[
Chapter 1: The End of the Common Era ]
At the end of the day you're another day older
And that's all you can say for the life of the poor
It's a struggle, it's a war
And there's nothing that anyone's giving
One more day standing about. What is it for?
One day less to be living
At the end of the day you're another day colder
And the shirt on your back doesn't keep out the chill
And the righteous hurry past
They don't hear the little ones crying
And the winter is coming on fast, ready to kill
One day nearer to dying
At the end of the day there's another day dawning
And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise
Like the waves crash on the sand
Like a storm that'll break any second
There's a hunger in the land
There's a reckoning still to be reckoned
And there's gonna' be hell to pay
At the end of the day
("At The End Of The Day", from "Les Miserables")
It was over. The duel was finished, and he had won. He had won
back not only his hard earned title, but a chance to rescue his
cherished little brother... so why didn't he feel happy about it?…
Frowning, Seto Kaiba stepped down off the precipice of the castle
tower with his dueling disk. If he could have won this game without
resorting to risking his own safety and playing on Yugi Moto's
conscience, or whoever Yugi became when he was dueling, he would
have done it. but Mokuba's soul and life were at stake!. That senile
old fool, Solomon Moto, had already been around a good long time
and had his best years behind him, but his little brother had only
just barely begun to live!. He wasn't going to let anyone take
away Mokuba's future!. And he wasn't going to let anyone take him
away from him!. There would be no regrets!.
Seto glared across the tower at Yugi who was now on his hands
and knees, tears streaming down his cheeks, sobbing uncontrollably
about how he couldn't control that other presence inside of him
and that he was so afraid of it that he was going to give up dueling
forever. Unbelievable!. In spite of all that confidence and big
talk about the Heart of the Cards, the porcupine headed midget
was a spineless quitter, even when it came to his own family!.
Didn't he care about his precious grandfather at all?.
Naturally, the runt's little fan club was gathered around him,
trying to soothe his broken ego…
"I'm sorry... sorry about your grandpa," Tea said, her
own eyes rimming with tears. "But you did the right thing.
You couldn't hurt another person, even to save him. He wouldn't
want to be saved that way."
Disgusted,
Kaiba picked up his briefcase containing the dueling disks. "Then
I guess he got what he wanted. If Yugi had done what needed to
be done, he would be entering the castle, not me.
But he was to weak to follow through on his play."
"He spared you!," Tea snapped, standing up and turning
to face him. "Kaiba, he showed you compassion, which is more
then you deserve!."
Seto
blinked, but made no other sign to show his surprise at the girl's
outburst. "He lost the game," he stated. In truth,
it was the only thing he could think of to say to that.
"The game?!." Gardener cried out in disbelief. "Yugi
may have lost one lousy Duel Monsters game, but at least he hasn't
lost his heart!. Not like you, Seto Kaiba!. You spend so much time
with your machines you've forgotten what being human is about!."
Seto
just glared back at Tea in anger!. He wanted to slap her face!.
To shake her and scream "Shut up!. You're wrong!. I'm
not doing this for myself!. I'm doing this for Mokuba!. Don't you
understand?!. I can't lose him like I lost my parents!. I just
can't!." Instead, he bit his lip and braced himself for what
he knew would be another one of her unbearably mind- numbing friendship
rants…
The
brown haired girl passionately put a hand to her heart. "Yugi
has a heart, Kaiba!. Yugi has us!. Friends who'll stand by him
no matter weather he wins or loses some lousy game!. And what do
you have, Seto Kaiba?. What do you have at the end of the day?.
Tell me!," she challenged. "Tell me!."
Kaiba gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing dangerously. How dare
she?!. Didn't she know that was the whole damned point?!. Even
if Yugi Moto lost his grandfather, he would still have his heart,
his parents, his family… He would still have his friends and his
faithful little fan club... Yugi would carry on... But… Mokuba…
He was all Seto really had… and without him, he wasn't sure he
himself could go on living…
The
young CEO clenched the handle of his briefcase in silent fury. "I
have all that I need!," he growled, snatching the gold colored
star chips from the air with his free hand. Then, without so much
as a glance at Yugi and the others, he spun around and headed towards
the gateway that led inside the castle…
"I won't listen to them. It's not true..." He told himself,
breathing heavily. "I wasn't wrong to do what I did... They
don't know anything about me or my brother... They don't know what
we've been through..."
Even
though Seto tried his best to block it out as he drew farther
away from the group, he could hear that mutt, Joey Wheeler's voice
following him... "Yeah, keep foolin' yourself, Kaiba!. Yugi's
twice the man you'll ever be!."
Alone in his castle room, Maxamillion Pegasus stared brokenheartedly
at the portrait of the beautiful woman on his wall... It was
so unfair… Yugi Moto would get his grandfather back, and the
Kaiba brothers would be together again… but Cecilia… he had not
even gotten to spend one year of marriage with her before she
was taken from him…
"Forgive me, my love," Pegasus whispered as he lowered
his eyes to the three cards on the table. the cards that held the
souls of Solomon Moto, Mokuba and Seto Kaiba. "I have failed
you. "
He would have been willing to do anything to bring his beloved
wife back, but he was a man of his word… After freeing the souls
of both Solomon Moto and Seto Kaiba, his hands clenched the edge
of the table in frustration as he looked once again at Cecilia's
portrait, then back at the last remaining soul card… Mokuba's…
Everyone else would be reunited with their loved ones, but he could
never see Cecilia again… Wait… Only Yugi had won the duel, correct?.
Only Yugi was now the King of Games, not Kaiba!. A cold smile spread
across the white haired man's face… He may be honor bound to release
little Yugi's grandfather, but what right did Seto Kaiba of all
people have to be happy while he himself suffered from grief?…
Pegasus's eyes narrowed and his smile widened. If he couldn't have
Cecilia, then why should Kaiba have his precious little brother
back?… Chuckling cruelly to himself, Pegasus took the card that
held the soul of young Mokuba Kaiba…
"I told you, Kaiba boy." he leered. "I told you
what would happen if you lost the duel. Yugi and that strange alter-ego
of his may have the soul of his grandfather back, they've earned
it."… He then approached the opened tower window… "But
you, you've lost so much more then just this duel."… With
those words, Pegasus gleefully tore apart Mokuba's soul card, piece
by piece, letting the strips flutter out the window, carried away
by the wind… "Your baby brother is gone forever now, Kaiba
boy," he taunted. "He's the only reason you fought to
keep Kaiba Corporation anyway, isn't he?."
It was then that his heart leapt happily with a sudden realization!.
With Mokuba gone, Seto Kaiba would be completely broken!. He would
have no other reason to fight for the company!. It would be all
to easy to take over Kaiba Corporation and dispose of him!.
Lost in the joy of this idea, the Duel Monsters creator never
noticed the slight figure, with hair as white as his own, that
had been watching him all along…
"Not such a man of your word after all, are you, Pegasus?," came
a dangerously soft voice from behind him…
Startled, Pegasus spun around to see Yugi's young friend, Bakura,
standing in the doorway to the tower room, with a chilling expression
in his eyes and a menacing smile… The millennium ring he wore around
his neck shone as it caught in the late afternoon sun…
At first there was only silence… darkness... a cold kind of stillness...
Then the world around him grew steadily brighter.... He felt
a heeling warmth run through him...
Slowly, Seto Kaiba opened his eyes… He let out a soft moan and
blinked as he realized where he was.... back in Pegasus's underground
dungeon... He remembered... He'd lost the duel to that egomaniac
who'd practically murdered his little brother right in front of
his eyes... He remembered Pegasus's taunting voice as he took his
own soul from him…
But he was alive now… He was back in his body… Somehow, Yugi must
have defeated Pegasus and won back all the souls he'd taken… and
if his soul had been restored, then that… that must mean…
"Mokuba." Seto whispered... Despite the fact that it
had obviously been that spiky haired runt, Yugi Moto, and his self
righteous little fan club who'd won this battle and not him, a
smile of both relief and hope spread across his face... If he was
alive again, then his beloved little brother must be too!. And
that was all that mattered right now!. Slowly and painfully, he
rose to his feet and staggered out of the opened cell door… "Gotta'…
find... Mokuba…"
If only Seto Kaiba had known... If only he had seen the younger,
ten year old version of himself, still sitting dejectedly against
the stone wall of the jail cell, his arms around his legs, shivering
with both cold and unbearable grief… If only he had heard the younger
version of himself, crying and sobbing as if he were lost, and
all alone in the world(1)…
"
How is he?." Tea asked in concern as she studied Mokuba's
unresponsive face... Something was wrong, she could feel it…
Bakura,
back to his normal state, felt the neck and wrist of the little
boy in his arms... He then looked back up at Tea, Yugi,
Joey and Tristin and shook his head… "There’s no pulse… He's
not coming to."
Tea
covered her mouth with her hand and Joey bit his lip while Tristin
bowed his head... Yugi shook his head vigorously in denial. "No,
this isn't right. He can't be. Pegasus promised to restore those
souls." Tears threatened to form in his eyes. What if the
Duel Monsters creator had gone back on his word after all?. What
if his Grandpa was in this same state?…
Joey
knelt down by Bakura and Mokuba and gently shook the little one's
shoulder. "Mokuba, come on, kid. You gotta' wake up.
Your brother's waiting for ya'."
"He was ready to die for you." Tea whispered, brushing
a tear from her cheek. "Please, Mokuba. You can't leave him."
But it was of no use... In spite of everyone's efforts, the child
remained lifeless…
Tears
streaming down his cheeks, Bakura gently leaned the boy against
the balcony railing… "I... I don't understand..." he
whispered. "Pegasus... he promised..."
"Hey," Joey said suddenly, turning to Yugi, Tea and
Tristin. "Didn't we see just two empty soul cards in Pegasus's
room?."
Yugi
nodded slowly. "Yes, but Pegasus took three souls. Grandpa's,
Kaiba's and…" His eyes widened as he put the pieces together.
"He wouldn't!" Tea cried in disbelief, choking back
a sob. "He promised to restore all those souls if Yugi won,
not just two!."
Joey
clenched his hands tightly. "Guess he wasn't as good
a loser as he said he'd be." For the first time, he actually
sympathized with Seto Kaiba. He knew what it was like to love a
younger sibling so much you'd do anything for them. He didn't know
what he'd do if he ever lost his Serenity in this way.(2)
Just
then, there came the sound of footsteps from a nearby hallway,
and a familiar, husky voice calling "Mokuba?. Mokuba, it's
Seto!. Where are you, little brother?."
Kaiba soon approached the balcony overlooking Pegasus's dueling
arena… Yugi, Joey, Tristin and Bakura were gathered together in
a cluster, as if trying to hide something…
"Yugi," Seto coolly studied the smaller boy in front
of him. "I take it you're the new champion now?." Not
that it made a difference now anyway. Just as long as Mokuba was
alright.
Yugi
and Joey looked at each other. "Yeah," Wheeler
answered quietly. "Yug' beat Pegasus… but..."
Seto
crossed his arms with a tight smirk. "As much as I would
have liked to have crushed the moron myself, it doesn't matter
as long as Mokuba is restored. Now where is he?."
"Kaiba," Yugi said gently. "There's
something you should know… Pegasus... He..."
"Moto!. Where's my little brother?!." Seto
snapped.
For a moment everyone was silent... then Yugi, Joey, Tristin and
Bakura all stepped away to reveal Tea, holding a still form in
her arms...
Kaiba's
eyes widened. "Mokuba… No..."
"I'm so sorry…" she whispered, her eyes glistening with
tears. "He... He never came to…"
Seto
reached out and gently took the limp, feather-light body from
Tea... "Mokuba… No..." He sank to his knees, cradling
his little brother in his arms... "No... You can't leave me
like this… Please... wake up... Please..."
But the child's eyes remained closed... His body lifeless and
cold to the touch...
"Don't leave me... Please... I need you..." Kaiba continued
to plead, his voice shaking… but his heart sunk as he realized
it was useless… Swallowing back a grief-stricken sob, he held Mokuba
closer and tenderly brushed a few stray black bangs away from his
pale face... "I'm so sorry, kiddo. I just keep on failing
you... Please, forgive me…" It was true!. This was all his
fault!. If he hadn't left Mokuba alone... If he had been a better
duelist… If he had been a better brother!.
"But there's nothing to forgive," Bakura said softly. "It
isn't your fault, Kaiba."
"Yeah," Joey added. "It's
that cheater, Pegasus!. He's the one who broke his word!."
Yugi, Tea and Tristin all nodded slowly in agreement…
But Seto neither listened nor cared what any of them had to say...
He shut his eyes, trying to force back the tears, and rested Mokuba's
head against his own heart…
"Kaiba," Yugi said gently, putting a hand on the taller
boy's shoulder. "You tried your very best… You were willing
to risk everything to save him... I'm sure your brother knows that."
The
young CEO didn't even acknowledge the newly appointed King of
Games. Instead, lowering his head, he buried his face in Mokuba's
hair so that Yugi and the others would not see the tears he had
proved to weak to keep from streaming down his face... "Go
away," he whispered harshly, without even bothering to shake
Yugi's hand off. "Just... Just go away…"
Yugi
drew his hand away, eyes wide. "Kaiba…"
But Tea gently touched his arm and shook her head…
"Maybe… Maybe we should leave him for a while…" Joey
said… Tristin and Bakura nodded in agreement…
Reluctantly, Yugi followed his friends out of Pegasus's castle,
leaving Seto, still cradling Mokuba in his arms, alone with his
grief…
He remained there for several more moments… Unable to stay, but
unwilling to leave… Finally, he gently laid the child down… Tenderly,
he reached out to touch his little brother's soft, peaceful face
one last time before taking off his dark blue coat and carefully
placing it over him…
"
So he hasn't been to school all week, huh?," Joey asked as
he, Yugi, Tea and the others made their way home from school.
The
smaller boy shook his head sadly. "No, he's been taking
Mokuba's death pretty hard." Yugi had been trying his best
to get back into his old routine after returning from Pegasus's
island... been trying his best to be happy now that he had his
grandpa back and Joey's sister would be able to see perfectly again…
but...
"That poor little boy," Tea sighed, running her fingers
through her brown hair. "He loved his big brother so much."
"And Kaiba loved him too," Bakura added. "You
could tell. Why else would he be so desperate as to risk getting
thrown
off the castle tower?."
Tristin nodded sadly. He had done his best to protect Mokuba from
being taken over by the evil spirit within Bakura so that his soul
might be restored to him… but it had all been in vain…
Wheeler
bit his lip as he adjusted his school bag. "I hate
to say this, but as much as I enjoyed watching Kaiba get his butt
kicked that time he took Yug's grandpa, I kinda' feel sorry for
him now... I mean... I think that kid was the only family he really
had, ya' know?."
"The only friend too," Tea
added softly… Though she detested having to admit it to herself,
a small part of her actually
regretted what she'd said to Kaiba on the castle tower…
Joey, Tristin, Tea and Bakura each arrived at their homes along
the way until Yugi was the only one left…
As he continued on his way home, the small boy fingered the puzzle
around his neck... He hadn't heard from the ancient spirit who
called himself Yami since they'd left the island… Every time he
tried to call on the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle to talk about
what had happened with Kaiba and Mokuba he would not answer… Was
it him, or the subject of the Kaiba brothers he was avoiding?…
"Yami?," Yugi tried again, calling out in his mind. "Yami,
are you there?. Please answer me?."
He
was so used to being ignored by now that he was almost startled
at the deep voice which answered... "Yugi, you've been calling
for me every day for the past week. You know I want nothing more
to do with Seto Kaiba."(3)
"I know," Yugi answered. "But
Yami, please, I have to talk to you."
"Yugi,
your grandfather is restored, your friend's sister will have
her sight rectified. Even Kaiba himself has his soul
back. Can you not be satisfied with that?."
The
smaller boy's eyes widened. For the second time since that duel
on the castle tower he was shocked by the spirit's callousness!. "But
Mokuba was just a little boy!. Only ten years old!. He was all
Kaiba had in the world!. Kaiba was willing to risk getting hurt
or even killed for him!. Doesn't that entitle them to some compassion?."
"Compassion?.
And what 'compassion' did they show your grandfather, Yugi?.
Tell me that!. If Kaiba is senseless and foolish enough
to risk his own death, it is no fault of ours!."
Yugi
lowered his head sadly. "But it wasn't Mokuba's fault
what Kaiba did to Grandpa."
"Yugi," Yami's voice came again. "I
understand you feel pity for your enemies, even people like Pegasus
and Kaiba,
but you must not let that get in the way of your destiny!. Remember
what Shadi said?. You are the chosen one!. The fate of the entire
world may be in your hands!. You cannot let the death of one child
get in the way of that."
Yugi brushed a tear from his cheek. As much as he cared about
his companion spirit of the puzzle, he sometimes found it difficult
to understand him.
"
You have the most courageous and noble soul of anyone I’ve ever
seen," the spirit continued before disappearing back into
the millenium puzzle. "Why, in another time you could have
been Pharaoh, for you have the heart of a Pharaoh. Never forget
that, Yugi."
The small boy sighed sadly and continued to walk towards the street
that lead to his neighborhood…
The Domino city cemetery had always been an unhappy place for
Yugi, as it reminded him of the day his grandmother had died...
He had always made sure to walk by it as fast as he could on his
way home…
But this time, he recognized a familiar vehicle outside the cemetery
gates… Kaiba's limousine… Taking a deep breath, Yugi self-consciously
entered the cemetery…
As
there was noone else there today, Yugi could easily pick out
the tall, lone figure in the dark blue coat… Slowly, he approached
him… "Kaiba?…"
The
taller boy did not even turn his head to look at him... "What
are you doing here, Yugi?."
"I saw your limo out in front… and... I thought…" Here
his voice trailed off as he noticed the small headstone in front
of them…
Mokuba Nozomi(4)
1993 – 2003
Also, there were two older headstones next to it…
Ichiro Nozomi
1958 – 1996
Adina(5) Nozomi
1963 – 1996
"Nozomi?," Yugi
whispered in surprise.
Seto
knelt down by the small headstone and placed a delicate looking
bouquet of white roses beside it… "It was our last name before
that tyrant, Gozaburo Kaiba, adopted us." He then got to his
feet, fingering the card- shaped locket he wore around his neck... "I
think my little brother would have liked to have kept it."…
The
smaller boy studied Kaiba for a moment… "I'm sure he
would have too... I... I'm sorry..."
At
this, Seto gave a bitter kind of laugh and shook his head in
disbelief. "Oh, you're sorry, are you?. What for?. You have
your grandfather back, you're the new King of Games, and, from
what I've heard, you've got some kind of special destiny in store
for you, not that I believe in that garbage anyway."
"Kaiba," Yugi put a hand on the taller boy's shoulder
again. "You can't just give up on everything just because
I…"
But
Seto roughly shook his hand off and spun around angrily. "Don't
you understand, Moto?!," he snapped. "You've won, alright?!.
Go!. Take your title and go back to your grandpa and your fan club!.
Just leave me be!." His face hardened, his eyes narrowed and
Yugi could see his shoulders trembling in grief and anger. "I've
got nothing more for you or Pegasus to take!."
"But that's not true!," Yugi protested. "You
haven't lost everything!. You haven't!."
Kaiba scoffed at that. In response, he brought his hand back to
the opened locket… With one sharp tug, he tore it off, not even
wincing from the pain...
Wide
eyed, Yugi blinked in disbelief… "Kaiba… You… You can't…"
Ignoring
him, the young man tossed the locket onto his little brother's
grave. "It's like what your friend, Tea, said, Yugi.
You have a heart. You have friends... and I... I have nothing at
the end of the day…" He gave another half-hearted, bitter
laugh. He never thought he'd end up agreeing with Tea Gardener
of all people!.
Yugi knelt by the head stone and gazed down at the sweet, innocent
face in the locket… A dark haired child with a big, hopeful smile
and pair of bright, blue-gray eyes looked back at him…
The small boy then turned to watch the departing form of Seto
Kaiba as he walked away and exited the cemetery…
"Kaiba," Yugi thought sadly as he watched the limo drive
away. "Tea was wrong. You did have something at the end of
the day... You had Mokuba… You still do."
"
Seto!," came the frightened, childish voice.
Kaiba couldn't believe it!. It was happening again!. The same
terrible vision he'd seen during that last battle with Yugi.
The
little, five year old version of Mokuba was once again trapped
in the ultimate dragon as it rotted and melted away around him. "Help,
Seto!. Please help me!."
"No!," Seto cried, falling to his knees. "No!.
Please!. Don't let me see this happening again!."
Mokuba
reached out his small hand, tears rimming his eyes. "Brother,
please!. You promised!. You promised to help me!."
"Mokuba!." Seto
stared as the younger, ten-year-old version of himself rushed
forward to save his little brother.
"Seto,
hurry!."
"I'm
coming!. I'll help you!."
"Don't let me down!," the child cried in terror. "Help
me!. Big brother!."
But, just like the first time, it would be to late. Though young
Seto tried his best to reach young Mokuba, the little boy was consumed,
screaming, by the decaying ultimate dragon.
"Mokuba!," young
Seto screamed as his little brother once again vanished before
his eyes. He stared in shock at the
place where the dragon had disappeared.
Tears
streamed down Kaiba's face. The younger version of himself turned
to him with a look of disbelief and loathing. "You're
rotten to the core, Kaiba, just like that dragon!. It's all your
fault!. Why, Seto?. Why didn't you help him?. You promised you'd
always be there for him!. You promised him, Seto Kaiba!. You promised!."
Seto
didn't even have to look to know that he was rotting away. First
his hands, then his face. The next moment, once again, he
was thrust backwards into the endless darkness, screaming the name
of the only one he had loved, the one whom he had lost forever… "Mokubaaa!!!"…
"No!," Seto
cried as his eyes snapped open. Breathing heavily, he sat up
from the keyboard and brushed his brown bangs
away from his eyes. He was back in his office at the Kaiba Mansion.
He must have fallen asleep at his computer desk.
"Mokuba..," he
whispered. His hand automatically went to his neck for the familiar
locket… but it wasn't there… He had
left it at his little brother's grave this afternoon… He wasn't
worthy of it anyway… He was never worthy of Mokuba…
Why?… Why couldn't he have saved him?... First his mother and
father, and now his little brother… Why did he have to lose everyone
he cared about?... He thought back to his duel with Pegasus… Yugi
had advised him to have faith and believe in the Heart of the Cards…
but how could he expect him to have faith in the Heart of the Cards
when his only heart was ten years old, had scruffy black hair with
gray eyes and wore a blue bandana and a locket?… And now… Now that
heart was gone forever...
“My Grandpa is a great man, and a better duelist than you'll ever
be. He entrusted me with his cards and I feel his heart in this
deck. I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba.”
“You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost.”
“Go ahead and run! Everyone knows your nothing but a washed up
has-been.”
“That's right, tough guy. I bet ever since Yugi mopped the floor
with ya, you can't even lay a trap card without flinching.”
“You've had it, Kaiba. You're never gonna win this match.”
“Once again your attack has failed, Kaiba. My defense holds and
you have no other strategy to use against me. Your time is running
out. You should have never challenged me, Kaiba.”
"Brother,
please!. You promised!. You promised to help me!."
Seto roughly brushed the tears from his eyes... As much as he
tried to block them out, he couldn't get the accusing voices out
of his head...
"Don't
let me down!. Help me!. Big Brother!."
"You're
rotten to the core, Kaiba, just like that dragon!. It's all your
fault!. Why, Seto?. Why didn't you help him?. You
promised you'd always be there for him!. You promised him, Seto
Kaiba!. You promised!."
"He
spared you!. Kaiba, he showed you compassion, which is more then
you deserve!."
"Yugi
may have lost one lousy Duel Monsters game, but at least he hasn't
lost his heart!. Not like you, Seto Kaiba!. You
spend so much time with your machines you've forgotten what being
human is about!. Yugi has a heart, Kaiba!. Yugi has us!. Friends
who'll stand by him no matter weather he wins or loses some lousy
game!. And what do you have, Seto Kaiba?. What do you have at the
end of the day?. Tell me!. Tell me!."
"Yeah,
keep foolin' yourself, Kaiba!. Yugi's twice the man you'll ever
be!."
"Your
best failed you!."
"You
lose, Kaiba boy. And you've lost so much more then just this
duel, haven’t you, Kaiba?. You've lost the only chance you
have at rescuing your baby brother. You let him down."
"Stop it!," Seto finally screamed, burying his face
in his hands. "Stop it!. Stop it!. I tried my best!. I did!." He
raised his tear-stained face to gaze out the office's balcony window
into the dark, clear night. "Mokuba…," he sobbed brokenly. "I'm
sorry... I'm so very sorry... I failed you..."
Kaiba gripped the edge of his desk, his hands shaking. It would
have been better if Yugi had been Mokuba's brother, or Tristin.
Hell! Even that dog, Joey, would have been a better brother them
him!. The most important and only promise he'd ever made in his
life, and he'd broken it!. Yugi and his friends would not have
broken that promise. They would not have failed to rescue Mokuba!.
Slowly, the young CEO pushed himself up to his feet… Gardener,
Wheeler, Moto, even Pegasus… They were right about everything…
They had always been right... In spite of all his money and power,
the only thing he'd ever had in the world was his little brother...
and now that Mokuba was gone, he had nothing and noone to live
for anymore…
Seto left his computer desk and made his way to the office balcony...
As he opened the sliding door, he closed his eyes and breathed
in the night air… The breeze cooled his face, and he rested his
arms on the balcony railing...
All through most his childhood it had been just him and Mokuba...
He remembered those days at the orphanage... Allot of times, prospective
parents had wanted to adopt only him, saying he was an absolute
genius, a son to be proud of, but he would turn them all down,
insisting that he would never leave without his little brother...
It had always been that way... Wherever one brother went, the other
would be sure to follow… Pegasus's island… The castle... The shadow
realm...
"But don't worry, my dear friend. I will spare you the agony
of carrying on in this world without him," Pegasus's taunting
voice came back again…
Trembling,
Seto gritted his teeth and clenched his hands, banging one fist
down hard on the railing. "Why?!," he cried. "Why
didn't you finish the job and destroy my soul too?!. You know I
can't go on without him!. You know!."
But maybe that had been Pegasus's whole intention in the first
place. He knew how much Mokuba meant to him. He knew Kaiba would
rather die with his little brother then carry on in this world
without him.
The cool wind freezing the tears on his face, Seto skillfully
climbed up onto the balcony railing... Using his martial arts training,
he was able to balance himself on the edge... Remembering the incident
upon the tower back in Duelist Kingdom, he almost had to laugh
at the irony!.
He gazed upwards at the sparkling, jeweled sky… Then he lowered
his head to look downwards... As every light in the mansion, save
for his office, was turned off, it was impossible to make out anything
but darkness below… It was just like when his soul had been imprisoned
in the shadow realm...
"Pegasus," he whispered before he stepped off into the
darkness below him. "Wherever you are, I have a message for
you. If you want to destroy what's left of my family, then it's
a package deal. You get me too."…
He was falling... Down... down... down... into the darkness...
It seemed almost as if in slow motion... like falling through a
bottomless black void... but he didn't care... If this was what
falling to your death was like, then he would accept it willingly...
Anything had to be better then living without his only heart…
"Seto!," came
a sweet, childish voice just above him…
Kaiba
turned his head ever so slightly… Through the intense blackness,
a small hand was thrust towards him... "Seto, take my hand!."
He hesitated... Why should he?... He had nothing left… He had
no reason to live anymore...
"Seto! Big brother!," the voice came again. "Take
my hand!. Please!."
Slowly... Hesitantly... he reached out and took the tiny, outstretched
hand...
All at once the falling stopped, and there came a sudden flash
of radiant light... Seto shut his eyes and braced himself for whatever
might be coming... Maybe this was a hallucination brought on by
the pain and shock of everything that had happened to him...
Miraculously, the falling had stopped and he was unhurt... Kaiba
slowly opened his eyes and looked around... Surrounding him was
nothing but light... Not the blinding, eerie kind, like when Pegasus
had taken his and Mokuba's souls, but a steady, glowing, warm sort
of light…
"Big
brother?."
At
the sound of the voice behind him, he turned around… He gasped,
and tears rimmed his eyes as he sank to his knees... "Mokuba?."
There he was, smiling, happy and full of life as if the events
of Duelist Kingdom had never occurred…
"
Uh huh!. It's me, Seto!." The little boy approached his brother
and knelt down by him. "But, brother, Why do you look so sad?."
Kaiba
couldn't even bear to look his little brother in the face. Sobbing,
he lowered his head. "Because… I… I let you down,
Mokuba… I broke my promise to you…"
"No,
you haven't. You could never let me down, big brother!."
Surprised,
Seto raised his tear stained face. "But I did," he
protested weakly. "I couldn't stop them from taking you, I
couldn't stop Pegasus from stealing your soul and I couldn't win
it back!. I couldn't even stop him from taking my soul and destroying
yours!." Overcome by grief and guilt, he buried his face in
his hands. "It was my fault!. All my fault!. I'm a failure!.
I couldn't protect our parents, I couldn't defeat Yugi or Pegasus,
I couldn't even save you, little brother!."
Small,
gentle hands closed around his... Slowly, Mokuba pulled Seto's
hands away from his face... "Brother, look at me."
Kaiba looked through his tears at the smiling young face of Mokuba...
"You never failed me," the child said. "You
came for me, didn't you?. And I know you were willing to risk
everything
to save me."
"But
it wasn't enough..."
"It
was enough for me!."
"Yugi's the new Champion. He's the King of Games now," Seto
reminded him.
"You
think I care who the stupid King of Games is?."
"But
he's twice the man I'll ever be..."
"That's Joey talking, not you," Mokuba answered. "And
since when did you care what he said?."
Seto
shook his head with a sigh. "You... You forgive me then?..."
"Big
brother, I thought you understood. There's nothing to forgive."
"Even
though I…"
Mokuba
smiled. "Seto," he teased, cutting him off gently, "If
you say you've failed me one more time, I'm going to laugh!."
At this, Kaiba felt the corners of his mouth twisting upwards...
until they formed a smile that almost mirrored his brother's...
"Now that's the Seto I know," Mokuba said proudly. "I
remember, after Gozaburo Kaiba adopted us you always seemed so
unhappy, but I could always make you smile if I tried hard enough!."(6)
The young CEO shook his head with a rueful chuckle. "You're
to stubborn for your own good, kiddo. You know that?."
The
little boy gave him an impish grin. "I think stubbornness
runs in this family, big brother!."
In
response, Seto fondly tousled his little brother's scruffy mop
of dark hair. The kid was right, as usual!. "Mokuba, sometimes
I don't know how you ever put up with a brother like me."
"Well,
you know what they say, Seto. You can choose your friends, but
you can't choose your relatives!."
At
this, they both laughed, and Mokuba threw his arms around Kaiba
in a warm embrace. "I'm so proud of you, big brother!," he
said. "And I love you!. Not Yugi, not Joey. You!. And don't
you ever forget that!. Promise?."
After all that had happened, he still had faith that his big brother
would keep his promises?... “Oh, Mokuba…” Seto squeezed his eyes
shut and held his little brother tighter to him as fresh tears
streamed down his face...
Slowly, he opened his eyes to meet the bright sunshine of early
morning... He was laying face up on the private lawn of the Kaiba
mansion... above he could see the high balcony which he had jumped
off in an attempt to end his own life...
But he was alive!. Alive!. Somehow, he had survived the long drop…
Seto slowly and painfully rose to his feet, shocked that although
bruised and slightly scratched, not even a single bone was broken...
Brushing his bangs away from his eyes, Kaiba stared up at the
high balcony, remembering Mokuba's hand outstretched towards him
as he fell… It must have been a dream… Maybe what had felt like
a hand catching him was one of the large trees growing around the
balcony window… It must have broken his fall and saved his life...
He knew he should feel completely broken and disappointed. He
had wanted so desperately to be with Mokuba that he had been willing
to fall to his death again for his little brother.... But... somehow…
a small part of him was glad to be alive... Glad that he had not
succeeded in killing himself…
"You
never failed me. You came for me, didn't you?. And I know you
were willing to risk everything to save me."
Seto closed his eyes for a moment as the words Mokuba had said
to him in his dream came back to him… Strange, it was so clear…
so vivid... as if it hadn't been a dream at all…
"I
remember, after Gozaburo Kaiba adopted us you always seemed so
unhappy, but I could always make you smile if I tried hard enough!."
It was then that the early morning sun glinted off an object in
the grass, catching Kaiba's eye… The young CEO knelt down and picked
it up, eyes widening in astonishment… It was the card-shaped locket
that he had torn from his neck and left at his little brother's
grave!.
Slowly, as though afraid it would disappear if he approached it
to fast, Seto picked up the locket from the dewy grass... It shone,
good as new!. Even the clasp, which had been broken when he'd torn
it off, was fixed!.
After placing it around his neck again, he clicked the locket
open... The familiar face of five year old Mokuba smiled up at
him, eyes bright with happiness, love and hope…
"I'm
so proud of you, big brother!. And I love you!. Not Yugi, not
Joey. You!. And don't you ever forget that!. Promise?."
"I promise, Mokuba," he whispered, smiling through his
tears… As he spoke, one tear drop trickled down his face and fell
on the child's picture... He hadn't wanted to carry on without
his little brother… He couldn't carry on without him!. But… somehow...
he had the feeling that now he would never have to carry on without
Mokuba again... "Thank you, little brother… Thank you so much...
for everything…"
[
The End ]
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