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Time to Duel, Mariko!	By : Hideki LaShae Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 830 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Disclaimer: All Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and
references belong to their respective owners. The song I�m Back belongs
to the artist and the company that recorded it and was used in this story with
the best of intentions. Story elements � Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in
the writing of this story.

WARNING: This story
contains sensitive cultural practices and references that might offend some
readers. The views and opinions of the cultures which condone these practices
are not shared by this author, but they are included in this story for
awareness purposes only.

Time to Duel, Mariko!

Hideki LaShae

Chapter One
I�m in Trouble

On my own
All alone
This ain�t how the story ends�

A teenaged
girl climbs onto the plane and takes her seat. She stares out the window as if
in a daze. �Domino City, here I come!�

* * *

Mokuba
Kaiba passes a stack of letters to his older brother and sits down in front of
the TV to finish watching the program he started earlier that morning. His
black hair falls down his back in tangled spikes.
Seto Kaiba
shuffles through the stack of letters. His brown hair is styled as neatly as he
could manage considering he ran out of hair gel while fixing it this morning.
He leans back in his desk chair in this one moment of relaxation. He smiles as
he holds one letter up. �I�ve gotten another letter from Marie.�
�Really?�
asks Mokuba turning around to look at Seto, �What does she have to say? Where
is she now?�
�I haven�t
even opened it yet,� says Seto pulling a dagger from a block on his desk. His
dark eyes glimmer with happiness as he slides the dagger-letter opener into the
slit of the envelope and cuts it open. He pulls the designer papers out of the
envelope and unfolds them. He reads it quietly to himself. �Okay, do you want
me to read it to you now, Mokuba?�
�Yes! Of
course!� Mokuba hurries over to sit on the edge of Seto�s desk.
�Dear Seto
and Mokuba, I hope this letter finds you both well. I�ve been getting a lot of
mixed messages from my sources there in Domino City. A lot of different
things really, like you, Seto, being defeated in a game of Duel Monsters! I
find that hard to believe, but so many people are saying it� I won�t believe it
until I hear it from you,� reads Seto aloud, �But there have been other rumors
too. Like Mokuba being kidnapped, Seto dying! What exactly has been going on
there?�
�I don�t
think she would believe us if we told her everything that had happened!�
exclaims Mokuba smiling.
Seto
chuckles. �Maybe we�ll tell her anyway. I�ll write her a letter later.�
�Well, what
else did she say?� asks Mokuba looking at the paper with the Egyptian
hieroglyphics-filled border, �Cool stationery!�
�I�m
feeling quite well� now. I�ve been having a few problems, but I�ll tell you
about that later. You know that Grandma and I went to Egypt to help out on an
archaeological dig. It was so amazing! It was a lot on the digging part and not
so much on the archaeology, but what we did find was worth all the sand and
dirt we had to dig through to get to it! We were digging at some ruins, and
there was a collapse,� says Seto continuing to read aloud. He slides the page
to the back of the small bundle of papers in his hand. �No one was hurt
luckily, but it sure scared a few of us. The collapse opened up a whole new
section of the ruins that we hadn�t even known was there. At first, I was the
only one small enough to go down to investigate it, but once I found out what
was down there, we made the hole bigger so that some of the others could come
down too. We found some stone slabs with lots of new hieroglyphics on them. It
looks a lot like they�re talking about Duel Monsters!�
�Talking
about Duel Monsters?� asks Mokuba, �In Ancient Egypt? How could that be?�
�I know
that sounds silly and unbelievable, but that�s what it looks like to me. One of
the people we see on it even looks like you, Seto. The head of the dig, Ishizu,
thinks� well, she thinks a lot of strange things, but that doesn�t matter.
Grandma was helping Ishizu down in the cave trying to find some secret passage that
they thought might be there when something happened. I don�t know how it really
happened. Everyone was rather panicky. The cave collapsed on them. Ishizu
wasn�t hurt. Grandma was,� reads Seto aloud, �Ishizu and I took her to the
hospital as quickly as we could, but Grandma didn�t make it. She died in the
emergency room.� He sets the letter down and looks at his younger brother.
Mokuba
looks back at Seto.
�She�s
going to need our support,� says Seto, �It won�t be easy for her to face this
loss.�
�I know. It
wasn�t easy for us,� says Mokuba.
Seto lifts
the letter again and turns to the next page. He continues to read aloud, �She
told me something before I left. My name is not Marie Twin. She didn�t say what
it really is, but she told me where to go to find out. So I�ll be leaving Egypt
soon. You won�t be able to reach me at the excavation site, but as always, you
can reach me through the Kaiba Corp website. Mokuba, Seto� I really miss you
two! I hope to see you again really soon. Don�t forget about me! Love, Marie!�
�Does it
say where she�s going?� asks Mokuba.
Seto moves
the page to the back of the small stack. He passes the letter to Mokuba.
�Here�s a picture she drew of the excavation site.�
Mokuba
looks at the black ink picture. �Wow! I didn�t know she could draw this well!�
�Neither
did I. That girl�s full of surprises,� says Seto smiling.
Mokuba
turns to the next page. �Hey! There�s a P.S. here!�
�Give it to
me!� exclaims Seto taking the page back. He reads it quickly. �She�s coming
here, to Domino City! She�ll arrive next week!�
�Great!
I�ll have the guest room made up for her!� exclaims Mokuba jumping off the desk
and running from the room.
Seto turns
to his computer and gets on the Kaiba Corp website. He clicks on a special
hidden link, a little picture that most people would just ignore, and he enters
the discussion board where half his contact with Marie occurs. He looks through
the list but doesn�t see any new messages from her, so he posts a new message
to her, �Welcome back, Marie. We�re looking forward to seeing you. I hope you
don�t mind staying with Mokuba and I. That is not a request.�

* * *

Give it up cause now I�m back�

The
teenaged girl walks through the airport with her two bags clutched to her side.
She has her hair pulled up into a high-ponytail, which ends in odd spikes. Her
bangs hang in odd crimped spikes around her face. Her hair, even in its
ponytail, hangs down to touch her shoulders in bright yellow, black, and pink
colors. She looks around the airport with deep purple eyes. She heads out of
the airport and starts to walk down the street. Her duffle bag has her name
embroidered on the strap, Marie Twin, and her backpack is slung over her
shoulder. She holds her duffle bag close to her, desperate not to let go of it
for anything.
Marie wears
a waist-length purple jacket that she�s left unbuttoned and blowing loosely in
the breeze. The cuffs and the collar of the purple jacket are both white and
the buttons themselves are a reflective ivory. She wears a solid white T-shirt
beneath her purple jacket. Her ankle-long pants are the same purple as her
eyes, perfect to match the jacket she wears. The only other things she wears
are the white pumps on her feet and the dog-tags style locket she bears about
her neck.
Marie
hurries towards the Kaiba Corp building, jogging as fast as she can. She walks
into the reception lounge and approaches the desk of the pretty female
receptionist. �Hello. My name is Marie Twin. I am here to see Seto Kaiba.�
�Do you
have an appointment?� asks the receptionist.
�I don�t
need one. He�ll see me.�
�Just one
moment,� says the receptionist. She dials a number on her phone and raises the
mouthpiece towards her lips. �Good day. Mr. Kaiba has a visitor� a young woman
named��
�Marie
Twin,� repeats Marie when the woman looks at her questioningly.
�Marie
Twin,� says the receptionist into her mouthpiece. She nods her head. She pulls
her mouthpiece away.
�Can I go
up now?� asks Marie.
�I am
sorry. Mr. Kaiba is in a meeting and asked not to be disturbed,� says the
receptionist.
Marie looks
at the receptionist angrily. �Are you sure you told him who I was?�
�Yes,� says
the receptionist, �Now I will have to ask you to leave.�
�May I use
your phone for a moment?� asks Marie motioning towards the telephone on the
side of the desk.
The
receptionist lifts the phone so that Marie can reach it.
Marie lifts
the receiver and types in the phone number to Seto�s private line in his
office, the number that only really important people know. She listens and
waits for the response.
<<Kaiba
here.>>
�Hello,
Seto. This is Marie. If you�re in a meeting and don�t want to see me, why are
you in your office?� asks Marie, �You have a separate room where you normally
take your important meetings.�
<<Marie?
Is that really you, Marie? What are you talking about? Where are you?>>
comes Seto�s startled voice.
�Yes, Seto.
It�s me. It�s really Marie Twin. I�m at the Kaiba Corp building in the
reception area. The receptionist here just told me that you are in a meeting and
asked not to be disturbed, not even for me� one of your closest friends!�
exclaims Marie, �And after I�ve come all this way to see you and Mokuba!�
<<Let
me speak to the receptionist!>>

Thought you were so tough
You had it all under control�

Marie holds
out the receiver to the receptionist. �Seto would like to speak to you.�
The
receptionist takes the phone and lifts it to her ear. �Hello, Mr. Kaiba.�
<<This
woman, Marie Twin, is to be escorted up to my office immediately! Whenever she
arrives here, she is to be escorted to my office with no exceptions! Is this
understood?>> shouts Seto.
�Yes sir,
Mr. Kaiba,� says the receptionist nodding her head briskly. She sets the
receiver down on the cradle. Her hand shakes drastically as she waves a uniformed
security officer over.
The man in
the uniform walks over to the receptionist�s desk. �Is this woman causing
problems?�
�No, no,
nothing of the sort! I would like you to escort her up to Mr. Kaiba�s office.
He is expecting her to be escorted up,� says the receptionist.
�Yes, of
course. Right this way, miss,� says the security officer. He leads Marie
towards the elevator.
Marie
enters the elevator behind the security officer and leans against the wall
still clutching her bags tightly. �How tall is this building?�
�I�m
actually not sure, miss,� says the security officer, �Tall enough.�
Marie nods.
After many
stops to pick up other passengers and drop them off, the doors open on the top
floor.
�After
you,� says the security officer holding the door open.
Marie steps
out of the elevator and waits for the security guard to show her to the
reception area outside of Seto�s office.
�Mr. Kaiba
requested this young lady be escorted up,� says the security officer.
The female
receptionist nods. �Mr. Kaiba is waiting for you inside, miss. You may go on
in.�
Marie opens
the door and walks into Seto�s office. She smiles as soon as she sees him
sitting at his desk in his high-collared white jacket. �Seto!�

Now I see those close to me�

Seto looks
at Marie and stares at her for a moment. �Marie!�
Marie drops
her backpack to the floor and rushes towards Seto�s desk with her duffle bag
still in her hand. She drops her duffle bag in a chair.
Seto
hurries around his desk and moves towards Marie. �You look wonderful, Marie!�
�Me?� asks
Marie throwing her arms around his neck and embracing him tightly, �You
look fantastic! And in white? This color looks great on you!�
�I�ve
missed you, Marie!�
�I�ve
missed you, too, Seto!� exclaims Marie kissing his cheek, �I�ve really missed
you!�
Seto holds
Marie close to him and gently strokes her back. �How are you doing, Marie? How
are you holding up after your grandma�?�
�I�m doing
okay,� interrupts Marie, �I�m not the best, but I�m doing just fine� especially
now that I�m with you. Just, don�t let me go, Seto!�
�I have no
intention of doing that, Marie,� says Seto. He pulls Marie a little closer to
him so that she�s pressing her body as hard as she can against his.
Marie
inhales the scent of Seto�s cologne and sighs. She reaches her hand up to touch
his neck gently. �The thing I missed the most when I was in Egypt was this��
�I�m glad
you�ve come back. How long have you been in town?� asks Seto.
�About an
hour. It was a long walk from the airport, but I wanted the fresh air,�
whispers Marie as she closes her eyes. Her fingertips move carelessly across
Seto�s skin.
Seto kisses
Marie�s forehead. �Are you tired?�
�I�m not
sleepy,� whispers Marie yawning, �No, I�m not.� Her body falls limply in Seto�s
arms.
Seto smiles
as he sees her sleeping peacefully. He lifts her up and carries her over to a
small couch he has set to the side. He lays her down and kisses her forehead
after brushing her spiky bangs away from her face. �Sleep well, Marie. You�re
safe here with me.�
Seto
returns to his desk to complete some work while Marie sleeps on the couch,
thoroughly exhausted from her trip. He lifts the phone and dials his home
number.
<<Kaiba
residence. This is Mokuba,>> comes the voice of his younger brother.
�It�s Seto.
Marie�s just arrived at my office. She says she missed you,� says Seto.
<<Can
I talk to her? I�ve missed her too!>> exclaims Mokuba.
�Sorry,
Mokuba. She�s really tired. She fell asleep on the couch. I�ll be bringing her
back with me. You can talk to her then,� says Seto typing on his computer, �We
should be home shortly. I�m just going to give her a little time to sleep
before I wake her.�
<<You
don�t have the heart to wake her, do you, big brother?>> asks Mokuba.
Seto
chuckles. �There�s a lot that I don�t have the heart to do to her!�
<<Just
don�t let her leave until I�ve gotten a chance to see her!>> exclaims
Mokuba happily, <<I�d like to play with her if she doesn�t have to be
somewhere else!>>
�And I�d
like to play with her as well. Perhaps I�ll even allow her to challenge me to a
rematch. Last time we dueled, I beat her easily,� says Seto, �She may have
learned a few new tricks since then.�
<<I
bet she has. She�s a good duelist,>> says Mokuba.
�We�ll see
you when we get home, Mokuba. Don�t worry. I�ll be bringing Marie back with
me,� says Seto with a smile, �Whether she wants to come or not.�
<<Thanks,
big brother! I�ll see you and Marie soon!>>
Seto sets
the phone down and continues to type on his computer. He glances over at Marie
and stares at her. He watches her chest rise and fall with each breath. He sees
her hand slide down her stomach and fall to hang beside the couch. He rises
from his chair and walks over to her. He takes her hand and lifts it up onto
her stomach again. He kneels beside the couch and continues to stare at her,
the familiar hair that vaguely reminds him of something, although he can�t seem
to remember what right now.
Marie rolls
over and falls into Seto�s arms.
�Marie� Do
you even know where you are?� whispers Seto as he cradles Marie.
Marie�s
head slides along Seto�s chest, and she inhales his scent. She doesn�t answer.
She just continues to sleep in his arms, happy and content.
Seto holds
Marie close to him and cradles her as she sleeps. He watches her as her chest
rises and falls, the plumpness of her breasts apparently growing slightly with
the movement. He longs to touch her, but he knows he must not. He must at least
wait until she�s woken.
Marie
suddenly takes in a deep breath and opens her eyes. Her eyes dart in all directions
until they rest upon Seto�s face. �Seto! Where am I?� she asks frightfully
sitting up quickly in his arms, �Oh, yes! I�m in your office, aren�t I?�
�Yes,� says
Seto, �You fell asleep.�
Marie
pushes her bangs away from her face. �I guess that�s a good thing. I mean� I
haven�t really slept since Grandma died. I keep having these dreams about her
last moments.�
�I had them
too, a long time ago, when my parents died,� says Seto embracing Marie, �I�ll
help you through them.�
�Thank you,
Seto!� exclaims Marie wrapping her arms around him and holding onto him
tightly, �I�m really tired now. Maybe I should sleep some more!�
�I should
take you home. You could rest there,� says Seto.
�No. Mokuba
would want to play as soon as I arrive. I should be as rested as I can for my
arrival to see him, and I�m sure you have some work to do. This couch will be
fine for my nap,� says Marie, �I won�t sleep long. Then we can go home.�
�Just don�t
fall off the couch this time,� says Seto smiling, �After you fell asleep on
your feet, I placed you on the couch. You rolled off.�
Marie
blushes. �I�ll be good this time!�
Seto helps
Marie up onto the couch, and he stands. �Sleep well. I�ll wake you in an hour
or so.�
�You�re the
greatest, Seto! Thanks!� exclaims Marie lying down on the couch. She yawns and
closes her eyes. �I won�t sleep long. Finish your work, and we�ll go home.�
Seto
touches Marie�s cheek lightly before heading back to his desk. He sits down and
continues to type on his computer.
Marie opens
her eyes and looks at Seto behind his desk. She smiles, closes her eyes again,
and drifts off to sleep.
Seto works
frantically trying to get all of his work done in the time that it takes for
Marie to rest. He looks at her from time to time with a large grin on his face.
His brief glances turn into long stares, and for the first time in many months,
he finds it hard to work. Finally, he comes to his breaking point. He turns off
his computer, and he lifts his telephone receiver. He dials his secretary�s
extension. �I�ll be leaving for the rest of the day.�
<<Yes,
sir, Mr. Kaiba,>> says the secretary, <<I will hold all your calls
until tomorrow. Have a good evening, sir.>>
Seto places
the receiver back on the cradle, and he stands up. He moves over to the couch
and kneels beside it. He reaches out his hand to touch Marie�s cheek. �Marie��
Marie jumps
slightly and opens her eyes. She smiles at Seto. �Hey, Seto.�
�I�m done
my work. Are you ready to go?� asks Seto.
Marie sits
up and looks around the office. �You have a bathroom? I�d like to freshen up a
bit.�
�For Mokuba
of course,� says Seto frowning.
�Wrong! For
you!� exclaims Marie taking his face in both her hands. She looks down at his
lips as she moves her body closer to his. �Smile for me, please.�
Seto smiles
and glances back and forth repeatedly from her eyes to her lips. His hands
shake nervously as he wraps his arms around Marie�s back.
Marie looks
into Seto�s dark eyes before she presses her lips to his.
For a long
moment, Marie and Seto remain like that, both their eyes open looking at the
other with their lips pressed tightly together. Then Marie closes her eyes and
starts to kiss Seto in earnest, with a series of soft, short kisses.
Seto closes
his eyes and strokes Marie�s back gently. He pulls out of their kiss and points
towards a door. �The bathroom is there.�
Marie
smiles and moves around Seto. She grabs her duffle bag from the chair and
carries it into the bathroom. �I�ll just be a minute.�
�I�ll time
you,� says Seto pulling himself onto the couch.
Marie
closes the door. She washes her face quickly and pulls her lipstick from her
bag. She applies the color carefully and drops the lipstick back into the bag.
She slings it over her shoulder, runs her hand through her ponytail to pull out
any tangles, and heads back out to where Seto waits for her. �So, how long was
I, Seto?�
�One
minute, fifteen seconds, Marie,� says Seto looking at his watch.
�I�m sorry,
Seto. I was a little late,� says Marie smiling. She bows apologetically.
Seto stands
up. �Let�s go.�
Marie grabs
her backpack from the floor as she follows Seto out the door.
Seto takes
the backpack from Marie and swings it over his own shoulder. Then he takes her
hand and pulls her towards the elevator.
�I haven�t
even asked you how you and Mokuba have been! I�m sorry, Seto. I guess I was
just so happy to see you that all else didn�t matter,� says Marie as they step
into the elevator together, �How have you been? What have you been doing?�
�Now that
is a long story. What all have you heard?� asks Seto pushing the button for the
lobby.
�You got my
letter, right?� asks Marie.
�We did,�
says Seto, �Thank you. Mokuba loves to hear from you.�
�And not
you?� asks Marie saddened. She leans back against the wall of the elevator
disheartened.

Disappear
Outta here�

Seto sets
his arm over Marie�s shoulders. �I love it ten times more than he does.�
�I�ve heard
that you were defeated in a duel by some kid named Yugi Motou. From what I�ve
heard though, it was all luck. He somehow managed to summon Exodia,� says
Marie, �I don�t believe it though. No one could defeat you in a duel!�
Seto looks
away from Marie. �Yugi Motou got lucky in our duel. He did defeat me by
summoning Exodia.�
Marie leans
into Seto�s side and wraps her arms around him. �You can defeat him. I know you
can. If anyone can defeat that brat, Yugi, it is you, Seto. I know you
can defeat him. And I�d like to be there to watch you do it.�
Seto smiles
as he holds Marie. �Then you will be there when I face him again.�
�I also
heard this rumor about you dying, Seto! I�m so glad it was just a rumor! I
don�t know what I�d do without you.�
�I jumped
out a window over a cliff. They thought I was dead, but I survived. Then
Maximillion Pegasus kidnapped Mokuba. He was trying to take over my company,
and he needed Mokuba to do it,� says Seto, �I went off to rescue him. In your
letter, you mentioned you were at a dig with Ishizu. Would that be Ishizu
Ishtar?�
�Yes! How
did you know? Do you know Ishizu?� asks Marie with wide eyes.
�We�ve met.
She wanted me to start the Battle City Tournament,� says Seto, �I�ve seen the
tablets you saw. The one that looks like me. Ishizu showed it to me.�
�She did?
Hmm� I guess I can see that. She�s playing on your pride just like I did to get
you to duel me,� says Marie, �Only she�s doing it on a much grander scale than
I did. What�s she trying to do, get the Egyptian cards? The God cards? Is she
trying to use you and this Battle City Tournament to get them?�
�No one
uses me,� says Seto angrily.
Marie sighs
and smiles at Seto. �Good. I�d hate to think she was using you. She was a good
friend to Grandma and me. Oh, Seto, I�ve really missed you!�
�I�ve
missed you too, Marie,� says Seto pulling her to him and kissing her lips
quickly.
Marie
smiles and blushes slightly. �I like that!�
�Then we
should do it again,� says Seto chuckling.
�My
pleasure,� whispers Marie kissing each of Seto�s cheeks before giving him
several short quick kisses on his lips.
�I like
that,� says Seto. His cheeks turn a soft shade of pink as he holds Marie close
to him.
�Seto! It
almost looks like you�re blushing! You�d better stop that! You mustn�t let
anyone see you like that!� exclaims Marie giggling girlishly.
�Only you
can see me like this,� whispers Seto. He places his hand behind Marie�s head
and pulls her head to his chest.
Marie�s
cheek rests against Seto�s left breast. She can hear his heart beat within his
chest. She smiles and touches his chest delicately. �When can we duel again?�
�Do you
want to lose to me again?� asks Seto.

Ain�t no way you�re gonna win�

�I don�t
mind losing to you� But I have learned a few new tricks, and I know I can give
you a real run for your money this time! I don�t think you�ll win if you duel
me again!� exclaims Marie sliding her hand across his chest.
�What would
be the prize for dueling you this time?� asks Seto. He runs his hand through
the end of Marie�s ponytail.
�Hmmm�?
What do you want?� asks Marie seductively.
�Last time,
you gave me a rare card, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon��
�And?�
�And my
first kiss,� says Seto smiling as he lifts her chin and gives her a slow kiss,
trying to imitate a man he once saw in a movie, and experimenting with
different kissing techniques of which he knows very little about.
�Oh, wow!�
Marie sighs and relaxes in Seto�s arms, allowing him to support her weight.
�What sort
of rare cards do you have now?�
�Well, I do
have some interesting cards now. How about we duel for an Egyptian artifact
that I discovered? It�s called the Millennium Scale,� says Marie. Her purple
eyes seem to radiate at the sound of her words. �It�s a very special
item� with magical powers. If you�ve met Ishizu then she must have shown you
the power of her Millennium Necklace. The power of the Millennium Scale is
different than that of the Millennium Necklace, but just as formidable! With
the Millennium Scale, you could rule the world!�
�I have no
need to rule the world, but the powers of the Millennium Scale might be useful
to me,� says Seto with a gleam in his eyes, �We�ll make the arrangements� I can
supply you with one of my new duel-disk systems. Then we can duel anywhere at
anytime!�
�A
duel-disk system? You know, I think I may have to challenge Mokuba to a duel to
get used to your system!�
Seto
laughs. �It�s easy enough to figure out. You�ll do fine!�
�I�m sure I
will. What is taking this elevator so long?� asks Marie looking at the top of
the elevator compartment where the numbers light up to tell which floor they�re
on.
�Would you
rather take the stairs?�
�Um� We�re
a bit too high for that. We�d die on the way down. Unless of course you have a
bobsled in your office somewhere so we could slide down the stairwells in
style!�
Seto
laughs. It�s the first time he�s laughed for a long while. It�s a hearty laugh,
full of happiness.
The
elevator stops.
Marie and
Seto quickly move out of each other�s arms as the doors open.
�Of course,
Mr. Kaiba,� says Marie as two people step into the elevator. She leans against
the back wall of the elevator and runs her hand through the end of her
ponytail.
�I would
like that research to be done as soon as possible, Miss Twin,� says Seto
standing straight and tall two feet from the wall where Marie leans.
�I
understand, Mr. Kaiba. You will have my report on your desk in the morning,�
says Marie. Her purple eyes glance towards Seto happily.
Seto glares
at Marie.
The two
other people shudder silently as the elevator starts to move again. The ride
down is quiet; no one speaks again until the elevator stops on the fifth floor.
The two
people walk out of the elevator together, and the doors close.
Marie
reaches out and takes Seto�s hand in her own. She squeezes it gently and
smiles.
Seto smiles
at Marie. �Have you gotten the letters I�ve sent you?�
�Yes! One
every two weeks, like clockwork! And that�s saying a lot since the mail at the
excavation site wasn�t always too reliable, but every two weeks I got a letter
from you, with the note from Mokuba. I really like your brother. He�s a great
kid,� says Marie gazing off at the elevator doors dreamily.
�Mokuba is
my life.�
Marie leans
into Seto. �I wish I had someone like that in my life. I would like a brother
like you have.�
Seto
whispers into Marie�s ear, �We can share him.�
�Thank you,
Seto! You�re not the jerk most people think you are! And I thank you for that!
You are a wonderful person!� exclaims Marie, �I like you!�
�I like
you, Marie. You�re wonderful too,� says Seto, �More wonderful than me.�
�Maybe.�
The
elevator stops at the lobby and the doors slowly open.
Seto leads
Marie out of the elevator and outside to an awaiting limousine.
Marie
climbs in the back of the limousine nervously as Seto holds the door open for
her. She smiles as he slips in beside her. She tosses her duffle bag into the
seat across from her.
�Take us
home,� says Seto to the driver. He sets Marie�s backpack next to her duffle
bag.
The driver
nods his head.
Seto pushes
the button to raise the glass so that they have some privacy from the driver.
Then he wraps one arm around Marie�s shoulders and the other around her waist.
He gazes into her eyes with a longing that she�s never seen there before.
And in that
instant, as she stares into his dark blue eyes, Marie knows she would do
anything for him. She would fight anyone for him. She would defeat his enemies
for him. She would do anything. She would let him take her if that was
what he wished. She would let him love her. She would let him use her. She
would even let him kill her.
�Marie,�
whispers Seto sliding close to her.
�Seto,�
whispers Marie wrapping both her arms around his neck.
Seto kisses
Marie�s neck and works his way slowly up over her cheek to her lips.
Marie
relaxes in Seto�s arms and kisses him in return. She moans quietly as Seto
slides his hand around on her back. �I hope you�re not trying to search me for
my Dark Magician Girl!�
�I don�t
think I could find her. You wouldn�t let me,� says Seto smiling, �Where do you
hide her? Your shirt? Your pants? Maybe in your underwear or close to my
heart��
�I�m not
saying��

I�m gonna take back what you stole�

�Did you
say my heart?�
�It is my
heart beating within your breast,� whispers Seto. He rests his head on Marie�s
chest and closes his eyes as he listens to the steady heartbeat. �I like you,
Marie. You�re smart, and you�re wonderful. You�re caring� You are a fine
duelist. You�re quite lovely. I really like you. Don�t change. Stay just the
way you are. Don�t leave me.�
�I have
nowhere else to go, Seto. As long as you want me to stay, I will be here with
you and Mokuba,� says Marie cradling Seto and rubbing him comfortingly. �I
really like you too, Seto. You�re kind and loyal. And you�re cute to boot! I
want to protect you from the pain in your life.�
�I don�t
think you could protect me, Marie, but I would like you to be there to comfort
me when it hits,� says Seto. He smiles.
Marie
smiles. �Deal.�
�And I will
do everything within my power to protect and comfort you, Marie,� says Seto,
�No one will hurt you as long as you stay with me.�
�I need
your comfort now, Seto,� whispers Marie. She closes her eyes and starts to cry.
The tears start to pour forth from her eyes. �I� couldn�t cry� at the funeral.
Even though I wanted to! I really miss Grandma! I want her back� I want her
back! I want her back!�
Seto sits
up straight and pulls Marie into his lap so that she sits on his legs. He holds
her close to him as she starts to sob uncontrollably. �I know, Marie.�
�Why did
she have to die? She was all I had! She was my family!� cries Marie, �Now,
there�s no one left� I have no family! I miss Grandma!�
�I know,
Marie. I felt the same way when my parents died,� says Seto, �Be strong, Marie,
my girl� Cry all you need to.�
Marie sobs
for a moment longer. She swallows hard and wipes her eyes. �Should I hide all
my emotions behind a cool exterior, Seto?�
�I don�t
think you could,� says Seto quietly.
Marie wipes
her eyes again. She sighs and nods her head. �You�re right, Seto. I don�t think
I could either, but you could. You did. You built a wall that no one could
penetrate.�
�I let you
in� You and Mokuba,� says Seto, �isn�t that enough?�
�It�ll have
to do,� says Marie.
Seto kisses
Marie�s cheek up close to her eyes to prevent her tears from flowing again.
�I�m glad
you let me in, Seto,� says Marie smiling. She dries her cheeks. �I don�t want
to cry anymore� I�m glad you let me into your heart.�
�You used
your Dark Magician Girl�s powers to break in. I just let you stay,� says Seto
holding onto her tightly.
Marie
giggles as she holds onto Seto.
The
limousine pulls up outside of Seto and Mokuba�s lavish home.

You couldn�t wait to move right in�

�We�re
here, Marie. Let�s go inside. Mokuba is probably waiting for us,� says Seto.
�I�m ready
to see him too,� says Marie. She opens the limousine door and slides out.
Seto
follows behind with the two bags that Marie brought. �You must have packed
really light. If you need to, you could borrow some of my clothes. They might
be a bit big on you, but they would work.�
�Thank you,
Seto,� says Marie smiling at him. �I may take you up on that offer! I�d love to
wear your clothes! You have such a nice sense of style!�
�Thank
you,� says Seto with an all-too knowing smirk.
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Time to Duel, Mariko!