Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh. The characters all belong to Mr. Kazuki Takahashi. However, the OC's and the fantasy world in which they live are of my creation. Original monsters created by me will be bolded.

Takes place before and during Part I of my other story A Song from the Divines.

Kaiba

July 29th

Year 18 4AOS

"A drive. All I need is a drive."

Seto Kaiba gripped the steering wheel of his black luxury car, twisting left and right on the tough country roads of Eredas. He had just attended the annual Duel Monsters Dragon Duel Championship Tournament, an event that was catered to young duelists ages of twelve and under.

The roar of the crowd was still ringing in his ears as was the confident screaming of the young duelists. The games took place alongside the World Championship tournament in the other arena two blocks away, but Kaiba felt he wanted to see the next generation of the world's greatest duelists.

No doubt he was impressed with the youngsters, but he felt they were not good enough to use the three special cards he kept in the briefcase. Deep down, Kaiba felt like all the kids in the arena reminded him of Yugi.

He ground his teeth, pressing down the gas pedal with all his might until the car's engine roared, rushing down the dark road.

"There are wild Niwatori chickens here," said his sassy-voiced AI from the computer screen on the dashboard. "You might want to slow down unless you wish to be wrecked in the back-end of nowhere."

"I'll be fine," Kaiba said, racing down the road.

The trees, illuminated by the powerful LED headlights, reached out for him from the night like bony arms of the undead.

"Would you care for some music?"

"No thanks," said Kaiba. "I need a coffee, not music."

"Well, GPS says there's a small town just up this road. There's a diner there; see that you eat something. You haven't had a bite since leaving the games in Domino four days ago. Speaking of which have you found the duelist you deem 'worthy' to use those three cards?"

"No," Kaiba answered, he peered down at his briefcase sitting on the passenger seat beside him.

"So, you brought us all the way out here for nothing?" asked the AI. "At least one of those kids should have qualified. Some dueled better than you."

"Don't make me laugh," Kaiba retorted after a loud scoff. "They were good, but they're not what I'm looking for."

"Whatever you say, old boy."

Kaiba drove over a hill and saw the street lights of a small country town below. His engines roared as he floored it to the town. There was a little diner next to a gentle river where couples sat together on the banks to gaze at the glowing flowers in the water. On the diner's window, a neon sign depicting a Kuriboh pouring coffee into a mug.

He found a parking space next to some country folk who were looking at him as though he came from another planet. He was rather out of place, well dressed in a black suit, shirt and tie, and his car was the only one in the parking lot worth a million golden Star Chips.

"Duh hell is dat?" a trucker asked his friend.

"That there is a Reyner Night Dragon!" exclaimed a pretty country girl as Kaiba got out of the car. "That boy there must be one o' dem city folk from Domino."

Kaiba made a sour face as his nose picked up the sweet smell of donuts from the diner mixed with the noxious stench of engine oil from the auto repair shop next to it. He even picked up the smell of tobacco from some youngsters in their football jerseys flirting with their cheerleader girlfriends as they sat around a black hotrod with flame decals under the glow of the street lamp listening to heavy metal.

Country music played from the rusty intercoms throughout the town which was called Eastwood.

"Wow!" said a kid, who skateboarded towards Kaiba. "Nice car!"

"Isn't it?" Kaiba said pretentiously, slamming the door which locked automatically. His fingerprints were the keys to unlocking the car so he didn't have to worry about anyone stealing it from him.

He tossed a Star Chip at the kid.

"See that no one gets near it," Kaiba said, walking to the door of the diner carrying his metal briefcase.

"Wow, this will buy me a pack of cards!" exclaimed the child. "Gee thanks!"

Kaiba walked inside. Now he was blessed with the sweet smell of coffee and a cherry pie cooking in the oven in the kitchen behind the counter made of glossy tile. The top three rows had a black and white checkered pattern.

The floor also in black and white tile. The lit-up menu above was outlined with three rows of baby blue neon lights streaking over the board.

A sappy country love song played from the jukebox near the entrance. The fluorescent lights hanging above made Kaiba drowsy, and the metal tables reflected their light awfully almost blinding him.

"Welcome, youngster!" said a chubby waitress wearing a yellow uniform and a frilly white apron stained with flour and coffee.

She wore a lot of makeup on her face. Her eyes completely darkened by blue eye shadow. Her puffy cheeks coated with way too much blush and powder, and her lips ridiculously red. She had fizzy curled orange hair underneath her cap and she was obnoxiously chewing gum like a cow with cud in its mouth.

Kaiba still kept the trademark scowl on his face as he ignored her friendly welcome. He sat down on a red stool in front of the counter. He took a napkin from one of the steel holders and wiped away sticky coffee stains and donut powder before setting down his arms, regally covered by the sleeves of his four thousand Star Chip, suit on the white surface.

He put his briefcase down next to his right leg.

"What'll it be handsome?" the waitress asked with a flirty wink. She pulled a pencil from behind her ear and tapped it on a notepad she had tucked in her apron's pocket.

"Just a coffee, thanks, and make it quick."

"One Cup O' Joe comin' up," she said. "Yer not from around here are ya, suga?"

"No. Thank heavens."

The woman smirked, oblivious to his snobbish remark.

"Well judgin' from them silky clothes and that fancy set o' wheels ya got out there, I'd say you were from Domino."

"So what if I am?" Kaiba retorted.

"Ya ever see that cutie-pie Prince Michael?" she asked. "Oh, that boy makes me hotter than a sidewalk in the summer."

"I've never set foot into the House of Gray," said Kaiba. "And just so you know, I'm not here to talk. Get me my coffee so I can hit the road."

"Whatever you say, hon. If yer ever feelin' lonely out there on the road, I'd be willin' to come along and keep ya company."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at her and growled. The woman giggled again and went into the kitchen.

Kaiba sighed. Maybe coming here was a mistake.

As he waited for his drink, he reached into his pocket to pull out his dueling deck. His ace monster, The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, was at the front. Its golden letters shimmered in the dull light of the lamps in the ceiling. He used his wrist to lightly move his deck back and forth to make the holographic foil shine in all the colors of the rainbow.

This legendary dragon is a powerful engine of destruction. Virtually invincible, very few have faced this awesome creature and live to tell the tale.

So then why haven't I been able to defeat Yugi with it? Kaiba thought. Back when I first dueled him, I had all three of these mighty beasts staring him down in the face, and he managed to beat me with his Exodia.

Then, in my Battle City Tournament, an event that I was supposed to win, I had them merged into the greatest dragon of all time: The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but yet, he still found a way to destroy it and costing me the duel. A year later, I had him face the awesome power of my Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon and he still overcame my god-like monster and defeated me! Am I just not worthy to hold this mighty beast? No! They are drawn to me! They have approved of me since the day I held them. But despite being in their favor, why do I always lose!

Kaiba had been wandering Termnnia for almost a year now, searching for another Duelist that had the potential to use Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He would keep the original cards for himself, but he had three more painted in a glorious alternate art (Dark Side of Dimensions artwork) and reserved them for the Duelist he deemed fit to carry the dragon.

He had been to countless tournaments and granted talented players the opportunity to give the Blue-Eyes a shot, but the dragons always fought them back, refusing to listen to them. He even thought that his little brother, Mokuba, could wield them, but they almost killed him when he summoned them.

"You are a picky bunch," said Kaiba. "Despite all the losses to Yugi, you still stand by my side. The Heart of the Cards. Could Yugi be right?"

The bell over the door of the diner jingled.

Kaiba turned his head and saw a young girl enter the diner.

She was dirty from head to toe. Her long brown hair was greasy and unkempt, tucked under a black beanie. She wore a dirty green parka with a white tank top underneath with a splattered heart logo, and baggy, dark denim cargo pants that fell so low past her hips Kaiba could make out the white waistband of her pink underwear.

She had a black messenger bag over her shoulder to carry her belongings, which could be heard jingling and smashing around. A shiny platinum necklace crafted in the shape of an angelic Stardust Dragon's wing swung over her chest. It twinkled with each step she made. Her eyes were bright blue and shielded by her messy bangs.

Kaiba suddenly gasped.

He thought his ears were deceiving him, but he could swear to the divines that his Blue-Eyes White Dragon just roared as the girl walked to the counter timidly.

"What can I do for you, sweetie?" the waitress asked.

"How much for a slice of pie?" the girl asked, pointing at the pastry inside the glass display.

"Six Star Chips," the waitress replied immediately.

The girl bit her bottom lip and blushed.

She reached into her pockets for money. The girl gingerly placed on the counter one gold Star Chip, two copper pennies, and a silver coin.

Kaiba then noticed light coming out of his briefcase. The roar of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon thundered in his brain again. For her!

You can't be serious! Kaiba thought. You'd choose her of all the Duelists we've seen! She can't even afford a pack of starter monsters!

"That's all I have," the girl whimpered, counting up her money. "Please. Help me."

The waitress smiled. It was against policy to help those with no money, but she couldn't let the poor child go hungry.

"I'll go warm you up a glass of milk, sweetie," the waitress said sympathetically.

"I'll pay for the pie," said Kaiba.

The girl sat across from Kaiba at their table by the window, eating her pie noisily. Her greasy bangs waved over her plate, disgusting him. He spotted a bit of crust that hung from the corner of her mouth.

"Ahem," said Kaiba. He rubbed his finger on his chin, gesturing the girl to clean it off.

She gasped, feeling rather embarrassed by the mess she was making.

"So, what's your name?" Kaiba asked.

"Cora," the girl replied softly, still digging through the pie with her fork. She took a sip of milk.

"Hmm." Kaiba leaned back in his seat. "Where are you from, Cora?"

Cora sniffed. "Don't know, don't care."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. He found her response awfully rude. "And your parents?" he asked.

"I don't give a crap," she replied angrily, finally looking up at him.

"I see," said Kaiba. "So, Cora, what are you doing all the way out here? And alone?"

"Hoping," Cora replied shoving more pie into her mouth. "Hoping for a miracle." She swallowed the pie and took her last gulp of milk.

"Want more?" Kaiba asked.

"No, that's okay," Cora said, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "I've been wandering Eredas for over two years now. You're the first good thing that's happened to me. I never had someone buy me a slice of pie before."

"How did you manage to survive?"

"I won a little Duel Monsters tournament a while back. It wasn't anything major, just a prize of one gold coin and ten silvers at a card shop. I scrounged about for cards that nobody wanted, hell, I even used my looks to snatch a few away from the nerds attending the event. Anyways, I won the cash and it's held me up this long. Now, I'm broke. I hope to enter the grand tournament like Battle City and win big. Maybe even have a career as a professional Duelist in Domino."

"Can I see your deck?" Kaiba asked, holding out his hand.

"It's nothing too spectacular," Cora said, reaching into her pocket. She handed Kaiba her cards. The deck was held together by an old rubber band.

The cards! They were bent, creased horribly, their edges even peeling off. The vanilla surface the normal monsters once had now turned into a shade of chewing tobacco.

Kaiba flipped through the deck.

Torike, Larvas, Petit Dragon, Bone Mouse, Key Mace? Her strongest card was a Hyozanryu (ATK/2100 DEF/2800) in secret rare foil, kept safe in a black sleeve. Still, Kaiba was displeased.

"What is this!" he said tossing the cards at the table. "And you call yourself a Duelist?"

"Well what were you expecting?" snapped Cora. "I had to scrounge about for cards that nobody wanted. And besides cards are expensive. I'll have to sell myself just to get the right card."

"What is that around your neck?" Kaiba asked, referring to the glass sleeve laying underneath the angel wing necklace. He could see the back design of a Duel Monster card.

"I…I can't."

"Why not?"

"This card is special."

"Show me."

Cora sighed heavily in defeat. "If you insist. But I want it back."

She opened the glass case with her thumb and took the card out. She stared at it before handing it to Kaiba.

"Ugh!" Kaiba gasped.

Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon!

"Where did you get this?!" Kaiba demanded.

"I-I don't know," Cora babbled in fright.

Kaiba's narrow eyes widened terribly as his calm demeanor drastically changed to fury.

"You lie! The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a rare monster. Just to have any card supporting him is impossible. Tell me where you got this card. Explain yourself!"

"If you must know, I was wandering the road like I always do, and then these jerks surround me. They…wanted to do things to me if you know what I mean. Well, I ran into the forest by the road and hid in a cave. They spotted me and ran for me ready for the kill when all of a sudden, this powerful roar echoes across the forest and sends the bastards running away. The next thing I knew I turned around and saw this card glowing right beside me. My pendant was glowing as well."

"That necklace wouldn't be a totem of the dragon goddess, would it?"

"Saafani? Yes, it is. I pray to her every day, hoping she would send me some sort of blessing. I guess this card was it. But that's impossible, right? She doesn't favor anyone with her dragons anymore except for that Dragon Summoner girl, walking around in fairy tale land."

Cora was referring to the Western Lands where the people still used horses, had knights and lived in castles.

"That's all I needed to know," said Kaiba. "Come home with me."

"And why would I do that."

"I can help you."

"Oh sure," Cora scoffed, slouching in her seat and resting her right arm on the top of the booth. "And I suppose you have a trove of rare cards sitting around?"

She puffed air from the corner of her mouth to blow a bang off her right eye.

Kaiba was offended by her tone. He growled, picked up his briefcase, and slammed it on the table after clearing the plates and cups away with his other arm. He undid the locks and slid it around so it could face Cora before he opened it.

What Cora saw caused her mouth to fall wide open.

She saw deck after deck full of rare and powerful Duel Monster cards ranging from ultra-rare, secret-rare and even ghost-rare. Their holographic foil shining brightly in the dull light of the lamp over their booth.

"Satisfied?" Kaiba snapped.

"Who are you?" Cora asked.

"Your salvation!"

Kaiba paid for the meal, and after using the bathroom, Cora followed him into his car. Kaiba unlocked the door for her and she got in. Once Kaiba got into the driver's seat he sniffed the air and his face creased with unpleasantness. Something smelled of corn chips and the outdoors. He looked at the girl.

"What?" Cora asked.

"How long has it been since you showered?"

"You don't wanna know," Cora said with no shame. She put on her seatbelt.

"We're going to fix that when we get home," Kaiba said displeased, he rolled down the windows so her stench could fly out as he drove.

He drove her across the countryside back to the glimmering lights of Domino City, the capital city of Eredas. Cora pressed her hands against the window to gaze at the marvelous structures and lights all around her. The inside of their car flashing bright orange every time Kaiba drove under the street lamps lining the highway.

"First time in Domino?" Kaiba asked.

"First time inside the wall," answered Cora.

Kaiba proceeded onward into the city until he reached a spiraled black tower with the Kaiba Corp logo up top in bright white.

"You work for Kaiba Corp?" Cora asked.

"I own it actually," Kaiba said.

"Seto Kaiba owns Kaiba Corp," scoffed Cora.

"Nice to meet you," Kaiba said turning off the car.

Cora's eyes widened.

"You're not Seto Kaiba."

Kaiba held out his deck showing her the card at the bottom.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon? You're Seto Kaiba?"

"What, have you been living under a rock?"

"Actually, I was," said Cora.

"Come on," said Kaiba.

He took her inside the building through sliding glass doors.

"Wow!" Cora exclaimed. Her voice echoed in the atrium decorated with organic environments and waterfalls lit up from behind pouring down into streams next to the black marble staircases.

A limestone statue of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon on a marble pedestal guarded the entrance, lit up by four lamps on the corners of the pedestal.

Massive chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Their crystal décor glistening in their warm golden light.

"Oh my…" Cora covered her wide-open mouth with her hands.

"Mr. Kaiba," said a man with pointy hair and sunglasses. He bowed. "Mokuba is eager to see you upstairs. I see you've brought a guest."

"Yeah, good observation," Kaiba retorted pretentiously. "See her to the medical wing at once."

Cora looked up at Kaiba sternly. "Huh? What for?"

"You've been out in the road for way too long," answered Kaiba. "We've got to make sure you didn't bring anything that would contaminate my building. Follow Kemo to the medical wing. Now."

"Right this way, Madame," Kemo said, putting his hand on Cora's back and leading her to another elevator while Kaiba proceeded to take the main one to his living quarters upstairs on the top floors.

At the medical bay, Cora was ordered by the doctor to undress and she was given a thorough check-up. Her hair was checked for lice or any other parasite from the roads she had traveled for so long. She was injected with all sorts of vaccines and had to undergo an awkward cavity search by a tower security guard.

She was given a clean bill of health and followed Kemo upstairs where Kaiba was waiting.

"Did all go well?" Kemo asked as they rode a glass elevator to the top floors. The glass gave them an exquisite view of Domino City as they headed up.

"The guy with the rubber glove enjoyed his job a little too well," Cora said, massaging her bottom. "So, what do you do around here, Kemo?"

"I mostly provide security here in Kaiba Tower," Kemo answered. "I sometimes announce the tournaments Mr. Kaiba organizes. I do a pretty good job if I do say so myself."

"Oh, do you?"

"Yes, in fact, High Chancellor Pegasus has a tournament coming up in his island. He's asked me to be the announcer of the games as well as head of security. I'm a little nervous, though. Pegasus's tournaments are reserved for the elite of the elite. Only one percent of Termnnia's duelists are chosen to participate in his games."

"I'm sure it can't be that bad," said Cora.

"I have a speech all set up," said Kemo. "Would you like me to demonstrate?"

"Sure," Cora replied with a shrug.

Kemo cleared his throat. "ATTENTION DUELISTS!"

There was a long pause.

"Wait, hold on," he cleared his throat again. "ATTENTION DUELISTS!"

Another awkward pause.

"That's it?" Cora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's all I got so far?" Kemo said embarrassingly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, it'll certainly get their attention, no doubt about that."

The elevator came to a stop. The metal doors slid open elegantly, revealing a luxury suite with black painted walls outlined with gold leafy ornamentation and chandeliers of crystal. The polished marble floor was of black and gray tile and the furniture was top notch.

The windows, shielded behind clear white curtains revealed the towers of the city all around her. A fireplace more than seventeen feet wide was burning in the sitting room with a painting of Kaiba sitting atop a dragon-shaped chair with his brother Mokuba standing proudly beside him in front of a black background.

Speaking of which, Mokuba had arrived, coming down a set of stairs in a white t-shirt and torn jeans.

"What's the meaning of this!" shouted Mokuba. "These levels are reserved for me and Seto only!"

"Calm down, kid," said Cora.

"I'm sorry Mr. Kaiba," Kemo babbled nervously. "I just…"

"You're fired!" shouted Mokuba. "And take this peasant back where she belongs."

"Peasant!" Cora retorted. "Why you..."

"She's with me," Kaiba said calmly approaching them from his office. "You're free to go, Kemo."

Kemo bowed. "Thank you, sir. Best of luck to you Madame Cora."

Cora shook hands with him. "Thanks, Kemo. And good luck with that speech."

"Ahem, right," Kemo said walking back to the elevator. "Attention Duelists!" he rehearsed as the doors closed taking him back down.

"Walk this way," said Kaiba.

"You sure about this bro?" Mokuba asked. "She could be a thief after your Blue-Eyes."

"She's no thief," said Seto. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Safaani help her if she is."

He led Cora to a two-floored suite upstairs.

"This is where you'll be staying," Kaiba said, letting Cora enter the room first. "You've got a large bed to yourself upstairs. A kitchen if you can cook. If you can't you can always dial room service downstairs. There's a bathroom just past the fountain in the hall. It's got a walk-in shower with a flat screen on the wall. And a touch screen panel to adjust the settings of the water. A jacuzzi as well."

Cora went everywhere, exploring her new home. There were water walls in the hallway to her room which had a panoramic view of the city and an aquarium with a variety of Termnnian tropical fish.

"I still don't like this bro," Mokuba said, crossing his arms furiously. "What makes her so darn special?"

"She may be the one I'm looking for," said Kaiba. "Leave us,"

"But…Zorc and Pals is on, bro," Mokuba said referring to the comedic show making fun of the greatest evil to walk the earth in the ancient times.

"I'll be right there," said Kaiba. "Our cartoon can wait."

"All right then, but just so you know, I'm gonna keep my eye on her!" He darted out of Cora's new bedroom.

Kaiba smirked and walked towards a window with his arms behind his back.

"Don't mind him," he said staring at the tri-towers of the House of Gray, the castle where the Dalton Royal Family lived, shining brightly in the distance. "He never likes it when my attention is drawn to someone other than him. I expect a great deal from you, Cora," he turned to look at her and gasped.

Cora was in her underwear crawling sensuously on her bed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kaiba shouted.

Cora flinched and whimpered with fright. "Are-aren't you going to fuck me?" she asked timidly.

"What kind of low-life do you think I am?" Kaiba shouted again, stomping his foot on the ground.

"I'm sorry," Cora said, putting her shirt back on. Her necklace jingled. "It's just that…no one has ever granted me favors unless it meant me having to put out."

"How dare you?" Kaiba said through gritted teeth. "I am not those thugs you encounter on the roads. I brought you here to be comfortable because apparently, my Blue-Eyes see something in you."

Cora tilted her head to the left. "Your Blue-Eyes? What do you mean?"

Kaiba took a deep breath to calm himself down. "The moment you walked into the diner, they reacted in a way I haven't seen since I first laid eyes on them."

"So what are you saying?" Cora asked.

Kaiba had to dig deep in order to say what he had to say. He took a long, hard, breath and said: "I'm going to let you use the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Cora slumped on the bed. "What? Me?"

"And I plan to test out your skills at Duelist Academy."

"The School of Kings?" Cora gasped. "I would've given my legs just to go there."

"Well you're not going have to do that," Kaiba said, calming down. "I'm paying for your education."

Cora's lips trembled. She hopped out of bed and hugged Kaiba.

"Urk!" Kaiba grunted.

"No one has ever been this kind to me before." Cora nuzzled his chest. "How can I ever repay you?"

"You can start by putting your pants back on."

"Oops," Cora said letting go of Kaiba and backing off. She tugged her shirt down to cover her underwear. Her cheeks flushing red. "Sorry."

Kaiba held up a rigid finger. "But I'm not going to just give you all of this! You're going to have to prove to me that you are worthy of living under my roof and using my Blue-Eyes. You need to work hard as a Duelist and excel in school, for if you don't it's back to the road with you."

"I won't let you down…dad."

Kaiba glared at her.

"We'll see," he said brushing himself off in the spot where Cora hugged him. "You best clean yourself up and get that stench off you. If you need anything use the tablet on your nightstand. My associates will be quick to get you what you need. And if you should require me, I'll be in my office, working."

"I don't have a phone, Seto."

Kaiba tossed her one from his pocket.

"Isn't this yours?"

"One of my spares," Kaiba answered. "Never really used it. It's yours now. And remember, I'm just a few floors down if you need anything."

"Yes, sir."

Cora watched as Kaiba left her room. She then went to the bathroom to clean herself up, though she spent a great deal of time in there having fun with the control panel on the wall making the water come out in different jets and even lighting up in the colors of the rainbow.

When Cora was done, she came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a white towel. Steam hissed out of the bathroom door behind her. Mokuba suddenly came into her room carrying packages.

"Uh, you realize I'm naked, right?" Cora asked.

"No, you're not," sneered Mokuba. "I've seen some women come into our Kaiba Corp banquets wearing dresses that make you look fully covered by comparison."

"What's all that you're carrying?" Cora asked.

"Courtesy of Ms. Goldwine, our secretary," Mokuba said. "She's taken a liking to you, and has asked permission to join you at the school."

"Seto's not going?" Cora asked, gripping her towel.

"He is, but he's a professor of Dragonology and the CEO of the company, and- more importantly - my big brother, so he will be too busy for you. There should be some pajamas in there you can use for tonight."

"And what's with the black box with the gold ribbon?" Cora said, pointing at the parcel.

"That's your academy uniform," Mokuba boasted.

"Oh!" Cora exclaimed with excitement.

Cora went for the box, but Mokuba slapped her in the back of the hand to keep her away.

"Ow! What gives?"

"You need to earn that."

"How am I going to do that?"

Mokuba gave a cruel chuckle. "I don't know, but you can be sure it's not going to be easy. My brother is going to push you to the limit of your abilities. So, you'd better rest up. Good night, Cora."

"Good night, Mokuba," Cora called back.

"Yeah, whatever," Mokuba waved as he went out the door.

Cora smiled.

Maybe he's not so bad after all.