Sorry for the delay!
A lot has been happening these last couple weeks.
I know this chapter is short, but that's because I completely rewrote it.
It felt like I was trying to end the story, and it wasn't how I wanted the story to end. I don't want to disappoint anyone, but I realized I started writing this chapter to please the readers instead of how I had originally intended to write it. So I scrapped the chapter and now we have this in it's place.
I hope this is a satisfying chapter. Thank you all for sticking through it with me!

More to come soon!

I lied in bed, a book in my hands. Though the words filled my vision, my mind was else where. I couldn't retain a single word I read. It's been like this a lot lately, but tonight it was even worse. I couldn't stop thinking about the animation rooms. The beautiful holograms…. They were so real, that it seemed to make dreams come true.

While I was there, surrounded by the realistic worlds, brought to life through duel monsters cards, I felt like I could understand why someone would want to be immersed into a digital realm. This is what Seto's work has led up to in his life. This is everything he strives for his company. It goes passed just a silly card game. It's the love he puts into every project, and every vision he has that makes the game he plays so… amazing.

I sighed, letting the book fall on my face. Honestly, I hadn't meant to drop it, but you could say I have butter fingers when I'm not focused. The book fell from my face and on to my shoulder. I turned my head to the right, looking passed it and to the side of the bed where Kojiro was lying. I promised the evening with him, and he spent the whole time on his laptop.

He shut it down about an hour ago, so I tried engaging in conversation. He fell asleep shortly after I was done asking questions… I asked him about the man who visited, claiming to be my father. I had no doubt that he was, but I declined any offer to help him and the woman who brought me into this world.

Apparently Kojiro had helped them out. He knew someone from "work" who had the blood type they needed and they gladly helped them out. When I asked him why he had helped them out, he was reluctant to answer. All I got out of him was that he wanted to help the parents of his fiance, even if I didn't want anything to do with them. The fact that they were my parents was enough for him, I presume.

I scowled as I stared at him, his back facing me. He slept in his nice pants and the undershirt he wore to work. I hated lying next to him. I grabbed the book that fell on my shoulder with my left hand, now staring at the ring he had proposed to me with. Even though it was beautiful, I couldn't care for it any more.

I sighed, and quietly sat up in the bed. I was atop the covers, so it made it easy to get out of the bed. I grabbed my phone and turned out the light before tip-toeing out of the room. I gently shut the door, hoping the small creeks didn't wake him. I waited a moment, listening for him to get out of bed. After a minute or two, I took a deep breath of relief and walked away.

It was dark in the halls, so I used the flashlight that was built in my phone to light my path. The clock on it read midnight. I know I should be trying to sleep. I know that I should be resting up for my first official work day at Kaiba Corp. tomorrow, but I was so distracted. The thoughts of the holograms danced in my head…

Thoughts of Seto being there with me, in those holographic realities took hold of me.

Thoughts of Seto were occupying my mind.

I know that I'm probably hallucinating everything, but there's something between us… The words he spoke to me when he was drunk… They meant something. The way he held me that night… And again when I met my father… Hell, back when Lucina attacked me, and he was driving me home… That car ride meant something.

"It had to..." I whispered to myself, as I entered into the small library of our mansion.

It was… really small compared to both of the libraries at the Kaiba mansion. But I wasn't in here to compare. There was a computer in here. One that I didn't use often, and not very many people ever did… But it was always there if anyone needed it.

And right now, I felt more motivated than I ever had to leave this place. After that card Seto showed me with the hologram, "aroma garden," I knew that I wanted a home of my own. I don't want to remain a caged bird here. That world was just what I needed. Seto doesn't realize just how much he's helped me along the way…

I turned on the computer, taking a seat and waiting for it to start up. "I hope I can return the favor some day..."

And again, he was in my mind. I could picture him as though he were standing beside me… I could remember how it felt as he hugged me when I was lost and confused about my parents. I could remember the presence he had when he zipped the dress he lent me before taking me to dinner. I remember staring into his eyes, even for a brief moment when he was sick… How warm his skin was when I was feeling his forehead—

The computer started up, and I immediately started searching for homes and apartments in the area that I could afford on the salary I was now making. A home with little to no repairs. And apartment close enough where I could walk to work or catch a bus. Anything! If Seto could go as far as to take Kaiba Corp. and turn it into the wonderful company that it is today, then I could find a home, and a way out of this facade of an engagement.

And maybe, just maybe, that little thing that may or may not be between Seto and I could… get better. I couldn't act upon my feelings as an engaged woman… But… I can't act upon anything with him as my boss either. Seto was very clear about that. Lucina was the perfect example of that… Though, Mokuba was clearly okay with getting around those details to be with someone he had feelings for.

Seto may not feel for me like I do for him… And I can accept that! I just… want to watch and see where he goes in life. I want to see him succeed. I want him to relive his passions in the world he created for himself. Even if he doesn't love me, I want to be by his side, just to support him.

Even if I never tell him how I feel, I can be happy knowing that he is living the way he pleases. And I'm just thankful to have met him on my way to finding what I want out of life as well.

I had been searching realtor sites for some time now, and sending emails to set up appointments around my schedule. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when the lights were suddenly turned on in the library, I was sent into a panic, trying to close out of everything. I lifted my head to see Kojiro, leaning against the door frame.

"What are you up for?" I couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

I felt myself blushing. "I couldn't sleep..."

"Right." He sighed. "I'm going back to bed then. If you wanna talk about anything, you can always wake me up, you know."

"Okay..." I felt kind of bad that he was concerned about me. "Goodnight, Koji."

He vaguely smiled and turned around to leave. "Goodnight dear."

I sighed with relief and shrunk into the seat. "Too close..."

"This will be where you're stationed for today." Seto walked me over to one of the front desks. "I don't expect too many people to be sent this way. Most duelists change their decks multiple times before a duel. They only get one set deck for this tournament though. Not enough people are confident in having one set deck though, or are constantly switching out cards. That's the twist on this tournament."

I walked forward, inspecting the area that I would be spending the next few hours. "So, this is what scans in their deck?"

"Yeah," Seto walked by my side, stepping in front of the machine. "This part here is where they insert their deck. It will only accept the standard 40 cards allowed in the deck. It will quickly scan each card one at a time, coming out on the other side. Once completed, the computer will save the data, and you just have to confirm each duelist's information and decks with them."

"Will you be partaking in the tournament this time around?" I curiously leaned forward, a smile taking hold of my lips.

He smirked before looking in my direction. "I wasn't planning on it."

"But…?" I dragged out the word to see if there was a continuation to his words.

He chuckled. "I haven't decided yet."

"Damn." I stood up straight. "I was hoping to get to see you duel..."

I walked around to the other side of the desk, pulling out the seat placed there. Seto's smirk seemed to fade. I guess I was crossing a boundary. It's not my place to meddle in his affairs. It was his decision when he "took a break" from dueling. It's his decision when he wants to start up again, if he wants to at all.

I'd like to see that part of him… He's shown me the wonderful virtual reality that his work has created… I want to see the world that inspired him to come this far.

"Let me show you how this works." Seto was back to discussing work.

I was taken by surprise, as he pulled out a small box from his coat pocket… It was a card box. His… Deck. He opened that box and pulled out the cards that hadn't been played together in years. He straightened out the deck with familiarity running through his fingertips as he did. You could see the nostalgia in his eyes. Heh, maybe that's just my imagination though.

Gently, he placed the deck down on the deck holder of the front of the machine. Seto than reached over and hit a small button on the opposite of it. A clamp gently pressed on the deck, sliding one card at a time into the slot, faster than I had expected it to. The scanned cards popped out on the other side, sliding down onto a tiny platform with small walls to keep the deck in order and straight. After about a second per card, the scan was finished.

"Wow." I stared at the gray machine. "That's unique."

I stared at the deck, expecting Seto to be the one to walk around and grab it. But he seemed to be waiting for me to. I didn't know if I was allowed to touch the deck. I never would have guessed that he had even been carrying it around with him. Did he always have it with him? I had never noticed before…

I reached forward, picking up the deck. As I handed it back to him, I saw his very last card, which would have been the first card to be scanned. It was the same as the first night that I had met him. The card he held dear. One of the three blue eyes white dragons. I smiled, as he reached forward to take back his deck.

His fingers grazed over top of mine. My skin shivered with nervousness, causing me to turn my head away. I don't think he realized his fingers over mine before he grabbed the deck, sliding it back into the box and sticking that box into the pocket it had come from. I took a few deep breaths, regaining composure and smiling up at him.

"No reason to be nervous." He chuckled. I'll be here to monitor you for a while. Then I'll go take care of some of my own business and return to switch you out with someone so you can get lunch. Deal?"

I nodded. "Sure thing. So, when the cards are scanned, where does the information come up?"

"Right." he joined me on the side of the desk, leaning down and pushing a button on the desk that I hadn't noticed.

A thin screen popped up in the middle of the desk, a whole computer sliding up. The data for Seto's deck was writing itself in code on that screen. His name, age, sex, and cards all began appearing. I had no idea that Seto was going on twenty six. He still looked so… good. And only two years older than me.

Had two years really gone by since Fujiyama and I met? A whole year of engagement? I guess I was losing track of time much quicker than I had expected. I wonder how many years it has actually been since Seto stopped dueling?

"Everything you'll need to confirm will be right here." He poked at the screen on his name. "Say for instance, my name wasn't spelled K-a-i-b-a, you can just touch the name and type it in." The key board was on a sliding panel that hung just under the desktop. "Easy enough."

That stupid grin covered my face again, as I looked up at him. "My thoughts exactly."

"We still have some time before sign ups start though." Seto now stood back up straight. "Any questions before then?"

"I don't think so." I stood up from the chair, pushing it in to the desk.

Seto hit the button on the desk, causing the screen to return inside the slit of the desk it emerged from. After that, he flipped a switch on the machine that scanned the cards, shutting it down for the time being.

After that, he stood with his hands in the pocket of his coat and sighed. "Well. We have a half an hour to kill before things start up. Wanna grab a drink from the break room?"

I tried remembering where the break rooms were. I know that there were several from the tour he gave me yesterday, but the building was massive. There was no way I'd have it memorized any time soon.

"I'm not testing you." He laughed. "Come on, I'll walk you there."

I smiled. "Alright then!"

We walked together, passing by many new faces. He didn't introduce me to anyone here, so most people stared curiously at us as we walked by. I tried to ignore the staring faces, but I was nervous. I'm not used to big crowds or massive amounts of attention. I guess I should have taken that into consideration before taking the job…

At least I can be closer to Seto… "So. Uhm… Just a question that popped into my head…"

"Go for it." He said, looking forward and guiding me so we didn't run into anyone.

"Well, how many people do you expect to be here?" I almost regretted asking as soon as the words left my mouth.

"A couple hundred probably." He was so calm about it.

Then again, he's probably used to this more than anything. "I… See. So, like the banquet when we first met?"

"More than that." He finally looked down at me. "Probably."

I tried to wrap my head around that thought. "But not many should be sent to my desk?"

He chuckled, sensing my worry. "You'll be fine. You'll be lucky if 20 people come to your desk. I've never met anyone as confident in their deck as I am in mine."

"So, if your deck is scanned in, does that mean you're registered to duel?" I guess I did have more questions than I thought originally.

He thought about it for a second. "I guess. But I can delete it without any issues."

"I see..." I felt… disappointed.

It wasn't long before we reached the break room. One of many at Kaiba Corporation, as I stated previously. Seto walked over to a coffee machine, putting in a filter and a medium roast blend. He then took the coffee pot and filled it with water before pouring it into the water reservoir. He then placed the coffee pot back on the warming plate and started the coffee maker.

"There's more in the fridge if you want something from there." He added, I guess unsure if I liked coffee or not. "Just don't take anything with someone's name of course."

"I'll have a look then." It's not that I didn't like coffee, but I didn't like hot coffee.

So I trotted over to the fridge, looking at what it held inside. Soda, water bottles, juice boxes, and even a gallon of milk. Weird, but at least it caters to everyone. I grabbed a soda, figuring the sugar would help keep me up. Since I didn't sleep well, I sugar high might just get me through the shift.

Seto was leaning against the counter as he waited for his coffee. I opened up my can and started taking sips as I stood a few feet from him, wondering if I should stand across from him, next to him, or just sit down at one of the tables. His eyes were closed as he listened to the coffee maker. I held the can to my lips as I stared, and walked to his right side, leaning against the counter as well, still a few feet from him.

He glanced over at me for a second, his cheeks slightly red. "You know..."

He paused, as if stopping himself from talking to me. "Yeah?"

"Well..." He cleared his throat. "I thought it was going to be… difficult to talk to you. After the other night."

"Huh?" I took another sip, hoping he'd explain.

"You know, the other night..." He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"What are you—" I was cut off as a couple staff members walked in, talking slightly loudly.

"I know! I bet you he'll show up too!" One said.

The other laughed. "You think he'll win this time around too?"

"Probably—unless Kaiba steps in finally." The man yawned. "He's gotta be planning something. Why else would he take so much time off from dueling?"

Suddenly, the man who was just speaking was elbowed in the ribs by his colleague, realizing that Seto and I were in the same room. "S—sorry Mr. Kaiba! We meant no offense!"

I stared back at Seto, who's eyes were closed again. He was still leaning against the counter, arms crossed. He kept composed, like he always had. "It's fine."

The two seemed intimidated, and left the room without another word. I was surprised. It was a whole different world here. The employees are much more intimidated and distant. At the mansion, everyone was cozy and friendly. Like a family almost. I let my head sink, thinking about the mansion. I know I would be going there before work to catch a ride with Seto until I was moved out on my own…

But would I get to go back there after I had a home? Would I ever get to visit and just say hi to everyone there? Or even… Spend time with Seto there? Or even Mokuba?

"Anyway..." Seto continued, "I'm sorry… For being drunk and everything that night..."

It finally clicked in my head, "Oh! That! Heh, no worries!"

"That's it?" He stared over at me, like he was expecting more. "Just, no worries? After what happened?"

"There wasn't much to it..." I took another sip of my soda. "I mean… yeah, you fell asleep on me… And..."

He waited patiently, but looked a bit surprised as well. I was only more confused. He was drunk. So what? People do things when their drunk. It happens. I could feel my cheeks flush as I started thinking about that night. Was it because he fondled me? Or was it just because he got drunk while he was sick and that I was worried about him?

"I promise… not to say anything…" I hushed my tone, "About you fondling me…."

My face must have become apple red with how much my face burned. I refused to make eye contact and stared down at the floor, tightly clenching the soda in my hands. I felt my knees shaking from embarrassment thinking about it all over again. I had chills down my spine. I honestly didn't think he'd apologize or ever talk about it though. Especially while we were here.

"That's it?!" He nearly shouted, catching me off guard. "Was that all that happened?!"

I couldn't tell if he was happy, angry, upset or what the hell that tone was for. His face showed what looked like devastation. His eyes showed a kind of surprise that really threw him off of his game.

"Y—yeah…?" I gave a soft reply as he stared down at me, turning me to face him directly.

"So… we didn't…" He stopped, waiting for me to fill in the pieces.

But I was lost. "We didn't…? What?"

"s—sl—" He couldn't get out the words.

It was a moment before I finally understood. The words he was trying to get out. The question he was trying to ask. The misunderstanding he was having eat at him. All this time he… Seto thought that we…

"Sleep together?" He finally got passed the tongue twister.

My eyes widened. "N—no! I—I wouldn't do that! You were drunk! I just… got stuck under you! You just slept! Nothing more!"

I had to try and keep my voice low, so it sounded like I was silently shouting at him. Though, it was not anger. Just a defensive tone since I had no idea of how I should be reacting to this. But then it occurred to me…

He thought that for the passed week or so that we… Slept together? And… he let me continue to work for him? And… the kindness he was showing me… was it all because of what he thought he did while he was drunk?

"What exactly happened?" He took a step back, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Why did you… have my pajamas that night and run off embarrassed when you returned them?

Is that why he thought we… had sex? "You… uh… were drinking in the office. I was worried… since you had a fever and went to.. check on you but.. you were gone… I found you… you… you..."

"Stay with me…?"
"You're Kisara… Right?"
"You're no ghost, right?"

The words he had spoke to me started to buzz around in my head. "I think… you mistook me for your previous lover…"

"My what—?" He brought his hand from his nose to his mouth, covering it up.

"You… asked if I was real, and not a ghost..." I didn't want to let him know that Mokuba told me… It was supposed to be a secret… "I'm pretty sure… you thought I was the girl from Egypt."

"How do you know about that…?" He crossed his arms, but was still relaxed.

That's when a voice came over the intercom, "Tournament sign ups shall begin in fifteen minutes! If everyone could report to their stations, we would gladly appreciate it! Thank you!"

I swallowed away my nervousness, hoping that this would stall us. "We should get back..."

"It can wait." His voice was stern. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Was it Joey? I told you not to listen to his made up tales."

"It was… Mokuba." I admit. "I swore not to say anything..."

He stared me in the eyes. "I'm only going to say this once… What ever you heard from Mokuba was a lie in that regard."

What?

"There was no girl in Egypt. No previous lover of mine, got it?" He nearly sounded like he was demanding that I forget.

But it didn't feel right. Was he trying so desperately to forget the tragedy that he went through?

"Yes, I went to Egypt, but there was no girl who I fell in love with." He removed his hand from my shoulder and looked away from me, eyes checking the rest of the room for eaves droppers. "Just an expedition."

"Is… that why you stopped dueling?" I wasn't convinced… And I was overstepping my boundaries again… And I knew that I was. "Because you lost her…?"

"I didn't stop dueling. I'm just taking a break..." He was getting defensive.

"Are you… avoiding the truth?" My heart felt heavy.

He was quiet and stared down at me. There was silence between us. The clock was ticking, the only noise that filled his room and the muffled voices of strangers down the halls rushing to their stations. I felt like I couldn't walk away. His gaze met my own and we locked eyes.

"I'm… not avoiding it." Seto finally spoke. "It didn't happen to me. Just someone who was like me..."

It didn't make sense to me. "Who is haunting you…?"

My heart skipped a beat. I know I should stop, but I just couldn't.

"Kisara, please…" He grabbed his forehead, rubbing it to subdue a headache.

I dropped my head, realizing I really should shut up. "I'm sorry..."

He sighed. "We can… talk later… okay?"

I watched as he checked his watch. "You thought… we slept together?"

Why did I bring it back up?!

"Y—yeah… Mokuba had me believing we did..." He seemed more comfortable talking about his misunderstanding than he did about the ghost of his past.

"He… did?" So Mokuba was scheming…

"Would you… Would you have..." He stopped for a minute. Was he asking if I would have slept with him that night?

"What?!" I didn't know how to reply.

"I'm not finished!" I cleared his throat. "Would you have… regretted it?"

It felt like my heart stopped. My mouth felt like it dropped, but it only opened slightly. My lungs felt hot. My chest was tight. My entire body was shaking again. I know I'm red. I can feel the sweat forming.

"Had we slept together that night..." He added on. "Would you… have regretted it?"