Compromise

                           That night, I walked up to Kaiba’s office and knocked on the door. He told me to come in and I stepped into the room, silently shutting the door behind me. I pushed away from it and took a seat in the beige chair before Kaiba’s desk. He just stared at me the whole time. I could tell he was waiting for me to start speaking.

 

“What do you want to know,” I asked.

 

“What are you,” Kaiba asked.

 

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

 

“What happened today was far from anything I’ve experienced before. What was it?”

 

“It’s a little ability I have, like how my brother can see the future. We’re psychics, in a way.”

 

“What do you mean, ‘in a way’?”

 

“There’s no such thing as a typical psychic. Darren is psychic in the sense of seeing the future. Mine is a bit more limited. I can only read someone’s thoughts when they touch my skin. For example, when I saved Mokuba, he was repeating over and over how much he didn’t want to die,” I explained.

 

“Then why could I hear you,” Kaiba asked.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Why don’t I believe you?”

 

“Believe what you want. I don’t care if you think I know how that worked.”

 

“I don’t believe in this psychic stuff you’re pushing on me.”

 

“Again, believe what you want. I don’t really care,” I answered with a shrug.

 

“If you don’t tell me what you are, I’ll have security take you out of here and keep your fortune-telling brother from entering the building,” Kaiba threatened.

 

I straightened in my chair and glared at him.

 

“That’s hardly fair, don’t you think? I’m giving my time to keep you from getting killed and you’re threatening me? Did you ever take into consideration that it may be better if you don’t know why I can do what I do?”

 

I was on the verge of yelling and had to take a few deep breaths to calm myself.

 

“And how would that be?”

 

“Haven’t you heard? Ignorance is bliss.”

 

“And hindsight is twenty-twenty. Are you going to keep throwing me cheap proverbs or are you going to give me an explanation before I call security?”

 

Kaiba’s patience was quickly wearing thin, as was mine. I gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed my fingers against my temples.

 

“Why won’t you just accept that we’re psychics and leave it at that,” I asked after a moment.

 

“It sounds like a bad cover-up. If that was all there was, then why didn’t you say so when Mokuba was here,” Kaiba demanded.

 

I knew he had a point, but I hated how he’d reached that conclusion.

 

“Are you trained as a lawyer or something because you’re looking for every loophole and I really hate you right now?”

 

“Just tell me what you are!”

 

“What the hell do you think I am, Kaiba?! Since you’re so dead-set on thinking I’m not human, list off some mythical creatures for all I care! Pick one off the top of your head and say I’m that!”

 

I stood up in my chair and started towards the door.

 

“Where are you going,” Kaiba asked.

 

“Aren’t we done here? You’re either going to accept my answer as is, or you’re going to kick me out. So, which creature did you decide on?”

 

“Those don’t exist.”

 

“You’ve caught my attention, Kaiba. If I’m not human and not an animal, then what am I,” I asked.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Then why don’t we keep this as simple as possible. You keep an open mind and trust me on this one thing. We’ll act like this whole thing never happened and if you ever figure out what I am, let me know. Does that sound good to you? We’ll take this one step at a time.”

 

Kaiba was silent for a moment. He was obviously contemplating the compromise I had suggested. I could practically see the gears in his head turning. I wondered why he was so hard-headed and unwilling to trust me. Did he have a difficult past as well?

 

“Fine,” Kaiba finally answered and I smiled.

 

I shook his hand and his eyes widened slightly at the though I’d sent to him.

 

‘Thank you for trusting me this one time.’

 

I left his office in a much better mood than I was in before. I went down to my apartment and drew a bath for myself. I soaked in the warm water for a few minutes, relaxing away all of the frustration I had left. I smiled as I let out a content sigh. All that was left to do was wait for Darren to arrive in just four more days.