Wow: I just love disclaimers don't you: We the authors of this story all assure the readers we do not own any of the YUGIOH characters used in this wonderful adaptation of a fan fiction story.
Seto:"Hey a few words to everyone reading this fan fiction. This story is a collaboration of 5 authors each writing chapters and pulling together to create a wonderful story we all hope you will enjoy. It is a summer production, filled with fun and excitement we shared together. You will experience unique writing styles by well known authors enjoyed on Fan fiction and new writers making a mark. The authors are GeniusVampire, BrightestStarInTheNightSky, JourneyMaker, Telpei, and Sherabo, WOW, what a cast.
Sherabo: "I feel extremely lucky to be in their company. Different authors will be featured at the beginning and ending of every chapter and especially with their own personal chapter for your enjoyment. Send messages and email to them all. Let us know how you feel about our story...Reviews are most welcome, we need your support. Lets go do it."
Seto:" Hay, who's opening this story anyway, And it better be good, I am Seto Kaiba of Kaiba Corp..."
Malik: "Yea, yea, always got somethin' to say. Can we get on with the story, Sherabo?"
Sherabo: Opps... I own the right to post, but the chapters are written by individual authors who will be given full credit for their work.
Author: Sherabo
Beta: Telpei
Hidden Heart: Chapter 1 "It All Ends Here"
"Mokuba, Mokuba get down here! I have a busy day at work which means I don't want to waste any unnecessary time eating. Besides, I have a few things to discuss with you." Seto turned the last pancake over in the skillet and prepared Mokuba's plate.
"Aw man," Mokuba groaned as he vaulted over a small balcony and took the steps two at a time down the winding staircase in the mansion. 'I wonder if Nii-sama found out about me skipping calculus. The teacher's a damn idiot,' thought Mokuba as he slid into his seat at the neatly set breakfast table. "Boy, those cakes sure smell good." Mokuba, sensing Seto's anxiety, waited for the lecture to begin. He was hoping for the best but prepared for the worst. Maybe he could talk his way around Seto since the brunet appeared to have other things on his mind.
Seto, still at the stove, thought about how to approach his brother. Late last night after a long meeting out of town, Seto had decided breakfast was in order, since he had a delicate matter of importance to discuss with Mokuba: School. He pulled out the big guns: sugar, eggs, bacon, and more sugar. "So, you skipped calculus twice last week, and you forgot to turn in your assignments. This is unacceptable. You have to finish school, Mokuba." Seto brought the plate of steaming cakes to his brother and watched his face light up. It was rare they had time for breakfast together.
"Seto, look, the teachers are all so lame and my calculus teacher is truly an idiot. You taught me this shit two years ago. Look, here's my homework. I forgot all about it. I thought that it belonged to some child in elementary school from my tutoring classes. Seto, you should let me come to Kaiba Corp. on calculus day and work with you." Mokuba took a breath and began stuffing pancakes topped with ice cream and fresh blueberries, his favorites, into his mouth. Tentatively, he placed his homework and future lesson plans next to Seto's cup of coffee and waited for his response. Surely his big brother would agree that this had to be a joke.
Seto laid down his morning paper, took a sip of coffee, and decided to read Mokuba's homework and lesson plans just to humor his baby brother. He almost laughed at the childish equations and understood Mokuba's frustrations; They were simply ridiculous. 'My goodness, I pay top tuition at Mokuba's private school. This can't be high school math,' he thought.
"Ok, Mokuba," Seto returned the assignment to Mokuba, "maybe you could take a college course in the afternoon at the office, but you will stay in school and get that stupid diploma. No Kaiba will be officially uneducated in this house. It's a piece of paper that claims your status in today's business world."
"But Seto," sipping steaming hot coca, Mokuba tried glaring his brother down, hoping to break the ice. "We own the company, would who question me? Even you know it's a waste of time. I could learn so much more with you as my teacher. You're the smartest and coolest teacher in the world." Mokuba loved playing cat and mouse games with Seto, they sharpened his skills of persuasion.
"We've danced to this tune before and my answer is still the same. You will have a wall of degrees. It will impress the idiots you'll have to deal with and silence them when necessary. Ok, Mokuba, tell me what you want because school is not an option. You're good at this game, but remember that I taught you how to play," Seto smirked.
Mokuba kept talking and eating. Seto appeared to be worried and a little distanced; he was only half listening. Recently, Seto had started having late night meetings with men in long coats. Mokuba had tried asking Roland where he went late at night in the limo, but Roland, forever faithful to Seto, would not tell him anything. So, Mokuba's imagination ran freely. Maybe Seto had a secret game in the making, or maybe he had a secret lover. Breaking up with Katsuya hadn't seemed to bother Seto much, but everybody needed someone. Anyway, there really wasn't any reason for the brunet to hide a lover from his little brother.
"Hey Nii-sama, you there. I need about one hundred bucks to pay off my gambling debts." Mokuba smiled, waiting to see if Seto had been paying attention after all.
"Mokuba, ah. . . ah . . . gambling, one hundred dollars, what the hell are you talking about? You're not in any kind of girl trouble, are you?"
"Just a joke, Big Brother."
"Mokuba, enough games, it's time to go. Roland's waiting. I'll see you after school, and no more cutting class."
Mokuba reluctantly finished the last cake with thoughts of his brother on his mind. Seto always protected him, even as a child, but his big brother never let him in. Seto's secrecy drove him crazy.
Frustrated with the condition his brother slipped in and out of, Mokuba lashed out violently. "Damn Seto, you are not listening to me at all. I can take care of myself. I am not a baby, you know. You haven't been sleeping, I can tell." Mokuba's voice trembled with his words. There was so much he wanted to say but he held it all back. Under his breath he whispered, 'You're having nightmares again, aren't you? I know all about them.'
Seto looked up at the love of his life, at his reason for driving so hard to secure a future. "It's nothing to concern yourself with."
"You always say that, Seto. Look at you, no coffee is going to fix this. You're getting skinny again and your eyes are all black. What good will it do, if you're dead and I'm walking around with all this money you made? How in the hell do you think I'd feel? It's not right. I'm almost out of school and I'm smart as hell. I can finish at Kaiba Corp. and help you out. It's my company too, or at least that's what you're always saying. Oh, and besides, you could take a little time off and get laid or something. I know you haven't gone out since Jounouchi left."
"Enough Mokuba, and keep Katsuya out of this. Don't change the subject. This conversation is not about me, but you." Although the boy was out of line, the brunet loved to spar with his little brother.
Mokuba figured he still had one last card to play since he could see a twinkle in Seto's left eye. "Hey, why don't you attend that conference next week? You could meet some tall sexy gay guy. It's a gay bash for business men. I know Joey wasn't the one for you, he wasn't really man enough for you. You guys were always fighting. You need..."
" Roland!!!! Get in here." For the first time in days, Seto smiled at his brother.
Backing away from the fire in his brother's eye, Mokuba remembered something he'd left in a dresser drawer in the hallway. Reaching in, he pulled it out and offered it to his big brother. "Seto, this package came yesterday. Sorry I forgot to give it to you. Look, it's from Germany, somewhere. It looks important."
"Thanks, Mokuba." Seto took the package, laid it on the breakfast table, and continued to clear away the dishes.
"Hey, are you going to open it?" Mokuba tried but the steamer wouldn't cooperate with him. And who did Seto know in Germany anyway? He decided it must be business related or something to do with Kaiba Corp.
Seto looked at the package with dread. The hairs on his neck rose, but he knew Mokuba's curiosity would not be satisfied until he did something. Long fingers tore at the brown packaging, only to find another box inside. Seto read the address on the second box and dropped the package on the floor. It was like a ghost from the past and a slap across his face. Gozaburo's name appeared in bold letters across the top of the second box. Whatever the box contained, it had to be evil.
Mokuba reached down and picked up a piece of paper that had been dislodged from in between the two boxes and had fluttered to the floor. Slowly, with the same feeling of doom, he began to read its contents: To Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp. This package was found in a locker owned by Gozaburo Kaiba in an old office. The building, along with many others in our country, is being destroyed as per your orders because it is an eyesore and a reminder of painful times in our country. We will be proud to rebuild the area with your help parks and schools will replace the structures. This is the last remaining structure. To our knowledge, you are the only surviving heir of Herr Kaiba.
Both brothers looked at the brown box on the floor in complete silence; neither wanted to move. "Seto you're not going to open this. We don't need anything of his. Please, Nii-sama. I think you should burn it and send it to hell," whispered Mokuba. "I'll go and get some matches." Even after all these years Gozaburo's name struck fear in the hearts of the boys. However, each had their own special reasons unknown to the other.
Seto turned to his brother and with authority that left no room for discussion, he spoke, "Mokuba, go to school. Good bye!"
One hour later...
Kaiba sat at his desk staring in utter shock at the paper. In his hand he held a sheet of paper that was crinkled from being folded over and over ten of times. The palms of his hands started to sweat as he stroked his brow. "This is impossible, I won't accept his lies. Never. It has to be a mistake." This information could change Kaiba's world as he knew it to be.
A noise and a voice kept ringing in his ear. "What the hell is that noise? Oh, that's the intercom from Sakura's office incessantly ringing." Seto punched the button, causing the cap to fly off. "What do you want, can't you see I am a busy man? I asked you not to disturb me for an hour. Can't you tell the time, damn it?"
Sakura understood the CEO better that anyone at the office, since she'd worked for Kaiba over a year and still had her job. It had been about one and a half hours, but there was no need to remind him of that little fact.
"Kaiba-sama, you have a meeting in ten minutes with the board of directors concerning the renovations at Kaiba Land next week. Remember, you have to go over the budget." Somebody had decided to make purchases in the communications budget without checking with Kaiba first. It had been a big mistake; the termination papers were already on his desk.
"I have all the figures ready for you in the conference room," Sakura Mosaka, Set's private secretary spoke.
"Sakura, cancel everything. I want everyone to leave. Send those money-grabbing vultures home; let them try to steal someone else' fortune today. I'm bored with their games."
"Kaiba-sama, I don't understand," spoke Sakura.
"Must I repeat everything? I thought you at least understood, GO HOME!!" Seto stormed out of the office and headed to the central control center of his empire, down to the secret basement, the source of all his wealth and power. Here in secret he controlled and monitored all the businesses he owned in the city and the country. Unfortunately, his personal goal to branch out into the world would have to wait a minute or two. Systematically, he began shutting down all his holdings.
Smiling, he went to his central communications network and delivered a message to his employees. "Attention, you second rate citizens of Kaiba Corp. Today you all get your greatest wish. A day off with pay. No, better yet, I have a much greater idea, get this. You are all fired, hah...hah...Get the hell out of my building now!!!! You can all thank me for my generosity by leaving within the next ten minutes. Your final checks will be in your mail box by dinner time."
Next he called over to Kaiba Land to deliver the same message. At least the park would not be opening to the public for another hour. Security domes came down over all the rides and a huge gate surrounded the park in less than thirty minutes. The park looked like a giant fortress. Offices throughout the city, those bearing the Big KC, were systematically shut down. All of the arcades and pinball machines at convenience stores stopped working. Entertainment ceased to function throughout the city of Domino and in many parts of Japan.
Reporters, new casters, and citizens merged on the Kaiba Corp. building, hungry for news. Employees stood around crying and looking lost. Within minutes, roads needed to be blocked off around the building.
First on the scene, Mai Valentine and her follow reporter Ken, attempted to take control of the situation and foster a little order. Her voice and outrageous presence could be seen and heard throughout every television, cell phone, and lap top in the country. "Early this morning about nine o'clock, Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp., closed down his twenty-two story office building along with all of his personal and business holdings throughout the city and country. The mysterious CEO has been known for doing the impossible: attaining success at the age of fifteen in business and pleasure adventures. But today, the multi billionaire not only gave his employees the day off, but he fired them all as well. What bold adventure is the elusive CEO embarking on now? Stay tuned for more updates as this intriguing drama unfolds."
"No wait Mai, this just came in over the wire." Ken gave Mai the telegram from Sky Corp., the only helicopter based news broadcasting company in the city. Mai looked at the paper in disbelief. Kaiba, no, this couldn't be happening. Slowly her eyes moved upward, towards the sky. Just as the Sky Corp. copter bussed off to take its final pictures before it was shut down, a lone figure could be seen standing on the top of the main Kaiba Corp building. The outline of what appeared to be Seto Kaiba was visible. However, the screen went dead before the silhouette's identity could be confirmed.
Malik: "Hey Sherabo is he really up there...hehe..."
Sherabo: "R/R to find out, it only gets better ...winks
Malik: "Ahh... man...just a little peak..."
Sherabo: "Thanks for reading, see you next chapter,"