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You stood beside Mokuba in the open air arena high atop the duel tower, watching one of your closest friends battle the person you secretly loved.
There were so many unexplained things happening on the blimp that it made for a nice change to only have to deal with larger than life holograms. Except that was not all you had to deal with. Kaiba had put so much pressure on himself for this one duel and you were just as concerned for him as his little brother was, who stood beside you.
Yugi explained to you why it was so important that he win and while you were skeptical, you could not deny certain facts. Facts like Mai being a coma, or Joey being unconscious with all those machines around him.
Kaiba's gaze travelled to you and Mokuba and it made your heart skip a beat, but you knew the only reason he tolerated you was because Mokuba was so fond of you. Well, maybe the fact that you questioned everything the gang said helped as well.
"Glad you geeks found someone with a brain," he had said the first time he heard you disagree with your friends. It was a bit of a backhanded compliment but you let it slide.
Since that moment, you found yourself around the brothers with increasing frequency and it only made you like them even more. Thinking back, you thought the moment like turned to love was when Noah captured everyone. Mokuba and Kaiba fell through the floor together and you fell by yourself soon after. Thankfully, you were able to run into them after defeating Crump. You had a lucky hand and was eternally grateful to Yugi for teaching you how to play. You would find out later that he would challenge Tea and fail once again.
With no choice, you followed the brothers as they relived the horrors of their past. It made the bile rise in your throat when you saw what they had been through but you also got to experience their unconditional love.
It was with complete and utter shock that Kaiba allowed you to go with him as he searched for Mokuba.
Your heart broke in two when he shouted Mokuba's name from the top of the mountain. You could take it no more and pulled him to you, awkwardly hugging the most cantankerous person you knew.
"We'll find him," you choked out in a whisper.
"Seto, you can win this! I know you can!" Mokuba yelled, jarring you from your thoughts. "Don't you think so?" He turned his doe eyes on you, but you could not answer. At this point they both could win. Kaiba battled with well calculated strategy and intelligence but Yugi always had an answer. Instead of saying anything, you wrapped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed gently.
There was a commotion at the entrance to the rooftop catching your attention. It was your group of friends.
"Joey?!" you exclaimed with shock. "H-How?"
"It doesn't matter," Duke said.
"We're here for you Yugi!" Tea cheered.
While you did want your friend to do well, you hated how the others demonized Kaiba. You understood why he was the way he was, but the constant judging from your friends infuriated you. The power in the duel continued to shift back and forth until Yugi, finally, cast the final blow.
"No," you whispered under your breath. Mokuba heard you but said nothing, watching in horror as his brother had to come to terms with his loss before the world.
You watched in silence as Kaiba held himself proudly while handing over his rarest card. Once the arena lowered, you moved aside to let Mokuba walk away with his brother except Joey intercepted them. He began his usual diatribe aimed at Kaiba but you knew you had to stop him. It was neither fair nor wise.
“Joey, leave it alone,” you warned through gritted teeth.
“Why? Rich boy thinks he’s so much better than us! Why don’t you duel me to prove it,” Joey challenged.
“My brother doesn’t have to prove anything to you!” Mokuba defended.
“How can you defend him after everything he said about you!?”
“What did he say about me?” Mokuba asked, crestfallen.
“He said he didn’t need anyone, I guess that means he doesn’t need you either,” Joey continued.
“Joey! Don’t do this!” you pleaded.
“And you! Why would you defend someone who can’t even stand to be around you?!” Joey raged on.
“Because it doesn’t matter how he feels about me or you or any of us. What you’re doing isn’t right and I will defend anyone I think deserves it regardless of what they think of me!” you spat.
Kaiba watched you silently. He knew what Joey said was not true. He felt more for you than he allowed himself to believe. He did not know when or how you had managed to sneak through his walls, but found himself seeking you out and he did not know why he did that. At least he had the good sense to pass it off as looking for his brother. Even when Noah had Mokuba, he rationalized allowing you to tag along as nothing more than that it would bring his little brother comfort, but he could not lie to himself forever. Especially since he enjoyed being around you, your accidental touches or being held by you, even if that last one was just a virtual experience. Was it love that he felt?
Kaiba decided he needed to put Joey back in his place.
“Fine Wheeler. It should be short work teaching you a lesson,” he taunted. With a flounce of his coat he disappeared through the exit and made his way down to the bottom of the tower with the others following closely.
You pulled Mokuba against you, holding onto his shoulders. You wanted him to feel at ease but the truth was that you were just nervous. You could not show your support either way and knew at the end, at least one important person to you would be upset.
You quietly watched the duel. Joey had a few good moves and you enjoyed the cheerleading from the opposing camps but at the end, it was a short duel like Kaiba had said. To your great relief, neither hot heads reacted badly at the end of it. You ignored the unkind things your friends said, opting to follow Mokuba instead.
“Well, played Kaiba,” you smiled.
“Beating the likes of Wheeler is nothing to be celebrated,” he replied in his typical way. You chuckled at his retort which quickly turned into a groan as you saw Ishizu approach. She launched into her well rehearsed speech about destiny and ancient battles. You could not help the volume of your eye roll.
“What is it with you people?! Why can’t you just leave me alone?!”
You felt for Kaiba and you had asked yourself the same question a thousand times. You tried to tune Ishizu out but you were not prepared for the breakdown from Mokuba.
“You’re always in a bad mood now! I miss the way things were! At least you smiled then!” he cried.
“Mokuba, that’s not very fair,” you said tenderly wiping away his tears.
“It’s true!” he said to you. “Seto if you know how to win, help Yugi!” he beseeched his brother. You could see the warring emotions within the elder Kaiba. With a sigh he turned back towards the tower, delighting Mokuba by agreeing to help.
You followed behind Mokuba, creating a barrier between him and Ishizu. You caught Kaiba’s eye in the elevator, fleetingly, you thought there might have been a moment passing between you both but as the doors opened, you mentally chastised yourself for being so hopeful.
The sound of hydraulic lifts filled the air as you stepped out into the sunlight. The arena had already risen. Kaiba tossed the card to Yugi but that was far from your biggest worry. You still had no explanation for the strange occurrences but you did not trust Marik. You moved to stand in front of Mokuba, shielding him with your body. It was not missed by Kaiba. All these little things that you did just made you that much more special to him. He wanted to tell you. He wanted to grab on to you and never let go.
As you had come to expect, the dark purple fog engulfed the top of the tower. Your eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. You were looking at two Mariks and two Yugis. Instantly you turned to Kaiba who looked at you.
“It’s obviously some kind of a trick,” he growled.
Trick or no, the danger felt real. You were afraid for Yugi but from your recent experiences, you were afraid for Kaiba and Mokuba too. It did not feel like being a bystander was any safer. You could not bring yourself to cheer like the others nor could you enjoy any moment of Yugi winning the little battles. All you could be, was relieved when it was all over.
The moment of victory was short lived. With Kaiba announcing that the tower would self destruct, everyone rushed towards the exit. You understood why he would want to do this. He had said himself that this was where his stepfather made his millions. You hugged Mokuba goodbye and looked up at Kaiba not knowing what to say. Every word you could think of bubbled up and died in your throat. What could you say?
“Bye, Kaiba,” you said softly. Mokuba ran off through the exit and with heavy feet, you turned to follow him through. Kaiba called your name and you halted in your steps.
“Yes?” you asked, trying hard to quell any hope within you. He closed the distance between you but words failed him too. You were right there, all he needed to do was pull you to him. All he wanted to do was kiss your lips. He wanted your every cherished memory to be of him.
“Make sure you get off this island. You only have one hour.” This was all that managed to escape him. You nodded and feeling bolder than you ever had, you reached up and hugged him tightly.
“I hope this helps you find your happiness,” you whispered. With one last longing look, you turned around. Numb, he watched you slowly walk away from him.