Family Portrait
Seto Kaiba sighed as he glanced at himself in the mirror. He wore black dress pants and a black blazer over a white button up shirt. A blue tie added to the look. How had he let Mokuba talk him into this? He noted that the next time Mokuba asked for something he should pay rapt attention. Of course things at the Kaiba mansion had changed recently. From down the hall he could hear running, videogame music, and the radio. He sighed and covered his ears. There was a knock on the door.
"Oniisama are you ready?" Mokuba asked
"Yeah, come in," Seto answered
Mokuba wandered into Seto's room. He looked at the outfit his brother had chosen and smiled. Seto was actually being accommodating. Mokuba plunked onto Seto's bed. He wore a dark button up shirt and black dress pants.
"Thanks, for doing this, Oniisama. It really means a lot to me,"
Seto looked at Mokuba's huge grin. He couldn't disappoint him now.
"No problem Mokuba," Seto answered, "are the others ready?"
"Nope, Ayumi is still getting ready and Skya is trying to find her shoes,"
As if on cue an eighteen year old girl poked her head into the room.
"Hey guys. Talking about me behind my back?" she teased as she walked into the spacious room. She went to the mirror and checked over her dress. The teen had long raven hair and coffee brown eyes. Her name was Skya, and she was Kaiba's cousin. Her outfit was a summer dress. It was sapphire blue with little spaghetti straps. There were soft sequins sewn into the dress, which made it twinkle in the right light. As Kaiba watched her examining herself in the mirror, he thought back to that day months ago when she had shown up at his door.
Seto answered the door annoyed that someone had pulled him from his quarterly reports. There at his door stood a young woman wearing a blue tank top and jeans.
"Hi, would you please tell Mr. Kaiba, that Ms. Skya Mizuhara is here,"
"Who are you and what nut farm did you escape from?" Seto replied
"Ha Ha very funny, now seriously, tell Gozaburo that I'm here,"
"Wait, Gozaburo, as in Gozaburo Kaiba?"
"Yes," the maiden replied
Seto tried to shut the door. If this girl had anything to do with Gozaburo, she could only mean trouble for him. The young girl grabbed the door though. To his surprise she was strong enough to keep him from shutting the door.
"Listen. Ms. Mizuhara I'm sorry, but Gozaburo Kaiba died years ago,"
Skya looked dumbfounded. She hung her head.
"My uncle is dead? Why wasn't my family informed?"
Uncle? Kaiba just stared incredulously. She was Gozaburo's niece.
Seto checked his watch. He had five hours free. Not nearly enough time to sort out the potentially messy situation.
"Come inside. We obviously have a lot to talk about," Seto began.
She stepped into the foyer. Seto led her to the dining room and motioned for her to sit. He set a kettle of water on the stove. Tea would help him to calm down.
"Would you like some tea?" he asked
"Yes," Skya replied absently
Seto left her to her thoughts for a little while as he made tea. He watched her from behind the counter that separated the kitchen from the dinning room. He considered her. Was she telling the truth? Would she challenge his claim to Kaiba Corp? He couldn't let her threaten the life he'd worked so hard to build. After the tea was done he poured them into two mugs and offered her one.
"Thank you," she said
"How is it that I didn't know Gozaburo had more relatives?" Seto asked Suspicion edged his voice.
"You are…" she wondered
"I'm Seto Kaiba, the CEO of Kaiba Corp. Gozaburo adopted me six years ago,"
He wondered how she did not know he was the most publicized CEO in all of Japan.
"Oh I see. Akiko Mizuhara, my mother, was Gozaburo's younger sister. My father, Isamu Mizuhara, is a military officer, and we moved quite often. My mother would bring me to visit uncle Gozaburo when my father got stationed near domino, but we haven't been in Japan since I was seven,"
So that was why she didn't know about him.
"Gozaburo never spoke with me about his family. His lawyer handled many of the details after he died. Perhaps he dropped the ball when it came to informing you," Seto offered the best explanation he could think of.
"From what my mother had said, Gozaburo was disowned by their father. Mother was the only family he had any contact with. Actually that's why I'm here. I'm starting at Domino University in a week and mother wanted me to check on him. Mother! Can I borrow your phone and call her?"
"Yes, there's a phone in the foyer," Seto answered
"Thank you,"
She hurried into the foyer. Meanwhile, Seto called his lawyer on the private line.
"Eri san, look up Gozaburo's will. See if there is anything that mentions Akiko or Skya Mizuhara," he ordered
Skya returned from the foyer.
"How did she take it?" Seto asked
"She's upset, but she's a strong woman," Skya answered as she sat down again. She was quiet-no-she was respectfully mournful. Seto couldn't help but find it odd that she was mourning the man who had made his childhood a living nightmare. A morbid curiosity filled him and he spoke without thinking.
"What was he like when you knew him?"
"He was quiet and withdrawn. He always seemed to be working and unhappy. It was as if he had lost something precious and was trying to reclaim it through his work,"
Seto considered her version of Gozaburo and wondered what might have changed him into the monster Seto had known.
It turned out that Gozaburo bequeath a large sum of money to Skya, and he had left some property to Akiko. When the documents were signed and sealed Skya went on with her life. No attempts to take over the company or somehow get a bigger slice of the Kaiba fortune. She did not come to the mansion again-until that day.
Seto opened the door to find Skya standing on his porch again. This time she was carrying a suitcase. She looked miserable.
"Can I come in?" she asked
Seto was not quite sure how to react to a depressed girl on his doorstep, but he decided to follow his instincts.
"What happened?"
"My boyfriend dumped me,"
"Is that all?"
"That is not all," Skya said bitterly, "I was living with him in his apartment. I don't have anywhere to go now,"
"Well did you try the university dorm?"
"The dorm is full,"
"What about a friend's apartment?"
"You're the only one I know in this city,"
"Then you should stay here," Mokuba suggested
Both teens turned to Mokuba who stood at the living room door watching them.
"Mokuba" Seto began
"Seto, you can't just throw her out into the cold. We have the room. Please let her stay?"
Seto looked at Skya. She wiped her eyes dry. At that moment she looked so vulnerable.
"Skya, do you want to stay with us?" Seto asked
She nodded.
"Thank you," she breathed
"I'll show you to your room," Mokuba offered
That was how Skya had come to live with Seto Kaiba. To Seto's surprise, he actually got used to having her live with him.
"Seto?"
Seto broke out of his revelry as Skya called him.
"Yes?"
"Seto, are you alright? You spaced out there,"
"I'm fine. I was just planning my speech for next week's board meeting," Seto answered
"Always working, huh Seto?" Skya smiled teasingly
There was a knock on Seto's bedroom door and a young boy with turquoise hair and navy eyes entered the room. He wore an ivory colored shirt and black pants. He also had a dark jacket to go over the shirt.
"Hey Noa" Mokuba greeted.
"Hi," the young boy replied
Skya had been wondering something for a long time . It was after two weeks of living with him she finally asked.
"What happened to my cousin Noa?"
"Noa, died before I came to live here," Seto answered
He returned to his work. Seto seemed agitated by the question so Skya decided not to press the issue and leave his office. Seto glared softly at his computer. The memory of that horrible morning in the virtual world played in his mind. Skya sighed and went to her room. Seto was such a cold housemate. He had a really fast DSL line though, so she hooked her computer to the line. She turned on her laptop intending to surf the net and distract herself. As her computer was booting up Mokuba came into the room.
"Hey Skya,"
"Hey Mokie,"
"What are you doing?"
"Just surfing,"
"Hey, I'm not connected through my normal browser,"
"Yeah, all computers in the house connect through the Kaiba Corp servers,"
Skya blinked she was sure she had seen something flash across the screen. Seconds later it happened again. Then the image flickered the third time and stabilized. It couldn't be, but it was.
"Noa?" both Mokuba and Skya gasped at the screen
"Yes," the screen answered
"That can't be. You died when the underwater fortress exploded," Mokuba stated
"I managed to survive somehow. I'm in a hidden file in the server," Noa explained
"Noa do you remember me?"
The virtual boy squinted at the screen and then gasped.
"Cousin Skya," he smiled
"Cousin Noa," she answered happily and hugged the screen.
Mokuba sweat dropped at the odd scene.
"How did you get into the Kaiba Corp servers?" Noa asked
"I'm at Kaiba mansion. The lines connect to the servers,"
"Oh,"
Noa explained about how he died and his mind was trapped inside a virtual world.
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Skya said giving her cousin a sympathetic look.
"I just wish I could be out in the real world again,"
Skya quietly considered her cousin's plight.
"Hey I've got an idea," Mokuba chimed
"How about we make you a hologram?" We could download your mind as its control program. It wouldn't be the same as having a real body, but it would let you come out of the computer," Mokuba offered
"Why can't we?" Skya asked
"Well we don't know how to use the holo design software," Mokuba answered
"Says who?" Skya smiled
"You know how to use the software?" Noa and Mokuba asked
"Well, I'm majoring in Multimedia design. We've been learning Holo software techniques," Skya replied
"Then lets do it," Mokuba said
"Alright," Skya agreed
"We'll get you out of there in no time," Mokuba smiled at Noa.
Noa beamed back.
They worked in secret late at night. The nights past and after weeks of trail and error, Skya finally finished the design.
"Alright, begin download," Skya commanded
"Initiating download," the computer answered
The hologram floated softly above its projector. It looked like at sleeping Noa. The download began, and as Noa's mind entered the program the hologram became more vivid. Skya and Mokuba held their breath as the program finished downloading. The eyes opened.
"I'm awake," Noa stated
Skya and Mokuba hugged each other in celebration
Noa was grateful for his hologram. He was able to move about the room and escape from the virtual world for a while. He could almost play with his cousin and brother. He was living a somewhat normal life. He would have been happy, but an interesting turn of events changed his existence again.
"Stop!" Yugi screamed as he chased the mysterious stranger.
The stranger turned a corner. He noticed a dark door and snuck in hoping to hide. He breathed quietly in the dark gazing at his precious treasure, the Millennium puzzle. He noticed another door and walked towards it. He tripped over a protrusion in the hall, and fell over a young boy. The young boy gazed at the man curiously. He leaned down offering his hand to help him, but his hand went through the thief.
"Gh-Gh-Ghost!" the thief screamed
He rushed out the door and banged into an angry Seto Kaiba. Yugi had returned with Joey and Tristan. Joey punched the thief square in the face, and he slumped against the wall, unconscious. Inside the lab, the Millennium puzzle began to glow. It filled the room with a strong light. Seto stared at his lab. He rushed inside to see what had happened and left Yugi and Joey to watch over the thief. Noa blinked. His eyes came into focus and he remembered seeing a bright light. He put his hands down and pushed himself up. Wait minute, hands! Noa realized that he had somehow become solid. He put his hand on his chest. He was real. He had a real body again. Joy filled Noa's heart. He was back. The sound of police sirens drifted from outside, but nothing could steal Noa's happiness. The light flickered and Seto glared into the room. He froze in complete shock at what he saw.
After an incredible explanation from Skya and Mokuba, Seto began to calm down. Both of them lobbied for Noa and soon the room across the hall from Mokuba's room had a new occupant. The thief was caught and put in jail. Noa was set up with new clothes and toys. Seto tried to keep it as quiet as possible that Gozaburo's blood son had come back to life. He was also cold to Noa due to suspicions that Noa would try to take the company. His suspicions never came true, and he accepted that Noa was a good friend to Mokuba.
Seto was pulled out of his memories as the doorbell rang.
"The photographer's here," Skya noted
"I'll get it," Noa and Mokuba replied in sync
They laughed and rushed out of the room and down the stairs.
Skya smiled after them. She glanced at Seto and they followed the two boys. They reached the room and Noa and Mokuba were taking their seats beside a young girl. She rolled her eyes at her brothers' antics. The young girl looked to be about six. She had long blonde hair and amber eyes. Seto and Skya climbed down the stairs and welcomed the photographer. Soon the photographer had everyone gathered and posed.
"Smile"
Everyone obeyed and the first flash went off.
"Oniisama, is my piano teacher coming today?"
"Yes, Ayumi, at noon,"
Ayumi smiled and turned to face the photographer again. Seto smiled at his young cousin. He remembered his life at that age, and he wanted to make sure her childhood was different.
"Alright what is this about?" Seto said testily as he walked into his lawyer's office on a spring morning.
"Mr. Kaiba if you will sit down, we can begin,"
Seto noticed that along with Eri, there was another lawyer in the room.
"Kaiba san, this Hashiro Tabe,"
Seto took a seat.
"Mr. Kaiba I was the legal attorney for your aunt, Tomoko Yagami,"
"Tomoko is my aunt by marriage. Her husband, Keitaro, was my father's brother,"
"Yes, well, Mr. Kaiba, both Mr. and Mrs. Yagami died in a car crash this weekend. They've left you something in their will," Tabe tried to explain.
"I don't want it. They took every cent my parents left for me and threw my brother and me out into the cold. Whatever land or money they left me won't make up for that,"
"Mr. Kaiba they didn't leave you land or money," Eri said meekly
"Then what?" Seto asked
"They gave you custody of their daughter, Ayumi Yagami,"
A young girl walked into the office. Her blonde hair was tied with a blue ribbon and she wore a simple blue summer dress.
"The child is your legal charge now,"
As he looked at Asura, Seto was reminded of his youth. There was fear and sadness in her eyes and it spoke to his heart.
"I will take care of her," he answered
They took multiple portraits of the entire household and some individual shots. The photographer left after Seto gave him the check. The pictures arrived the next day and Mokuba insisted on putting them in an album and framing one. Seto choose a photo of the family posing together and smiling. Seto was in the center. Skya was on his right. Mokuba, Noa, and Ayumi stood in front of the two teens. In the background were the double stairs with red carpeting that led upstairs. Mokuba framed it and put it on the mantel of the fireplace in the main living room.
"It looks great," Skya said
"Yeah," Noa agreed
Ayumi smiled.
Soon the Kaiba household got back to normal Noa and Mokuba were playing videogames. Skya was in her room typing up a term paper. Ayumi was in the library reading. Kaiba looked at the photo and smiled. He had forgotten what it felt like to be part of a family. Noises erupted from all three rooms upstairs. The family might be crazy, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
Owari
I do not own Yu-gi-oh or any of the related characters.
This was just an interesting idea that popped into my head. What would happen if Kaiba had two new girls come to live with him? Also I wanted to do a piece where we brought Noa back from the dead. I like his character and the concept of him as the third Kaiba brother has always interested me. Skya (sky-ah) and her last name Mizuhara are pure figments of my imagination.
Ayumi and her family are also made up. There is actually a fansite somewhere that lists Yagami as Seto's pre-adoption name. Whether or not this is true I don't know, but that was the only suggested birth name for Seto. I wanted this to be a long story, but I don't have the time or creative energy so I just made a one-shot. If any of you would like to draw the family portrait I described you have my blessing. Thank you for reading. Any questions, comments, concerns, or corrections can be sent to