Shizuka did as he requested. ///Shizuka: I can't believe I had his brother's blood on me. How did I not notice that?/// It was on her side. When she opened the bag she was surprised that she even had socks and shoes. The shoes had fit. The socks didn't. She also had a nice long dress that was a light blue.
She came out, not needing to mention about the socks. It was nice enough he got her clothes. She came over by him. ///Shizuka: He's very protective of his little brother./// He might not be a nice person, but it was clear he loved his little brother.
"We need to talk about the dragon you control." Kaiba took a seat. She sat down too. "You've noticed the danger around you increase."
Of course she noticed that. People came after her two, maybe three times. "Yes."
"Pharaoh of Yuugi came back, and a lot of things have tagged along to help," he said. "That means that something powerful and dark is coming. You are a part of that."
A part of it? "You mean the dragon?" She didn't know how to control it.
"Yes, but destiny has given us something new. I control the dragon, as well as you, Shizuka Kawai."
What did he mean by that?
"You asked about ba when we were in the elevator. Ba is used like fuel, to summon monsters." There was more to it than that, she could feel it. "Ka is the power monsters have. Living beings have ba and ka, a finite amount. However, when I call the dragon, your power and energy doubles the power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
Doubles the power? "If I hadn't spoken to Jounouchi over the years, I would never have believed you." She had though. Her brother and his friends had seen amazing things and she believed him. After Battle City, she believed anything.
"Believe this. That darkness that is coming, your dragon has got to fight it." His eyes focused on hers. "I need you here to save the world."
Eeh? "Jounouchi knows how to summon monsters too."
"It won't work for him." Kaiba brought out a card to show to her. "Since ancient times, I have been tied to this card." He held it close in his fingers. It was a dueling card with a picture of a light blue dragon with blue eyes. "I also have this. It's called the millennium rod." He gestured to the rod in his other hand. "It's basically how you summon without spending all your energy that you just die."
///Shizuka: Die? I don't want Jounouchi to put his life on the line like that./// And? "Will I die?"
"There's a chance." Kaiba was honest. "If we don't step forward and take a chance though, when the darkness comes, a lot more innocent people will die. Good men, women and children." He put the card away again and placed the rod down too.
///Shizuka: There's a chance I could die from this dragon summoning./// "You said it takes life force?"
"You remember watching your brother duel?" Kaiba asked her. She nodded. "It's similar to the game. When the dragon gets struck, it will strike your own life force."
///Shizuka: I could die./// Shizuka always wanted to be brave like her brother. It was a dream of hers. She tried to keep being courageous in life, even dated Honda who was really brave. But then when she went blind, she floundered. And? She had to admit something to herself. "My eyes aren't as clear again."
"Seeing again is probably temporary power then," Kaiba suggested. "A lot of power goes through a summoning. You are taking my ba too."
What? "Your life force?" She squeezed the side of her dress. "You could die too?"
"There's risk in everything." That was his answer. That said it all. "You have better chances with me than alone. Alone you will be using only your own life force. If it comes to push and shove with the enemy, the stronger the life force, the more chance of success. Well?"
Well? "It's my choice?"
"The dragon is your protector, it saved your life on the boat. It wouldn't leave you to be enslaved to anyone. So the choice is yours." Kaiba continued to stare straight ahead.
"Jounouchi wouldn't like it," she said back.
"I don't care what Jounouchi likes. It's your decision." He was looking through his phone again.
///Shizuka: I want to be brave like Big Brother, but to risk my whole life?/// "What if I said no?"
"Then I just keep fighting on my own." He was reading down another page.
///Shizuka: Even if I go blind again. I? I'll never be like Jounouchi. But I could make a difference. So much is happening right now around us, I know something is coming too. If I don't fight?/// She looked back at Kaiba. He couldn't force her. He knew it. She could just walk away and leave it to them. The pros. If Yuugi had the Pharaoh back, then he could handle it. Couldn't he? "I don't know."
"If you don't, then get out of this room. It's not for wimps." He criticized her.
///Shizuka: I need time to think./// It felt constricting there now. She moved out the door and moved away. ///Shizuka: Jounouchi isn't a fan of Seto Kaiba. It was hard to get along with him. He kept belittling him all the time./// Jounouchi had even told her about Death-T. Physically trying to kill her brother! ///Shizuka: He said he changed though. Even Mokuba Kaiba didn't sound half as bad. He was nice to me.///
No one was coming after her. Now that she didn't want to risk her life, nobody watched her any extra. Why should they? She didn't want to risk anything for anyone. It's such a big decision. She wanted to call up her brother to pick her up and take her away. It was dangerous there all alone with no one around. She could even feel the blurriness getting stronger along with her tears.
It was her life and it would be controlled by one of her brother's enemies. He put them through so much. But? ///Shizuka: Do I really just want to be a nobody? Am I running so that I can live, but never really live? Why am I even with Honda if I don't want to become stronger? I want to be stronger./// She stopped walking. Honda never actually showed her how to be strong though. He was sweet with kind smiles and a gentle embrace, but he didn't make her strong. ///Shizuka: Just because he's strong doesn't mean it comes to me./// Right now, Honda was being brave again too. He was in jail because he broke into Kaiba Corporation to try and get her back.
She looked backwards. ///Shizuka: I want to be brave. Helping Jounouchi's enemy would make him mad and worried, but I want to be brave. I don't just want to be a little house warmer all day. I want. I want?/// She turned back. ///Shizuka: I want to help! I can help people, and everyone will be at risk anyhow. Men, women, and children. Who knows how bad that unchecked power would be? I'm sorry, Jounouchi.///
This was why she kept feeling drawn back to Kaiba. This dragon in her. That dragon was there for a reason. It was driving her back to him. ///Shizuka: I won't just hide my whole life away, hiding the dragon in me. If I am able to fight, then I'll do it.///
She walked back through the doors and back to Mokuba's room. "I want to help!"
Kaiba glanced over at her. "You better be sure. Your life will be on the line if things go down."
"I don't want to be useless. I hate being useless!" Be honest. No matter how mean he was, he would be holding her life in his hands. "It's not the thought of not seeing, it's the thought of never being anything. I wasn't anything before it either. I had just a little job, but now, I don't even have that. I just hang around the apartment, and I just hang around waiting for Honda to come home. I don't want that kind of life." Embrace it. "I want to help save this world, even if it costs me my life!" There.
She waited for his response.
"You accept the fact that you are technically a weapon that I control, and that your life could end?" He was checking one more time. "Don't change your mind. This is final. I will not be a happy person if you change your mind, and you don't want to see that side of me."
She understood. "I won't. I won't change my mind after I make it up and I've made it up. No matter how bad things get, I won't change it again." Besides. "I know that you also saved my brother's life." If he hadn't dropped him the right key after Marik possessed him to fight Yuugi? Her brother wouldn't be alive. There was good mixed with that bad.
"Good. Sit down," Kaiba said. "Food should be here shortly. Did the whole clothes fit?"
Uh? "Almost."
"What didn't fit, the socks? It's usually the socks for some reason."
She nodded.
"You'll have to give my men when I call them your undergarment sizes too. When we return home to my mansion, you'll have a room and wardrobe with clothes that fit. My men will also go to your house and move your stuff over to the mansion. You'll be next to my room." He flipped open his phone. "I don't care if you're blind. I'll make sure you won't be a bump on the log, but right now we are both staying put. I'm not leaving Mokuba until my team is ready. Probably, one more hour."
Oh. "Are you allowed to take him away from the hospital?" she asked.
"I'm Seto fucking Kaiba," he responded. "They'll make exceptions. Now, let's talk about what's going on."