Rock Bottom: Season Two

Obelisk

Seto felt nervous as he descended the stairs towards the ground floor of KaibaCorp so he could exit the building for his lunch break. He'd rarely ever taken a proper lunch break in all his time working here, and he'd never before left the building in order to do so. He was today, though, because he'd promised Dr. Bakura that he would.

When picking up Mokuba the night before, Seto had been pulled aside by his friend's father for a brief chat, during which he'd been persuaded to take Ishizu out for coffee. In retrospect, Seto felt like he'd been set up on a date, but it was too late now to back out. He'd already agreed and Ishizu was expecting him.

Given the way you were gaping at her, I would have expected you to be pleased at seeing her again, Seth teased from the back of his mind.

I was not gaping.

I wouldn't bet on it if I were you.

Seto shrugged off Seth's comment and walked with confidence towards the museum sponsored by Dr. Bakura's university. He was going to meet Ishizu at the museum and take her to the cafe two blocks away, where they would... talk. Probably.

It was understandable if Ishizu was quiet, given that she was living in a new country that spoke a language she'd only learned recently, but he had some questions that only she could answer, so hopefully he'd get her to say something. He found Ishizu in the lobby speaking to one of the professors in the archaeology department—not Dr. Bakura, which was a little bit of a relief.

"Thank you again, Naomi, for all you've done to help us," Ishizu was saying to her companion as Seto approached her. "How could we ever repay your generosity?"

"No repayment is necessary. That's what friends are for, dear," Naomi returned warmly. "Where would we be if people didn't look out for each other? I won't keep you any longer. Have fun, you two!" She was speaking to Seto too, now.

"Thank you, Dr. Sasaki," Seto replied as she waved to the both of them and walked away. He'd met her once during the spring when he was interning for Dr. Bakura at the university. He remembered that she'd only been back in Domino for a week before returning to Egypt to be with Ishizu and Rishid. She'd stayed with them in Egypt for months helping with the emigration paperwork and teaching them Japanese—and any number of other things about the modern world.

"Are you ready?" Seto asked, turning to Ishizu, who offered a him a slight smile.

"Yes."

"Alright, let's go."

They were mostly silent as they made their way through the tourists that heavily populated the sidewalks to the cafe, where the line was short and the wait was shorter. Ishizu seemed slightly uneasy the whole time, fidgeting with her silky gold scarf and the skirt of her long blue tunic that she wore with ankle-length leggings. She didn't wear the gold bracelets and arm-bands that Marik wore as often as possible, but Seto attributed that to a wise realization that wearing so much gold in public would draw unwanted attention. There was still a flash of gold at her ears and in her hair, but not enough to make her stand out. She didn't seem to relax until they were seated together at a small table in the private garden patio behind the cafe—Seto with his coffee and Ishizu with her tea.

"So you're Marik's older sister?"

"Yes, by four years."

That made her about twenty.

"When he first came to Domino," Seto began slowly. "He gave me something, saying that you told him to give it to me."

"Yes, the Millennium Rod." Ishizu smiled enigmatically, as if this paradox didn't trouble her at all—which, to be fair, it probably didn't.