Ryoko Akane was an enigma. A beautiful seventeen year old who just recently moved to Domino City, Japan from America. A lethal duelist, cunning, sarcastic, and possessing a past shrouded in shadows that she keeps carefully hidden.
Seto Kaiba was the...
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(⚠️ WARNING: THINGS GET A LITTLE HEATED IN THIS CHAPTER ⚠️)
Ryoko was currently curled up beneath a grey throw blanket inside the Kaiba Mansion's living room. They had taken Seto's chopper back from the docks and at both brother's insistence, Ryoko would be spending the night at the mansion.
A long and very hot shower coupled with a mouthwatering stew later and Ryoko was thankfully in the clear of getting sick from the ice bath she'd endured earlier. The mansion was silent, the full moon's light filtered through the slightly parted drapes, casting the room in a silver glow.
She'd tucked Mokuba in bed a few hours prior, the poor boy had had his emotions run completely ragged earlier and after having his big brother read to him and his big sister sing to him softly as she ran her fingers through his mane of raven hair he'd been out like a light. It brought a smile to Ryoko's lips to see the tender moment between the Kaiba brothers, it was a reminder that no matter how cold Seto seemed he did have a heart hidden beneath his Ice King facadé.
Speaking of emotions, hers were in complete shreds after what Marik had done to not only her friends and boyfriend, but to her as well. She was his sister. And yet he still forced her to be a passenger in her own mind as he used her to duel against Seto in a life or death struggle over two damn playing cards.
Betrayal is a funny thing. You never really expect it to happen to you, certainly not from the ones that are closest to you. But that's exactly what Marik had done to her today.
Ryoko couldn't believe that her brother, her sweet Mari could do something like that to anyone let alone to her. She felt like he'd taken a poisoned knife and stabbed her in the back before leaving her to die. Her body began to tremble violently as her eyes stung with tears that she fought hard to keep from falling, it seemed as though nothing would be going her way today as they fell in a steady stream down her face. She covered her mouth with her trembling hands to silence her choked sobs to the best of her ability as she curled her body into a fetal position on the leather couch.
Seto had been pulled from his uneasy slumber by a tugging sensation that wasn't going to let up until he got up. Choosing to write it off as needing a glass of water he walked to the mansion's kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, downing the whole glass in one gulp he felt his dry throat cry in relief as the cool liquid soothed his throat. Deciding to head back to bed he was stopped in the hallway by the sounds of muffled sobs coming from the living room.
The thing inside him stired to life, pulling him in the direction of the sobs with a fierce determination. He quickly realized that the sobs belonged to Ryoko, seeing as she was the only other one awake at this time of night. He slowly pushed the door open and found the American curled in a tight fetal position on the large leather couch, her body jerking and trembling with each choked sob that passed her lips. His heart dropped at the sight of her looking so broken.
