"Magician's Pub, huh?" Mokuba seemed interested in it when I brought it up.

"Yeah. That's what she said. Have you heard of it before?" I twisted some of my hair between my fingers as we waited in line for the concessions stand.

I was considering telling him about the man I saw, about how I recognized him from a vision of my past, and asking him if I should bring it up with Seto later. But I didn't know where to begin honestly. It's not like the memory was fully there anyway.

"It's pretty high rated. Surprising for something so small." The voice from Mokuba's phone added in.

Mokuba had been telling me a little bit of Noah, and how if it weren't for him that Seto wouldn't have known to come to the Fujiyama mansion when everything was happening. The only thing I actually gathered from what he's told me is that Noah was once a living person, and his conscious was somehow implemented into an artificial intelligence chip. He's been working on this project in secret for years now, but Noah had to call Seto to rescue us.

So the secret is out. Seto vaguely mentioned how Noah was their brother, through adoption, though they had never actually met when he was still alive. Apparently, he already had his mind imbedded into some kind of video game while his body was too weak, and had eventually died.

I never would have thought that there was someone out there who could understand my stress—having died but still conscious and aware of what had happened. Oddly enough, when Mokuba showed me the hologram photo that he was working on for him… We even have similar features. With the exception of his body type being closer to Seto's, his hair and eyes were a light teal. Honestly, they almost looked white to me. We could have been siblings in another life, if you were to ask me.

"What's it's hours?" Mokuba asked Noah. "Depending on tonight, I'm sure Seto wouldn't mind us all stopping over there. Who knows, maybe that girl knows you through us?"

I thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure… She didn't even give me her name. It's just… weird that she kind of followed me."

Though… I was pretty much going to do the exact same thing, just so that I could talk to that familiar man.

"I don't think she meant you any harm though." Noah's voice came to life again. "But they're open to 2:30 in the morning. As long as you're all not working tomorrow, you should have the time to stop in for some drinks."

"Then it's settled." Mokuba smiled as the line moved forward and we took a few steps to keep up with the people in front of us. "We'll ask Seto after he wipes the floor with Yugi if we can take him out to celebrate!"

"He does have a high chance of winning this time around." Noah added in. "Not… that I put through a simulation to see the possible outcomes using their decks or anything… Heh heh..."

If Noah had a body, I could easily see him blushing and scratching the back of his head. I got the feeling that he would have been more bashful then he'd let on currently. At least around the people he's comfortable with. I'm sure he's actually very protective, and had it not been for his difficult past, he probably would have been a sweet heart.

Then again… Gozubora was his father. And I've heard nothing good about that man. Maybe Noah would have been just like Seto? Who knows. No matter what, I'd be happy to have him as a part of the Kaiba family. They seem like they'd all make great brothers.

"It still amazes me that you can do all that." I smile. "I'm glad that I'm getting to know you. And… I didn't get the chance to thank you before—"

"Don't thank me..." Noah didn't let me finish. "Not… yet."

Mokuba chuckled. "He wants to meet you face to face before that happens."

"Really?" My smile grew. "How would we go about that?"

Noah was quite, but Mokuba flashed a huge grin. "You'll see! Other than me, you'll be the first to see. Noah's got some… history with the rest of the gang too. So let's just keep this between the three of us."

"Well, I look forward to it." We moved up in line, next to get our food and return to the stands.

"Yeah..." Noah's tone was quiet. "It'll be interesting, that's for sure."

After a few more minutes of waiting in line and gathering our food, as well as food for the others, we made our way back to the benches. All I could think about on the way there was how much I envied the Kaiba's. Not only did they have such kind hearts—not that most people knew of it—but they're geniuses. Seto revolutionized the gaming industry and the digital era with his holograms and basically making dreams into reality. Now, Mokuba is taking it a step further, all for the sake of someone he cares about. He's giving the life back to someone who was trapped…

A true consciousness regaining the ability to live… Could he have also done this for a conscious that was trapped thousands of years ago?

Probably not… Noah was already etched into a form of technology that I couldn't hope to understand. It's not like he could extract the subconscious from the stones that imprisoned so many people in the past.

At least… I don't think it would be possible.

The crowd seemed to disburse, but I wasn't paying too much attention to who left and who remained. This whole day was more of a blur than anything. I felt slightly dizzy again, but not to the point of vomiting like I had earlier. My head hurt, just from trying to wrap my brain around everything that happened.

I wouldn't say that Duel Monsters was a difficult game. There's just so many things to take in. Pairing each card perfectly to make unbeatable strategies. Knowing when to throw down each card, and activate each one when most necessary. Watching a duel to understand it was much different than watching for entertainment. It was my first time experiencing a duel. That's the only way I could think to put it.

"Kisara?" His voice reaches me.

I wake from having spaced out, and look to the direction he calls me.

An image of him flashes for a moment in my view—his skin darkened, hair grown passed his shoulder, and completely shrouded in golden trinkets. His earring gently sways as if he had just turned to look at me. His expression as if he'd seen as ghost. But as soon as it had appeared, the vision vanished.

Before me, Seto stood. He wore a beanie to cover his head, sun glasses to hide his eyes. His shirt was something out of the ordinary for him being a teal color, with a duel monster I didn't recognize printed on it. He had a long sleeved shirt underneath that was striped white and black, and his jeans were rather tight for what he normally wore. He even wore sneakers instead of dress shoes like he normally would.

"What are you wearing?" I don't know whether to laugh or be concerned as I smile at him.

I could barely see him roll his eyes behind the shades. "It's so I could get out of here without anyone recognizing me… Sorry to have kept you waiting."

I giggle a bit. "No worries. It gave me some time to think."

I'm taken aback as he holds his hand out to me. I feel flushed as I reach back, placing my hand in his and he pulls me to a stand. "All good things I hope."

"More or less." I lean forward, pushing up on the tips of my toes to reach his neck, just below the ear to kiss him.

I hear his take a breath as though he hadn't expected that. It made me smile all the more. "Hey..."

"Congratulations..." I whisper to him, back on flat feet and staring at him.

He frowns. "What for? I lost. Like always."

"You still got back into the game. For the first time in years, you stood on a stage and dueled." I tilted my head to the side, gently smiling. "And you did amazing!"

He scoffed. "Not really… I'll be honest… I got so distracted with trying to do everything in my power not to let a Blue Eyes be destroyed that it clouded my thoughts of how to actually win."

I now looked down to my feet. "Oh…"

I really did think he was trying so hard to win. But if he was distracted… Then he wasn't fully invested in the duel itself.

Seto must have noticed my change in perception, and he kissed the top of my head, before stepping back and looking to the side, covering his lips with a first. "Sorry. It's still odd openly kissing you when I know someone could be watching."

My stomach fluttered. "You mean that gets you bashful?!"

"As if!" He somewhat yelled at me, but I know he meant well by it.

In fact, I laughed, though he looked completely serious. He crossed his arms and stared down at me, waiting for me to finish giggling.

"Anyway… Are you okay?" Seto sounded suddenly concerned, as he took my hand once more. "You ran off after I summoned my first Blue Eyes White Dragon…."

I held his hand back, looking him in the eyes. "I… I felt sick. But, I was feeling slightly ill even before the duel started. I wonder if it was just anxiety."

"Kisara, if it bothered you seeing the Blue Eyes… I want you to be honest with me." He insisted that seeing my spirit reborn into a card was a bad thing.

"I promise Seto. I really wasn't feeling very well this morning." I smiled up at him. "Honestly, I was running to the bathroom before you had even summoned it anyway. I ended up… getting sick. I wasn't going to say anything since I had felt immediately better afterward. But… I have trouble hiding things from you."

Seto still stared at me, his expression told me that he wasn't convinced. But we shouldn't be focusing on me. Today was an important day for him, even if he wouldn't admit it.

"Let's go celebrate with everyone." I smile. "I got invited to a pub by some girl who gave me a water after I had gotten sick. She said she'd buy me a drink."

I stuck my tongue out at him playfully. I expected him to scoff, and tell me he didn't want to go, but his faced seemed to soften. He closed his eyes for a moment before leaning down and kissing my lips, pushing my tongue back into my mouth as he did. My stomach immediately flipped as he pulled my head closer and I was seemingly pushed into his chest. My eyes opened wide in surprise, and I grabbed onto his shirt as he kissed me roughly.

It was short lived though, as he pulled away. Though my face was burning and red as can be, he only had a light pink below his eyes. "Mokuba already sent me the details. But let's not stay out too long, okay? I… uh… I want to get passed my drinking habits..."

Seto looked as though there was something else he wanted to add, but held back. I was still surprised from the kiss, so all I did was nod while trying to calm myself down. I mean, honestly! How can he just go from shy to a tease in just a couple of minutes?

...He really is amazing. "I'm alright with that. Besides, I'm more interested in learning that girl's name. She said I seemed familiar, but we never properly introduced ourselves. I'm wondering if maybe when I hear her name that I'll remember her."

As we turned to start walking, Seto rose a brow. "Like. From this life, or the past?"

"...huh?" It had never occurred to me that she could have been remembering me from the past.

I watch my feet as we start walking, hand in hand, towards the Magician's Pub where everyone was planning to meet up. I try my hardest to remember the past more. But I honestly couldn't think of a single person whom she could have been.

"No… I doubt that." I finally answered after we had walked for a bit. "I think maybe she saw me at my old job when I worked as a barista at a book store a few years back? Or even school. She seemed close to my age."

"YO!" We suddenly hear in the distance. Looking forward, Tristan and Miho are a shops length in front of us. Miho waved excitedly as Tristan had called out to us. "You headed over there now too?"

I took a deep breath before reply as we grew closer. "Yeah. But we probably won't be staying out too long."

"Ah, that's okay." Miho smiles as we meet up with them. "I can't stay for long either. I have to get over to the restaurant before we close. We're having a small meeting to discuss this coming month's sales goals and what we can do to make some improvements."

I'm in awe. "So responsible."

"Kinda have to be when you own a business." Miho chuckles. "Kaiba would know all about it!"

"Not for food service though." His speech is monotone. I often forget how highly he holds himself over everyone else and question how I was lucky enough to be the exception.

"Heh..." Tristan tries to change the subject. "So I've never been to the Magician's Pub before. I read up that they have a lot of magician's and illusionists preform there on weekends. And—"

"And karaoke on Fridays! Will you sing with me tonight, Kisara?!" Miho was overly excited to ask.

"I—Uhh… Uhm..." I swallow the nervousness. "M—maybe?"

"I'll hold you to it!" Miho suddenly wrapped her arms around mine.

Even though I hadn't given her a yes, she made it feel like I had just signed a contract that demanded my participation. I awkwardly chuckled. Not just at her request, but feeling slightly uncomfortable to have her being so friendly with me… I didn't much like when people touched me, unless I was closer to them. Like Momoka or Seto. It's still awkward even when Mokuba gives me hugs.

I hadn't spoke with Momoka in a while… I wonder if I should invite her too? Well… that may not be such a good idea actually. She does have a child to think about. And of course, family always comes first. I've never really known that feeling up until recently.

"You look weird." I suddenly hear Tristan speak up.

I must have been spacing out as I look over and see Tristan staring up at Seto.

"You always look weird." Seto's expression hasn't changed. "But unlike you, I have to keep myself hidden from the public. It's already hard enough with Mokuba not hiding himself from the world. And the media is even trying to figure out my relations with Kisara, especially since the incident with Fujiyama."

I keep quiet, feeling slightly embarrassed for having cause such a change in his life. As they talk, we continue walking. For some reason, Miho had kept her arm wrapped around me the whole walk to the pub, even though I was still holding hands with Seto. I wonder where he even got the "weird" clothes from in the first place. He hadn't brought it with him to the stadium when we had all left… Just like my mind to think of something completely off topic.

Upon arriving, the pub didn't have nearly as many people as we had all somewhat expected it to be. Just enough to make Seto comfortable with taking off his sun glasses. Plus, it was starting to get dark anyway. He did end up pulling out a regular pair of glasses though, putting them on. We walked in, waved on my Mokuba and Yugi, who were over at a booth near a billiards table. Among them was Tea and Mai. Serenity was across the pub with someone I didn't quite recognize. It took me a moment to realize that it was Duke. We hadn't spoke much so I hoped he'd forgive me for forgetting him for a while.

I happened to notice that Mokuba was staring over at the two, a face I hadn't really seen him express. Jealousy?

I took another look around, to avoid asking Mokuba if he really was jealous. Joey was playing darts across the room by himself. He seemed very focused on it, but his score didn't show his as exactly being that good at it. Looking around more, I noticed the girl who I had met earlier in the bathroom. She had a tray under her arm and was talking up some strangers at another booth. She was more dressed up that what she had on earlier: and she was actually very cute in her appearance.

The girl was wearing a black shirt short sleeved, with a the Magician's Pub logo across it. She had on crimson shorts, with thin black tights on under it, and boots that were knee high. She was also wearing a black ball cap—all embroidered with the Magician's Pub logo. Maybe it was just the color scheme, but she really wore it well.

As I had been essentially checking her out, she noticed me and immediately perked up. "Oh hey! It's you!"

Just as Seto, Tristan, and Miho were taking their seats with the others, the girl ran up to me. The others were now staring, and almost looked shocked. Maybe they thought she was cute too.

"Welcome to the Magician's Pub!" She jumped to her spot in front of me. "Here to redeem your free drink I offered ya' earlier?"

Her smile was ear to ear as she winked at me. I'm pretty sure she was making me blush just as much as Seto typically would.

"I...I..." Why was this so embarrassing for me? "I actually just came to… celebrate with my friends. And since you invited me, I thought… I thought it would be a good place to meet up."

"Oh, alright." She relaxed quickly but still smiled sweetly. "Well, you can still get one drink on me, okay?"

"You really think that's a good idea, Mana?" I suddenly hear a man's voice over the music that starts to play for someone starting the karaoke. "You can't just give strangers free drinks if we want to keep this place going."

Mana. I'll have to try and remember that.

"No way, it's totally fine!" She turned quickly, "Besides, she's totally my friend! We met earlier!"

And I'm already her friend?

I look over to who she had been speaking too… And it's him.

"Y—you!" I'm taken off my guard as I stare at him.

He stares back at me. "Hm? Can I help you?"

This was it. This was my chance to ask him if he recognized me. But all that came out wasn't what I meant to say. "You were across the stadium at the duel earlier..."

"And?" He was very straight to the point.

"Eh—Uhm..." I was feeling awkward at this point.

Mana seemed intrigued. "Oooh! Did you think my brother was cute and couldn't take your eyes off of him?!"

I hear Seto scoff at the booth beside me, and turn his head. Was he jealous at that thought? Or was he trying not too laugh about it?

"Really, Mana?" The man is unamused. "Seriously? You trying to embarrass the poor girl to death?"

"I—I…" I didn't want to say if I thought he was cute or not. It had nothing to do with it. But I didn't want to be rude. "I didn't… notice him for that reason..."

"Heh heh… My bad!" She scratched the back of her head. "I sometimes talk without really thinking about things. But I can make another guess! Lemme think… Hmmmm."

The man sighed, "Don't mind her. She's got a bad case of A-D-D. Not to mention she's overly friendly. Anyway, if she promised you a free drink, cash in at the bar."

He looked me up and down before adding on, "But nothing alcoholic."

"What?" Did… Did I look like I was under age? "I'm going on twenty five… And I have my ID..."

"Nothing alcoholic." His face looked annoyed, but his tone seemed slightly playful?

"Hey, Mahad!" the two walked away as the girl, Mana, had begun badgering him on why he was being the way he was towards me.

Awkwardly, I turn back to everyone at the booth, still trying to wrap my head around what just happened. Seto chuckled a bit, but Tristan and Tea seemed like he was trying to avoid whatever happened. Yugi was looking at the two who walked away… Almost the same expression that I had when I first noticed the man, Mahad, across the stadium.

Yugi was the pharaoh in his past life… Did he also recognize him?

The moment he caught me staring at him, he smiled and turned to look else where.

"You gonna sit?" Seto had his arms crossed and was leaning back in the booth.

I nodded. "Y—yeah."

"So, what was that all about?" Tea laughed awkwardly. "You know them or something, Kisara?"

Here we go again…

As the night went on, I explained what had happened at the duel earlier. Running to the bathroom. Vomiting. Meeting Mana and her giving me the water bottle and her inviting me here. But getting past that, we all just talked. Off and on, the members in the group would go up and sing karaoke. Miho did try to drag me over at some point, but I told her I wasn't feeling up to it. Seto and I were kind of being buzz kills though, just keeping our seats and watching everything.

He did take a few shots, but he made sure to keep his drinks under control. Eventually, when it was just the two of us, he finally brought up what I was avoiding. "You came here because you remember them… Don't you?"

I was dumbstruck. He stared across the booth at no one as he spoke to me, running his finger in circles around the top of the glass.

I should have known that he, of all people, would know the man I've been having visions of. "Only a fracture of that memory remains..."

"Which one do you recall?" He still didn't look at me.

"M—Mahad." I feel flushed. "But… I didn't know his name. I hardly remembered his face… And I only remember one thing that he said to me."

Suddenly my stomach hurt again. I pressed my hand into it, trying to stifle the pain. But the memory always seem to bring the pain back.

"He asked me if I wanted a second chance… That's all I remember." I was finally open with him about it. "I don't know any more about who he was… I was… I was dying when he appeared to me."

"So that's why you wanted to come here..." Seto looked over at me, concerned.

I shook my head. "I honestly had no idea he'd be here. I was really telling you the truth about meeting Mana earlier. But..." I look over my shoulder, see Mahad behind the counter looking at the cabinet full of drinks for a specific bottle. "But if he knows something about why I'm here… Shouldn't I ask him?"

"And if he doesn't remember?" I look back at Seto as he removes his glasses. "I've known for a few years now… It was hard to believe any of it was real—and I still have trouble believing it… But that inevitable force led us together… So there has to be something there. But you're just regaining your memories, Kisara… Who's to say that he remembers?"

As if he could over hear our conversation, Mahad looks back over his shoulder, in our general direction. I quickly turn my head back to Seto, trying not to seem like a stalker or anything. I wasn't. But… I felt like I had to know for sure.

"Should I ask him?" I felt the butterflies trying to burst out of my stomach.

Seto was quiet for a moment before kissing my cheek. "If that's what you feel you have to do. Do you want me to go up there with you…?"

I shook my head. "I… For some reason… I don't feel like it would be a good thing for you to know… what happened to me after I finally died..."

"You… died in my arms, Kisara… I held you until you were lifeless..." I could hear the pain in his voice from remembering it.

I looked at his eyes, though he wasn't staring back into mine. "I… woke up and tried crawling to you… I didn't get far before my body gave out on me… That's when Mahad appeared next to me, asking me that question… If I was already dead at that point, how could I remember that? And there's nothing after that either..."

We stared at one another. I felt like I did something wrong in telling him that. His eyes were wide, watery, and lost in thought. I wanted to apologize. I felt like I truly had done something wrong.

"I have to know..." I finished, turning away from him and standing from the booth.

Nervously, I walked up to the bar. I felt my body shaking as I did so. I'm pretty sure Mokuba was going to walk up beside me and sit with me, but I heard Seto pull him away by calling him over. I looked back at Seto, who seemed to be much calmer than he had been before I walked away. He looked to me in return, nodding as though he understood and began to mingle with the group.

I waited patiently, thought I felt my anxiety shooting through the roof. I took in a few deep breaths before I had even realized that Mahad was standing in front of me, on the other side of the counter. His arms were crossed as he stared down at me, waiting for me ask for a drink.

"Oh, sorry." I blushed. "I was spacing out a bit."

"What can I get you?" Mahad asked casually.

I thought for a second more. "A white berry martini."

"No." He was quick to refuse.

I scowled. "Why don't you want me drinking anything with alcohol?"

He didn't answer.

So I sighed. "Just… get me a coke then."

He slid open a cabinet door behind him without having to look, and reached in. He grabbed out a can and set it on the counter before me.

"Anything else?" He was very quick to the point.

"Well… I wanted that martini… I don't mind paying for—"

"No..." He seemed more serious about it this time. "Trust me."

I squinted my eyes. "What for?"

"You'll thank me later." He smirked. "But I know you're not up here for a drink anyway."

He caught me off my guard again. "Huh?"

"You were staring at me almost the whole time at the duel earlier." I should have figured he'd notice. "Either Mana was surprisingly right, for once… Or there was something else you needed from me, right?"

"H—how?" I was even more confused at this point.

"It's in my nature." He smirked again. "I'm a magician. I specialize in reading people, among other things."

That didn't make this any easier. "Then… do you know what I want to ask?"

"Now you're giving me too much credit." He laughed. "Ask away."

Time to find the courage. "Do you… remember me?"

He didn't answer. He only stared.

"From… a past life?" I finally got it out.

He frowned. "And if I do, what is it you're wanting to know…?"

I felt like I had just lit a fire beneath my feet… And that I was getting ready to burn down everything around me.

"...about the second chance you gave me." I was blunt, and yet… Fearful.

"You shouldn't meddle in that..." He was honest. "Did you stop and think that maybe there's a reason you don't remember anything after your reawakening?"

"I hadn't..." I didn't mean to say aloud. "But I shouldn't be here… And you know why I am, right?"

"There's two different answers you're seeking then; Why are you here, and why you were able to receive a second chance." He was… surprisingly forward with me. "I can tell you why you were given a second chance: Your loyalty… But..." He took a minute, looking up at the ceiling fan above us and then looking back down after sighing. "But per your request… I can't tell you why you're here. Today. In this lifetime."

"My… request?" I felt even worse at this point.

"You didn't want to remember the price that you paid to be here…" He turned back, grabbing another coke from the cabinet and setting beside the other one he set out for me. "So I took that memory from you. Your… misdeed will only be remembered by myself."

I felt like I was suddenly suffocating. "Misdeed?"

He nodded. "I don't mind the darkness, and the things that people do in the dark. Your loyalty gave you a difficult decision. Just as I was given the same difficult choice. However… It's easier for a magician of darkness to make that sacrifice, than it is for an innocent girl, illuminated in pure light."

I noticed someone walking by, listening in on our conversation. They mentioned to someone they were with that the story sounded rather interesting.

"Don't worry." Mahad reassured me. "The other magician's here just think I tell tales. Which, I guess wouldn't be so wrong."

I suddenly notice his eyes avert to the karaoke stage. I recognize the voice of who's singing. It's Yugi, singing with Tea. He doesn't exactly sound like he's trying to hard. I'm sure she dragged him up there.

"Did you… know the pharaoh?" I asked him.

He smiled. "I was loyal to the pharaoh, yes. But… I feel bad."

I look over and realize it's not Yugi he's looking at. It's Mana, watching from a few tables away. Just from the time I've known her, I realize it was heart breaking not to see her filled with pep, and bouncing around like she had been both times I met her.

"Even after I was gone, Mana was by his side." He told me her tale. "She loved him. Every day of her life, she was by his side. They even married, and had children who I never had the fortune of meeting… And the first time she sees Atem's incarnate… He's with another woman."

It truly felt like my heart was aching for her. "She said I was familiar… Did she know me back then, too?"

"No. Not directly." He reassured me. "Seto spoke of you within the palace. He mourned greatly for you."

It took me a minute to realize… But he was driving my thoughts away from my original question. He may have been answering questions that I didn't know I wanted answers for, but I was here for one reason…

"Mahad… What was the price that we paid?"

I turned back to look at him, as he still watched Mana in the distance. "You know… Mana isn't really my sister. She never was in this life or in the past life. But… No matter if I loved her, her heart was always the pharaoh's… But you know..." He finally looked back to me. "She didn't mind me coming back to life… At the cost of killing someone who had a soul the same as my own..."