The Younger Brother
Full Summary:
At the height of his power, Kaiba has crushed his foster father and is maneuvering to destroy someone else. A story of money, power, family, betrayal, revenge, and Kaiba's transformation into a cold, ruthless villain. If you like power struggles, dark psychology, and random bits of info, you may like it.
Takes place between Gozaburo's death and the Death-T Tournament. Rated for language, violence, and a complete lack of ethical characters.
Disclaimer:
These characters are not mine:
Kaiba Seto, (known in the English dub as Seto Kaiba) whom Mokuba calls Niisama (a very strange and formal way of saying Big Brother)
Kaiba Mokuba
Kaiba Gozaburo
Mouto Yuugi
Pegasus J. Crawford (a.k.a. Maximillian Pegasus)
But Matsumura, Torao, etc. are mine.
I am but a humble college student and own neither the Yu-Gi-Oh card game, manga, or anime series. However all three do come into my story.
Special thanks to Janime for the translated manga. I used some of the dialogue in the story.
AUTHOR'S CONFESSION—IF YOU PLAN TO READ THE PROLOGUE AND/ OR EPILOGUE (which is recommended), PLEASE READ!
I have written a story based upon the Death-T Tournament manga arch without actually reading most of the Death-T Tournament arch.
Please don't hate me.
The story doesn't quite follow the manga universe or the anime universe. It's not AU, but I decided to take certain liberties with the manga, combining what I know from the anime, to make the story work.
Here's what you need to know:
Kaiba hosts the Death-T Tournament for the express purpose of both beating Yuugi and stealing the fourth Blue Eyes from Yuugi's grandpa. The Death-T has five levels. I didn't read what happens in the first three. (It's safe to say that Yuugi wins.) But in the fourth level Yuugi faces Mokuba. (I must emphasize, that it is Mokuba's choice to be in the tournament. Kaiba is actually opposed to it.)
In the manga, at this time, Mokuba is a brat. He tries to poison Yuugi and his friends directly before the tournament begins. Mokuba's specialty is Cap Monsters. I've heard there might have been cheating involved in the game, but as I actually didn't get to read that part of the manga, I can't be sure. All I know is that, in the end, Mokuba loses.
It appears that at each level, the loser had to face a punishment known as the Death Stimulator. The Death Stimulator is exactly what it sounds like.
Armed with this knowledge, you can now safely read the prologue.
Prologue
Mokuba's Sorrow
At the Death-T Tournament, Fourth Level"How can it be? I…I actually…I actually lost?"
I couldn't think of anything but that I'd let my big brother down. Yuugi, self-righteous nobody that he was, would pass onto the next level. He would face my brother. And Id….
I'd be left behind.
I glared at my opponent. "Damn, you cheater…."
Yuugi hadn't cheated, but I didn't care. Did he think he was the only one playing for his family? I had lost and losing was a sign of weakness and my brother didn't tolerate weakness. I had tried to make myself stronger. I had even broken the rules, like he said I could. But somehow I had still lost.
Yuugi must have cheated. There wasn't any other explanation.
I heard the TV monitor flicker on. My brother. My insides turned cold.
First, he congratulated Yuugi and told him he would be his opponent for the final level. Then he turned to me.
"Niisama, I.…"
I wanted to explain how Yuugi had cheated. I wanted to tell him that I wasn't weak. But I lost my voice just then.
Seto's eyes were hard. He looked at me the same way he looked at our late foster father.
"Long time ago," Seto said in a cold, cold voice, "I had the feeling that at my back, a useless dog like you, was staring at me. I told you before that people who play with fire burn themselves at the end!"
Fear flooded through me, and my insides twisted. It felt like he'd stabbed me.
"You should understand," my brother continued, "only the winner can step out of that box! The loser will be punished! That is the rule of the game!"
I blinked. White fog was billowing up. It was filling the glass box.
My mind wouldn't work just then. It looked like the Death Stimulator was starting up. But that was impossible, because Seto was my brother. He wouldn't….
A pair of yellow eyes stared at me.
…use the Death Stimulator on…
Teeth gleamed. Claws formed.
…me.
I shivered. The fog was cold.
It had become scales.
Scales all around me. A long snout and those ragged yellow eyes. I was looking at a dragon.
He was using it! My mind finally snapped around the fact. He was really using the Death Stimulator on me!
The dragon opened its mouth. Red flames swirled inside.
"NIISAMA, HELP!" I screamed.
"Get a hold of my hand!"
For one dazed moment, I really thought it was my brother.
I grabbed the hand. The person yanked me out. The dragon's flames missed, and I tumbled out of the glass box onto the floor. I stood there for a moment, panting. Then I looked up to see who had saved me.
"Yuugi?"
My enemy had saved me? I clutched my head. My enemy had saved me?
My brother had always said not to trust my enemies. Don't be nice to anyone. Don't show any weakness. Don't lose.
My brother, who had….
Mokuba, if you can't let go of this mocking brotherly relationship you will forever be a loser! He had told me this earlier.
I curled up my fist. "Damn it!" I screamed.
I had done everything he had said! I had done everything he ever taught me to do! Why had he turned against me? Why didn't he want me around?
I felt hollow. I reached for my locket and opened it. My brother's picture was in there from when he was ten. He was playing chess. He was smiling. Really smiling.
That picture was taken the day before we were adopted.
Niisama, from that day on you had completely changed. I remembered how his eyes became dim and cold, gleaming only at the thought of power and death. I shuddered. It was like...it was like you were possessed by a devil.
I clenched the picture and held it close to my heart. I wanted my big brother back. But I was helpless. I couldn't even beat Yuugi.
Yuugi. The thought echoed dimly in my mind.
He was an enemy, and my brother told me not to trust him. But I was sick of listening to my brother's advice. It hadn't done me any good.
I opened my eyes.
"Yuugi!" I called as he left. "I hope you can change Niisama."
He didn't look back. But somehow, I felt hopeful. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but after all, if he beat me…
Maybe, he could beat my brother, too.
And maybe that would be enough to change him.