whoa, you're calling Isono?"

"Right now." Isis took the card back, her stomach twisting a little. "He told me to call when I was ready to come to Japan."

"Then it's time to call. Do you have your phone? Is it charged?"

Isis pulled it out of her purse and nodded. She connected to the flight's Wi-Fi and pulled up an app for making international calls. "Here I go…"

"You got this, Isis." Duke gave her a thumbs up.

Isis dialed the number and held the smart-phone to her ear. It rang a few times before a man's voice answered.

"Hai, Isono de gozaimasu." (Yes, this is Isono.)

Isis gulped. "Hello Isono, this is Isis Ishtar," she said softly in English.

Duke nodded encouragingly.

A pause followed by, "One moment." The phone went silent.

Isis' eyes went big, Duke motioned to her. "He put me on hold, is that a good or bad thing?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Duke whispered, afraid Isono could possibly hear him.

Isis tried to calm herself. Isono was head of Kaiba's security; the man was very busy. Maybe she should have set up a time to call him instead of calling out the blue? What if he didn't have time to talk? She kept checking her phone making sure the call was still active. She'd only been on hold for two minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

"Miss Ishtar?"

Isis gasped, "Um, yes, I'm still here."

Duke let out a sigh of relief that the man was back on the line.

"I apologize for the wait," Isono said.

"I'm sure you've had quite a bit on your plate with the tournament happening."

"Yes ma'am."

Silence.

Isis looked out the window at the night sky and worked up her nerve. It was one thing to waste her time, but she couldn't waste Isono's. "I'm calling because I intend to come to Japan soon—"

"How soon? Tomorrow?"

Isis was not expecting that response. She didn't know if she was reading things incorrectly, but he sounded hopeful. For Isono to have witnessed she and Kaiba's disagreement, as well as the aftermath of Kaiba's disposition, but still be anxious for her arrival in Japan was a good sign, right?

Isono cleared his voice, "I could have you here in 24 hours, Ms. Ishtar. Understand that would require quite a bit of participation on your end to make that happen. I wouldn't want to overwhelm you."

"I was thinking more along the lines of three days' time?" That's how long it took her to escape her marriage in Egypt. In a situation where leaving wasn't as pressing, it felt like the perfect amount of time to get everything done and not feel extra overwhelmed. Since being overwhelmed was unavoidable in this case. "Does that work?"

"Three days is easy. Tell me everything you need, and I'll make it happen."

"Before we start planning Isono, I need you to be honest with me, please."

Before Isis could ask, Isono was speaking again. "Now more than ever, Ms. Ishtar, Seto wants you here."

Isis turned to Duke's anxious face with a hopeful smile. The tattoo artist squeezed her wrist. "Then let's get me there, Isono."

Domino City, Japan

"Sir?"

Kaiba sat in a boardroom with thirty people staring in his direction.

The head entertainment coordinator had a nervous smile. "Should we add the 'Roba Acrobatics and Circus' performers to the tournament's opening day parade?"

"Weren't they hired to be street performers?"

"Yes sir, they were."

"Will the other street performers be in the parade?"

"Yes sir."

"Then put them in the parade." Kaiba's tone chilled the air. "What other stupid questions do you have for me?"

Most of the room avoided eye contact at all costs, leaving the remainder of the meeting to the petrified coordinator. "I uh, well," she frantically looked through her notes. "One last question if you have the time."

"I don't but ask."

"Did you want the mascots—"

"Put them all in the damn parade!" Kaiba slammed his fist down on the table as he stood up, rattling everyone in the room. "You should be in the parade too – you're a clown. On second thought, you're not very entertaining or talented."

The coordinator visibly gulped, "I-I'm so sorry, I just wanted to be thorough and—"

"Any additional bullshit questions can be directed to my co-CEO." The brunet stormed out of the room, slamming the conference room shut.

The associates in the hallway beelined out of his way, cowering into supply closets or facing the wall. For the last 24 hours, Seto Kaiba had been on a rampage through the towers. He'd yet to fire anyone, knowing it was risky this close to the tournament, but many hopes and dreams had been crushed under his fiery tongue.

Kaiba angrily swiped his badge to the executive elevator. The doors dinged open and two high ranking officials scurried off, not caring it wasn't their floor. No one wanted to be trapped in an elevator with that man. When the doors closed Kaiba's shoulders slouched and he buried his face in his hand.

It'd been two days since he blocked Isis and started the process of forgetting she existed. It was easier said than done. He couldn't sleep not knowing what she was doing. He couldn't eat, not knowing what she was thinking. He. Wanted. Answers! He never penned her as weak, but blocking her was all it took for her disappear? To disappear on him, the Seto Kaiba? Preposterous! He hated that he couldn't shake this bullshit.

He stormed off the elevator and found his office freshly cleaned. A clean pillow and blanket neatly folded on his couch. After the inspection of Kaiba Land, he stopped by the office to wrap a few things up. Considering how late it was, he decided to sleep there. Two days later he still hadn't found a reason to go home. He had what he needed there in his office. And it was easier being alone there. Back to being alone…

He skimmed a few emails when his desk phone rang. He grabbed the receiver, "What?"

"Kaiba, stop this madness right now!" Yami scolded on the other end. "Mrs. Ono is threatening to walk!"

"Who the hell is that?"

"The entertainment coordinator!"

Kaiba was unmoved. "She can be replaced."

"She cannot and you know that."

Yami wasn't wrong but Kaiba still didn't care. "Whatever."

"It's not whatever, this is our first tournament in years Kaiba. Our reputation is on the line!"

"Fuck the reputation! These nerds are going to get off to this tournament whether the Roba Circus juggle pins or juggle their sacks!"

Yami sputtered in outrage, "You crude selfish jackass!"

"You're the one who backed out of that meeting. This is your fault!"

"Yes, of course this is on me," Yami sarcastically said. "I should take responsibility for thinking you're mature enough to do anything around here."

"Don't tell me about maturity, you never got out of puberty!"

"Be glad I'm too far away to have this conversation in person," Yami hissed through the line. He ended the call.

If Yami wasn't back in China further schmoozing 4Kids, Kaiba would've gone next door to call his bluff. How dare he threaten him and hang up like a coward. Was why everyone such a coward?! The phone rang again.

"What?!"

"Sir...am I interrupting?" Isono awkwardly asked. Much like everyone else, he'd been tiptoeing around Kaiba for the past two days.

"Did you do what I told you?"

"Yes sir, we upped security for the tournament and brought in a surveillance team for both the servers and attendees."

"Good." Kaiba slammed the phone down only to have it ring again. "What?"

"S-sorry sir," it was Isono again, "When will you be leaving the office?"

"Late."

"Is there a set time?"

"No." Kaiba put his bodyguard on speaker so he could respond to his emails. Isono's silence was aggravating him, "Are you done?"

Isono seemed like he wanted to say more but conceded to his boss. "That is all."

Kaiba slammed the receiver down.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Isis sat on the mattress of her bed – was it still her bed? It was devoid of sheets and pillows. All the special touches that made the room hers were gone. Some of the items were in boxes, but most were given to donation centers around Vegas while the rest was given away to Lemon and Apple who just so happened to be moving into a new place. Perfect timing.

"This is it huh?" Lemon gave her another hug for good measure. "I'm so excited for you! This is all so romantic."

"Maybe we can come visit you in Japan?" Apple hesitantly asked. "Only if it's OK."

Isis thought over her goodbyes with her friends and wondered how soon she'd see them again. Sooner than later if Isono was wrong. That was the pessimism speaking. She'd tried her best to quiet that voice over the past three days, but it only seemed to get more confident, more honest in its murmurs. But she wasn't going to let those negative words get in the way of making this happen. Too much work had gone into this day.

Isono had arranged everything, Isis only required to follow instructions. The security guard figured out her visas, hired a team to help her sort through her belongings, and chartered her a private flight direct to Domino. A direct flight that left in three hours. Since she was flying privately, she was required to be at the airport an hour before takeoff. That left her sitting in her barren room with only two large suitcases of what she'd initially need. The rest of her things would arrive the following day.

"Those transport guys are gone." Malik walked in and made his way over, sitting next to his sister. "They said your stuff would be there in 24 hours."

Isis nodded, still staring at the empty walls.

"You're really doing this?"

Isis nodded again.

Very unlike himself, Malik was at a loss for words. The last three days had moved so quickly his head was still comprehending his sister was leaving. When their flight got in from Pennsylvania, Isis updated everyone on what she discussed with Isono. This led to her cancelling her graduation party and photoshoot, to instead start packing boxes and containers that showed up at the house the next day. Followed by a bunch of burley men ready to move whatever Isis asked. The whole thing had been surreal.

"How's your…IUD?"

This successfully snapped Isis out of her daze. "Malik." Isis pinched him.

"Ow! I'm just asking. The doctor said to make sure you're OK!"

"I'm fine." Isis rubbed her face. The last in-person conversation Isis wanted to have with her brother, was about her chosen form of birth control. "Thank you for taking me."

"I was happy to be useful." Malik chuckled, "I've felt useless to you these past few days."

Isis watched her brother's almost sad smile.

"I have to let some new asshole take care of you. And so far, he's doing a good job. Kind of pisses me off." Malik chuckled, "I was sure I could leverage the logistics of moving to get you to stay."

Isis had to admit she was surprised by how quiet Malik had been in this whole process. She never stopped to consider what leaving meant for her little brother. The good thing was he wouldn't be alone. He had Marik, Duke, his many friends around town – at least they weren't being separated against their wills again.

"Please come see me as much as you can, Malik."

"Will your boyfriend be paying?" Malik joked. "I'll come see you, Marik too. Do you know he has a passport now?"

Isis' brow furrowed. "Since when?"

"Since yesterday. Remember when the mail came with your visa stuff?"

Isis nodded.

"There was a package for Marik, and it was a passport. Kaiba's team is scary thorough."

Isis couldn't believe they made sure Marik had a passport. It was beyond thoughtful to make sure her family was able to see her. She would be sure to formally thank Isono.

"Malik, will you be OK without me?"

"I've done it before and I'm ready to do it again." Malik shrugged, "A lot of people see Las Vegas as a transitional city. I always felt like it was for you. It's time to live your life to the fullest Okhti." (Sister)

"Your support means everything."

"Speaking of that, Duke said he's sorry he can't send you off."

"He doesn't have to keep apologizing." Duke was called to business in Reno the night before but made sure to stop by to say his goodbyes. "Besides, I'll see him at the tournament. I better see you there too."

"We'll see." Malik leaned back on his hands, looking all around the room. "Do you want me to keep your room empty while you're gone?"

"Has Marik already requested it?"

"Yes," was a mischievous reply from across the room.

Both snapped their heads to the doorway to find the almost twin lurking. Marik had a tape measure in hand.

"If you don't want him in here, he won't be," Malik assured rolling his eyes at Marik.

Marik ignored him and started measuring portions of the room.

Isis watched Marik's antic and smiled. "I will miss this." She could feel her eyes welling up.

Malik squeezed her knee. "This isn't a permanent goodbye."

"I know but…" Isis sniffled, "You all are my family, and I will miss my family."

"We'll miss you too." Malik pulled his sister in, holding her against his chest.

Isis snuggled into him, enjoying the embrace. "Please take care of each other, that includes Duke."

"You know that's a no brainer." Malik sighed, "I'm going to have to put Marik in those cooking classes he's been asking me about. Who else will feed me around here?"

Marik, who was across the room measuring a corner and marking with a carpenter's pencil, mumbled something about souffles and pies.

"Marik will soon be the perfect house husband," Isis joked.

"That's the plan. What about you? You have your degree now, what are you going to do?"

"That's a good question Malik." Isis hadn't given much thought in general to what the next steps were in terms of her career. She didn't plan to be a cam-girl forever. "I'm sure I'll find my way." First, she had to figure out things with Kaiba, the rest could wait.

"You will, I'm not worried." Malik unexpectedly let Isis go, watching her comically fall against the mattress as he stood up. "Did you need a ride to the airport or did Isono plan that too?"

Isis stuck her leg out and blocked Malik from walking away, dragging him back down on the bed in retaliation. "He arranged that as well you uncouth little child." She put him in a headlock, her brother laughing as he tried to escape.

Suddenly both were crushed under the weight of Marik swan diving on the bed. He could never resist a dogpile. As the three tussled on the bed, laughter filling the room, Isis knew this was exactly how she wanted to spend her last few hours with her family.

Domino City, Japan

Kaiba sat behind his computer feeling a dull throb in his shoulders. His whole body was pulled so taut he felt like he'd snap. People were acting like they've never thrown a tournament before, that they didn't understand MGC was a fucking business. Instead, they were all busy gossiping over his personal life and attitude.

His day started by declining a meeting with the entertainment coordinator, the same one he called a clown earlier that week. Yami was back so he handled it. His co-CEO's silence around the matter told Kaiba they were not on speaking terms unless necessary. Kaiba was fine with that, focusing on his own workload while everyone else ironed out silly details.

He had a meeting with his technicians to see their mapping for the street duels. The holograms didn't pass the lighting test. How could someone duel at dusk if they couldn't see their monster? Kaiba was so livid he didn't even remember half the things he said, but he stood by all of them. And he remained in the lab until they got it right.

Now he was working late to complete his other tasks. Throwing a tournament seemed like a good idea in theory but the execution was grating. Why did this seem like a good idea months ago? Well, a lot of things felt like a good idea months ago. Kaiba leaned back in his chair, daring himself to think of all the stupid plans he'd made.

The tournament was going to bring in a lot of money and business for his company and city. But it was also a selfish opportunity to introduce his world to...her. Kaiba imagined attending his least favorite events that came with these tournaments, with her on his arm. It would make things more bearable – no, it would make life more bearable.

"Fuck!" Kaiba grabbed the empty mug off his desk and flung it across the room. It shattered against the wall, the pieces falling to the floor. He knew it was only a matter of time before he fully shattered. He wanted to hate her, but he couldn't muster up the last one percent to make it happen.

His smart-phone loudly buzzed against his desk. He looked down at the screen to find a message from his brother:

'Big bro, I know you're busy but check these out when you can!'

Kaiba opened the message and looked at the photos. His brother had made it a point to send him screenshots of what the fans were saying about all the preparations. He couldn't deny it did help the lesser tasks to be much more manageable.

Last week it was messages from well-known duelists reaching out to each other on the boards, trying to coordinate meetups and parties. This week, up-and-coming rookies making a name for themselves, asked if the VIP tickets were worth it for the booster packs.

He spent some time reading those messages, to see if he recognized any names (a few he did) and tried to gleam any last many events they'd appreciate. He sent a thumbs up emoji to his brother and rubbed his face. The boiling rage once again had a lid on it. He really appreciated his brother.

Mokuba wasn't stupid, he knew something was going on with Kaiba but hadn't asked anything yet. Kaiba appreciated the space to focus on the tournament, but he had every intention of talking to his little brother about everything when he could discuss it and keep his composure. He looked back at the broken mug and got up, cleaning up the pieces. Luckily it broke into large pieces, so it wasn't a pain to clean.

He threw the pieces in the trash and checked his clock, wondering if he should call it a night. The trill of his desk phone told him that was a no.

"What?"

"It's Isono sir."

"What do you want?" Kaiba returned to his emails.

"When will you be leaving the office?"

"You know better than anyone I can't place a time on that." Kaiba was annoyed all over again. Isono knew how busy he was. Just because Yami made it a point to be on a schedule for his wife and kids, didn't mean Kaiba would do the same just for himself.

"Sorry sir, I was asking because of the action plan we made four months ago."

Kaiba immediately stopped typing. "What about it?"

"Should we shut down the property?"

Kaiba felt like he was going to explode, and he didn't have another mug to throw.

"The realtor was asking."

"The realtor needs to mind his fucking business." Kaiba got on his feet. Pacing was a better use of energy than destroying his office. "I told you both to direct temporary housing requests to MGC Villas." The elite coming into town for the tournament had been nightmare, expecting Kaiba to open his personal properties for their stay.

"There was a special inquiry for Ryūgū-jō, sir. Not tournament related, sir."

Kaiba stopped pacing and rubbed his forehead. He was getting a headache. "Fine. I'll go to the property tonight." He ended the call and returned to work.

Later that Night

It was nearly midnight as Kaiba pulled out of the parking garage. The streets of the business district were almost empty as he stopped at a red light. "Computer, send message to Isono: headed to Ryūgū-jō." His electronic dash showed the message followed by an animation of a letter flying across the screen.

The last thing Kaiba wanted to do was go to Ryūgū-jō but after his plans fell through, he might need to start considering other options for the property. If he went into it with a business mindset, maybe the walkthrough would be manageable. But the closer he got to the house, the less he believed it was an option.

Kaiba took a highway that looped him to the outskirts of downtown, where the skyscrapers of the business district thinned out to modest architecture. He looked out over the docks below where night fishermen prepared their boats to go out. The highway emptied into a quiet suburb where contemporary met traditional. Neighborhoods of modern minka homes lined the quiet streets, separated by businesses. The beach was a short 10-or-15-minute walk away.

Kaiba drove into one of the more affluent subdivisions; the ones housing the mansions that mixed traditional Japanese architecture and western influence. At the end of a street was a long, tall, border wall, like the other fencing around the neighborhoods. But this one had a large ornate gate, covered by a traditional tiled sloping roof.

There were dark mahogany square columns – three on each side of the doors. The outer most two had dimpled gold plating only at the top and very bottom of the pillar. The two innermost columns had long snake like dragons made of gold, blue and white, wrapping around the dark wood squares.

"Computer, open the gate."

The large deep brown doors opened inward, revealing a one-way road lined in a bamboo forest, growing at a curve covering the way. Warm light emitted from the few Japanese lantern posts that lined the road, giving the drive in at night an otherworldly feeling. The road angled up and the bamboo forest suddenly ended, showing almost 360 views of the ocean. At the end of the road sat Ryūgū-jō.

Ryūgū-jō was a one-story vision of curved black tile roofs, huge floor to ceiling windows, and a black stone exterior juxtaposed by deep brown paneling. Kaiba pulled up to the circular driveway and parked. The drapes were drawn, and all the lights were on. Kaiba assumed Isono or the realtor did this in anticipation of his arrival. He stared at the home, debating if he really wanted to do this. For five months, there were a lot of things Kaiba didn't want to do but he pushed through them. This would officially close his chapter in Las Vegas.

He got out of the car and walked up the lit path flanked by gurgling ponds, where the sizable expensive koi and goldfish followed him to the large front door. The handle was a curved serpent like dragon done in gold. Kaiba gripped it and dropped his hand, the door clicked, unlocking and swinging open on its own. He walked into the entranceway and removed his dress shoes, replacing them with a pair of black slippers by the door. The door closed back on its own.

Immediately he froze—he smelled something, and it was strong. Food. Someone was there and whatever they had smelled very familiar and mouthwatering. Kaiba was reminded of how he hadn't eaten all day.

The realtor couldn't be responsible, but this had Isono written all over it. The man was probably worried about him, he knew how focused Kaiba could get. That usually ended in skipping meals and not getting very much sleep. Isono couldn't drug his coffee so he'd rest, there was too much to do (and Isono's contract now had a stipulation about that), but he could make sure he ate.

"Isono?"

Silence.

Kaiba strained his ears to hear even the rustling of a towel coming from the kitchen, but he heard nothing. He traversed the lacquered acacia black walnut floors and entered the kitchen. The deep navy-blue modern cabinetry with gold handles were juxtaposed by the deep walnut countertops. The appliances were black steel with gold accents such as the gas burners and knobs. Kaiba could still feel the heat from the stove. Someone used it, so Isono didn't just order food and leave it there, he hired a chef. But where was the food?

He looked at the matching deep walnut kitchen table surrounded by white cushion chairs with gold framing. Nothing was there. He went to the shōji doors, modernized with mahogany framing and foggy glass windows, and the aroma got stronger. Isono was being dramatic leaving the food in the dining room. He slid open the doors and was surprised by what he found.

The long black marble dining table lined with mahogany katakana dining chairs, was adorned with one Japanese vintage cast iron lantern. The holographic flame inside was turned up to a medium brightness, creating a warm romantic glow. On the main wall, it gave the large custom Nihonga mural of a blue and white sea serpent a mysterious feel under the low lighting. At the far end, where a large window's curtains were open showing the perfect view of the ocean, were a place setting of the good China, plated with—NO.

Kaiba walked closer to get a better look at the food. What he smelled and what he saw matched: samak mashwi. The grilled fish was paired with two medium bowls; one filled with salad, the other white rice. A small bowl of freshly made tahini sat before them. Steam was still curling from the dish. Serving Kaiba a dish he liked wasn't the issue, but the context of the meal left him seething. There was no way Isono knew this was a meal she promised to cook him, but Isono had been present for his not-so-great interactions with her state side. Why would he choose Egyptian food in general?! It was not a common request in the least.

If Isono was trying to prove a point, he was sorely mistaken. Kaiba was done with her and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. He grabbed his smart-phone ready to give his head of security a piece of his mind.

"I know it's late, but I thought you might be hungry."

Kaiba's head snapped to the other shōji door on the adjacent wall. He saw the shadow of a woman through the glass. The voice...he was hallucinating. Overworked, underfed, exhausted. Hopeful…

The shadow took a deep breath and walked around to the opening of the doors. "Isono told me when you were coming. I promise you the meal is fresh."

PLEASE READ:

Not much to say other than a promise I'm going to stop blue-balling everyone with their issues. OK, that's not a complete truth, buuut not as bad. We're getting closer, I swear!

Japanese Words:

Hai, (blank) de gozaimasu – Yes, this is (blank) (Very polite/used in business context)

Ryūgū-jō - Dragon palace castle

Arabic Words:

Okhti – Sister

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lovereading92: You nailed exactly why I love Trustshipping so much: the chemistry will always be electric and the communication a shit show. Their attempts at overcoming their many differences and finally listen to one another is always a fun ride. Frustrating as hell, but fun! Yugi is the sweetest and I feel like canonically Kaiba had a soft spot for him.

SetoRJK-Kaiba: Your many questions will be answered soon. I don't want to give too much away…hee hee.

helssa: Your comment cracked me up! I promise (to the best of my ability) not to disappear and continue the story. Thank you for reading!

A Gentle Reminder...

My dear friend Em is illustrating the OG story, 10-10-2-Do-Me. Please check out her page for more details!

emdrawsmanga/art/Cover-10-10-2-Do-Me-by-Indigo-Token-1029247732

See you soon!