Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, or else it would be full of sad endings and character deaths! *see previous stories in series*
Here's my third installment, which is not romance! I don't pair guys together unless one is gender bent, so get your minds out of the gutter!
It picks up where the last one left off and gives some closure for the characters left behind!
I hope you like it!
Atem's Story - Marik
Atem's phone went off as he sat in a café with his biking buddy. He looked at the number and picked up. "I haven't heard from you in over a year, Set. Is something the matter?"
"Where are you right now?" Set's voice demanded.
"I'm in a small café with Marik, why?"
"I don't mean that where!"
"Someone's gotten up on the wrong side of the bed today," Atem teased, then answered, "We're in Machida right now, just having some lunch."
"You have to come back to Domino. Right now."
"What's going on?"
"I'll tell you when you get here, but it's life-changing."
"Well then, if it's that important to you, cousin. After we're done here, we'll head your way."
"Thank you, Atem."
He hung up and Marik asked, "What's Set-san want? It better not be some stupid tournament or a rematch to regain your title back. It was bad enough when Kaiba stole your title and your girl."
"Mitsuko made her choice, as loath as I am to admit it, she looked happiest when she was with Kaiba. I learned my lesson and won't make the same mistake again."
The blonde Egyptian frowned. "You tried your hardest to get her back, but I still say she's the bitchiest woman I've ever heard about in my entire life."
"There's a difference between her and a woman you refer to as a bitch, Marik. Come on, we have to get going."
"Then I just hope I never have to see her, or I'll punch her pretty face in."
Atem shook his head and left the diner with his friend on his heels.
When they arrived at Domino City, Atem was surprised to see white draped everywhere, along with a good amount of black. Marik, who wasn't quite familiar with Japanese tradition, questioned as they rode through the city towards the Kaiba Mansion, "What's going on? Are they celebrating a wedding?"
Atem shook his head. "No, this is a funeral."
He jerked his head towards the huge screens which were all over town. A funeral procession was playing on it and amongst the attendees were Yugi and his friends, along with some members of the Kaiba family, along with hundreds of others.
"Who died? Yugi's grandpa? It's about time the old man kicked the bucket."
"I'm sure we'll see once we get to the Kaiba Mansion, if Set is watching there."
As they got closer, they noticed that the streets were packed with cars, quite a few of them sporting some sort of black or white ribbon tied to a side mirror or antenna. They were forced to park almost five miles away from the mansion because they weren't letting vehicles through. Marik complained as they jogged over, "Why is Kaiba holding a funeral on his property? I didn't think he was that close to Yugi's grandpa."
Atem held his chest as he felt an overwhelming emptiness in his heart and soul that he hadn't noticed before. "Mitsuko…"
"Is she all broken up about this? You feel her sadness, since you're close to her?"
"No…I feel an emptiness that I haven't felt before in our faint link. I'm not waiting any longer, I have to know what's happened!"
He sprinted the rest of the way, only to see the funeral procession still going, heading towards the enormous backyard. It was then that he spotted not just one casket, but two. Both were draped with sheets that had the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on them. He almost choked when he didn't see Mitsuko or Kaiba among the mourners walking behind the coffins. Set met them at the start of the procession line, gesturing for them to follow. Marik raised his eyebrows and muttered, "What makes you think we want any part of this?"
Atem accepted both a black and white ribbon from Set and asked softly, "Who's died, Set?"
"You'll find out once you see the tombstones."
Marik crossed his arms and refused to take either ribbon. "You're just leading us on, you joker. You'd do something like this just for a laugh."
Set shot a glare at him. "I'll flay you open right here if you say one more time this is a joke, Ishtar. Just try it, I dare you."
"Set-oji-san!" a familiar voice snapped. "You promised not to fight today!"
Atem looked down to see Yuto wearing a white yukata, a black ribbon holding his hair back. He had tears running down his cheeks, and he seemed furious with everything. Mamoru was next to him, almost on the brink of wailing, even if he was constantly sniffing, scrubbing his eyes continuously. He held his chest tighter and knew the truth about one death, but it would only mean that the other was…
Set growled, but looked ahead again, Marik smirking. Atem put a hand on his arm. "Marik, look at my children. Would they look like that if this wasn't real?"
Lavender eyes lighted on the twins and widened. "I see what you mean. Last I heard, Yuto-kun had a falling out with his mom, so why's he here now?"
The former pharaoh didn't answer, he only knew that the emptiness he felt inside would never go away.
After the majority of the people were gone and the dirt had been placed in the twin graves, Atem was able to see the stone cold truth with his own eyes:
Kaiba Mitsuko
Loving Wife, Mother, Sister and Granddaughter
Irreplaceable Friend
You shall be forever missed
Kaiba Seto
Loving Husband, Father and Brother
Your memory will live on forever
Mitsuko's death date was exactly one week after Kaiba's.
His knees failed him and he knew he had to be sobbing like a child, but the emptiness seemed more prominent now. It was all he could feel, not even the grief could push through. He had a death grip on the Millennium Puzzle, the sharp edges cutting into his palms, but he felt no pain.
"Mitsuko…I can't…"
Set's voice sounded in his ears, just as empty as he felt. "When she heard the news of Seto's death, she went limp like a marionette that's had its strings cut. Only five minutes later, her body shut down. His death broke her in a way that couldn't be fixed, that she didn't want fixed, so she gave up. I don't think even you could've saved her."
"That bitch just had to go and die, didn't she?!" Marik spat bitterly. "She had no idea what this is gonna do to Atem! He was okay, as long as he knew she was happy with someone else, but now—"
"Marik, stop," Atem murmured, standing stiffly. "The dead cannot be brought back, so we must move on. I doubt she'd enjoy seeing me broken over her death." He turned to his cousin. "I'm sorry you lost Kaiba. What happened?"
"On his flight to America, his plane crashed into a mountain. It took a week for the searchers to find his body. From what I could feel, his death was instant, but I didn't know the truth until Isono told Mitsuko. I tried to bring her back, but she wanted to join Seto in death. I hope Osiris welcomed them into the Afterlife."
"I hope so as well. Although I'm sure you would want them to be devoured at Ammut, wouldn't you Marik?"
Marik huffed and bit out through gritted teeth, "She only gives you grief and he took her away from you."
"I'm happy that they'll be together."
His eyes widened when he heard someone calling him from within the Millennium Puzzle.
/Atem…\
/Mitsuko?\\
She appeared as a ghostly image in front of him, wearing a white yukata he'd never seen before and a headband with a white triangle over her forehead, her hair hanging to her waist. She held the Millennium Puzzle over his hands and smiled happily at him.
/This is my last message to you: I forgive you, so you can live in peace. Please, take care of our sons for me…\
/But, will Set and Yugi let me after I abandoned them?\\
/I've already settled things.\
/Why aren't you in the Afterlife with Kaiba?\\
She giggled and gestured to her feet, which weren't visible. /I don't believe in that, remember? If I wasn't content to go to Heaven with Seto, I'd haunt you as a ghost! I have to go now, so this is really sayonara!\
With that she let go of the Millennium Puzzle and floated upwards, vanishing into the sky.
Atem smiled and Marik asked, "What happened? You went spacy for a minute there."
"Mitsuko visited me for a moment. She was wearing a white yukata and a strange headband with a white triangle over her head. She forgave me and said her final goodbye."
Set snickered and revealed, "Seto just visited me, too, although he was rather grumpy about it, saying it was Mitsuko-san's idea. He wore the same things that you said she did."
"Perhaps they believed in a different afterlife?"
"I suppose so, since Seto didn't have any feet."
Marik raised his eyebrows. "What the hell are you two babbling about?"
Mokuba came running and called, "Come on, you three! Nii-sama and Mitsuko-san's wills are about to be read! You might be mentioned in them!"
They hurried over and sat down, just as Kaiba's lawyer opened the briefcase Kaiba was famous for. "I will be reading Kaiba Seto's will first, then his wife's." He cleared his throat and spoke in a loud, clear voice. "I, Kaiba Seto, do pass on my possessions to the following people:
"Kaiba Mokuba, fifty percent of Kaiba Corporation and all its assets, until the event that my daughter, Kaiba Shino, turns twenty years of age or marries, which it will fall to her. At that time, I leave my branch in America to you and your progeny.
"Kaiba Set, fifty percent of Kaiba Corporation and all its assets, until the event that my daughter, Kaiba Mei, turns twenty years of age or marries, which it will fall to her. At that time, I leave my branch in Europe to you.
"Kaiba Mamoru, the entirety of my Duel Monsters collection, including my dueling deck, as well as a fully-paid education at the Duel Academy when you turn fifteen and the college of your choice when you turn eighteen.
"Kaiba Yuto, a fully-paid education at the Duel Academy when you turn fifteen and the college of your choice when you turn eighteen.
"Should anything happen to my daughters before they reach the age of adulthood, everything they are to inherit will be given to charities all over Japan, save for what my brothers will inherit.
"Signed, Kaiba Seto, CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Master of Kaiba Mansion."
Noa shot up from his chair and protested, "What about me?! Why wasn't I mentioned in Seto's will?!"
Set gave him a cold glare. "You're considered an employee of Kaiba Corporation, not blood-related family, Noa."
"I'M MORE OF A BROTHER TO THEM THAN YOU, SET! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THE HELL YOU CAME FROM, YOU JUST APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE!"
"I was adopted with Seto and Mokuba by your father, so I am part of their family. And don't tell me I'm not blood-related, look at me."
"You're some imposter who's somehow taken Seto's appearance with a tan!"
Set laughed. "What you said was absurd, Noa. You can't change a will once it's been read."
Kaiba's lawyer cleared his throat to make them stop. "I will now read Kaiba Mitsuko's will." He coughed and read it the same as he did Kaiba's. "I, Kaiba Mitsuko, do pass on my possessions on to the following people:
"Kaiba Set: co-guardianship of my twin daughters, Kaiba Shino and Kaiba Mei, to care, educate and love in the place of my husband and me, so they will become successful businesswomen in the place of their father when they come of age.
"Kaiba Mokuba: co-guardianship of my twin daughters, Kaiba Shino and Kaiba Mei, to care, educate and love in the place of my husband and me, so they will become successful businesswomen in the place of their father when they come of age.
"Kaiba Mamoru: my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon card.
"Kaiba Yuto: all the love and forgiveness you deserve.
"Mutou Yugi: my collection of photo albums that you've always wanted to see that I never got around to showing you. Share it with all our friends, they're in there, too.
"Damiri Atem—"
Atem looked up at the sound of his name. Was this what Mitsuko had meant by she had everything settled?! She had him in her will?!
"—guardianship of my twin sons, Kaiba Yuto and Kaiba Mamoru, their last names changed to Damiri, to care, educate and love in the place of my husband and me. Also, all my home videos, personal journals and the personal possessions I owned from my fifteenth birthday to my high school graduation. Those memories are yours to keep, my first love.
"Signed, Kaiba Mitsuko, Mistress of the Kaiba Mansion."
At once, Mamoru stood up and shot a watery glare at Atem. "I won't go with you! You're not my dad! Seto-otou-san is! You never cared about me unless you were to marry Oka-san and make her miserable!"
Kaiba's lawyer sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, son, but your mother's will clearly states that you will now live with your birth father and until you turn fifteen, you cannot change that."
Mamoru's face flushed in vexation, but he sat back down and pouted. Yuto actually ran over to him and hugged him tight. "I've always wanted you to be part of my family, Otou-san! I won't make any trouble for you!"
Marik growled and muttered, "I guess we'll have to invest in an apartment, or a pair of side cars."
Atem raised his eyebrows. "Marik…"
"What?! They're not my kids!"
"If you want to leave, you may, but I'm staying here so they can stay at the school they're going to right now."
"Fine, but if Ka-chan's boy can't behave, I'm having no part in keeping him in line."
"Very well, but I'm sure Mamoru will come around eventually. It's not in his nature to be stubborn."
Once everything was settled in their new apartment with three bedrooms and one bathroom, Atem had absolutely no idea what to do with the boys to entertain them, since it was in the middle of winter vacation. Marik was watching a movie on the TV and eating out of a bag of potato chips, when Yuto came over and demanded, "Move over, Marik-san! You're hogging the couch!"
Marik snorted and replied, "That's not gonna work, little prince. You're not king of this flat."
The twelve-year-old frowned and crossed his arms. He looked so much like his dad it was scary, even if he was only half his size. "Of course not, Marik-san. Otou-san is."
The statement made the blonde break out in laughter. Atem shook his head and placed a hand on his son's head. "Yuto, mind your manners, even if you don't like Marik."
Yuto pouted, but rephrased his demand to a request. "Marik-san, would you move over for me to sit on the couch too, please?"
"Now that's better. Sure."
Marik moved from his lounging position to one side of the couch, continuing to munch on the chips. Yuto sat down, but continued to watch the man with a shrewd expression. For the next half an hour, nothing changed as Atem watched them from the kitchen as he fixed a simple dinner of sandwiches for them. When the movie ended, Marik turned the TV off and turned to the boy.
"It's rude to stare, you know. What do you want?"
"Are you related to Otou-san?"
Marik laughed again and when the boy narrowed his eyes, he answered, "Related? No, not by three thousand years!"
Yuto cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"I'm descended from a tribe of tomb keepers that pledged to protect a certain pharaoh's tomb. That pharaoh, to be exact."
He'd pointed to Atem when he'd stressed "that".
"Otou-san isn't a pharaoh! Oka-san was just telling a story when she told me!"
Atem chuckled and placed the plates on the table. "Dinner's ready, everyone."
The pair sat down, but Mamoru, who'd gone into the room he shared with his brother the instant they'd unpacked everything, didn't appear. Marik bit into his sandwich and muttered, "Stubborn brat."
Atem called louder, "Mamoru!"
The sound of the door shutting was heard and he sighed. "He must not want to eat right now."
Yuto mumbled through a bite of food, "Mamoru hasn't eaten since yesterday, he's been crying so much. I only cried during Oka-san's funeral."
Marik snorted. "Leave the brat be. When the hunger becomes too much, he'll eat."
But the next day, at dinner, Mamoru still hadn't emerged from his room. Atem asked Yuto, "Where is Mamoru?"
"He's on the top bunk, but he's not sleeping. He still has his clothes from yesterday on and last night, I heard him crying again," the boy answered honestly, even if he frowned. "If he doesn't eat and keeps crying, he's gonna get sick."
"Even if you fight with him, you still love your brother, don't you Yuto?"
"Of course! He's my brother! He's the only friend I have!"
Marik scowled and crossed his arms. "Atem, you gotta get him out of his room and eating, or else he'll actually die from dehydration. Has he been drinking at all, little prince?"
Yuto shook his head. "He's been too sad."
Atem got up from his place at the head of the table and went straight to the boys' room. He opened the door and saw a tuft of pink-tipped black hair from the top bunk. He climbed up the ladder and gazed at his second son. "Mamoru?"
No reaction.
"Mamoru, if you don't come and eat soon, you'll join Mitsuko. Do you want that?"
"…yes," came the soft reply.
"Am I such a monster that you won't even give me a chance to be your father? I know you dislike me for your mom's sake, but all I ever wanted from her was her love and happiness. I left her because I truly felt her life was in danger, being with me. She could've died even earlier, and I would've carried the burden all my life. I honored her request to take care of you in her stead, but you're not letting me do a good job by doing this to yourself. Even if I wasn't with your mom during most of your life, I loved her, and I love you."
"…you made her sad."
"I know—"
"No you don't. When she was pregnant with Shino-chan and Mei-chan, she was so sad she threw up, screamed, said scary things, and for hours, not just a little bit. You made her so sad she gave up on living when Seto-otou-san died. You made her so sad she said she wanted you to die. She's never said that about anyone before."
Atem gazed at the boy with sorrow that had no bounds. "Mamoru, I haven't told this to anyone but a couple people, but your mom visited me for a fleeting moment as a ghost. She…forgave me for what I'd done and gave me a second chance at being your father."
Mamoru rolled over, showing he was very pale and his eyes were bloodshot and puffy from his constant weeping. "How can I believe you?"
"Your mom and I were connected through the Millennium Puzzle. Only I saw her, and she was happy. She told me she was going to Heaven with Kaiba and not haunt me."
After a long moment, the boy nodded. "Your eyes tell me you're not lying. Um…" He blushed. "I'm so hungry I can't move…could you…help me?"
Atem smiled and lifted his son, carrying him to the kitchen table, where the boy dug into his food like a person possessed. Marik smirked and muttered to his friend, "How'd you get him out of here without kicking and screaming?"
"I told him the truth about Mitsuko's last wishes."
"Clever, using her against him."
"I wasn't being clever, I truly want him to love me as a father and trust me as much as he trusted his mom."
"Well, it isn't going to be easy, if he's this stubborn about being here. Once he gets his strength back, I'm sure he's going to hole himself back in that room again, believe me."
"We'll see."
And that's the end! It feels rather incomplete because I might come back to it someday, just not right now!
Please review!