Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Dreams Come True ❯ Chapter Four: The Father ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four: The Father

Mina walked into her large house by the back door, sneaking quietly on socked feet, shoes in her hand.

She was majorly late.

I mean, majorly.

They would wonder where she had gone, and she would have to tell them. She would tell her father, who despised the Kaibas, that she had fought a fight for a little Kaiba boy and dueled Seto.

Or would she?

Mina looked around herself and darted up the stairs. Just when she thought she had this sneaky-sneaky thing down pat, she ran smack into her dad.

"Mina? Where have you been?"

"Um, nowhere, daddy."

Her father sighed.

"Mina-"

"No, dad, really, I just got lost trying out a new shortcut on the way home from school today."

Her father looked at her in silence. Mina added a smile for good measure. He sighed.

"Allright, whatever you say," was all he said, and he brushed past her and down the stairs.

"Mr. Pegasus?" A short, balding butler rushed to Mina's father.

"Yes?"

"You have a phone call."

"Thank you, James." Pegasus walked out of the room briskly, and Mina ran to her room.

Yes, she was a Pegasus. Mina Pegasus. Mini Pegasus. Midget Pegasus. Neigh.

Mina flopped backwards onto her bed, hair flying out and spreading itself on the pillows and bedspread. There was no way she would ever tell either Seto or Mokuba that her real last name was Pegasus. They would never talk to her again.

Did anyone even know how many friends she had? Zip. Zippo. Zilch. Nada. And she hadn't had a boyfriend since, what, sixth grade? She was so miserable, cooped up in school all day, then watched like a hawk at home. She wanted to get out, run around, and do her own thing for once. She felt strangely welcome with the Kaibas-and she intended to keep it that way.

"I wish mommy hadn't died," She said quietly to the ceiling, eyes brimming with tears. Everything would have been different then.

Everything.

Her phone rang right in the middle of her pity party. She sat up and rubbed the tears from her eyes and answered.

"Hello?"

"Mina? This is Seto…"

"…" Mina actually pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it.

"Mina?"

"Oh, sorry. Um, hey! What's up? How are you?"

"Fine, and you?"

"Great!"

"Mina-listen-there's a ball coming up on the 15th, and I would love it if you went with me."

"………" Mina's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Was-was he asking her out?!

"Mina?!"

"Oh, sorry!!!! I have nothing to wear, though! Well, I mean, I have a dress, but jewelry or something wise I'm kind of broke… Are you sure you want to take me, of all people? I mean, I'm not even extraordinarily smart or beautiful or anything-" She was babbling. Stop babbling, git! , She thought.

"Mina. I'll pick you up at seven thirty, then?"

She shut up and breathed a long sigh of relief. "Yeah. Okay."

"Allright. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye."

She heard the line click and she hung up also. A full minute passed before her mind registered a proper reaction.

"Oh. My. God."

She fell back on the bed squealing. A guy, not just ANY guy, Seto KAIBA, the best duelist, the cutest duelist, the champion duelist had asked her out. HER.

"Of all girls, he asked ME!" And then her little bubble of joy was burst. "Wait-what about dad? Unnnnhhh!!!" She sat up and put her head in her hands. He HAD to say yes. She was going to go down there, and ask him.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, princess?" Pegasus looked up from a large stack of papers.

"Seto Kaiba asked me out to the Duelists' Ball on the 15th."

"Did he?"

"…DA-AD! Don't be so sarcastic!"

"Oh, sorry princess. Well, is that all?"

"You don't…you don't hate me?"

"No, why would I? The past is the past. My grudges aren't your grudges…"

Mina stood there gaping at her calm father. That had been waaay too easy.

"Um, okay. Thanks." She turned to go, but her father chuckled.

"Just be careful, Mina. If he wants absolutely nothing to do with you, he could destroy a nice girl like you. Then again, if he really wanted something from you, he would get it-no problem."

Mina froze, then shook her head and ran up the stairs. No. Seto wasn't like that. Who was? That was awful. And her father didn't know the half of it.

Her hand closed involuntarily on the ring on her necklace. It offered comfort, solace, reassurance.

And power.

Mina shivered and held it up to the light.

With it, she could look into anyone's mind, turn into them, possess their body and soul and destroy them from the inside out. But, being herself, she wouldn't ever dream of it. She had activated it once by accident, and someone had nearly died. Mina never used it again.

But if she was ever in mortal danger…

It was like a get-out-of-jail-free card. A don't-die card.

Mina paused before her mother's old bedroom, then entered. She kept her eyes riveted on the closet, off the pictures of a little Mina and a younger Pegasus with his beautiful young wife. Off the neatly made bed and the book that lay upside down on its covers. The room hadn't been touched since her mom had left for the hospital. No one had opened the door for seven years.

Then along came little Mina, looking for a formal ballgown.

Mina opened the closet door and gingerly took out each beautiful dress.

Three hours later:

Mina walked out of the room, locking it behind herself quietly, saying a silent prayer. She had a dress over her left arm, and a small blue crystal tiara in her hand.

"Oh yeah, bring it on. `Cuz I'm ready."