Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Echo ❯ Echo ( One-Shot )

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. If I did, you would see a lot more of the show focusing on Seto and Ishizu. I also do not own Echo, by the band Trapt.

Echo

by Iyasu

Seto stood in his office, deep in thought while looking out large open window. He listened to ocean below, the waves crashing against the rocks. He couldn’t remember the last time he did this, but today, it was all because of her. Ishizu Ishtar. Damn that woman! he thought. She appeared out of nowhere, gave me Obelisk, attempted to defeat me in my tournament, stuck around a while afterwards, then, she just left... The sapphire-eyed teen sighed before finishing his thought aloud, “taking my heart with her...” He pounded his fist upon the windowsill, frustration coursing through his veins. “I think that this was what she wanted, suddenly saying goodbye like that. She was just toying with-” Seto stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts. He was being irrational. He closed his eyes, and all the frustration passed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Close my eyes

Let the whole thing pass me by

There is no time

To waste... asking why...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seto knew that she wasn’t toying with his emotions, hell, he barely let see any. How would she know how he felt? He knew why she didn’t say goodbye as well... Ishizu had told him so, before suddenly saying it to him and leaving. ~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a dark and quiet night. Seto was coming home from work when he saw a figure in white standing out on the pier. He didn’t even know what had made him pass this way, but something told him to. He stepped closer to the figure, recognizing it as Ishizu. As he drew closer to her, he heard her say to herself, “I’ll have to leave soon... but when I do I won’t say goodbye...”

He didn’t know why, but he was curious to know the reason behind her decision. “Why’s that?” he asked.

Ishizu turned her head slightly to acknowledge his presence with a glance before returning to her original position. “Because, when you say goodbye, it’s forever...” she answered softly. Then her voice took on a harsh tone. “But why am I telling you this? You make it a daily ritual, erasing people from your life, Kaiba.”

Seto winced slightly at her harsh words, made harsher by her use of his last name. She was the only one besides Mokuba who could deliver him such blow. “That’s because I don’t have anyone to keep in it except for Mokuba. When someone enters my life that I want to keep, I will.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I’ll run away with you... by my side

I’ll run away with you by my side

I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride...

(Asking why...)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seto thought about Ishizu’s face, mainly her beautiful sea-green eyes. When she was angry, the blue stood out, like rough waves. When she was happy, they seemed to be mostly green, like a calm lagoon shining from the sun. Her eyes resembled a cat’s large and innocent one minutes, narrow and speculating another.

Yes, that was it. Ishizu was his kitten, no doubt about it. Goodness knows she had the attitude and temperament of one. Whenever he looked at her, things around her looked different. Seto was pondering about that fact, but then accepted it as a result of the outline that he traced around her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I think about your face

And how I fall into your eyes

The outline that I trace

Around the one that I call mine...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One thing that Seto had discovered about Ishizu at the beginning was that her attitudes toward him varied greatly. One moment, she could be as cold as ice, and the next, she could be as welcoming as a babbling brook. He wondered what caused it. He had asked her before, but she just shrugged it off saying only one word: memories.

After that was all she said, questions popped into his head. Ones like, “What kind of memories?” or “Memories of who?” and “what does that have to do with me?” She didn’t explain, at least, until the very end, and then, it was too late. Did the short time they spent in each other’s presence call for some space between them? It wasn’t like Seto found ways to go near her, and he knew for a fact that Ishizu made a half-hearted attempt to avoid him.

Ishizu was a mystery, one that intrigued him from the moment he saw her. He wanted to know why he wanted to be near her, why he felt as he knew her. He wanted to know why she was so secretive, but if that took away from her mysteriousness, then Seto didn’t care to solve it. He still remembered what she had said, “Look behind and you’ll know.” He didn’t need to know, or wanted to, so he didn’t.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Time that called for space

Unclear where you drew the line

I don’t need to solve this case

And I don’t need to look behind...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Ishizu left, Seto began looking for her. It was like she had erased herself off the face of the earth. All of her information had vanished; even his computers couldn’t find anything. He searched, but his search was in vain. He finally gave up, figuring out that she had deliberately hidden herself away, away from him. He knew that it was something that he had done, and he regretted doing every single little thing. I don’t have time for this, Ishizu, he thought. I refuse to waste time by not being with you. You have to return...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Close my eyes

Let the whole thing pass me by

There is no time

To waste... asking why...

(Asking why...)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seto needed Ishizu by his side, she was the something that he had needed to make him feel alive, the something that he never knew he needed until he had had a small taste of it. Now that he knew what it felt like to be whole, he wouldn’t throw away that chance for anything in the world. He would sacrifice anything, except for Mokuba, for her, even his pride. Hell, he was letting go of his pride now, by admitting to himself what she meant to him. But if he couldn’t find her, she’d never know how he felt about her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I’ll run away with you... by my side (by my side)

I’ll run away with you... by my side

I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride...

(Asking why...)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ishizu had enough got him to believe in that he dubbed ‘hocus pocus magic tricks’, a feat that was impossible for anyone else to do. He even knew that he had a past life... and he also knew that Ishizu was in it. ~*~*~*~*~*~

“Why are you acting like this Ishizu?” Seto asked, wondering why she was suddenly very wary of him. They were at the pier again; it was their own unplanned meeting place.

Ishizu looked at him angrily, her eyes shining with unshed tears, but he saw in her eyes, behind the anger, there was pain. “Just leave me be Seto.”

Seto stepped closer to her. “Not until you tell me the meaning of this!”

“Why?” the raven-haired woman screamed back. “So you can forget it just like everything else? You really want to know? Here!” She thrust the Millennium Rod at him.

Without asking how she had gotten it, Seto took it. As he did, the Millennium Rod activated, and memories of his past life rushed back to him. He saw his rival as the Pharaoh Atem, he saw himself as the High Priest Seth, but most of all, he saw Ishizu as Priestess Aishizu. He realized that they had been lovers, even back then. The Rod deactivated after showing him his past, and Seto returned to the present. Looking at Ishizu, he saw that she was no longer looking at him, and tears were streaming down her face. “Ishizu...”

“I guess I wasn’t one that you wanted to keep in your life... I’ll be leaving it for good then. Goodbye, Seto...” ~*~*~*~*~*~  

He desperately wanted to change what had happened. It’s not as if this happened purposely... Ishizu, you have to believe me, I would never...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Do I expect to change

The past I hold inside

With all the words I say

Repeating over in my mind...?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

However, Seto knew that there were some things that even he couldn’t erase. Ishizu was one of them, even though she would never believe it. Another thing was the last day that he saw her, how he wished that he could erase that from his mind and her mind too. ~*~*~*~*~*~

“No, don’t leave,” Seto said, moving to block her path.

Ishizu tried to move around him, but he continued to block her way. “Get out of the way, there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

Seto shook his head. “Stay, because...”

“Because of what?”

At her question, he realized what he was about to say and stopped himself. He had courage in other things, but this was unfamiliar territory. “Nothing... never mind...”

Ishizu laughed bitterly. “I was right. I should have known.” She quickly stepped around Seto, but he grabbed her arm.

“Ishizu,” Seto pleaded.

She, who was looking down at his arm, looked up into his eyes. She said softly, but firmly, “Don’t stop me, Seto.” She took him aback with the level of coldness in her eyes, and he slowly let go. “Thank you.” She began to leave. “Sarabada,” Ishizu said over her shoulder as she walked away, not looking back, not even once.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Some things you can’t erase

No matter how hard you try

An exit to escape

Is all there is left to find...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That was the last time he had seen or heard from her. Seto supposed that Ishizu had used the skills she had picked up from trailing the Rare Hunters to vanish so effectively. He had to hand it to her; she knew how to make herself invisible. Seto just wished that she would stop making herself invisible to him.

Then, something hit him. Is she testing me? He began to wonder if Ishizu had actually stayed in Japan. It’s possible... if she’s exactly like I remember, she would never give up unless forced to... His new thought gave him hope that all was not lost for him. He tried to ignore the small voice that told him, “What if you’re wrong? What if you lost you only chance to be with her in this life?”

Seto closed his eyes, while the voice grew louder, harsher, refusing to be ignored. “Stop kidding yourself, Kaiba, the change came; you didn’t take it, now it’s gone, along with Ishizu.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Close my eyes

Let the whole thing pass me by

There is no time

To waste... asking why...

(Asking why...)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seto began to fight the voice, saying, No, she’s not.

The voice chuckled. “And how do you know that?”

The voice cackled loudly, the laughter echoing in his mind.

Seto clenched his eyes shut tighter and answered aloud, “I know that I haven’t lost Ishizu because we were destined to be together and that’s one thing that I won’t make over.”

“She got me to believe in my destiny, and I’m not turning back now.”

“I’ll do anything to get her back, and I’ll tell her how I feel, that I love her and I won’t let her leave me again.”

“I’ll tell her that she can run away to any place that she wants to go, as long as she’s by my side, and that I remember how much she means to me.”

As he finished, he heard a small gasp. Opening his eyes, he turned his head from the window. The first thing he thought was that he was seeing a vision, for there stood Ishizu.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I’ll run away with you... by my side (by my side)

I’ll run away with you... by my side

I need to let go, let go, let go, let go, of this pride

Until this echo, echo, echo, echo in my mind

Until this echo, echo, echo, echo can subside...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Ishizu?” Seto asked.

Ishizu nodded. “I finally got you to believe in your destiny...”

Seto smiled and stepped up to her, taking her hands in his. “I love you. I always loved you, ever since I first met you in the past. I knew it from the moment you met me again here in Japan. At that time, I know that I didn’t believe a word that you said, but I also know that I always loved you.”

“Seto...” Ishizu looked up at him, her eyes asking silently if he meant it.

The chestnut-haired teen nodded in response. “I mean it... every single word.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I know I always loved you

I know I always loved you

I know I always loved you...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Will you give me another chance?”

Ishizu’s eyes glowed with happiness. “Of course I will, Seto.”

The two of them stared into the other’s eyes, drowning into the sea-green or blue depths, forgetting about everything except the other. The gap between them slowly closed as they embraced, beginning a passionate, but gentle, kiss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

So I... close my eyes

Let the whole thing pass me by

There is no time

To waste... asking why...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Finally, they had both gotten what they had longed for, the other. Seto and Ishizu were now complete, and would stay by each other always, even to their next lives. The echo inside of their once unfilled hearts had now died down, and they could live together in peace.

When the kiss ended, Seto remarked, “I figured out your plan. You never left, did you?”

“How did you-?” Ishizu was silenced by a finger upon her lips.

“I know you, remember?” Seto answered. “And I love you for it.”

She smiled. “I love you too, Seto.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I’ll run away with you... by my side

I’ll run away with you... by my side

I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride

Until this echo, echo, echo, echo in my mind

Until this echo, echo, echo, echo can subside...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*