Forgotten Memories
Written for The Review Lounge, Too 2015 Green Room Challenge. Challenge Ten: The Big Bang Challenge
It had been a long day and it was over. Seto had nothing else he needed to complete for the day. School work and assignments had been completed and work was over. Everything else could wait till the next day. He could spend the rest of the evening with his brother. He'd been working out of his home office so didn't need to go far to find his brother. Mokuba was in the entertainment room playing video games. Mokuba was absorbed into his game, not noticing the intruder.
"I hope that means you've completed your homework." Seto asked his brother. Watching Mokuba snap his head around.
"Seto!" Mokuba grinned. Abandoning the game and giving him a hug. "I've finished, you can even ask Roland. Are you finished work for the day. Or are you on a break for dinner."
"Finished for the day, about to get dinner. Have you eaten yet?" He asked Mokuba.
Mokuba nodded that he'd eaten. "I could always go for desert."
He smiled at the younger boy. Following him to the dining room. A meal waiting for him already, along with desert for his younger brother.
"Seto." His brother said his name.
He looked at Mokuba, whatever he wanted to ask about, he was obviously nervous to ask.
"You wanted to asked or tell me something?"
"Can you tell me about our parents?" Mokuba asked. "You never talk about them and I can't really remember dad. I remember how he used to tuck me in and night and sit with you when you did homework. He'd always laugh when you asked a question that he couldn't answer. But I want to know more. What did dad do for work? What was it like when mum was still alive? Did we always live in that house? Did we have a pet dog. I remember there being a dog but I don't know if he was ours or not."
Mokuba kept rattling off questions and the few things he remembered about before their father died.
"Seto are you alright?" Mokuba asked at the end of his questions. "If it's too painful for you to talk about, I understand."
Mokuba hugged him.
"It's not that Mokuba." He reassured his brother, though knew that what he was about to tell Mokuba would cause the boy more concern. "I never talk about our life before because I don't remember. My first memory is waking up in the hospital after dad died. You where there when I woke up. You sitting on my bed and crying about me being awake is my first memory."
"How come I didn't know?" Mokuba asked. "Why didn't anyone try to treat you?"
"Can you honestly see our relatives wanting to treat me?"
"I remember them complaining about how they should've never let me see you in the hospital." Mokuba admitted.
"That was because they wanted to keep you and raise you as their own. If I'd never seen you at the hospital I would've never known that you existed. It would've been easier to separate us. Why they didn't want me I do not know. The staff at the orphanage wanted to treat me, but couldn't afford to. My life was not at risk because I didn't remember my past. It is more of an inconvenience then anything else. I'm not sure if Gozubura was aware of my memory loss or not, but it worked in his favour. By the time he was gone, I'd been without a past for so long that it didn't really bother me."
"Does it bother you now?" Mokuba asked.
"It does. You have questions that I can't answer. I want to be able to answer those questions, I should be able to answer those questions."
"We can find out about our past together." Mokuba told him in a cheerful voice. "I want to know more about our life before and our parents."
KC
Mokuba had long since gone to bed. Instead of sleeping he was researching about amnesia. He'd never even been curious before now about trying to recover those memories. His personal interest had always revolved around computers and science. But what was he like as a child? Did he have those interests before the accident? All he had from his past was a name he didn't go by anymore and his brother. Waking up in that hospital bed with his brother, his first memory. He didn't know if Mokuba had been telling the truth about them being related at the time. Back then he didn't really care. Mokuba cared about him and he was never going to let him go. A cute innocent child who needed him.
A part of him was scared to find out who he was before. Would it change anything now? Did he want it to change anything? It was just easier not thinking about those missing memories then it was to wonder what life was like beforehand. No one even knew that he couldn't remember his childhood. If he went to the wrong person for help he'd end up all over the tabloids. He hated being in the tabloids for his personal life.
He could always research on his own. He had the ability and the means and the money for whatever was required. The one thing he didn't have was the time. Most of his time was spent looking after Kaiba Corporation and school. Any free time he spent with Mokuba. He didn't even have time for playing his favourite games anymore. When he played duel monsters it was not for his own enjoyment, it was for business. An appearance at a tournament, testing new technology, promotional tours. The only way he could research was if it was for business purposes. He was always after new ways to change Kaiba Corporation for the better. Could a gaming company expand out to the medical field? He knew he could do it. He'd after all changed a weapons company to a gaming company. The best way to expand into the medical field was to use technology he'd already invented. His holographic technology. Once that had been implemented into a medical field no-one would even question his research in other areas. If he researched in other area's first he'd have his motives questioned. His aim was to help disadvantaged children. Large donations from his profits were donated to different children's charities, hospitals, schools and orphanages. This way he could contribute with more money.
KC
"You seem rather happy." Mokuba observed.
He was in his home office. Mokuba often sat in the room doing his own thing just to be close to him even if they didn't talk for hours on end.
His brother walked over to his desk to see what he was working on. A look of confusion crossed his brothers face. Mokuba didn't recognise his work.
"New project. I'm working on how to implement the virtual technology and holographic software into a medical environment to help with training and medical procedures." Seto explained to his brother. He opened up the projector software for the room and bought up different display models. The room was still using the older arcade based technology, but served his purposes for testing. He often tested duel monster design and animation in his home office.
A replica anatomy dummy appeared. Seto changed it to show skin, then muscles, veins and internal organs. "This is just to give them an example of what I can do. I'd prefer to use a real human body, but this is a safer step for a demonstration."
"Why are you doing this?" Mokuba questioned. "You've never really shown an interest in medical stuff."
"I've always been interested in the medical side of things. The first job I remember wanting when still living at the orphanage was to be a vet. Never really considered what profession I'd like now since I already have a profession. I want to research more into medicine. I was motivated by my desire to find out more about my amnesia, but overall I want to help children. What better way to start then to utilise what I already have." He explained.
"I'm sure you'll be able to help loads of people." Mokuba encouraged him.
KC
His investors had been unsure about his plan to expand Kaiba corp into the medical field at first. Once he explained he wouldn't be stopping any of the current projects or cutting into funds of pre-existing projects they were willing to at least consider his project. When a major hospital signed up for a trail in one of the university hospitals it had generated more interest. When that trial had been successful it had generated excitement with what the next big thing would be from the company. The holographic equipment was being implemented into more locations. He now had a full time team working alongside doctors and scientists to ensure that everything was medically correct. Expanding into other areas of the medical field had been successful and they hadn't blinked an eye when he applied to major in medicine instead of business.
Looking for his past had been a slower process then he thought. His records from before he'd been adopted had been sealed. He couldn't access anything. His biological family had made his adoption a closed adoption. That meant looking from memory, Mokuba's memory since he hadn't regained anything. Mokuba didn't remember where they had lived. He'd been too young to remember the address. He just had a description of a modest tradition Japanese house which could've been located anywhere.
With all the dead ends to finding his past he'd thrown himself into work and scientific research about how the brain worked. His frontal lobes were obviously in perfect working order. He had above average problem solving skills and motor skills. The temporal lobe was where his problem lay. Memory. His memory had been wiped clean during the accident from head trauma.
KC
High school was out of the way and now he had university. He'd actually been excited to be starting university. While school had been boring, university was interesting. He could study what interested him instead of what he already knew. Starting with medicine, then he planned to branch out into other scientific areas. Science had always interested him. If he'd never been adopted he'd most likely still would've ended up studying something scientific.
He had whispers from the other students as the recognised who he was. He didn't know any of them, and didn't really care about the other students. He was here to learn, just like they were. University wasn't like high school at all. He actually had to pay attention to his teacher. Eagerly he took notes, answering questions when they were asked of him and asking questions when he wanted to know more. He didn't know everything and for once he had a teacher who knew more about the subject then he did.
The months went on. Students dropped out. The ones who stayed got used to seeing him. He was now just like any other student in his class. Normal. Treated the same as everyone else. He'd branched out to nuroscience. He wanted to know everything about how the brain worked. Understand why his injury caused him to forget his past. Studying what he really wanted to know about. The brain. Maybe one day he could be a neurosurgeon. He was starting to consider leaving Kaiba Corporation behind him. He had enjoyed the challenge of running Kaiba corporation when he'd been in high school. But now it was a tedious thing he did in between university. He was rung off his feet.
"Mr Kaiba, can you stay." The teacher asked them as the other students left.
He nodded to Doctor Kato. Said teacher was his favourite. He often asked him to remain behind, talking further then what was included in his lessons.
"Mr Kaiba, sorry if this is to personal and overstepping the bounds. Was Daisuke Reiko your father?"
"Yes, he was." Seto replied.
"I thought so. You look very much like your mother Yukari." Dr Kato said with a sad smile.
Yukari. His mother's name. He hadn't known what her name was, only his father's name. "You knew my parents?"
"Yes, I worked with them both. Your father was devastated when your mother died."
Did he trust Dr Kato enough to ask his next question? Let him know that he didn't remember his past, that he knew nothing about his parents. Trust him not to leak his personal life to the media.
"Where they both Doctors? My parents." He asked.
"Yes they were. Don't you remember? You used to sit in the tea room with nurse Kimi, my wife whenever your father was called in for an emergency during the night. Used to drive Kimi mad with questions." Kato laughed.
"I don't remember anything before the accident that killed dad." Seto admitted. "It's the main reason I choose this course. I highly doubt I can do anything since those memories have been gone so long. Science has always interested me, so it helped me narrow the field down ... for now."
"I had no idea. I'd be happy to help you Mr Kaiba." Dr Kato smiled.
"Can you tell me more about my parents? Mokuba doesn't have any memories of mum and very few of dad. I'd like to tell him more." Seto asked. He hated asking for favours, but for his brother he was willing.
"Of course. I actually want to give you something. Which was why I asked if he was your father. I assumed you didn't have much from before. Kimi did it up for your birthday. Happy birthday by the way. I normally don't give students birthday presents, but since your Dais son I made an exception."
He looked down at the gift. It was an album. Opening it up he found pictures of his parents and brother and a younger version of himself.
"Thank you." He replied.
He now had something to take home and share with his brother. Memories of the past.
