Chapter Three: Change of Heart

Kaiba programed his duel computer with the cards Kisara had had in her deck, hoping to find a weakness that would allow him to beat her. Without the Maiden with Eyes of Blue, the computer lost, but with that card, his duels always ended in a draw. Even when he removed Last Turn from the duel computer's deck, the result of the battle was always the same if Maiden with Eyes of Blue was present in its deck. If both he and the computer possessed a copy of the Maiden card, they still ended with a draw.

It frustrated him. One card shouldn't make that much of a difference. He should be able to beat it regardless.

Mokuba watched silently as Seto programed the duel computer with a different deck and added the Maiden with Eyes of Blue to it. In this new deck, there was no way the computer could take control of his dragons.

He played Kaibaman, sacrificing it to summon his Blue Eyes White Dragon. It stared down the Maiden with Eyes of Blue, and Kaiba smirked.

"Go, Blue Eyes! Destroy her!"

The dragon didn't respond. He looked up at his beast and frowned. "What are you waiting for? Get her, now!"

In the control room, Mokuba heard the console begin to beep, a button on the far right blinking.

"Error. Error. Error."

Mokuba tried to fix the problem, but nothing he tried made any difference. Pushing the button on the microphone, he called down to his brother.

"Seto, the program isn't responding."

"Then shut it down!"

Mokuba attempted to terminate the system in order to reboot it, but it still would not respond.

"It's not working!"

The Blue Eyes gave a mighty cry before it vanished altogether, the lights in the lab switching off as the computer crashed. The blue emergency lights kicked on, and Kaiba glared down at his duel disk.

"Impossible. There must be a glitch in the program."

Surely that was it. That had to be the only explanation. Still, it irked him to think that his system was faulty. Kaiba Corp's technology was state of the art. There were no bugs or glitches. Perhaps he needed to fire someone on his tech team, because clearly they weren't doing their job correctly.

Seto set to fixing it himself to ensure it was done right. Once the computer was back online, he began his duel again. Once again, Kaiba brought out his Blue Eyes White Dragon to face the Maiden with Eyes of Blue.

"Let's try this again. Attack it, Blue Eyes!"

His dragon lifted its head, its haunting roar reverberating around the laboratory, but instead of attacking, the hologram glitched the dragon out of existence, the computer crashing yet again. The duel computer ejected the cards from its slots, one flying out and landing at Kaiba's feet. He looked down at it with wide, disbelieving eyes. He dropped his arm, the only monster card on his duel disk falling to the floor beside the Maiden.

X-X-X

"This doesn't make any sense," he muttered, pacing back and forth in his rooms, the hour nearly midnight. "My computer never crashes. My software and hardware are all cutting edge technology. Everything was working perfectly until… No, it can't be."

He glanced at his Blue Eyes cards and the Maiden with Eyes of Blue that lay on the table beside his window.

Could it?

"Of course it couldn't! They're just cards! So why…?"

His dragon's call echoed in his memory—a cry of protest before it vanished, refusing to attack.

But it wasn't refusal. They were just cards!

Kaiba sunk down into a chair, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. If they really were just cards, why did they seem to be playing tricks on his mind? And if Kisara was just some girl, why couldn't he get her out of his head?

X-X-X

The next afternoon, Kaiba wandered aimlessly around Domino, needing an escape and a way to clear his puzzled mind. The cards were on his person since he was, for reasons he couldn't fathom, unable to part with them after his duel with Kisara more than a week earlier. Yet, the further he walked, the more agitated he became, and he didn't want to contemplate why.

It was as though a bucket of cool, soothing water had doused the angry fire inside him as soon as he saw her sitting on the edge of the fountain in the square with her back to him while she fed the pigeons. The muscles in his temples twitched in annoyance at his reaction to the mere sight of her, and his agitation with himself only grew when he didn't have the will power to turn around and walk the other way instead of making his way straight for her.

What was she still doing in Domino? Shouldn't she have returned home by now? Despite his irritation, he couldn't bury his curiosity. As he rounded the fountain with crossed arms, one eyebrow lifted questioningly.

Kisara turned her attention from the pigeons, tilting her head in surprise at his sudden appearance.

"Good afternoon, Seto," she greeted pleasantly.

He surprised even himself when his words were absent of their usual scathing undertone.

"Why are you still here?"

She threw another handful of crumbs for the birds, watching them hurry to gobble up as many as quickly as they could.

"I've actually been thinking of staying." She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye to watch the confusion play across his face before she smiled. "My pale skin has never done me many favors in the desert," she explained. "I've been enjoying the climate here in Domino."

"Heh, I guess that makes sense…" he replied. He didn't quite think that was the entire truth, but he didn't press her on it.

"What brings you out and about from your glass tower?"

The corners of his mouth turned down as he stared blankly at the shops some distance in front of them. She waited for him to give some sort of response, but he never did. After some time, he spoke a level command that came out sounding more like an invitation.

"Come with me."

Before she could register his words, he was walking off toward a corner of the square. Kisara stood slowly, her eyes watching him without comprehension before she was finally able to follow. He led her down a lengthy street before making a right onto one lined with more picturesque trees and shops. For a while, Kisara said nothing, but the longer they walked, the more her curiosity got the better of her.

Afraid to disrupt the oddly peaceful demeanor that Kaiba had thus far allowed her to witness, she spoke up in a little more than a whisper.

"Where…where are we going?"

He didn't answer, but a few moments later, he stopped, his attention on the café in front of them, the outdoor sitting area of which was quite expansive and encapsulated by a low, decorative iron gate. It was at the end of a line of shops, and the sitting area wrapped around into the empty space between the buildings which was done up with tasteful landscaping, from trees to shrubs and flowers.

Kisara took in the sight of the café before looking up to Kaiba.

"Why are we…?"

He glanced down at her, but his expression was unreadable. Instead of answering, he led the way into the outdoor sitting area, navigating to one of the corners near the back with ease. A flick of his eyes invited her to sit down at one of the tables, and after a moment's hesitation, she obliged. He sat down across from her. The waiter wasn't far behind them, and he set two menus out for them with a polite word of welcome before heading off to do the same for another pair of visitors.

"Order whatever you want," said Kaiba, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms and legs.

Kisara opened her mouth to speak, but wasn't able to voice the questions that floated behind her cerulean eyes, and so she quickly closed it. She glanced down at the menu and noted the prices.

"But Seto—"

"Don't worry about it."

She bit her lip to keep from protesting further. She knew from rumors that Seto Kaiba was not an openly generous person, but after her conversation with his younger brother, she was aware that his acts of generosity were done behind closed doors. Still, she wondered why he was being so kind to her now when he'd seemed so upset by her presence before. And while it was crystal clear that expensive tea would not break Kaiba's bank account, she still didn't understand why he'd want to waste his money on her.

Perhaps her words, as well as their duel, had gotten through to him after all. Here she'd kept thinking it would all be a lost cause.

When the waiter returned, she ordered a chamomile tea. He didn't ask Seto what he wanted, but nodded to the CEO all the same. Kisara watched the waiter leave again, then looked back at Kaiba, wondering briefly if he'd brought women here before. She pushed the thought from her mind and instead said;

"I assume you come here often?"

"Occasionally," he replied, his eyes focused on Kisara. He hadn't even glanced in the waiter's direction.

She didn't know how to feel under his unbroken scrutiny. It wasn't forceful, but it was still intense somehow. It contradicted her first few meetings with the young tycoon who had seemed to be all cold fire and a force of his own design. Sitting before her now, he was far tamer, and yet something about him still exuded a barely contained power.

A memory flew to the forefront of her mind: the image of the Priest Seto sitting beside Akhenaden, gazing at her as the latter priest encouraged the peasant girl to enter the underground arena and release the White Dragon.

When he still didn't look away, Kisara felt the heat rise in her cheeks. He narrowed his eyes, and she averted her gaze to look around at the other shop patrons.

Their tea arrived shortly, the waiter setting Kisara's cup and saucer on the table before placing Kaiba's in front of him. He bowed his head respectfully and left without a word, aware that Mr. Kaiba did not care for interruptions. Grateful for the distraction, Kisara gingerly picked up her tea and took a sip. As if satisfied, Kaiba reached for his and did the same.

"Thank you, Seto…" she said with quiet sincerity.

He tore his eyes away from her to gaze up at the canopy of the trees and the sky beyond it as he let himself get lost in thought, periodically sipping from his cup. He shouldn't be this relaxed. He shouldn't be at ease. He should be agitated and eager to return to his work. He should be trying again to figure out a way to win against that blasted card she'd given him.

Yet he was doing none of those things. Instead, he was sitting contently across from a woman he'd sworn was a mirage the first time he'd set eyes on her in his office all those weeks ago. He was soaking up the oddly pleasant feelings that fluttered around in his chest and brought him a peace he'd never known. He wanted to be angry with her. He wanted to hate her. He wanted to storm away and never set his sights on her again; but he couldn't do any of those things.

There was almost a tiredness that had begun to take over his entire body and cloud his mind, and despite his better judgement, he found he didn't want to escape it. With one last sip, he set down his cup absently. He shifted his eyes to Kisara and found her contently enjoying the scenery around them. As he looked upon her, unbidden images of the past began to blur with the present.

He closed his eyes…

Even the full moon in the sky above him couldn't take away his pain as he looked out over the Kingdom of Egypt from the palace balcony. Though the war had been won, it seemed so much had been lost. So many innocent lives, as well as Mahad, Shada, Karim, and the Pharaoh.

And then there was Kisara.

His heart ached at the thought of what might have been. The scene of her self-sacrifice replayed over and over in his mind, and tonight it brought fresh tears to his eyes. She'd cracked open his jaded heart only to fracture it in her absence.

Perhaps she would never again be physically at his side, but she was with him always, having given her soul to preserve his life and the unfathomable bond they'd shared, no matter how brief. Still, he couldn't help but feel that he'd never be whole again, except when under the influence of his deepest dreams.

The nights were long as he fought for sleep, but sometimes when he laid there in the dark, lonely bedchamber of the Pharaoh, he thought he heard her whisper his name in a voice so sweet and gentle, it eased him into a peaceful slumber…

"Seto… Seto…"

"Seto…?" Kisara whispered cautiously.

His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he was caught in limbo between the past and the present again. His heart hurt, and yet there was a strange joy that came when he opened his eyes to find her still sitting across from him.

He frowned.

"Seto…are you alright?"

He glanced down to see that she'd finished her tea. He stood and turned to leave. "Let's go," he said, his tone still strangely quiet and subdued.

Rather than protest or insist that he answer her, Kisara rose gracefully and followed after him. Kaiba removed his wallet to pay the waiter on the way out. Judging by the look on the waiter's face, Kisara guessed that he'd overpaid for their tea. She wondered if he was intentionally being generous, or whether he hadn't even cared to look at the bill he'd handed out, knowing it was all chump change to him anyway.

It took some getting used to, but Kisara finally decided to enjoy Seto's company rather than question it. She walked beside him this time rather than behind, knowing now that he wasn't going to snap at her as he had done during their previous interactions. Allowing the warmth and safety of his presence wash over her, Kisara smiled and took in the scenery. As they walked, they disturbed another flock of pigeons, and she watched the take wing.

Musing out loud, she said, "You know, I'd give anything to be able to fly…"

Kaiba halted, and she stopped to look over at him.

"Is that so?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes. Flight has been my dream since I was a little girl. I was quiet unhappy when I ended up with an aisle seat on the flight over here. I could hardly see anything out the window."

He closed his eyes briefly with a smirk. "In that case... Come on. I have something you'll want to see."

Having learned that it would do no good to ask, she simply allowed him to lead the way in a different direction. It wasn't long before she saw the tower of Kaiba Corp come into view. As they mounted the stairs, she glanced at the Blue Eyes statues that flanked the entrance.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kaiba," said the security guard as they walked into the lobby through the revolving glass doors.

Kaiba didn't respond to him either as he continued on to the elevators. Using his key card, the door opened and he motioned her inside before stepping in after her. He pressed a negative number on the keypad, and Kisara watched as they descended below ground.

Emerging from the elevator, Kaiba led her to a metal door, swiping his key card again and entering a pin. Behind the door was a long hallway that was lined with other doors and a few windows into what looked like tech labs. It seemed to go on forever.

"I knew you owned a lot, but I didn't realize your company was so extensive…"

"Heh, this is just the tip of the iceberg. You haven't seen anything yet."

At last, they reached the end, greeted by another metal door, this one much, much larger. Once more, Kaiba swiped his key card and entered another pin.

"Welcome Seto Kaiba," came the computerized voice as the door slid open. Behind it appeared to be a very big, very dark room. Carefully, she followed as he entered the space, and within seconds, the motion-activated lights that ringed the room came on one after another to reveal an underground hanger.

Kisara stopped when she saw it: the Blue Eyes White Dragon Jet that was scaled to match the size of the real Blue Eyes. Tentatively, she stepped forward. As Kaiba reached the cockpit, he turned toward her.

"You made this?"

"Designed it; built it; made sure it was fully functional."

She reached out a hand to touch the cool metal, admiring the detail in the intricate, stunningly accurate areal design. Kisara walked around the jet, her eyes as wide as her smile.

"This is incredible, Seto! It's…it's almost as amazing as seeing the real thing." Unlike the holograms, it was something she could touch, and though it didn't feel like a dragon, she somehow felt closer to her spirit than she ever had before. She paused again when she reached the front and placed her hand on the nose of the cockpit.

"Well?"

Her head shot up to look at Kaiba as he stood beside a set of stairs that he must have opened.

"Are you going to get in?"

Her eyes sparkled with disbelief. "What, you mean-?"

His silent gesture was answer enough. Kisara couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face, but she minimized it as she made her way over to the stairs. She moved to step up onto them, but hesitated with another glance at Kaiba. He nodded, and she continued, climbing in to the back seat. She pulled on her seatbelt as Kaiba got in and retracted the stairs before lowering the dome.

He pushed the button on his collar to radio his crew and have them raise the platform and open the hanger.

"Yes Sir," came the reply.

Kaiba fastened his own seatbelt as the platform began to rise. Kisara watched as they ascended a shaft, wondering where they would end up. Above them, she saw the hanger doors open. Soon they had reached the helicopter pad, and Kisara stared out at the ocean, realizing that they were on a cliff on the upper side of the city.

"You ready?"

Excited, Kisara replied, "Are you kidding? I was born ready!"

He flipped a few switches to power up the jet. If she wanted to fly for real, she was about to get her wish. Kaiba didn't know why he was set on fulfilling it for her, but he could hear the smile on her face, and blast it all if he didn't like the sound.

The engine roared to life and rumbled behind them. No matter how many times he'd flown it, the experience never failed to exhilarate him. The anticipation burned through his body, making it ache for the freedom of flight, only this time it was heightened. It was as though an invisible string of energy connected him to Kisara at that moment, and her excitement only further fed into his.

He closed his eyes for a moment as the jet rolled forward, that voice returning from the past.

"Seto."

He opened them, engaging the thrusters. Seconds later, they were in the air. He didn't miss Kisara's sharp inhale as the quickly gained altitude before the jet evened out, Kaiba charting a steady course across the water.

For a long time, she said nothing. Her speechlessness was evidence of her awe, and her joy and fascination was so palpable in nearly choked him.

Kisara's eyes were fixed out the windowed dome, feeling as though she was floating despite the prominent noise of the jet engine at the back of the aircraft. She gazed out over Domino, watching the cityscape drift by, soon replaced entirely by a sea of blue that was slowly being touched by golden-orange.

She forgot all about her less-than-friendly welcome, and the duel that had become a power-struggle for control of the Blue Eyes White Dragons. All she felt now was peace and gratitude, grateful not just for the fulfillment of a dream, but for the glimpse into the softer side of the famed Seto Kaiba. Her heart was lighter, almost weightless, but she could have burst with joy.

"Oh Seto…" she began, realizing that she had no words expressive enough to explain either her thoughts or her emotions.

Kaiba glanced over his shoulder, seeing first-hand the wonder and the happiness in her eyes as she continued to gaze out at the ocean as it glistened in the hazy sunset. He was unable to stop the slight upturn of his lips, knowing he'd made the right decision in sharing the joys of flight with her.

It was strange, the ease of it all. Once he'd let go, too tired to be angry or irritated with Kisara and his reactions to her any longer, he'd fallen fast into something that felt too right, too comfortable. A stray thought nettled him, telling him it shouldn't have been so easy; reminding him that he hadn't gotten this far in life by being the nice guy—and certainly not by drawing any sort of pleasure from others. His happiness and his success were a result of his own hard work and determination. Why should he let this woman get under his skin?

He descended the stairs into the palace courtyard, his eyes focusing on something approaching in the distance. His heart leapt into his throat.

"Kisara!"

He ran to her, but had to stop short, resisting the impulse to reach out and touch her. She'd been running, and she now bent forward, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

Even in her exhaustion, she graced him with a smile that touched her beautiful eyes: a moment in time that was much too brief.

For the first time in the entire timeline of his life, Kaiba surrendered when he recognized that a piece of himself had finally been pushed into place, the emptiness within him slowly dissipating.

X-X-X

He landed the jet on the helipad above Kaiba Corp, killing the engine and opening the dome. He leapt out on his own, but released the stairs for Kisara. He watched her stand and descend the steps as gracefully as if they hadn't even been in the air. He'd half expected her legs to wobble the way Mokuba's had before he'd gotten used to riding in the jet.

She grinned up at him, but he kept his face impassive.

"Thank you, Seto. Thank you for everything. You really didn't have to, but I'm so grateful…"

Feeling uncomfortable with her gratitude, he turned to walk toward the edge of the pad. "Don't mention it. Really."

Kisara hesitated, but moved to stand beside him as the sun set further over the city. "How can I not? This morning, I never would have dreamed that this was how my day would go." He tried not to look at her when she gazed up at him with admiring eyes and a heartfelt smile. "I knew there was more to you than meets the eye. I'm…humbled that you were generous enough to show me."

He grunted, turning his head away from her. "Yeah well…keep it to yourself, alright?" he said irritably.

She only giggled at that. "Okay, okay, I understand. You have your reputation to uphold."

He pivoted and headed for the stairwell, pressing the KC on his coat collar. "It's getting late. You should get going."

She sighed wistfully and followed. "I guess you're right."

Kaiba led the way to the elevators, and they rode down to the lobby together. He walked her out front where she thought he would leave her to walk home, but she was startled to find one of his limos parked at the curb. When she looked at Kaiba, his stoic expression remained.

"Don't give me that look. Just get in the car. My driver will take you to your hotel."

"But Seto, I'm sure I can—"

He silenced her with a look that told her not to argue.

"…Alright, if you insist. Thanks again," she said sincerely with a bow of her head.

His eyes followed her as she descended the stairs and climbed into the back of the car, the driver closing the door for her before he walked around to the driver's seat. Though he couldn't see her through the tinted windows, Kaiba could feel her eyes on him until the limo pulled away, taking the roundabout and turning right out of the gate. A few moments passed before he saw the car roll down the street away from Kaiba Corp.

Once it was out of view, Kaiba pulled the card that Kisara had given him from his deck pouch, pondering it once more. After a period of contemplation, he decided that he would not make another attempt to defeat it. No doubt his efforts would continue in their futility.

Besides, if all of what Kisara had said was true—and according to his gut and his heart, it was—then there was no need to attempt to prove that she wasn't the missing half of his soul.

X-X-X

Mokuba flipped through the channels on the television, wondering what the point of cable was if there was never anything good to watch anyway. He perked up when he heard the front door open, abandoning the television and leaping over the back of the couch. He ran to greet his brother in the entryway.

"Hey Big Bro, where've you been? I was looking all over for you earlier!"

"Never mind, Mokuba. I'm fine," Kaiba replied, heading for the stairs.

Noting Seto's odd demeanor, he tilted his head, unconvinced. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

When he mounted the stairs, Mokuba followed, stopping to lean on the banister. "Wait, aren't you hungry? You missed dinner!"

Kaiba stopped halfway up the second set of stairs to look back at him. "I said I'm fine. Don't worry about it, Mokuba. I'm headed to my room for the night. Don't be up too late."

"But Seto—!" He stopped short, frowning as his brother disappeared down the hallway at the top of the staircase. He supposed he should have anticipated that since Seto wasn't usually very social when he came home. Still, something was different about him, and Mokuba could only scratch his head in uncertainty.

Closing the door behind him, Kaiba pulled off his white coat and hung it up on the coat tree just inside. Walking further into the room, he unbuckled his belt and tossed it onto his nightstand. Moving to the window, he leaned his elbow against the frame and gazed out at the night sky. The dream returned to him, the one that had come when he'd dozed off at the tea shop: only, he knew it hadn't just been a dream. It was useless to continue denying the truth when he was unable to escape it.

He contrasted the 'dream' to his current position in time, noting that his thoughts and emotions were different from those of his pat counterpart. Instead of the pain of loneliness, Kaiba felt a strange contentment borne from self-discovery. It didn't quite fit yet. It was still uncomfortable and needed getting used to. But he'd surrendered. He'd seen no point in fighting something that drew him in and promised him something sweeter than power—a notion he would have laughed at had he not experienced it for himself.

Kaiba turned from the window and made his way to the master bathroom for a shower. Returning to the bedroom, he threw on pants and a t-shirt before climbing into bed with one last look out at the night. When he slept that night, he dreamt he was a boy again, flying on the back of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, Mokuba sitting in front of him. When he looked back, a little girl with long white hair and big blue eyes sat behind him, smiling.