Summary:

Handsome, rich, arrogant, these are all words to describe Seto Kaiba. Until, one day he meets the spirit of the puzzle, Atem, and his life changes forever. For his appearance on the outside now reflected the gruesomeness of his heart. He must remain this way until he finds someone who could fall in love with him inside and out. Card games are fun, but mind games are better.

…

"Mr. Kaiba is ready to see you now," the secretary said as she escorted Yugi into the office. It was 9:00 at night and most of his employees had gone home for the night. Once she got him settled she could finally leave for the night.

Kaiba was sitting at his computer with his feet on his desk. Yugi spoke up, "Why have you brought me here Kaiba?"

Kaiba smiled and said, "Since the last time I had dueled you Yugi, you claimed that you were retiring from dueling. Well, you see I just can't have it, not until I am crowned the King of Duels."

The pharaoh of the puzzle switched his mind with Yugi and said, "I already told you I am not going to duel you anymore Kaiba. There is nothing you can do to change my mind."

Kaiba grinned and replied, "Really, then I suppose these photographs I have won't convince you two otherwise."

Pharaoh Atem became pale as he saw a photograph of Yugi and, Mai, Joey's ex-girlfriend, locking lips. Joey didn't know that he was secretly having an affair with Mai while they were dating. Yugi knew that Joey still had feelings for her and he didn't want to destroy their friendship. That was why Atem and Yugi decided to quit dueling. They wanted to get out of the public eye, so Mai and Yugi could live a happy and private life with each other, without the fear of being judged.

Atem was furious and said, "You want to play games, fine we will play a game. Suddenly his puzzle began to glow and Kaiba dropped to the floor in immense pain." The spirit of the puzzle transferred his mind back to Yugi.

Yugi began to panic, "Atem what are you doing," he screamed.

Suddenly the room filled up with purple smoke and it began to lift Kaiba off the ground and swirl around his body. Once the smoke cleared, Kaiba groaned and ran his hands through his hair and it felt longer and coarse "Huh," he questioned as he tried to stand.

Yugi gasped in fear and said, "Atem, what did you do to him?"

Atem smiled and replied, "He did it to himself Yugi. His outsides simply match his insides."

Kaiba finally retained the strength to stand, but when he did he saw his reflection, and it almost made him fall over again. His hair was long and he grew a beard that greatly resembled a lion's mane. The skin on his body had bubbled up to resemble blisters and veins started to become visible. His nails had grown out like claws and his blue eyes had turned black.

Kaiba was horrified. How could he possibly go out in public like this? He looked like something from a horror movie. Too shocked to speak, Yami switched over and said, "Unless you wish to live like this forever, you must find someone who loves you completely, inside and out, the way that Yugi loves Mai."

Kaiba grabbed his briefcase and trench coat. He turned around and replied, "You want to play this game, fine. But I can promise you this photograph will be in every paper tomorrow morning."

…

When Kaiba got home he threw his briefcase across the room, breaking the television set in the process. He then grabbed a fire poker and proceeded to smash it to pieces, cursing loudly in his wake. Mokuba came down the stairs sleepily and asked, "Big brother, what's wrong?" He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and gasped when he saw his brothers face. "Big brother, what happened," he squealed.

Kaiba dropped the fire poker and broke down. His life was over. How could even show his face in public looking like this, much less make somebody fall in love with him? His brother wasn't sure what was going on but he was going to be there for him no matter what.

When Kaiba finally calmed down, he explained today's events to Mokuba and devised a plan. He said, "Mokuba, I am going to fake my death."

"What? Why?" Mokuba asked.

"I can't conduct business meetings or go to school like this. I look like a monster. I will work on making a fake will, leaving you to your Uncle Seth. Then I will use fake documentation that states that I am your Uncle. Nobody will recognize me as Seto Kaiba. I will then take care of the company from home, so you will be able to live a normal life," Seto explained.

Mokuba protested, "But Seto, how will you be able to find someone who loves you, if you are trapped in this mansion?"

Seto scoffed, "Looking like this, I wouldn't have a chance anyway. It is time for you to go to bed Mokuba. I have a lot to do if I am going to make this look realistic."

Mokuba trudged up the stairs. He just didn't know what to do.

The next morning, Mokuba woke up and Seto had the scene set. Seto explained, "In 2 hours, my red Jaguar parked outside the manor is going to explode. I want you to be at the mall when it happens. When the car is completely engulfed, I am going to make an anonymous call to the fire department and then demolish the evidence. When I am not found, they will assume I am dead. After a few days, I will arrange a funeral with a closed casket. Personally I wouldn't want a funeral, but being a public figure it is required."

He knelt down to Mokuba and said, "You must be convincing Mokuba. Especially if Yugi's friends are present. Yugi and Yami know the truth but the rest don't. The rest of the group seem to be able to sniff out a lie from a mile away. Do you understand Mokuba?"

Mokuba nodded and said, "I understand Big Brother."

Shortly after Mokuba woke up, Seto sent Mokuba to the mall and set his plan in action. When the timing was right he sent an untraceable call to the fire fighters to put out the flames. The damage was done. The name Seto Kaiba was no more. He was now Seth Kaiba.

When Mokuba came home, as he expected, there were paparazzi and reporters everywhere. He lowered his face and tried to fake tears. Seto watched from his television inside the manor, he was shocked to see how good of an actor his little brother was. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought it was real.

….

Several days later, Kaiba put on a black hoodie to hide his face as he sat in the limo with his little brother, ready to go to his own funeral. Roland, their driver, was the only one who knew Seto's new identity other than his brother. Roland had been a friend of the family since before they were adopted by Gozaburo. They grew up in the orphanage together.

While Mokuba exited the vehicle, Kaiba was shocked to see how few people actually showed up. He watched the funeral from his vehicle. Mokuba sat quietly in Téa's lap. He was surprised to see tears streaming down her cheeks as she talked to Mokuba. Yugi and Mai sat next to Téa. Yugi knew the truth so he wasn't too troubled. Mai however look concerned that Téa was so upset. Joey and Tristan looked like they were dragged there by Téa. They were there, but their shirts were untucked, ties were loose, and were wearing dirty tennis shoes.

Some paparazzi were there trying to get shots of the closed casket. Then there were a few fan girls sobbing uncontrollably. A few of them were looking in the mirror to see if they were pretty when they cried…they weren't. Only one of his business partners showed up, which surprised him. He expected all kinds of business people would be there to try to convince Mokuba to sell the company. The one business partner that did show pissed off Kaiba. When the man thought no one was looking, he spit on the casket. 'Was this how people thought of me?' Kaiba thought to himself.

He looked back over to Mokuba and Téa. Téa was rubbing Mokuba's back while he cried on her shoulder. 'She would make a good mother,' he unconsciously thought to himself.

Finally Mokuba tossed dirt into the grave and the funeral was over. People made their way back to the cars they had come in. Mokuba was headed back to the limo when Téa stopped him and told him to follow her. When she got to her trunk, he saw an ice chest. She pulled out a glass dish covered in foil and handed it to Mokuba. Kaiba watched her give him a hug goodbye and drive away.

Mokuba entered the car and closed the door. He turned to his brother and said, "Téa made us lasagna."

Kaiba raised his eyebrow and asked, "Us?"

Mokuba nodded, "Yeah me and my amazing uncle Seth, remember." Mokuba started to giggle.

Kaiba rolled his eyes in realization and said, "Don't let her sudden kindness fool you, she probably wants something from you, now that I am gone."

Mokuba became angry and said, "Big brother, she didn't just suddenly become kind. She always has had a good heart. You have always just been too pigheaded to see it."

Kaiba smirked and replied, "Pigheaded? Don't you realize I died today?"

Mokuba chuckled and answered, "No, you died two days ago. Today was your funeral," Mokuba grinned mischievously and finished, "I am over it."

Kaiba laughed and ruffled the kid's hair. "When did you learn to be such a smart ass," he asked.

Mokuba grinned and replied, "I learned from the best."

The limo pulled up and the paparazzi were finally gone. Life would hopefully start going back to normal.

…..

Back at the game shop…

Yugi, Téa, Joey, and Tristan sat around the television set, watching clips of the funeral on the news. Yami, who hadn't attended the funeral looked disgusted over Kaiba's "escape," but he kept his mouth shut for Téa's sake. He wasn't sure why she was so upset though. Kaiba and Téa weren't exactly what you call best friends. Hell, they could barely be called acquaintances.

"What's got ya so bent outta shape Téa? It's just Kaiba." Joey asked.

Téa responded, "It is sad when anyone dies at such a young age especially since he had such a gruesome death. I am glad to hear that Mokuba has an uncle to care for him, but I know Mokuba must be going through hell right now. He idolized his brother."

When the news finally changed to a new subject, Yugi was horrified to see the picture of Mai and him making out on the beach on the television screen. Joey's eyes got as big as saucers. "Yug! What the hell man?!" he screamed out.

Yugi panicked and said, "Joey I can explain!"

"You can explain? How can you explain your tongue being in my girlfriend's mouth?" Joey asked enraged.

"Uhhhh CPR…" Yugi squeaked.

Tristan and Téa sat there shocked as Joey stormed out of the game shop.

…

Téa walked to the Kaiba mansion the next day, it was a Saturday and she wanted to do everything in her power to help Mokuba. She still had her parents, but if they weren't too busy ignoring her existence, they would be finding ways to make her life a living hell. She didn't know this Seth guy and she wanted to make sure Mokuba was in good hands.

For the next several months she would visit Mokuba every Saturday. His Uncle Seth never made an appearance in front of her, but every time she saw Mokuba he would talk about the games they played together and things they did that week.

Téa didn't realize it, but every time she came over to play with Mokuba, Kaiba watched the two interact from his security cameras. He tried to rationalize it with himself saying that it was just too keep an eye on Mokuba. But soon he realized that he was starting to crave human contact. He knew he would never get that so he watched. Just seeing someone other than Mokuba and Roland was enough to make him feel a little less lonely…besides, she wasn't bad to look at…

Suddenly though, Kaiba became more closed off as her visits unexpectedly came to a complete stop. Kaiba watched his little brother call, email, and try to visit Téa, but every time, she wouldn't answer. Kaiba started to become angry at her for ignoring his little brother until Mokuba discovered that the geek squad she used hang out with haven't seen or heard from her either.

Mokuba was growing more and more distressed every day that he didn't hear from her. "What if something happened to her Seto?" Mokuba would ask 1000 times a day.

And, 1000 times Kaiba would reply, "I am sure the cheerleader is fine."

Finally, while Moukuba was visiting the boys at the game shop a very sloppily written letter came in the mail. The letters were slanted and different sizes making it harder to read. But, it explained her disappearance. The letter read:

Dear Yugi,

i Am SoRRy TO JuST DISaPPeaR THe wAY i DiD, buT THEre WaS An AccIdEnT. I WaS iN a BaD Car

ACciDenT aND I LoSt UsE Of My Eye SiGht. DoCtoRs SaY tHaT my EyE SiGhT May REtuRn WiTH TiME, BuT

iT Is BeST To NoT GeT my HopES up. I aM No LoNgeR iN ScHooL BeCaUSe I No LonGEr LiVE In DomINo. I

Am Now LivIng aT MoNoTony'S OrPhaNaGe. My PaRenTs LeFT Me TheRE SaYiNG ThAt ThEY DiDn'T HaVE

TimE To CaRE FoR a BlIND KiD. As UsUaL ThEY CaRE MorE AbouT TheIR BuSineSs aND ImAge

ThaN me. DeSpiTe EVerYThinG I WaNT You To KnOw ThAT I Am SAFe And ThaT I Am ThiNKIng Of YoU.

SIncErELY,

TéA GarDEner

Yugi's hands shook as he read the letter. What were they going to do?

Mokuba was horrified, that was the orphanage Seto and he grew up in. He had to do something. Mokuba looked up to Yugi and Tristan (Joey was still pissed at Yugi). Mokuba said, "I will talk to Uncle Seth about it. Maybe we can do something to help her." Yugi and Tristan looked up hopefully.

…

When the limo reached his house, Mokuba ran upstairs screaming and crying, "SETO! SETO!"

Seto opened his bedroom door and was almost knocked over when his little brother lunged on him. He looked down at his little brother with a mixture of confusion and concern. "What is it Mokuba? What's wrong?" Kaiba asked.

"It's terrible big brother! Téa was hurt in a car accident and it caused her to go blind. Her parents didn't want to deal with a handicapped child so they dumped her off at the orphanage we grew up in. We gotta help her Seto! We just gotta! Don't you remember the years of torment we endured there?" Mokuba explained in deep sorrow.

Seto shied away from the idea of going back to the orphanage for several reasons. "She is a big girl Mokuba. She has a job and she can handle herself. She won't have to worry about getting bullied by the bigger kids because she can tell them off. She will be fine Mokuba." Kaiba prayed that this would end the discussion, but he knew it wouldn't.

Mokuba argued, "Seto, she is blind. How can she keep her job at Burger World? She can't work around the hot grease. She can't deliver orders without bumping into someone or spilling a plate on someone. Even if she could, how would she be able to get from the orphanage all the way to domino? It is an hour drive. Since she is blind, people are probably picking on her more because she can't defend herself. Please Seto, she can't see you, so she won't know who you are or how you look now that you are cursed. Please, can we take her in? Who knows, maybe she is the girl who can break your curse?"

Kaiba laughed at that comment, but he did feel like he had to do something. "Fine, but I still want you to call me your uncle Seth in front of her. She can't know what I have become," Kaiba said sadly.

…

As they pulled up outside the orphanage, both Seto and Mokuba shuttered, it looked even more rundown than it had been when they were there. 'What happened to all the money Kaiba corp. donated to the orphanage?' Seto wondered.

They walked past the kids in the yard and found the woman who ran the place. Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he saw the name brand clothing and gaudy jewelry the woman wore. He now knew where all the money went. "We are here to be foster family a young lady in your facility." Seto said to the woman in charge.

She smiled, 'Finally, I can get rid of one of those brats,' she thought to herself. "Come in and have a look around" she said to the hooded man, "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name."

"Seth," he replied simply. Him and Mokuba scanned the inside of the building and found Téa curled up in a bed in the corner. She looked much skinnier than the last time they had seen her. Kaiba swallowed hard, she looked like a shadow of the strong woman he once knew. He pointed to her and said, "She is the one."

The woman with the designer clothing pulled a nail filer and said, "Do you want to go get to know her better first. She is a bit quiet and she is blind, so she will need lots of training to be able to function like a normal human being…Maybe you would want a child who is more expressive. Like that child over there." The truth is Téa wasn't giving her any trouble. She would much rather pawn one of the more rambunctious children on him.

Seth shook his head no and said, "I already know her, now go get the papers."

She raised her hands in the air in defense and said, "Alright, Alright, I am going."

Seto followed Mokuba to the girl. Mokuba placed his hand on her shoulder and was shocked to see her put her hands up as if to protect her face. "Please don't hurt me!" she said fearfully.

That was when they noticed the bruises and scrapes. Kaiba's eyes widened in shock. So she was getting bullied here…Since she was blind that made her an easy target…she couldn't see who her opponent was. Seto saw the sadness in his younger brother's eyes when he said, "Téa, It's me! We are here to help."

"Mokuba?" she asked.

He nodded. He then chuckled when he realized she couldn't see him nodding and said, "Yeah, Set...h and I are here to bring you home. We can get you any special doctors and training you need. You can stay with us as long as you need to and can become part of our family now."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she listened to the young boy speak. "Mokuba, I appreciate this but have you even spoken to your uncle Seth about this yet?"

"I am standing right here," Seth said, "And yes, you have my consent to stay with us. It is not like the manor doesn't have enough rooms."

Téa chuckled slightly, she has seen the house several times. It is so big, even with her eyesight she could get lost in it. Téa then thought for a second, there is something very familiar about his voice.

The papers were brought out and she heard Seth scribble his signature on a page. Finally she was going back to her home town. She couldn't wait to see her friends again.

On the ride home, Mokuba talked about the things that had been going on with the group since she disappeared.

"Did Yugi and Joey ever patch things up?" Téa asked nervously.

Mokuba looked down at his feet in sadness, "No, other than when they go to school together, Joey refuses to be in the same room as Yugi."

Téa frowned and replied, "That's what I figured. Out of all the girls out there, why did he have to go for Mai? He knew that he would break Joey's heart."

'Because you were currently unavailable,' Kaiba thought to himself with a snicker.

The limo pulled up to the manor and came to a stop. Seth and Mokuba exited the vehicle and waited for her to exit, but she didn't move. That was when Kaiba realized she needed assistance getting inside. "The orphanage didn't give you a foldable cane?" Seth asked.

Téa shook her head and replied, "They didn't have money for it in the budget this month."

Kaiba's lips pursed together in irritation. 'Yeah, they didn't have money for a cheap plastic cane. But they had money to sponsor that Guinevere handbag.'

"We'll get you one Téa. Right Set…h" Mokuba said. Mokuba shook his head thinking, 'I almost called him Seto again.

Téa heard the one called Seth grunt in reply. Tea thought to herself, 'Like uncle like nephew I guess. Seth greatly reminded her of Mokuba's brother, Kaiba. Seth grabbed her by her arm and led her into the house. Once inside, he led her to a guest room and said, "This is your room. Try not to break anything as Mokuba gives you a tour of the house." Seth then left for his office.

Mokuba excitedly hugged her and said, "It's good to have you back."

She reached out to him and returned the hug and replied, "It's good to be back…Mokuba, I am a bit tired today, so could you just show me the bathroom and the kitchen for today that would be great. I don't want to get on your Uncle Seth's nerves by break anything on the first day."

Mokuba smiled and answered, "Of course, Uncle Seth should have you a walking cane by tonight. I am willing to bet he is researching your condition right now, and buying anything he can get his hands on to help you. Uncle Seth is like my brother in a lot of ways. He is seemingly uncaring in public, but for those he cares about, he will go above and beyond to help."

"What makes you think he cares about me Mokuba? We just met today. He is doing this to help you Mokuba, not me. He doesn't even know me." Téa asked.

Mokuba sighed, he couldn't tell Téa that his 'Uncle Seth' knew her extremely well. So he answered, "That may be Téa, but give it time. I am certain that you two will become good friends."