Chapter I: First Contact
“So you are really leaving, aren’t you? And you’re gonna leave me here, to rot in this dump?”
“This is no longer my decision.”
“Well…it was your decision and you chose to forget everything about me. That’s just…”
“Just what?”
“Pathetic. There’s no other word for it. It’s just plain pathetic. Or is it just because I’m taking things too seriously? Well? What do you think? Am I the one who will lose here? I’m not gonna lose a thing, baby. You’re the one who is gonna lose me.” She said it in a very calm tone. It was amazing how she could keep her cool while facing such a situation.
“I…” he said but was rudely interrupted.
“You know what? I’m wrong. I have never been yours. I was just fooling myself into believing that. I mean…we’re just kids.”
“That’s why you didn’t have to take things so seriously. It’s was just a foolish child game. Nothing more.”
That was it. They were never going to see each other again. It was the end of a beautiful friendship, and maybe even more. But there was no way that they could continue fooling themselves into thinking that it was going to last. The truth was shouted out loud: it was the end.
The limo drove away in a cloud of dust, leaving her behind, along with the memory of them even meeting each other.
‘I can’t believe I thought everything we had would last…I was so naive to think that it wasn’t gonna stop. I knew this was coming, yet I continued to believe this lie…Was it a lie? Stop it! Of course it was. You have the proof right in front of you. He’s not here anymore. I’m never going to see him again…’
Now that she said it, it was even harder to face the truth. Was it a lie? And if it wasn’t, then why didn’t he do anything? As the dust from the limo covered the dirty road, a new feeling clouded her mind. Hate. Yes, she hated him now. But most of all, she hated herself for not being able to stop herself, even though she knew it was going to end as soon as that man was going to step foot into the orphanage. Yeah, he might have made the life of a lot of kids better, but with the cost of a child’s life…her life.
‘I guess there’s nothing left here. I might just go back to him. After all the times I’ve been there for you and you’ve been there for me, now you’re just gonna let me walk back to him? Neh…Seto?’
* * *
It was almost midnight. The CEO of KaibaCorp was sitting alone in his office, reading a long speech, still being unable to remember anything that he was saying. He was waiting for a call from one of his staff to confirm that Mokuba was in bed and sleeping. Asking himself when he was going to get the call, he tried to put behind all the bad memories of that horrible week. He wanted to take his mind off the incompetence of some of his employees developing the latest system. There had already been several system crashes and lost data that he had to deal with and his patience was wearing off.
12 o’clock sharp. The sound of the grandfather clock wasn’t new to him. Actually, he knew the sound all to well. It was the sound that reminded him that he has a life outside that office, a life in which he had a little brother to look after and who was probably waiting for him to return home, although it was that late.
‘It’s late. I should probably call the limo to come and pick me up. I’m almost certain that Mokuba isn’t sleeping, but I can’t do anything now. The faster I get home, the faster he will go to bed.’
Only the gentle padding of his boots upon the concrete on their way home filled the air. When he lifted his head, he saw the Domino City Park and decided a small stroll through would not hurt much. Not surprisingly, he found it deserted. That was another reason the young CEO enjoyed walking late at night. It was quiet at night and there were few people out that could bother him.
He walked with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his ever-present briefcase and gazed down the softly lit path. Just up ahead, he thought he could make out a form of some sort upon one of the benches. Curiosity getting the better of him, even though he told himself that the limo was on the way, he approached. To his surprise, the form was only a little dog, trembling in the cold night air.
‘Haha…This reminds me of that mutt, Wheeler…He and his pack of animal friends have been annoying me from the very beginning. I wonder why Mokuba enjoys their company so much…Well, I guess since I’m always gone, he feels pretty alone. I should hire some more staff to stay home with him…Actually, I’ll do that tomorrow. At least this way I can concentrate on the new project without him calling me all the time.’
The sound of his cell phone interrupted him from his internal monologue. It was Mokuba’s number. With a flip of his thumb, he opened the cell phone cover and pressed the dial button.
“Seto, you better get back home right now and get some rest. Tomorrow is the big day!” the boy said overly excited.
“I’ll be there as soon as possible. And if you want to play video games again for the next three days, you should go to bed.”
With another flip, he ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. His icy blue eyes noticed that the little dog was gone, so he did the same. Just as he reached the entrance to the park, his limo pulled up. Once he was settled onto the back seat, they were speeding off towards the Kaiba mansion. He looked solemnly out the window, gazing at the flashing lights before his eyes. An uncomfortable silence settled for the rest of the way. Seto’s gaze never left the window. Tomorrow was the day Mokuba had been eagerly waiting for: the Duel Monsters’ Celebration Day. It was kind of like a Halloween for all the duelists in the city. He had been waiting for this day since Kaiba promised him he would take a day off and bring him to Kaiba Land for a day of fun and celebration. Well, as fun as Kaiba could be…He was almost obsessed with the though that he would lose a precious day of work, especially when everything was going to bad with the new design for his system.
The car slowed and finally stopped at the front of the Kaiba mansion. Mokuba was already waiting beside some of Seto’s bodyguards. He followed his brother inside until he felt a soft pull at his sleeve and turned to see the powerful teen’s gaze.
“I thought I told you to go to bed, Mokuba.” he said with a cold voice.
“I know Seto, but I can’t wait for tomorrow! It’s gonna be so much fun! We can duel and eat cotton-candy and dress up as Blue Eyes!”
Now, Mokuba knew that he wouldn’t convince Seto to get in a costume, especially in front of all those people that would be at the festival, but he could at least hope that that day would get him to forget about his work and just relax. On the other side, Kaiba considered that “little break” to be an opportunity to see all the flaws of his prestigious park. He couldn’t stand the idea that something he has designed, something he worked so hard on could be imperfect. Yes, he was chasing perfection. A perfection that he knew doesn’t exist, but still continued to try to reach it.
Although his little brother didn’t know about it, the young CEO had a lot of problems sleeping in the past few days. It was like a presence continued to haunt him in his dreams, over and over again, every night, with no exception. Every night, he would wake up gasping for air like a fish out of water, with a sinister voice continuously whispering in his ear.
“Wake up…wake up…WAKE UP!”
And he always waked up in his dream, but that never stopped the voice. It kept whispering and eventually, started yelling in the last few days. It was very frustrating and it was basically taking all the energy out of him. And the fact that Kaiba was a workaholic didn’t help out one bit. Even his personal doctor insisted on less working hours, but he wouldn’t give in that easily. Of course, the consultations were very discreet, so that no one in the house was to find out, especially not Mokuba.
This night was no exception either. After making sure his little brother was asleep, Kaiba walked back to his own, personal room. As he locked the door with the small aluminum key, a ghostly thought crossed his mind: what if that dream had a significance? No! It couldn’t have…could it? After he banned the dreadful thought from his mind, he returned dressing in long, dark blue, silk pajamas. He pulled back the covers to his side of the bed and slipped in carefully. He thought he would have trouble falling asleep again, even after he took the medication, but he seemed to be lulled into a deep slumber. Although the beginning of the night was relatively calm and resting, as soon as the clock struck midnight, Kaiba’s deep sleep turned into a deep nightmare, with no way out.
The next morning, Mokuba was woken up by his alarm clock, hoping to catch his big brother at home. He just stepped out of the bathroom, stretching and yawning, when he saw a small folded note under the door. He was standing there, still, with his arms above his head. Then, he let them slowly down and swallowed his next yawn, looking at the piece of paper. It was probably from his brother, saying that he was sorry that he couldn’t stay home till later, so he decided to ignore it. But curiosity was getting the better of him, so he went to the door and picked it up. To his surprise, it wasn’t from Kaiba, but from one of their maids.
“I’m very sorry young master, but I have had enough of my life. You and mister Kaiba have been treating us – all the maids – really badly and we just can’t take it anymore. That’s why, young master, we – and I speak for everyone – are quitting our job at the Kaiba mansion.
With respect,
All the maids”
Despite the almost serious problem, he smiled. He folded the note again and he went to his opened window. He looked outside, without seeing, in fact, the wet grass or the beautiful sky that promised a hot and sunny day, perfect for going out. Not even this could bring him down. It was the day. In fact, this little “event” didn’t do anything but contrast deeper, fact that made the day even more beautiful. Mokuba hurried to the closet and pulled out his clothes in a flash. The clothes where pretty randomized. A pair of jeans, a multicolored T-shirt and a baseball hat with Kaiba Corporation’s initials written on it was pretty much it.
The moment he finished dressing, his cell-phone started ringing. There was only one person that could call him and that was his brother.
“Seto? Seto!! Where are you now? When can we go to the festival? I can’t wait, Seto!”
The sound of the young boy was sharp and quick into Kaiba’s ear. He had never seen Mokuba so pumped since the last Duel Monsters’ Day, when, surprisingly, Kaiba actually allowed the presence of Yugi and his friends near him, since Mokuba insisted so much. His concern now was that this might happen again.
“Cut it out, Mokuba. And stop yelling! I can hear you even if you talk normally.”
“Oh! Sorry Seto. I’m just super excited! Oh yeah! Seto…can I ask you a favour?”
Mokuba’s voice suddenly changed into his puppy-like sweetness. This was a clear sign of trouble coming from the boy. Kaiba knew what his brother was intending to do, so he had prepared himself with a series of answers. He was practically not talking any chances with that day.
“No, Mokuba.”
“But I didn’t even tell you what I want!” the young boy shouted again in his brother’s ear. This time, Kaiba took it pretty lightly, so that he wouldn’t have to ruin Mokuba’s day. What the CEO didn’t realize was that the fact that he said “no” was a big enough reason to create tension between the two.
“I said no, Mokuba. I won’t dress up as Blue Eyes, I won’t turn off my cell phone and I won’t personally invite Yugi and his friends to join us today. If they come, and I bet they will, they will go without us. And that’s final. Understood?”
Mokuba swallowed a faint cry and obeyed his older brother. He knew that if he put up any resistance, it would end up with his punishment, the worst form being the fact that he wouldn’t have permission to go to the festival. It was pretty sad how Kaiba was so harsh with his younger sibling. But underneath all that harshness, Kaiba really loved his brother and would have done anything for him, even risking his own life. In fact, Kaiba was put up to that kind of situation before and every time, he managed to save Mokuba.
Kaiba was desperately trying to get rid of all his bad thoughts, telling himself that he didn’t have to worry so much about it. The doctor assured him that the medication would assure him a long, healthy sleep. Yes, Kaiba was almost obsessed with the dreams he had. They were draining the life out of him with every night that passed. The worst part about his ‘condition’ was the fact that he had to cleverly disguise it from Mokuba. It wouldn’t do either of them any good. It was a problem that he had to deal with himself, even if that meant lying to his younger brother. If Mokuba already knew about his brother, he hid it well. But with every passing day, it became harder and harder for the young CEO to keep his eyes open. He would never have thought that it was so hard to be the same as always. Because he was alone in his office now, he did not work so hard at hiding his emotions. He sat down on his chair, with his fingers laced between each other. It only took him a second to realize what he was doing.
“I need to snap out of it!”
Kaiba fought down the liquid that stung his eyes. His voice sounded disbelieving, even to his own ears. The lump in his throat was nearly suffocating him. He felt his self-control slipping. He was trying so hard not to let his emotions surface. What good had they done him before? What good had they done? He began to slow down his breathing in an attempt to ease his shaking hands. The method rarely worked anymore. Now, every time he practiced this skill, the feelings of betrayal washed over him again, canceling any calming effect. However, he was willing to try everything at this point. He could not go to the festival with Mokuba this way. He had to be strong, had to be the Seto Kaiba that was expected, had to embody coolness, detachment, and stoicism.
He glanced at his dashboard clock 12:45 PM. It was still early. Good. The only good thing that had happened to him that day. He left his office with no rush. He entered the lobby with his hands slipped in his pockets as he headed for the elevator. The movement of the elevator was, in his eyes, slow, but cursive like water dripping. With every floor that passed, with every light that shined in his eyes, he felt dizzier and dizzier. He had to lie back the elevator wall, so he did. His eyes were clenched with every passing light that shone in his eyes. The elevator reached the last floor just in time. He couldn’t stand the sickening movement anymore.
At the entrance to KaibaCorp was the limousine with Mokuba right beside it. His brother’s presence took the elder Kaiba by surprise. He quickly reassumed his straight position, with his briefcase in one hand and with the other in his left pocket. The large glass doors moved to the sides for him to pass and exit the building.
Mokuba looked a little blushed. The first thought that passed Kaiba’s mind was that something bad happened to him. Then, he rationalized: Mokuba was with two of the best bodyguards he had. So then…what did happen? Mokuba saw his elder brother thinking about the situation and he couldn’t help but giggle. That reaction immediately informed Kaiba: Mokuba had done something very wrong. It was very possible that Kaiba’s worst fears could have been sitting on the back seat of his own limo. His eyes were wide opened now, almost scared at the response that he would get.
“Oh God! Mokuba…please don’t tell me you…please don’t tell me you invited Yugi and his friends to come with us!!”
* * *
At the Duel Monsters’ Celebration Festival, joy was present everywhere. Balloons shaped as various Duel Monsters were flying everywhere in sight. The Domino City Park was filled with an outstanding number of people, most of them duelists, ready to answer any challenge thrown at them. A couple of familiar faces appeared at the festival as well: Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood were, as usual, planning they’re no goods. Who knew what rookie duelist would fall prey to those two scumbags? However, unlike those two, in the world of dueling there were some people that actually respected their opponents, even in the face of defeat, duelists such as Mako Tsunami, Joey Wheeler and, the best example for young duelists, Yugi Mutou, the King of Games himself. Even Seto Kaiba could be named at this category.
The limo pulled up at the entrance at the park. Everybody was expecting to see Kaiba in his normal attire, along with his ever-present know-it-all attitude. Now, Kaiba was not known to joke around with people – he wasn’t even known to smile – so his new appearance was quite a shocker. Most of the people that saw him deduced that that was Mokuba’s idea, but still…
The moment Kaiba stepped out of the limo; all eyes were drawn towards him. Even if they were not looking, they we’re staring. He blushed deeply, very unlike him. How Mokuba convinced his older brother to get out of the white sleeveless jacket and into normal clothes was a complete mystery. Kaiba looked very high-school-ish. Although he was dressed very casual, he had a sophisticated look to him. His partly unbuttoned shirt that was well hidden under the dark jacket gave him an almost rebel allure. His hair was put down and now had an oval shape. His dark colored jeans were messy, because he hadn’t worn them in a very long time. It was amazing how a change of clothes could change the perspective of how people looked at him.
After his little brother got out of the car, Kaiba sighted deeply. He was mad at Mokuba for forcing him to dress like that, but he didn’t want to ruin his brother’s day.
“I can’t believe you made me dress up like this just to go to a festival Mokuba…You know you’re grounded for the next month, right?”
“Ow, don’t be such a party-crasher, Seto! I think you look great! Thanks for doing this for me. I really appreciate it.”
“At least you didn’t invite that mutt and his friends over. I would have died of a heart attack…” he sighted again.
“No, you would have probably thrown them out of the car, Seto. I know you, big bro. You can’t stand the sight of Joey or Tea…or anyone of them for that matter!”
Kaiba’s temper was rising fast. He tried to appear calm, yet he couldn’t let his little brother continue making a fool out of him.
“Don’t play smart with me, Mokuba. I can’t stand the sight of Wheeler because he is an underrated duelist. The only one I am looking forward to meet is Yugi, so that I can challenge him to a duel.
Mokuba knew his elder brother would act like that and he was disappointed in the answer. The fact that he changed his clothes only made him even tenser.
„You know, everyone thinks you’re a genius, but I think you’re pretty stupid right now.”
A decent amount of people gathered around Kaiba with different reasons: some wanted autographs, others wanted to take pictures and some just wanted to check out his new look.
Somewhere in the back of the crowd, two pairs of green eyes were staring at the young CEO, one with interest, the other with disgrace.
“Ehh, so this is the all-mighty Seto Kaiba. You know it’s the first time I see him in person, right Joey?” a strange, yet feminine voice whispered silently, while licking a heart-shaped lollypop.
There was no response from the other green-eyes girl. She was staring blanc, not at the CEO, but through him, through his heart and soul.
“Joanna?” the other repeated.
She got a response after a few more seconds. The other girl slowly turned around and walked out of the crowd and into the open space.
“Let’s go, Koyuki. I’ve seen enough.” Her tone was low and calm, yet filled with anger and disgrace.
“Geez…this girl is gonna drive me crazy…” She looked past her shoulder at Kaiba and then bit a part of the huge lollypop of with a loud crack. “But first, I’ll help her drive you crazy, Kaiba…just wait and see…”
Story, Joanna Heathrow © ShamanicDuelist
Artwork, Ishimaru Koyuki © anne-demoangel
Yu-gi-oh!, Seto Kaiba, Mokuba Kaiba © Kazuki Takahashi, Konami
Mi-am propus sa vorbesc despre trupa mea preferata, Skillet, avand in vedere ce impact a avut muzica lor asupra preferintelor mele.
Comatose 