Chaos Effect

Chapter 9

Pegasus did his best to remain calm as he entered his dining room, running his hands along the front of his suit. Despite looking absolutely flawless, with every strand of hair in place and his clothes pressed and clean one only had to look at his face and see the way he walked to know that he was not at his best. Had anyone else been around he wouldn't have been so open with how tired he was but since it was just Croquet he didn't feel the need to hide the yawns that were bubbling forth. It was 3am in the morning and he'd only been asleep for a few hours when he'd been awoken by a member of his staff, informed that there was an urgent phone call.

So he'd arisen and allowed his valet to dress him and ensure that he appeared utterly dignified because he refused to take the late night call in his pajamas with his hair a fright and grit in his eyes. Appearances had to be maintained. Another servant had brought him some tea, enough to help him wake up but not so strong that he'd be unable to fall asleep the moment this was all handled. His hair had been brushed but not washed and felt greasy against his fingers and his grooming regiment had been ignored, leaving him with a fine white stubble on his cheeks that made him look far older than his years.

And he was tired. So very tired. It had been a long day and he had been looking forward to some shut eye. Now his entire sleep pattern would be thrown off and that left him rather annoyed.

'Not that I'll let them know that,' he thought to himself as he settled in his chair and a servant brought over a glass of wine. It was cheap swill, very young that he'd gotten for pennies, and he had no plan to drink a drop of it. No, it was a prop, nothing more. His callers held image above everything else and Pegasus knew that if he appeared at all in any shape other than perfect they would begin to scheme to remove him. After all image was the reason why they'd contacted him in the first place. Suddenly show a sign of weakness and they'd be plotting how to cut him loose. Not that they weren't playing to do that already but he knew of those plans and was already countering them. The last thing he needed was to tie up more resources dealing with new schemes.

So he sat in his chair, held up his wine glass, and let out one final massive yawn before he nodded to Croquet who turned on the video monitor.

"Gentlemen," Pegasus said as the shadowed forms of the Big 5 appeared on the screen. It was so utterly ridiculous that they did that, hiding all but their general outlines in low-light. It was supposed to make them be more intimating, the shadowy puppet-masters, but for one who knew true power it came off as a pathetic ruse. "My pardons for the delay. I was going over my plans for tomorrow when you called and I'm afraid that not all the rooms in this castle are set up to receive calls. And my home is quite large... I hurried as quickly as I could, I hope you know that." He smiled slightly and swirled the cheap wine for a moment. "Whatever can I do for you?"

One of them shifted, he believed Lester but it was so hard to remember which was which when they were all so bland and interchangeable. No sense of style, no sense of individuality. He wouldn't even call them caricatures because that would insinuate that they possessed exaggerated traits when they did not. They were the painted background of the great work that was life; half formed blobs meant to represent people in a crowd that the artist saw no need to give detail to for who would ever be drawn to them?

'Honestly, if I didn't know that Kaiba-boy was so rigid and unwilling to play nicely with others I would have sought him out as my partner in this rather than them. At least I could have held a conversation with him.' He'd considered it... he thought about dangling Kaiba's dead parents in front of him and promising that after they returned Cecelia to the world of the living they would do the same for them. But in the end he'd decided that Kaiba's anti-social tendencies, combined with his inability to accept that there was more to life than circuits and microchips, meant that such an appeal would fail. Kaiba-Boy simply had a mind of gears and levels rather than one designed for magic and imagination. Thus leaving him with the Big 5.

"We have received some news that greatly disturbs us, Pegasus," Lester (or was it Crump? Or Neezbit?) stated. "Both in its mere existence and the fact that you have not kept us informed as well as you should."

"We speak of the Kaiba brothers," another (and he was pretty sure that one was Johnson) said. "Seto Kaiba is still alive and according to our satellites he is nearing your island in his helicopter."

"Hmm. I actually thought he would come by boat," Pegasus said dryly.

"Seto Kaiba must be eliminated for our plan to succeed. Had you killed him-"

"We have been over this, gentlemen. Killing him was your job, not mine. I provided the men, yes, but you were to aim them in the right direction. If they failed that is on you, not me. I am willing to admit my flaws... I am a humble man. I am far too forgiving and I have been told I spend far too much time admiring myself in the mirror. I also went through a dreadful Metal phase when I was a teen." He chuckled at that before his mood grew serious. "But I do not accept the mistakes of others as my own. Do NOT attempt to place your failures at my feet again. I will clean up the mess you made by allowing Kaiba-Boy to escape but do not ever presume to judge me for your errors."

He could tell the men didn't like that. They were far too used to people bowing and scraping before them. They saw themselves as kings... perhaps not of castles and great tracts of land but of industry and business and wanted to be treated as such. But to Pegasus they were merely small men with smaller dreams, nothing more.

"And then there is the issue with Mokuba Kaiba," someone who might have been Gansley stated in irritation. "You were to keep a hold of him, Maxamillion, and you-"

"Pegasus."

"Excuse me."

He let his friendly demeanor drop just a bit. "You will address me as Pegasus. Not Maxamillion. You have not earned the right to be so informal with me. Be glad that I am allowing you the courtesy of not demanding 'Mister' or 'Sir'."

"Now see here-"

"No, gentlemen. You see here. I think you are under the misconception that you five are the dominate players in this arrangement of ours. You are mistaken." Pegasus set his wine glass down and leaned forward. "We aren't even equals. Yes, five is greater than one but not when the one is me. Should you decide to end our partnership now I have other ways to see my goals come to completion. There are other companies I might go to, for example. Oh, it will take me an extra 5 to 10 years perhaps but, hehem, I am a patient man. But if I should abandon you? Well... you've already burned your bridges with Seto Kaiba. He will not invite you back with open arms. More likely with open fingers that slowly close around your throats. And who else would you seek out? Zigfried von Schroeder is the only man who would come close to being able to match the funds needed to completely take over Kaibacorp. And he does hate Kaiba, after all. But he is not one to enter into alliances easily, I assure you. But please, if you do not like how I have handled things feel free to seek him out."

The Big 5 shifted and Pegasus smirked. 'You won't go to him because you already tried. The recent downturn in the German economy and an investment in a new rail division means that he won't have the liquid assets to make a play for Kaibacorp for another 7 months, earliest. And you don't have 7 months, you barely have 7 days at most. Besides, unlike myself he has made his opinion of war profiteering quite known; as much as he and Kaiba-boy loathe each other they do agree on that at least.'

As did Pegasus himself though he hadn't let the Big 5 know that. The five capitalists believed that Pegasus would lead them back to the good ol' days when they could develop weapons for any nation that was willing to pay the price both in terms of money and blood. But the moment Pegasus had all the secrets to Kaibacorp's Hard Light Hologram Technology he would reveal to the UN all the war crimes the Big 5 were guilty of. He already had his speech prepared, how he'd wipe away a tear as he spoke of the horrors the men had committed. Then he'd donate money to some charities, do a few talk shows, and continue on with his life while the five rotted in a cell.

Pegasus planned ahead. It was how he'd become the greatest Duelist in the world, after all! He hadn't gone into this hostile takeover blind, despite what the Big 5 believed. They thought they had sought him out, and he'd done well to feign shock when they'd approached him. None of them knew that the advisors and aides that had whispered in their ears that he was their best bet were on his payroll. Just like how he'd manipulated Siegfried to ensure he could not play a role in the scheme. It was easy enough to see what deals were coming up when one can read every mind in the world, after all.

"Mr. Pegasus," Johnson said at last, "you will forgive us for being blunt. We are merely concerned. The plan rotates on using Mokuba Kaiba as our pawn. A figurehead CEO. But you do not have him in your castle anymore... according to the news we've received he has escaped."

"He has left my castle, yes," Pegasus said with a shrug, a smile once more forming on his lips. "But he remains on my island. And let me assure you gentlemen... I know EVERYTHING that happens in my Duelist Kingdom." He reached out and took hold of a remote, clicking it on so that the picture of the Big 5 became a split screen with a map of Duelist Kingdom. He knew the capitalists could see the image as well. "There he is. Fast asleep I would wager, considering the time. Safely in the hands of Edwin Chaos."

"Edwin Chaos?" another of the Big 5 asked.

"Kipling Chaos' nephew. I remember you insisting I invite the press. Edwin is dueling in place of his uncle... he is actually doing quite well. He has 9 Star Chips though he is doing his best to hide that. Mokuba remains in his control so long as he remains in my tournament."

"Then why is he still in your tournament?" Crump (perhaps) asked testily. "Why haven't you eliminated him?"

"He seems to be the golden nugget in the stream. No one expected him to rise to the top but he is doing so. He defeated my Mimic of Doom and teamed with Yugi Moto to defeat Renard Volpe and PaniK. None of those are lightweights, I assure you."

"He is working with Yugi Moto?" another of the men asked, startled.

"That isn't good," the man to his right said. "Not good at all."

"He actually appears closer to Miss Mai Valentine than he does Yugi-boy and his friends. In fact I hear that he and Little Yugi feuded quite a bit before and then during their tag team duel"

"Still, he has made powerful allies-"

"And it matters little," Pegasus said with a wave of his hand, brushing aside their concerns like one would lint on fine linen trousers. "Eddie-boy has only bought Mokuba a momentary reprieve. He has a choice to make very soon. Should he gains 10 Star Chips and comes to my castle Mokuba is under my roof again; he does not and finds himself out of the tournament when the 5 finalists reach here, forcing him to run; or he abandons Mokuba. No matter what my agents are ready to take Mokuba off his hands." He leaned back and smiled. "Gentlemen, everything is completely under control on my end..."

He trailed off as a servant hurried into the room. He didn't bother to scold her; his help knew not to disturb him during such meetings unless the news was dire and thus the only conclusion was she was there to deliver such tidings. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. He raised an eyebrow at the quick tale she had to tell before nodding in thanks and silently bidding her to go. Croquet caught his eye and he gestured with his eyes towards the woman; Croquet, he knew, was making a mental note to reward her for her service.

"Gentlemen, you called me at this late hour to discuss how I am handling the situation. But perhaps you would do me a favor and turn your television to channel 12 and tell me something: how are you handling YOURS?"

The Big 5 all began to murmur to themselves before one of them finally did as he suggested and opened up a new screen with the channel in question. Pegasus was pleased that, thanks to the program they were using to call him, he got to see what they were watching; it was rather enjoyable to see what was making them tense up and go into a cold sweat as footage played showing the Domino City Police at Kaiba-Boy's mansion, talking with servants while a few of the Big 5's personal security agents (aka their hired goons) were lead into a police wagon handcuffed and stripped of their glasses, comm pieces, and other equipment. The scroller on the bottom of the screen blared out SETO KAIBA HELD HOSTAGE? KAIBACORP CEO MISSING----SIGNS OF FOUL PLAY FOUND IN BEDROOM---SERVANTS HELD CAPTIVE BY SECURITY FIRM LINKED TO KAIBACORP BOARD OF DIRECTORS---HOSTILE TAKEOVER GONE WRONG?

"Well gentlemen, I believe I will let you go... it seems you have other things to occupy your time." He smirked and fought the urge to give a cheeky little wave. "Tata." He turned off the television and let out a yawn. "Well, they shouldn't disturb me for the rest of the night."

"Mr. Pegasus, if I might be bold... does this not affect your plans as much as theirs?"

"Oh Croquet, you are a treasure in how you worry about me!" He shook his head and began to remove his suit jacket. "But no, not really. I have ensured that all links to me and the Big 5, while they exist, appear purely innocent. The few of their security agents, such as Kemo, that are on the island are loyal to me... I ensured that or at least my checkbook did. The documents have all been dated so that it will appear that things happened rather recently... if the police do decide to look into their actions they will draw the conclusion I want them too: the Big 5 decided to deal with the Kaiba brothers because they feared I was growing cold on the deal. At worst I'll be seen as someone who tried to perform a hostile takeover but other than that..." he gave a shrug and tossed the man his jacket as they moved down the hall to his bedroom, loosening his tie as they walked.

"But what about the Kaibacorp technology you need?"

"Delayed, sadly, but not out of reach. In fact this might end up happening much clearer than going through the Big 5... with Seto Kaiba and his brother missing and presumed dead and the Board of Directors tried for their disappearances the company will be sold off piece by piece. I'll be able to buy what I need at a much cheaper rate." He brushed his hair to the side and the Millennium Eye flashed. "And Kaiba-boy and his brother will NOT be returning from my island to sing any other songs about my involvement."

"And what of the others?"

"Yugi? I do wish the duel him, of course, but if the Big 5 are removed from play they there will be no need to be cruel to him. I will still destroy any hope he has of becoming the King of Games but I will make up some tale that will satisfy him and release his grandfather's soul. Perhaps I was under a spell or possessed." As they entered his bedroom Pegasus pressed a hand to his forehead and said dramatically. "What... what is this? I feel... something leaving me! A dark force... I think our battle satisfied it, Yugi. You freed me from its tendrils! Oh, thank you." He stopped and gave a laugh. "Yugi-boy is young and foolish... he will believe that easily enough."

"And what of Edwin Chaos?" Croquet asked.

Pegasus, who had begun to unbutton his shirt, paused at that. "He will be a...different matter. At best I will buy his silence... everyone has a price, after all. That failing I'm sure the right pressure can be applied."

"And if it can't?"

Once more the Millennium Eye flashed as he looked through the window out onto the dark night that blanketed his Duelist Kingdom. Somewhere under those twinkling stars and the pale moon was Edwin Chaos, the man that had lived up to his family name. He had been the unexpected element that threatened to change everything. The impurity in the metal, the flaw in the priceless gem, the Trap Card one didn't see coming. Something that might be amusing but only if Pegasus kept a firm hold on the situation.

"Then he will join the Kaiba Brothers in their stay on my island. Forever."

He would later, upon deep reflection, swear that in that moment he saw not the night sky before him... but the visage of a goddess glaring at him and his promise.

~MC~MC~MC~MC~

Yugi and Bakura looked over at Renard as he walked over to them, brushing his hands together before he squatted down next to the little fire that was still merrily burning. The rest of their party was asleep; Tea was with Mai in her tent while Edwin and Mokuba were in his. Joey and Tristan had complained that it was too cramp and warm to sleep so close together so they'd bunched up some clothing and laid out Tristan's jacket and promptly went to sleep just outside the tents, Joey mumbling about duel monsters and sandwiches within minutes.

As for the two young men that were bearers of the Millennium Items they had known that they wouldn't be able to fall asleep for a while, if at all. Bakura had stated quietly that he'd basically been asleep for a few days while the Spirit of the Ring had controlled his body and Yugi found that everything that had happened had left him too energized to sleep. He would get a few winks before dawn but otherwise he had a feeling he wouldn't have a proper rest until he had defeated Pegasus and won back his grandfather's soul.

"How is Edwin?" Yugi asked as Renard removed his gloves and raised his hands towards the fire, his long blue coat pooling beneath him.

"He will be fine," Renard said with a slight smile. "He is lucky he wore such a heavy bathrobe. Had he not the flames would have burned his skin greatly. As it is the skin will be tender to the touch but should he keep the bandages and gauze on it shouldn't be affected. There will certainly be no scarring."

"I can't believe Pegasus did not think of having medical staff on hand to help duelists who got injured," Bakura said with a shake of his head. "This is an island, after all... people could fall down hills or be hit by falling trees or any other manner of dangers!"

"I think Pegasus had other things in mind than safety," Yugi said honestly, a touch of darkness coloring his words that reminded him of the Spirit that lived in his puzzle.

"When I was first approached to take part in this tournament I knew that it would be different from all others. Normally there is structure that is understood, you know?" Renard waved his hand about in a dismissive action. "The Round Robin, the brackets, the randomizer, so on. This though... to have the contestants explore the island and determine their fate based not just on their cunning with a deck but the cunning of their minds? It interested me greatly, I admit."

"Why is that?" Bakura asked.

Renard let out a bemused sigh. "I am young yet I am also old. Certainly old for one that plays this game, it feels like. I have been playing not just Duel Monsters but all manner of games of strategy and skill since I was a child. And when you have done something for a long time the ease at which one becomes bored grows with each passing day." He gave a small shrug. "I sometimes wonder if that is how the likes of PaniK are able to become what they are. Feeling the tedium of it all and thus seeking out the new thrills and desires in order to feel... something." He grew silent for several moments. "When Pegasus approached me about this tournament I was intrigued. And, I'm ashamed to admit, my boredom seems to have blinded me until it was too late of the dangers it possessed... and of the man that runs things."

"Pegasus has a lot to answer for," Yugi said quietly.

"This we agree upon," Renard stated. "I know it is a poor prize but I will state here that I am sorry for my small part in the tragedies that have befallen you." He rose to his feet and tugged on his gloves. "And know that my role in all of this madness is over."

"Over? What do you mean?" Bakura asked. "Don't you have to stay for the rest of the tournament?"

"No, though I am sure that is what Pegasus will also believe." He flashed them a dashing and cocky smirk. "But there are certain sections in my contract that I imagine he did not see, for he would have demanded them removed if he had. His rush will cost him greatly. I will spend the morning touring the island, ensuring that no more of my fellow Eliminators believe they can act as PaniK did, then Pegasus and I will have a conversation. One he will not enjoy." He paused and then pointed to his left. "To the east of Pegasus' castle there is a bay. My personal boat is anchored there... should you fail in your quest and need to escape quickly come find me. I have shown Edwin on his map where I can be found, if needed." He gave a long deep sweeping bow. "And to you gentlemen both I bid finally a good night."

With that Renard was off, entering the forest and within seconds disappearing from sight. Bakura and Yugi watching him go before turning to each other, Bakura smiling slightly and shaking his head.

"He is a strange fellow, isn't he?"

"Strange but nice," Yugi stated. "Far nicer than most of the duelists we've met so far."

"What do you mean?" Bakura asked. "I know you and Joey have had several duels between the two of you... were they truly that bad, your opponents?"

"I hate to say it, because one is supposed to respect their opponents, but yes." Yugi looked at the fire and grew reflective. "The first person I took on was Weevil Underwood."

"The regional champion?" Bakura said. When Yugi nodded Bakura smiled. "I would have liked to see that duel! Your first opponent in the tournament was something that skilled?"

"I think much of Weevil's success has come not from his skill but his trickery. He tossed my Exodia cards off the boat while we were coming here and then lured us onto a field zone that benefited him. He was a sneak plain and simple."

"Hmm," Bakura said. "Who else?"

"Well after that Joey took on Mai and that was a rough one for him."

"She wasn't nice to him?" Bakura asked. "I can see that... but she seems to be friendly with you all now."

"Edwin had something to do with that. According to Tea the two of them know each other."

"Do you think they are..." Bakura trailed off.

"I don't think so," Yugi stated with a shake of his head. 'Or at least I didn't until that kiss she gave him. Still, he seemed as startled by that as the rest of us!' Out loud he said, "But I do think they could be friends, which is a good thing. Mai needs friends. I get the feeling she's been alone for much of her life." Bakura muttered something and Yugi frowned. "What?"

"Oh, just something Edwin said... it suddenly makes a lot more sense." Yugi looked at him and he blushed a bit. "When we were heading back after your duel with PaniK and Renard I thanked him for letting me stick around. I said I knew I had caused him problems but I was truly grateful to be able to travel with you all. I... I am quite used to being by myself, Yugi." Now it was Bakura's turn to look down at the fire. "But Edwin told me that "No one is born in this world to be alone". He was talking to me but I think he was talking about Mai... and, if I may be so bold, himself."

'Is that it?' Yugi thought to himself. 'Is that why Edwin is the way he is? Did he grow up like me, without a lot of friends? But instead of trying to make new ones he felt the need to lash out at the world, to protect himself before it could hurt him?'

"Do you hear something?" Bakura said, cutting off Yugi's thoughts. The young man turned, looking out towards the ocean, and after a moment realized that yes, he did hear something. It was faint but growing stronger. The sound of an engine...

Then he saw the lights coming in low over the surface of the still ocean, kicking up waves, and he leapt to his feet as he realized that it was a helicopter. One that, as it got closer, he realized had the Kaibacorp logo on it!

"What the devil?" Bakura said but Yugi was already running to the tents as Joey let out a moan.

"Eh, what's all that racket? Huh?" Joey opened his eyes only to hiss and shield his face with his arm as the helicopter, which had bridged the distance between them very quickly and was now hovering over their camp site, shone a spotlight on them. "Hey!" Joey exclaimed in annoyance. "Cut that out! Ya don't see me shinin' flash lights in your eyes when your tryin' ta get a bit of sleep!"

"Oh, what now?" Mai complained as she made her way out of the tent, Tea a few seconds behind her knuckling sleep from her eyes. Edwin was the next one to come out, growling and grumping at being awaken, but Mokuba grinned with utter delight as the helicopter finally landed and killed its lights, the rotor still spinning as the pilot stepped out.

"SETO!" Mokuba exclaimed, rushing across their camp and wrapping his arms tight around his brother. Seto looked down and Yugi let out a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding in when Seto gently reached down and placed his free hand on his little brother's head, a small genuine smile crossing his lips. There was nothing taunting or mocking about that smile... just one of relief in seeing his brother safe and sound. "I knew you'd be here! I told them you'd find us! Didn't I Edwin?"

"You sure did," Edwin said, stepping forward.

"Seto, this is Edwin. He saved me from some creep that was pretending to be you!"

"I saw," Seto said, finally looking up, the smile he had been wearing disappearing like a mirage.

Yugi was suddenly struck by a vision. Where Seto and Edwin had stood now there was a lean dark-maned lion, slinking and sliding but ready to leap into furious brutality at a moment's notice, and a sleek wolf more the size of a bear than a dog, eyes narrowed as it prowled about. And in the middle was a little lion cub, not realizing that the two weren't ready to hunt together but rather were sizing each other up to determine if one or the other was a threat.

'This is going to be interesting,' Yugi thought quietly to himself.

~MC~MC~MC~

People always made the joke that Seto Kaiba had a dragon fetish. It wasn't hard to see why, watching the anime. The Blue Eyes jet, the bingo machine, the theme park...

Yet seeing the young man in person I realized it was less of a dragon fetish and more that he'd been born the wrong species. He had all the bearing of a dragon that had been trapped in the form of a man and thus was trying to find a way to deal with that error in reality.

I'd grown used to being around short people during my time in Duelist Kingdom. Rex, Bakura, certainly Yugi; but even the tall people were short compared to me. Mai was a leggy blonde yet I in my boots I had 6 inches on her. Same with Joey and Tristan as well. PaniK had been the only one to loom over me but he suffered from Alexander Anderson Syndrome so honestly I didn't count him. Sure, it was Japan, but even the Americans were small when it came to my stature.

But there was Seto, as tall as me (though he did gain 2 inches thanks to his hair which was fair poofier than mine), holding himself with the confident grace he was known for. His face was cold and impassive and his eyes as hard as diamonds. He was thinner than I was, with a gaunt frame that made me think of a slithering wyrm. Even his coat hung from his shoulders like a pair of great wings, ready to snap open and launch him into flight.

'I wonder what others see when they look at me?' I thought, my own arrogance of needing everything to come back to me rearing its head. I didn't know what creature might represent me... I was a proud Capricorn when it came to the zodiac but there wasn't anything very goat-like in my features (especially with me lacking my beard though the stubble was growing out, thankfully). My arms had lean muscle (and I made a mental note to get back to working out once this was done) while my legs, thanks to years of speed walking, were thick and toned. Round face, standard chest...

And then my mind went back to two very different groups of people and their wildly different opinions on me.

Both of my grandmothers had assumed when I was a child I would become a minister. That I had an angelic bearing and a quiet nature that lent itself to preaching the word of God. My bosses and co-workers though had a different opinion; to them, when my rage boiled over or my protective streak was activated, I was 'a demon come from hell' who could spew fire and venom. And I remember my first role in a play, back in high school, when I had been cast as the villain. The girls had all laughed at that, pretending to be intimidated during script readings... until the first true rehearsal, when I had delivered a threat so frightening one of them had cowered in fear, forgetting it was all pretend. They'd never laughed again.

Angelic or demonic. Wasn't that the ultimate summary of humanity?

These thoughts raced through my head as Mokuba happily recounted all we had done since I had saved him and from the amount of information he had to pass on I was rather startled to realize that it hadn't even been a full day since I'd saved him from Pennywise that Dancing Idgit.

'And he doesn't even know about Bakura,' I thought to myself as Mokuba finally took a breath, allowing Seto to cut in.

"So, other than Mokuba you are the only one that saw through that fake?" He glanced at Yugi and his friends. "Why am I not surprised that these dweebs didn't realize that wasn't me?"

"Hey!" Joey yelled, Tristan quickly grabbing him before he could do something. "He looked almost exactly like you! Anyone would have been fooled."

"Not Mokuba... or Edwin apparently," Seto stated.

"To be fair Mai and Bakura weren't even there, so we can't lump them in with the rest," I said with a slight smirk.

Seto merely scoffed. "The person who saw through that fake and protected my brother... is meeting me in his..." He looked me up and down and actually got befuddled, which was odd to see on Seto's face, "pajamas?"

"Why does everyone keep pointing that out?" I whined. "It's past midnight!"

Seto merely raised an eyebrow before getting back to the original topic. "How did you know it wasn't me?"

"Besides the fact that his voice was doing some stupid distorted thing because he was prepared to claim he was your ghost?" I asked. Seto merely looked at Mokuba, who nodded, then Yugi and his friends who had the decency to shuffle about in embarrassment. "Woman's intuition," I snarked.

"And why did you risk your place in the tournament to help my brother?" Seto took a step forward. "Looking for something?"

"I wouldn't say no if you felt like rewarding me but no, that wasn't what was going through my mind."

"And what was?" Seto asked.

"My brother," I said firmly. "He's in the states right now and yeah, he's only 3 years younger than me so it isn't like you and Mokuba but still..." I trailed off.

Mokuba though quickly spoke up. "Edwin said there is a rule among Big Brothers! He said that if a little brother is in trouble and their big brother isn't around any other big brother will step in and help!"

"Is that so?" Seto asked.

"For me at least," I said firmly.

Seto paused before nodding his head. "I don't forget those who I owe a debt to. Good or bad." Suddenly I had the urge to play 'The Rains of Castamere' on my phone. I understood that this was no offer of friendship. I was useful to him, someone to protect his brother, but the moment he didn't need me he'd try to get rid of me."I have debts to settle with Pegasus and the Big 5. But when that is done... you and I will square things up."

"You'll have an easier time if you are fully equipped." I tossed Mokuba a key I'd pulled from my pocket, having always kept it on me. "Get Seto's deck for him."

That surprised Seto but he hid it within seconds. "Just going to give my cards back to me?"

"You want to know why I don't rip up the Blue Eyes White Dragon like you did with Yugi's grandpa's?" I asked. Seto didn't flinch or show any shame in that and I fought the urge to sneer at him. 'Mokuba, think of Mokuba,' I repeated to myself while out loud I stated, "You challenged him and he accepted. You didn't force him to do anything. As such you won the card fair and square. As for your deck? I might have considered using it as a bargaining chip, get some more out of you... but I have a feeling you aren't a man one dangles a desire in front of unless you want to lose your hand."

"Wise," Seto said with his own smirk as Mokuba returned, handing the deck to me when I wiggled my fingers in his direction. "Far smarter than anyone else on this island."

"I do try." I held the deck out only to grab Seto's wrist with my free hand when he reached out, making sure he looked me right in the eye as I said in a far sterner tone, "But what you did? That was needlessly cruel." I released him and watched as he did his best to look cool and collected even as he checked to make sure all his cards were there. Once he confirmed that I hadn't tried anything he looked up, glaring at me.

"You said it yourself that it was my card to do with as I wished."

"Correct. But that doesn't mean I can't look down on you for doing it. You could have destroyed it in the privacy of your home, or locked it away in case one of your other Blue-Eyes was destroyed. Hell, you know what I would have done?" I waved my hand towards his brother. "I'd have given it to Mokuba."

THAT set Seto back a bit.

"Unless you think you couldn't even trust HIM with the Blue-Eyes."

And THAT made his eyes go wide before the glare came on full force. "Who are you to judge me?"

"I'm Edwin Motherbucking Chaos," I replied with utter confidence.

"...whatever," Seto said, clearly deciding that the best way to win our little war of words was to not play the game at all. That always annoyed me as it seemed to always be the answer some many had when they danced with me in a battle of verbal wits. "Come on, Mokuba, let's go."

"Hold up, Kaiba," Yugi called out, running forward. "I have business with Pegasus too. We'd be better off joining forced."

"Work with a dweeb like you?" Seto asked, amused. "Hard pass."

I guffed.

"You have something to say?" Seto asked me.

"It's Edwin," Tristan said dryly, "of course he has something to say!"

Joey snickered. "The day he isn't running his mouth is a one where you should take cover because the world is endin'!"

I pursed my lips before nodding in acceptance that they were right. 'And sadly we'll get to see if that is true several times,' I thought to myself. Out loud I stated, "I'm just surprised, is all." I began to pace, the educator that I had nearly become showing itself as I entered what I lovingly called my "I-Am-Monologuing!" mode. "You are someone that prides themselves on being preparing. You think ahead, you create plans, and you have not only backups but backups to the backups. Yes, the Big 5 and Pegasus caught you off guard but you already had strategies in place, didn't you?" Seto merely watched me; I didn't need an answer I had my memories of watching the episodes. "It's the same when you duel... when you aren't blinded by going in for the final blow and making it some grand statement I'd wager you always have a back-up ready. Which is why you are one of the greatest duelists in this generation."

"I am the greatest," Seto said sternly.

"Tell that ta Yug," Joey said.

"And," I said with a sly smile, "you haven't faced me yet." I shrugged and continued. "But the point is you like to plan. Yet here you are just rushing off without any strategy or thought on how you are going to defeat Pegasus other than Step 1: Find Pegasus, Step 2: To Be Determined, Step 3: Party." I waved my hand dismissively. "You are doing exactly what he expects. You are rushing right to where he wants you, where he has home field advantage, and you are going hope for the best. And don't tell me it's because you want to get the drop on him; Pegasus already knows you are on this island and has most likely realized you are talking to us." I let out a huffing laugh. "I knew you were rattled, Seto, but come on! Think!" I threw my arms out wide. "You have people out for Pegasus' blood too! At minimum you can use them as a distraction. You could, I don't know, have Tea stand outside Pegasus' castle doing jumping jacks and hope the guards focus on her."

"I'm for that one," Joey said with a snicker.

"Me too!" Tristan said.

"HEY!" Tea roared and I cringed along with Joey and Tristan as we became poorly drawn cartoons while a giant Tea with a huge head and pure white eyes waved her stick-like limbs at us, teeth triangles and hash marks on her face. "Why do I have to do the jumping jacks!?"

"Because Mai and I will be too busy dressing up like plumbers to sneak in?" I asked innocently.

Mai merely crossed her arms over her chest and smirked slightly. "So you like to play dress up, Edwin?"

'DANGER! DANGER WILL ROBINSON!" a robotic voice screamed in my head.

Thankfully Seto cut in before Mai could test just how much the 4Kids censors would allow. "Is this a joke to you?"

"Everything tends to be a joke with me. Until it isn't. And you rushing off without any information? That is the greatest example of a joke." I waved towards our camp. "Do the smart thing. Sit down and lets all share information." It took nearly a minute and I was sure at one point he was going to turn his back on us and walk away, but finally Kaiba walked into our campground and sat down on the stump where Yugi and the Spirit of the Ring had had their little duel.

"Fine," he said with an annoyed sigh, "but the moment this becomes worthless I'm leaving. And knowing this lot it won't take that long."

Yugi shrugged and he and his friends moved to sit down, Mokuba motioning for me to sit to his right, Seto to his left, and I did so with a smile that grew a bit forced when Mai decided to plunk herself down next to me despite their being far more room on the opposite side of our messy circle. Especially when she chose to sit close enough that she could rub her leg against mine.

'Well, you certainly did it now,' I chided myself. The dream of some many fans, to have Mai Valentine interested in them, and it had to happen to the one heterosexual male who wouldn't act on the impulse. Oh, I found her attractive; how could I not? She ticked nearly every box for me and the type I liked: tall with a healthy build, smart, funny, blond, determined... if she played better with others and wasn't into clubbing but rather preferred staying at home she would be the perfect woman for me. The problem was twofold: first, that I knew I was screwing with timelines and that made my guilt thunder in-between my ears. And second? 'You can manipulate this to work out however you want,' I thought with disgust and self-loathing. 'That is rape, no matter how you try and spin it. I am not going to take advantage of her thanks to using future knowledge to draw her into my bed. I am NOT that kind of man.' I had to make sure that I was careful to stay friendly with her without giving her a greater sense that there was a chance between us. Because while I couldn't stand the thought of taking advantage of her I didn't want to hurt her either. I just had to be careful.

"Mai, why don't you lead things? You know everyone here but the only one you really are allied with is me," I said, my mouth deciding to run before my brain could tell it to shut the fuck up.

But it was too late and Mai looked at me in surprise before allowing her face to settle into a determined gaze. "I will admit it right off the bat: I don't have any problems with Pegasus. Well, okay, kidnapping the kid is an issue but it isn't personal for me, just a crummy thing to do." She shrugged before jerking her thumb towards me. "But Edwin here said it... I might not be in for your revolution but I'm with him. Edwin fights, I fight."

'Oh I've fucked things up royally,' I thought before clearing my throat. "A bit different for me. I didn't have a problem just competing in this Tournament and reporting on it for Chaos News. But kidnapping Mokuba? That made this my fight."

"Why?" Seto asked bluntly.

"The Big Brother Rule," Mokuba said once again.

Seto looked ready to argue that point, to dismiss it, but seeing the bright eyes of his little brother he couldn't and I hid a smile as he finally looked at me. "So because Pegasus captured my brother-"

"I am going to burn this island on the ground and then salt the earth so nothing every grows again," I said darkly, knowing my glasses were flashing as I made that declaration. "I'll make it a monument for everyone in the world that you do not hurt people I care about. And if Pegasus is lucky I'll let him leave before I do it."

"That is... kind of intense," Tristan muttered.

"I'm an intense person, just look at my employee file," I said; though that did make me wonder if I had in this world the same file I had in the real world.

"Alright Kaiba, what brings you here?" Mai asked. "We think we have most of it but let's hear it from you."

Seto launched into his story, nothing I didn't already know thanks to the show but for the others it was an eye opener. Tea had actually seemed rather startled that Seto had leapt out a window to escape a bunch of goons... startled and rather intrigued. Though that might have been because I always shipped Seto and Tea together so I was reading too much into her glances. Yugi was clearly sympathetic to all Seto had gone through, not that Seto actually cared, while Mai was muttering that this was supposed to be a simple tournament. Joey made a few comments but Seto, and the rest of us, pretty much ignored him and he began to pout that no one was joining in on ragging on Kaiba. As for Bakura...

...Bakura was FAR too interested in everything Seto was talking about. Especially when it came to Pegasus.

'Zorc didn't wait long to slide back into the driver's seat,' I thought to myself. 'I wonder if he's letting Bakura have his hand on the wheel most of the time and influences him only when needed... or if he is scamming us all.' I leaned towards the former, at least for now; Zorc didn't strike me as someone able to hold up a ruse for long. The idiot had pretty much revealed who he really was during Battle City within a few minutes when it would have been far smarter to play up being innocent Bakura, maybe begin killing Yugi's friends and pinning it on Marik and 'Oh dear lord I'm thinking like a villain again.' For goodness sake Marik of all people kept up the innocent ruse far longer than Bakura did!

Mokuba eventually spoke up and began to add in some details even Seto didn't know about, namely that Pegasus had mentioned the Hard Light technology.

"But he already uses that with the dueling platforms," Tristan said. "Why would he need what you have?"

"Mine are far more advanced," Seto said with, for him, only a touch of arrogance. "He needs that entire platform to create monsters. I have gotten it down to a hand-held disc. And soon I'll make it even smaller. Plus mine are far more realistic."

It was hard to keep my mouth shut as I knew the real reason: Cecelia. Pegasus wanted to use the power of the Millennium Eye to play his wife's soul in a Hard Light body. Of course the poor fool had no idea that the Millennium Eye didn't work like that... I couldn't say 100% but I was pretty sure that the eye allowed him to see far more, including into the Afterlife. And possibly other things but he never really explored what it could do.

'The mind is the limit,' I quoted to myself.

After that it was the rest of the group's turn and it was rather interesting to see Seto's reaction to their comments. Tristan and Tea admitted that they had only come along to support Yugi and Joey, which earned a scoff and a comment that they were then as good as useless. It took all my willpower not to casually mention that Tea was a better duelist than Joey... which then led me to realize that Tea was the only character in the entire series to go undefeated and have dueled multiple times. Bakura said that he couldn't explain it but he'd been drawn to Duelist Kingdom which again earned a bit of derision from Seto. Joey though... that one surprised me. Joey came clean, with quiet humility, that he'd come because he'd heard about the prize money and his sister desperately needed the cash for an operation to save her sight. Seto... said nothing. No comments that she was out of luck, no cracks about Joey better using his time getting her canes and sunglasses, no comments that Joey was a mutt already so he might as well be her seeing eye dog. He just quietly listened and nodded.

And then Yugi, proving someone could be both shy and utterly reckless at the same time, flat out told Seto all about how his grandpa's soul had been stolen by an ancient Egyptian artifact.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You fraggle-rockin' idiot," I muttered under my breath.

"Please, you expect me to believe that garbage?" Seto asked, standing up.

"But it's true, Kaiba!" Yugi exclaimed. "And you better understand that you are dealing with forces that are far greater than you can imagine!"

"I am dealing with a rich man who thinks his money lets him do whatever he wants."

I gagged on the hypocrisy.

"I don't know what you are playing at, Yugi, but if you think I have the time to sit around and swap tall tales with you then you truly are delusional. Let's go Mokuba."

I was ready to speak up when, of all people, Mai cleared her throat. "I thought you were supposed to be smarter than this, Kaiba."

"Excuse me?" Seto said, glaring at her. "Who are you to talk to me like that? Some duelist with delusions of grandeur who only got where she is by-"

I leapt to my feet and stepped right into Seto's personal space, jaw clenched and nostrils flared. Seto glared right back at me and I tensed, ready for the blow to come. Mokuba was saying something, trying to get us to separate, but honestly I couldn't hear him.

"Edwin, it's endearing that you want to stick up for me but please sit down," Mai said. I was suddenly aware that she was standing behind me, arm wrapping around me, fingers lightly running along my side in a calming manner and klaxon alarms were screaming in my head and Picard was declaring that the shields were done and the ship was damaged. "And Kaiba, if you would actually act like the great tactical genius you are suppose to be maybe you'd see the flaw in what you just said."

"What? Don't tell me you buy into this magic crude," Seto complained.

"Of course not," Mai said with a scoff. "But Yugi and his friends do. And that should be raising a ton of red flags."

"For them being gullible dweebs? Already did."

"No," Mai countered before considering what he'd said. "Okay, maybe Joey-"

"HEY!"

"-but are you going to stand there and tell me that Yugi seems like the one to fall for an easy trick?" That made Seto pause and Mai pulled me a few steps back. I could see that Seto was fighting a battle to decide if he thought Yugi to be a fool for believing in magic... or remembering that Yugi was a skilled duelist who was used to seeing through such schemes and realizing what they really were. "You need to ask the right questions, Kaiba."

"Like what?" he challenged.

"Why tell that kind of lie when they know you'd never believe it?"

Even I blinked in surprise at that. 'The Liar Paradox,' I thought to myself. 'A man tells a lie so outrageous that it can't be true because he wants something. And everyone knows it can't be true so they'd never believe him. So why tell it at all? Why not tell a more believable lie? Because the lie actually IS the truth.' I paused. 'Wait, is that an actual thing or did I make that up?'

Mai continued to stare at Seto even as I tried to figure out if I'd gone so around the bend that I'd created a paradox and then Mandela Effected myself. "Well?" she asked. "Why would they tell you a lie they knew you'd never believe?"

"You better not be claiming that they are telling the truth."

She let out a sigh. "Men," she muttered, her and Tea sharing a nod of sisterhood while I found myself glowering at her along with the rest of the men at the insult at our gender. "I just said that I don't believe in magic-"

"So what exactly happened to PaniK?" I asked innocently. Mai shot me a glare and I quickly mimed locking my mouth shut.

"-so of course I don't think it's true. But they do... so Seto, what could make Yugi Moto and his friends think that Pegasus had magic? And-" she said before he could speak, "-it has to be more than party tricks."

"Hey!" Joey complained. "It was more than that! That freaky one-eyed jerk has some sort of magic that lets him steal souls and read people's minds!"

Tristan nodded. "Yeah, and he managed to play Yugi in a duel with just a VCR tape!"

"So don't you-"

"The tape," Seto said suddenly.

"-claim that whaaaa?" Joey exclaimed, his complaints cut off at the ankles.

"Pegasus has always been interested in technology," Seto stated, eyes narrowing as he looked at Yugi. "Cutting edge tech. And there is a theory about using subliminal messages in video to implant thoughts into people."

"But that's not-" Yugi began but Tristan, cluing in on what was happening, clamped his hand on Yugi's knee and shook his head, letting Seto continue working things out.

"He knew that he needed to beat you and in a public way. And the best way to do that was to make you think you had no choice. He drugs your grandpa, gets him sent to the hospital, then uses that tape to implant false memories that you faced him in a duel..." And then I saw something I'd never seen before: Seto Kaiba recoil in horror. "My hardlight technology."

"What about it?" Tea asked, leaning forward.

"If Pegasus figured out a way to implant the hypnotic suggestions into a hardlight hologram... one that would be sure to get the attention of the entire world..."

Mai went pale, her voice soft, "He could brainwash every duelist on the planet. No... more than that! He could use it for movies, for TV... he could control everyone!"

I was shocked and impressed. Even though I knew that the entire theory was wrong, that Pegasus really did have magic and his entire goal was to somehow stick his wife's soul in a hardlight body because Shadi had given him this world's version of the Resurrection Stone... what Mai and Seto were discussing sound like a perfectly evil plot a Yu-Gi-Oh! villain would come up with.

"He will alter the minds of world leaders. Force schools to teach his version of history. He will turn us all into his subjects and we won't even know he's doing it," I said softly. I shot a dark look towards Yugi and mouthed 'Don't fuck this up'. He, thankfully, read the room and stayed quiet... and I realized that thanks to the censors being unable to tell if I said fuck or duck I had figured out a way to curse!

"Then I have all the more reason to stop wasting time with all of you and instead deal with Pegasus," Seto said, standing up and smoothing out his coat. "I will not let him use my technology as part of some demented scheme to take over the world. Come on Mokuba... we have a meeting with Pegasus!"

"Right!" Mokuba declared, leaping up.

"Seto!" I called out, pulling away from Mai. "Stop!"

"You aren't going to talk me out of this, Chaos," Seto sneered. "You heard what he's plotting."

"Yeah and that is exactly why you should be getting off this island right now!"

"What are you talking about? I am no coward. I'm not afraid of Pegasus."

"I know that!" I snapped, my frustration getting the better of me. I was tired, it was late, I'd nearly been set of fire, and I'd just had the Pharaoh treating me like I was a villain a few hours ago. I could mentally see my temper as a thick piece of sailing rope, fraying rapidly. "But are none of you using your heads?" I turned in a circle, arms out wide. When all I got were glowers and blank stares my head drooped and I let out a long suffering sigh. "Okay," I said slower, "let's try this again. Pegasus wants to beat Yugi because he beat you and for some demented reason the Big 5 need the new CEO of Kaibacorp to be a good duelist... or a winner... or whatever. So... what is the one thing you could do to completely derail his plans?"

"Beat Pegasus," Seto said coolly.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Oh for Plucky Duck's sake. No Seto, because the Big 5 will STILL see you as weak and not want you as CEO." I held up a hand, not even needing to look at him to know what he was about to say. "I am not saying you are weak I am saying the Big 5 are so moronic they couldn't find their own Alp holes with both hands."

"...is he always like this?" Seto asked.

"YES!" Everyone declared.

Fighting the urge to begin flailing my arms (mostly because I feared I'd become poorly drawn with sharp teeth and a huge head like Tea had and I did NOT want to experience what that felt like!) I instead said with as much cold restraint as I could muster, "What I am saying is that you and Yugi have a duel right here, one that Yugi throws on purpose. You then leave and inform the police that Pegasus kidnapped your brother. We head to the castle and deal with Yugi's unfinished business, the bad guys get arrested, and none of us end up dead. Then when we all get back to Domino you have an actual duel to settle things? How does that sound?"

I could literally hear crickets decide at that moment to begin chirping.

"Tch," Seto said finally. "I shouldn't be surprised that an American would have no idea about honor or anything like that. If you think for a moment I would be satisfied with getting back my company through underhanded tricks then you are a fool."

"Kaiba's right," Yugi told me. "To throw a duel? That isn't the way of an honorable duelist."

I turned and saw that everyone, even Mai, were nodding in agreement.

"...fine," I said in frustration. "Fine. You go marching up there Kaiba and you do your thing. Fine, great. Why do things simple? Hey, why don't you agree to just use a random deck that Pegasus gives you? Really show him up?" I turned and began to move towards the tent before suddenly stopping. "Wait, no, not fine!"

"You aren't talking me out of this. In fact I'm done talking to you. Come along Mokuba-"

"Don't risk your brother, you Buddha dam idiot!" I roared.

THAT got Seto to stop.

"Excuse you?"

"Yeah, excuse me," I said sarcastically. "Pegasus already showed that he's willing to do anything to get your company, including kidnapping Mokuba. What is to stop him from rushing you with all his goons before you can get off your challenge, grabbing Mokuba, and using him as leverage to get you to duel under his rules, with his mind control tech?" Seto didn't say a word and seeing that maybe, just maybe, I was getting through to him, I continued on. "Do the smart thing, Seto... let me continue watching Mokuba. Pegasus said as long as Mokuba remains with me and I remain in the tournament he won't go after him. I'm willing to forfeit my chance to get into the finals to keep him safe."

"Edwin!" Mai exclaimed.

"You can't do that, man!" Joey shouted.

"I can and I will because this is more important! This is about Mokuba and I'm not going to let him get hurt."

Seto looked at me and then down at Mokuba. "He's been protecting me already Seto... I want to go with you but I don't want Pegasus to use me against you..."

I could tell it was killing Seto to admit I was right. He saw me as a coward and a fraud because I didn't subscribe to his damn honor when it came to a children's card game. But he also saw I was right. And he hated me for that.

Let him. Hate was becoming an old friend.

"What do you want?" he finally asked. "You wouldn't give up this chance out of the goodness of your heart. So what is it you really want, Chaos?"

Honestly I had been willing to give it all up. I was coming to realize that Jor-El's words to Clark worked just as well for me: 'Even though you resemble then... you are not one of them'. No matter how much I looked like them, tried to act like that, in that moment it was clear that I would never be like Yugi and his friends or even Seto. It was a chilling realization, to understand that I truly was the only person in the world to feel the way I did. That I was the absolute outsider.

But after that heartbreaking revelation... came the realization that I was completely and utterly free.

"$3 million," I said. Seto narrowed his eyes at that. "The prize money I'm giving up. $3 million dollars. You are going to write a check..." I paused for dramatic effect, "...made out to Serenity Wheeler."

"Wha...whaaaa?" Joey exclaimed, nearly toppling into the camp fire.

"Edwin?" Tea said softly.

"Seriously man?" Tristan said, startled.

"Seriously. You heard Joey... she needs an operation to restore her sight." I looked at Yugi who realized what I wanted to say and quickly grinned and nodded. "Yugi and I made a pact when we decided on our alliance... whoever won would donate the prize money to Serenity for her operation. If I'm sacrificing my chance to get the cash that way then I need another way to do it. So... $3 million dollars to save her vision."

"...please Seto?" Mokuba whispered.

"Deal," Seto said, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a checkbook.

I felt light headed and giddy. I felt joy like I never had before. I felt-

"Sorry Ed... but I can't let ya do that," Joey stated, standing up. "I can't just accept that money. But," Joey smirked and held up his deck, "I will accept a duel with Kaiba here, and if I win I get the money!"

-rage. I felt white hot rage.

~MC~MC~MC~

Mai should have enjoyed the duel.

Joey had been an arrogant little pill ever since he'd beaten her and it'd only gotten worse with Rex's defeat. He'd been crowing about how great he was doing, the number of Star Chips he had, and how he was going to defeat everyone on the island. So seeing him failing about so miserably against Kaiba should have been balm for her soul.

Instead all she could do was turn away, unable to watch.

First because she knew that with every monster Kaiba destroyed the chances of Joey's sister being able to see again withered. It didn't have the thrill and excitement it might have had knowing that a young girl's way of life was a stake.

Second... she was concerned for Edwin.

He had grown utterly quiet when Joey had challenged Kaiba. Mai had thought he'd begin to rant and rave but instead he'd stood there, jaw clenched but otherwise not reacting at all. Everyone except Joey could sense that Edwin was barely hanging onto his rage and the longer he was forcing it down the worst it was getting. And Mai knew how unhealthy that could be... hell, Edwin had begun to show her that bottling up her own feelings was a bad idea and now he was doing the same thing.

Finally, mercifully, the duel ended with Joey on his knees, blankly staring as Kaiba recalled his Duel Disc. He didn't even react when the older duelist walked across the beach they had decided to have their duel on and ripped the device off Joey's arm; all he could do is murmur, "I lost". Mokuba, who had chosen to stand with Seto during the duel, looked at his big brother and Kaiba put his hand on his shoulder and said a few quiet words to him before walking over to where Mai was standing with Edwin, looking at the blond man before taking out his checkbook.

"Just because Wheeler is a fool doesn't mean I don't pay off my debts." He rapidly filled out the check, tearing it out and holding it for Edwin to take. "You aren't allowed to give this to anyone named or connected with the Wheeler family. You do and you void the payment. And I will collect every cent back. Maybe that will teach you not to help losers who can't even help themselves."

Edwin snatched the check and stuffed it in his pocket. He didn't even say a word. There was no need.

Kaiba took his leave and the moment he was gone Yugi and his friends swarmed over to Joey, comforting him.

"It's alright, Joey," Tea said, rubbing his back.

"You did the best you could, man," Tristan stated.

"I can't believe I lost," Joey said again. "I failed my sister."

"YES YOU DID!"

Edwin finally erupted.

"Listen," Bakura said, walking over and holding up his hands as Edwin storm towards Joey. "Now isn't the time for this-"

"Shut it," Edwin snapped. "Now is not the time where you fools are coddling Joey after he just tossed away his sister's chance to keep her eyesight."

"Hey, man!" Joey exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "Lay off! I feel bad enough as it is!"

"You SHOULD feel bad you moronic, arrogant, guttersnipe!" Edwin roared. "You let your ego get in the way of helping your sister! You realize what I sacrificed to help you out? You tossed that away because you wanted to stick it to Kaiba! And your "friends" refuse to call you out on it! Maybe if they had in the past not patted you on the head and forgiven you for every boneheaded thing you did you wouldn't have been so stupid in the first place and screwed over your sister!"

"I said lay off!" Joey said, giving Edwin a shove. "You have no idea what I'm going through!" Joey turned away, the anger draining a way a touch, replaced by sadness. "My sister... I wanted to help her. She's in the hospital and she's suffering and I wanted to help her... none of you know what it's like to see someone in that position and feeling helpless."

"...I do know," Edwin said softly, his own anger leaving him. He took a shuddering breath. "My mom-"

Joey though snapped, "Man, who cares about your stupid mom! We're talkin' about my sister!"

Edwin reeled as if struck.

"JOEY!" Tea exclaimed in horror.

"You don't mean that," Yugi said quickly. "Edwin, he didn't...he didn't..."

"Come on man..." Tristan said. "Don't say stuff like that."

"She's dead."

Mai snapped her head towards Edwin, the tears falling down his face.

"Cancer. I watched her die, Joey. I didn't even get a chance to help her. To save her. I had to watch her die. At first I begged her to fight, only in my mind because she was in a coma... and then I told her it was okay, that she could go, that it was okay. I didn't even get to say goodbye. The last memory of my mother was her gasping for air after we... I... let them take her off life support. So... don't..." He couldn't finish. Instead Edwin, gripped his head in his hands, fingers twisting in his hair, before he slowly turned and began to walk away from the beach where Joey and Seto had had their duel.

"Ed... man... I..." Joey reached out but then dropped his hand. Mokuba looked at the group before rushing to head after Edwin. "I didn't mean... my sister... with her-"

Mai's arm lashed out and the back of her hand struck Joey full on the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Don't you dare come back to my camp. You aren't wanted." She turned on her heels and began to march off, not looking back.

"Well... so what?" Joey called out in anger. "Who needs you or your that crybaby Ed! We'll do fine on our own! Who asked for your help anyway!? Huh? Huh!?"

Mai could hear Joey's friends calling out for her to stop but she kept going, picking up her pace to catch up with Edwin and Mokuba. When she did she didn't say a word, instead silently joining them in returning to where their tents were. But rather than go to sleep Edwin sat down in front of the camp fire and looked at it numbly. Mai settled down beside him and after a moment wrapped an arm around him, Edwin letting his head rest on her shoulder as he sucked back tears.

After about ten minutes Mokuba, who'd sat down next to Edwin and leaned against him, quietly said, "Seto and I... our parents died in a car crash. Edwin... does it ever stop hurting?"

He shut his eyes and Mai knew the answer he should give. 'Yes it does'. 'You learn to move on'. 'It gets better'.

But she knew the answer, even if he didn't say it. Mokuba did too. Not the sweet lie but the honest truth.

'No. It never does.'

"Do..." Edwin began, his voice trembling, "do you ever get the feeling... that you aren't the hero of the story?"

All Mai and Mokuba could do was press themselves against him.

THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM