Ghost of Yesterday

The end of the world has come and gone, leaving the gang in shreds. Yugi, Jonouchi, and Kaiba have witnessed it from the window of Kaiba's home office, and no one knows what has happened with the rest of the group. Everyone is desperate to find out what has happened to their loved ones, but Domino is a warzone now and searching is out of the question without protection. The men must adapt. They must learn to cooperate with each other. And they must hope for the best.

Chapter 1: The Four of Them

He couldn't see anything else except for the blank canvas. He figured he wasn't blind because he wasn't just in a sea of black. There were a few specks of white. Kaiba reached around blindly, trying to block out the loud, piercing ring in his ears. Where was Yugi? Jonouchi? They had just been talking a few moments before the white light and what sounded like a god-like thunder. His hand finally fell on some fabric, and it was instantly grasped. He felt himself be pulled from the ground. The muffled words of his companion was pressure in his ear drums.

Then it happened. The white receded into blackness. And Kaiba panicked. He turned to his companion and desperately stared in their direction. His body felt weak from whatever had happened.

"Kaiba, Kaiba. Say something," he heard. It sounded like Jonouchi. Hands touched his shoulders and he felt himself rock on his feet. "Yugi, he's bleeding. Try to find something."

"Sure."

Footsteps pounding on the floor.

Pain shot through his head. Kaiba touched his hand to the area that hurt and felt stickiness. He was suddenly guided somewhere, heard the sound of items being shoved around, and felt himself pushed onto his couch. Somebody sat next to him.

"Kaiba, can you hear me?" It was Jonouchi again. The blond's hand rested on Kaiba's shoulder.

Finally, Kaiba said, "Yes."

"Thank God," Jonouchi said. "How're you feeling?"

"I have a terrible headache and I can't see a thing. What happened?"

The sound of pounding on the floor returned, and he suddenly felt a cloth lightly pressed on the sore spot in his head.

Yugi's soothing voice rose from the blackness. "Kaiba, you need to lie down."

Again he felt a set of hands push him to the seat of the couch. He hated feeling as though his fate was determinant of the two, but Kaiba let them. His head heart too much.

"I found some medical supplies. We can help with the pain, but we need to make sure he stays awake until we're sure he'll be okay." Yugi again.

Frustration bubbled in Kaiba. He snapped and said, "What the hell happened?"

He cringed at the ache in his head.

"We don't know. There was just this light and loud noise and then the windows shattered and we were thrown across the room. You know just as much as we do," Jonouchi said.

That was more than what Kaiba knew. He refused to admit it. Instead, he touched at the cloth, feeling the warm hand of one of the two other men. He pressed at the spot and cringed again. He wasn't sure what to say at this point. He couldn't even remember what they were speaking about prior to the...accident? Could he even call it that? Kaiba tried to remain as stoic as he could for someone who was bleeding profusely from his forehead. A part of him wanted to check in with Jonouchi and Yugi, but they weren't at that kind of relationship yet. They had just started talking on the regular.

"You're going to need stitches. It's a pretty nasty cut," Jonouchi said. He heard a chuckle escape Jonouchi. "Lucky for you, I am a damn near expert on sewing myself up. I don't see a difference in doing it to another person. Just need to help with the pain."

"There's plenty of alcohol," Kaiba said, unemotive. He didn't particularly like the idea of Jonouchi approaching him with sharp objects. They still had a hate-slightly like relationship, and it mostly leaned toward the hate spectrum.

The pressure on his head was peeled off. The spot was dabbed, and then Kaiba heard the sound of the medical supplies being dug through. Across the room, he heard someone go through his desk drawer-he assumed it was Yugi since it was him that Kaiba shared a drink with in the study normally. He would know where it was. After a moment, he sensed the presence of someone near him and the smell of whiskey. Yugi guided him to sit up and offered the bottle to him. Kaiba took a large swig from the bottle.

Somebody brushed Kaiba's hair away from his forehead, and he figured it was Jonouchi because he started feeling moist towelettes dabbing at the allegedly large cut on his head. He took a sip from the bottle again. He was starting to feel the warmth of the alcohol in his body.

Jonouchi piped up. "All right. I'm gonna start with the stitches. Take another swig before I start."

Kaiba did as he was told.

It wasn't long before he felt a needle hook into his skin and a length of fishing line was pulled through. It started from the crown of his head down to his eyebrow. The process was slow, and the alcohol sometimes didn't help. He shifted in pain until Jonouchi handed him some pills. Kaiba downed whatever it was with the whiskey. Finally, he heard the snip of scissors and the tug of the line slackened. Exhaustion overwhelmed Kaiba then, and he leaned back onto the couch.

What had happened?

Fear suddenly gripped him.

What about Mokuba? He was out with friends when whatever this thing was happened. Was he okay? He shot up from his spot only to feel his head swim.

"Whoa, Kaiba," Jonouchi said. Jonouchi's hands gently pushed him back down. "You need to rest."

"M-Mokuba."

Silence met him, and dread overwhelmed him.

"How is Mr. Kaiba?" It was Isono.

"Isono, have you heard from Mokuba?"

Again, silence met him, but Isono finally said something, "It is my number one priority to find the young Mr. Kaiba."

"What? You're not thinking of going out there on your own right now, are you, Isono?" Yugi said. "We should at least wait until daylight."

"Which means we should barricade the doors. Maybe we should move to the dining hall. It's close to the food, and we're all familiar with the layout."

"Jonouchi, this isn't some stupid apocalypse movie. Don't take on the role as leader just like that," Kaiba said.

Jonouchi growled. "I don't care. Something happened outside, and I want to be sure that we're okay. Besides, what's wrong with me taking lead?"

"Plenty of things," Kaiba said, threatening.

"Stop. This isn't going to get us anywhere," Yugi said. "Kaiba, you're blind. I'm hurt. Jonouchi and Isono have been making decisions here since it happened. I think you should trust them."

"I'll trust Isono."

Jonouchi sighed loudly. "Unbelievable. Even when we're facing disaster he can't remove the stick up his ass."

"I'm blind, not deaf, you idiot."

"You know, you're being pretty ungrateful to the guy who just stitched you up. How about a thanks?"

"Maybe when this headache goes away."

Despite himself, Kaiba agreed to go to the dining room. He struggled on the way down, but Isono had an arm wrapped around his waist and showed him the way down the stairs. Things were easier when the stairs were out of the way.

He hoped that this blindness was temporary. He had to rely on people he normally didn't want to rely upon, though it was a relief to have Isono around. The man had never given Kaiba any reason to doubt his loyalty. It wasn't as if Yugi and Jonouchi gave Kaiba a reason to doubt their loyalty; they were incredibly kind to him despite how he treated them at times. He felt someone guide him to the floor against the wall. It didn't matter who it was. He only wished that he could look at his picture of Mokuba in his pendant to ease his anxiety.

"Here." Jonouchi gave Kaiba a cushion from a couch.

Kaiba accepted it and thought a moment. Was this what it was going to be like now? The four of them? He cleared his throat. "Thank you for your help, Jonouchi."