Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, nor do I claim rights to any of the affiliated characters.
Warnings/Notes: I'll try to make this as concise as I can, the story which you are about to read (or decide against reading) has a plot that is lacking at best; it is full of fluff, silliness, and eventual character development and timeline that does not coincide with canon. In other words: crack, AU, etc. The only other offense would be (minimal) profanity.
This piece was written for an amazing friend This Wreckage who is celebrating a birthday soon. Thank you for so many endless conversations full of insight, words of encouragement and wisdom, and above all, friendship under crazy circumstances. Your well of knowledge and kindness has changed me and my view of Yugioh as a whole, I appreciate everything you've done for me more than words can ever express, though I hope it shows in this work just a little. Happy Birthday.
The Man My Father Wasn't
Passing rains made the first few weeks of July humid and uncomfortable but Mokuba denied his driver's request to escort him home. He was thirteen today, and though he knew it wasn't much different from twelve, it still filled him with a new desire to assert his independence. After a short walk, he was approaching the Kaiba mansion where Seto would be waiting to celebrate. From now on he could tease the elder every time he called him little, asserting that he was just like Seto, a teenager. He bounded up the marble stairs and into the cool gust of central air, expecting the casual smile of his brother to greet him from beyond the door.
"Seto, I'm home!" He called cheerily as he propped his backpack against the wall and slipped out of his shoes. "He must be in his office." He mused aloud, making his way to the kitchen and pouring himself a glass of lemonade. He sipped once, expression souring at the cloying sweetness of the convenience store drink. Stickiness washed over him, clinging to his mouth the way damp air clung to his body like a second skin. Regarding it for a long moment, he tossed the can in the trash and hurried upstairs to shower and redress. If he was quick, he'd have time to put his uniform in the laundry room before Seto finished whatever phone call was keeping him.
It wasn't worth half the excitement he gave it, not compared to extravagant trips and meals the other children at school bragged about, but he liked the simple birthday dinner and movie tradition. He didn't have to rush, Seto would hold his calls for the night, and unlike usual the next day was a weekend for Mokuba, but he made quick work of getting ready. Any quality time with his brother was a precious commodity, and he intended to treasure it as long as he could.
"Big brother." He called as he descended the stairs, wet hair dripping onto the tile floor of the laundry room as he dropped off his clothes, "Where are you?" No reply, he shrugged it off and ventured to the largest of three offices on the ground floor. Paperwork for the newest addition to Kaiba Land was strewn about the desk, untouched, but the CEO was nowhere to be found.
At first Mokuba thought he was running behind on the cake effort this year, usually it was waiting for him when he came home from school, along with a chocolate parfait and a half-hearted apology for not bothering with a cheesy birthday card. Each year he told their baker to make it sloppier, more convincingly "homemade," and each year Mokuba saw through it but pretended he didn't, just for fun.
However, a brief journey to the kitchen – and then to the guest kitchen, which was preposterous because they never had guests long enough to use it, foiled his theory. Having no other option, he pulled out his phone and began to dial. It rang three times, and Mokuba's heart sank, Seto only let it go this long when he was too busy to be bothered. In a moment he would pick up, cursing under his breath, realizing it was the only person in the world he actually wanted to talk to.
"Mokuba." He breathed abruptly, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing, where are you?" He forced laughter into his voice to mask disappointment, the way Seto paused before his answer made it apparent he hadn't done a good job of it.
"You didn't read the note." He said flatly, trying to gather the words he needed while struggling to address the crisis evolving around him.
"No." Mokuba replied, "You'll be late, I take it."
Seto waved off a drone from accounting coming to assess goals for the new fiscal year, diverting his attention to the phone, and the IT team furiously working to wipe out a virus, "Some idiot tried to hack the mainframe and managed to put a glitch in the security mechanism, our systems are entirely locked and we've got a deal going through with I2 on Monday for new card designs. If I don't fix this, I'll have to deal with that psychotic buffoon and his infantile manner of negotiating."
Mokuba laughed at Seto's always-harsh string of insults toward Pegasus, and reminded him to take his time, "It's no big deal," he lied, making his way upstairs to his bedroom with an ice cream sandwich from the freezer, "just come home when you can. I know you'll have this figured out before tomorrow, and then you'll have two whole days to think about proposing your new dragon deck ideas."
He seemed thankful for permission to continue working out the issue, "Don't worry Mokuba, when I'm done here I'll be cleaning out this entire worthless department. I can't get my hands tied up in every little thing these idiots fail to prepare for."
In the background he could hear a chorus of stammering protests from database administrators and various software engineers, "Mr. Kaiba, there's no way we could have predicted – "
"I'm not asking you to be a psychic, I'm asking you to do your damn job!" He snapped, then, grunting at the idea of having forgotten to move the phone away, shielding Mokuba from the outburst, he addressed the boy, "Give me a few hours tops."
"Like I said it's no big deal, take your time and crush whoever did this!"
"Don't worry, I intend to."
"Goodbye for now then, I love you."
"You too Mokuba, bye."
His brother's voice lingered a moment longer, trailing off as it was replaced by the static of the phone line, until, all at once, it was gone. The young heir sunk down onto the bed, unwrapping the ice cream and using his free hand to flick on the television. Even with hundreds of channels there was hardly anything watchable, but he was determined to find something, even an old Godzilla remake, to pass the time until he could spend it with Seto.
As he skipped through several of the same advertisements in a row, his phone rang, "Mokuba!" His brother exclaimed dramatically.
"Yes?" He mewed, bewildered.
"Happy birthday."
Mokuba sighed, pushing the weight in his stomach down as he licked the dripping edges of his treat, trying to ignore the potent tug of sadness, "Thank you, now get to work!" He playfully ordered, and with a final, relieved note of acknowledgement, his brother hung up for good.
Thirteen. The first birthday for which Seto broke their routine of clearing the night for each other, the first birthday that showed him second to work, if only for a night. As hours passed in reflection, he was both hard and easy on his brother. It wasn't that Seto didn't love or want to be with him, as a CEO he had priorities, there would be setbacks no one could foresee, and yet, he couldn't help but know that this would not be an exclusive occurrence. Like all things Seto promised and let slip, it would gradually get easier to find a way around.
The year Mokuba turned eleven, he wished on his birthday candles for them to eat dinner together every night. Since he had stopped believing in magic when his brother called it a fairy tale, he told Seto instead of some odd, intangible force of "god" in the universe. It lasted three months before he called at five thirty and said, "I'm so sorry, they're having an emergency meeting in marketing for a copyright issue and we need such-and-such out before Christmas…" Its fine, the child said, stay as long as you need to. The routine stopped, and like skipping meaningless classes, or homework assignments, never started again.
When he turned twelve he wished, also to Seto, for more hours in the day. "You won't be so stressed if you have more time to reach deadlines." He explained, but the elder only smiled and told him that stretching time was impossible. That year, things did and did not change. Seto tried as hard as ever to make time for him, and he cherished the outpour of love, knowing that every moment he was away was securing their future. However, as twelve became thirteen, he realized it wasn't more time or more help that Seto needed, even acquiring twice the employees and profit he had in the previous six months, he was behind.
Short tempered and exhausted from stress, he took no time off to relax, and would not allow his brother to help with simple tasks such as paperwork, even when he insisted that he would have to do all of this one day, too. The only thing keeping Kaiba trapped at work was the monster he had created in his own head. Even when his only opponent was himself, Seto pushed for something more, something perfect. It wasn't enough to create a duel disk, it constantly had room to be faster, smoother, more realistic, until details were so fine-tuned that the CEO was the only one who could possibly notice the changes.
A strong, world renowned reputation and several million dollars later, it wasn't a question of Kaiba Corp's stability tying him to further investments and innovations, it was his lack of ability to face the other half of life. He did not have friends, more like acquaintances he tolerated rather than talked to. It used to be, a frightfully short time ago, that Mokuba could pull him into the playful, personal side of existence and keep him there. But even he, the only person his brother trusted, was losing his touch.
At this rate, Seto would survive on deadlines and documents, moving from one day to the next meeting goals until there were none left to set, and no places left to go. The company would reach a plateau, as all companies do, leaving the man's life at a standstill. He hated to admit it, but if something didn't change, his brother would be looking back on a life with little purpose and a lot of meaningless things.
People would remember him, Mokuba knew that, but he feared that they would not respect nor admire him in those memories. Seto was his only hero, but ordinary people didn't see Seto like he did – they didn't know him at all.
Hurried footsteps broke his concentration; he knew that brisk, confident strut anywhere. He leapt from his bed and crossed the room for the light switch; it was nearly 11:30, too early for the natural night owl to be in bed. If he sat around with the TV blaring infomercials in the dark he'd look like a rejected thirty-something super mom stuffing her face with ice cream. He thought back to the abandoned wrapper on his bed, but dismissed it, Seto probably wouldn't notice.
"Ah!" Both brothers reached the doorway at the same time, nearly knocking each other over.
"I'm sorry about earlier kiddo." He began immediately, stepping back and placing a free hand on Mokuba's shoulder, "I brought you this." The other hand extended a chocolate parfait big enough for at least three people. "Can you forgive me?"
Mokuba laughed right out loud, "And you gripe at Yugi for being dramatic, of course I forgive you!" He wrapped both arms around the elder's towering frame, hugging him tight.
"Wanna grab dinner somewhere, you can pick the place."
He considered this for a moment, eyes drifting from the ice cream to the bags forming under Seto's eyes, "It's really late." He replied, feigning reluctance, "If you don't mind, I'd rather just have…"
Seto smiled and extended the treat, "Take your sweets." He said, and catching the hopeful look in the younger's eye as he took a giant spoonful added, "If something's bothering you, you need to tell me."
It solicited the exact reaction he was looking for, Mokuba looked at him in shock, forcing himself to swallow the mound of ice cream in his mouth, "Nothing's wrong, I'm just tired tonight." He took another bite, smiling broadly to reiterate.
Seto gave him one last look of disbelief before nodding toward the dish in his hand, "You should get some sleep."
Mokuba gave an obedient mock salute, "I will, don't worry."
Seto shook his head slightly at the chocolate mustache beginning to form on his brother's face, then turned his back to the doorway and paused, contemplating. As much work as he had left to do, he was sure something was wrong with Mokuba, "I'll be up a little while longer, when you've finished why don't you come over to my room." He picked his briefcase up from its spot in the hallway, "You can sleep with me tonight."
The boy brightened considerably at the chance to be close to Seto in a way he hadn't been for years, since his nightmares of Gozaburo ended, "I'll be there." He assured, and as his brother took leave from him again, for however short a time, he put down the food for a final glance at the clock. 11:59.
If he wanted to make a wish this year, he had to hurry. He gathered his thoughts, trying to force them not to stray to Seto, and how alone he truly was if they took family out of the equation. It crossed his mind then, who did Seto have if not him? Where were his big, strong arms to crawl into when things got hard…when he was sad? Who pushed him on tire swings at the park, even when he'd gotten too big? When fears wrapped themselves around him, Seto would not burden Mokuba with them. Aside from work, where was his place to hide? And then it hit the now thirteen year old: he didn't have one.
For the first time he could remember, he bowed his head and offered a genuine wish to whoever was willing to listen.
I know we stopped talking a while ago, but please, if anybody's out there, my only wish is for Seto to have one day with someone who loves and looks out for him the way he does me. If he could have just one day of childhood with someone who cares, maybe then he could change: trust people and be happy. If you can make him as content as he's made me, even for a little while, I promise I won't ask for any more favors.
When he opened his eyes it was midnight, and he was stuck in regret for something that was not his fault. He grabbed the garbage from his bed and threw it out, ignoring the overwhelming feeling that maybe, in the morning, things would change. As he made the short walk to his brother's bedroom, he recognized an odd sense of peace settling in his stomach. He wondered if invisible beings did exist in the universe, granting special wishes and keeping others secret for a while.
As he would find out, telling these beings what was in his heart was not the waste his brother claimed it to be, because sometimes, in the waning moments of the night, they listened.
Mokuba awoke to a strange alarm on his cell phone, bleary eyed and fighting drowsiness he pressed silence, settling down into his pillow. "Seto," He murmured when the strange noise disturbed his peace again a few minutes later, "Something's wrong with my phone, can you look at it?" The elder did not reply, in fact, despite the irritating intrusion of their dreams, he had not stirred at all. Slowly the child sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes and blinking a few times to adjust to the little daylight early morning provided. Glancing next to him, he realized the bed was empty but showed obvious signs of use.
His brow furrowed in thought for a moment as he opened the small device, which was frozen on a timer, counting down from 19:30:08. By that time it'll be…midnight. He observed, throwing the rest of the bed dressings from around his body and fleeing to the bathroom. In between brushing his hair and teeth, he fought with the phone to pull up any other screen, but all functions were somehow disabled. Red numbers flashed at the end of each new minute, and with Seto mysteriously gone, there was nothing to do but pocket the item and hurry to get dressed.
Halfway down the hall he was stopped by Roland, "Where is Mr. Kaiba?" He inquired as the boy pressed passed him.
"He's…busy." Mokuba replied, shaking his head at the stupid response. He needed a lot more practice at thinking on his feet, if Seto wasn't so reluctant to delegate tasks, he might've had more experience by now. "He'll be back home tonight, until then if you need something ask me."
"Sir, are you certain Mr. Kaiba would – "
"Are you questioning the vice president?" The adolescent cut in sharply. Flinching, Roland relented and explained that he would need to be present for a briefing at noon. Mokuba merely nodded, knowing these things were largely formality and would be reviewed with Seto later.
Right now he was more worried about clearing his head enough to be of use, all he could think about was the nagging idea that, maybe, his wish had come true. Wherever Seto was, he had not gone of his own accord, the clothes he'd laid out for the morning were still neatly folded on a decorative chair beside his dresser, and his pager lay neglected on a bedside table.
Please. Mokuba mused as he took in the feeling of being first-in-command of the company for the first time, whatever you have planned, make sure he stays safe. With that final plea, he gathered his courage and rushed off to substitute his brother in business as usual. Even if the wish did nothing more than prepare him to help with duties at Kaiba Corp, if it was enough to give Seto free time and peace of mind, he would be forever grateful.
It was noon in San Francisco when eight year old Seto Kaiba was thrust sleepily onto the doorstep of an inner city penthouse. Too drowsy to take in his surroundings, he listened to a foreign language approach him from a few feet away.
"Where the hell did he come from?" A dejected voice asked to his left. He sighed, trying to fall into the peace of sleep, struggling to remember the last time he'd been allowed to rest this long.
"No clue." Both guards looked to one another in shock as their master's limo parked out front, allowing him a quick visit to his home away from home before another meet and greet swept him into the bustling city.
"What are you gaping at?" He asked, brushing nonexistent wrinkles from his lavish suit, "Come now, we've got a reputation to uphold." The snapping of his fingers brought them to attention, and the two men straightened to resume their usual duties.
Beyond them, the CEO got a quick glimpse at the spectacle they had been drawn to. He smirked, assuming this was a parent's trick to get their child a picture and an autograph. It wouldn't be the first elaborate scheme for his attention.
"Who do we have here?" He called out as the boy blinked repeatedly in the sunlight, unable to drift back into slumber through all the noise. As Pegasus took in the startling resemblance to his business partner, Seto stiffened, realizing that he was very far from home – and sure to be in grave trouble when he found his way back.
Where am I? Where is Mokuba? He worried as he tried to work the tingling out of his young legs. A tall man he did not recognize was approaching, posture and entourage giving off the aura of high society men. He fought to keep himself from grimacing; it must be one of his step-father's business associates.
"Is he too young to speak?" The man mocked, growing bigger and bigger as he closed the gap between their forms.
"I'm eight years old." He countered irritably. It was a bold move if this was indeed Gozaburo's acquaintance, but he was too overwhelmed by culture shock to care.
"Could've fooled me, kiddo." Pegasus taunted, wagging a finger at the boy, "Children should speak when spoken to."
Blue eyes met mahogany for a moment, and Seto prepared himself for the worst. To his mounting uneasiness the man did not come closer, nor raise his hand to chide him with sharp smacks, he merely blinked down at him condescendingly.
"I believe you were speaking at me, not to me, sir." The child replied with as much satire as he could muster.
Now he'd done it, the overdressed idiot would slap him for sure; throw him right back into the brutal routine of his stepfather. He waited defiantly for the blow to come, the hand reaching out and wrenching him toward the house where they would conduct the session in private. Once again, it never came. The elder laughed uproariously, as if Seto were a baby who had just cooed gleefully at him. When he had calmed down enough to face the child, a graying head of security made his presence known.
"What shall we do with him?"
Pegasus regarded them both for a moment before settling on the child, "What's your name?" He demanded.
"Seto Kaiba."
The man's expression suddenly contorted into one of anger, "I'm not in the mood to play games with naughty, intruding little boys. You either tell me the truth or explain it to the police when they collect you for trespassing."
His opponent blinked, "I haven't done anything wrong." He mumbled, "Where is Mokuba?" Though he was trying to stay calm, Pegasus noticed the conviction in his voice, the underlying note of terror lingering there.
For a moment he considered pinching himself to see if he was dreaming, "Seto Kaiba can't have a child this old, am I right?" He turned to the head of security, who nodded.
"Sir you can't possibly believe him. This is a cheap trick, just tell the kid to get lost."
"Be quiet." Pegasus focused his attention on the nagging pull of his spirit toward the boy. The resemblance between he and the person he claimed to be was uncanny. He recalled seeing the child at around this age when first meeting Gozaburo, his own father had done most of the talking then, but he distinctly remembered the cowering look, the hunched stature of a frightened animal…his stomach knotted.
Pulling a cellphone from his shirt pocket he quickly dialed the number for Kaiba Corp, locking eyes with the child as he set it to speaker. It rang once before an automated voice chimed, "we're sorry, the function you have specified is currently unavailable." He grunted in frustration, smashing a finger onto the screen to hang up and try again. He was met with the same results.
"What's going on?" He snapped, his employees flinched at the outburst but had no idea how to assist. Pegasus tried one more call, this time to his island, "we're sorry, the function you have specified is currently unavailable." Just as he was about to turn the device off and on again, hoping to reset it, a screen flashed red. A new voicemail appeared, time stamped almost half an hour ago.
Steeling himself, he took the phone off speaker and followed the prompt to play the message. Even if he had still possessed the millennium eye, he could not have prepared for the familiar, rasping voice ringing in his ear. My only wish is for Seto to have one day with someone who loves and looks out for him the way he does me. If he could have just one day of childhood with someone who cares, maybe then he could be happy. A short beep sounded, followed by the annoying, robotic voice that signaled the end of the message. With trembling hands he pocketed the device and cleared his throat.
"Cancel my plans for the day; I have more pressing matters to attend to." He announced, taking the first of five stairs to his front door, turning Seto to face the less-than-humble abode as if to usher him in.
"Cancel everything?" The three sputtered in unison, "But sir, these meetings took months of planning, thousands of people are expecting – "
"The other seven billion people in this world are second to this child for the remainder of the day. Do I make myself clear?" The CEO spat, daring the men to test him further.
With a meek shake of his head, the frazzled, highest ranking employee carried out his boss's order. From beside him, both guards moved to follow the figurehead inside, but stopped at the raising of his hand. "You two stay out here and make small talk." He instructed nonchalantly, turning his personal key three times before pushing the door open, "You could both use the sun anyway."
Seto fought the grip to turn his head a final time, as the door closed to separate him from the outside world, the man's words rolled around his head like landmines. Cancel everything. He had said. Why would someone with so much to lose be willing to throw it away for this? Whatever beating or scolding awaited him was sure to be the most destructive he had ever known, if it would take an entire day to unleash.
Apprehension swelled in his stomach until tremors wracked his body against the man's hands. All at once he couldn't stand to be near him, not only for fear of what would be done to him here, but because every moment in his company was another away from his little brother. If the elder knew where Mokuba was, he clearly didn't plan on divulging the information.
"Why so anxious?" The deviant asked. Perhaps, even after such a perplexing phenomenon, he remembers our history.
"Where is Mokuba?" He asked again, as loudly as he could manage, "He's my little brother, I'm the only one to look after him, you have to –"
"Hush." Pegasus admonished, "Yourlittle brother is safe and sound." He crouched down to admire the fierce gaze of loyalty charging at him from the small, unchanged child. Even too young to know anything about it, Pegasus could sense his willingness to sacrifice everything for Mokuba. He reached a hand out to pat the little head, observing silently as the boy flinched away, expecting pain.
"Promise me." He replied determinedly.
Pegasus removed his hand from the child's hair and stared levelly at him, "Little Mokuba is perfectly safe." He made the childhood motion of crossing his heart, "I promise."
At this the boy visibly relaxed, although not completely. As Pegasus led him into a sitting room with views of the city, he nervously surveyed his surroundings as if he every room held some unspeakable atrocity.
"Tell me Seto, what do you know about the game of duel monsters?"
The boy fidgeted as Pegasus took a seat, motioning for him to do the same. "Duel monsters?" He questioned hesitantly.
Pegasus almost choked, the Seto Kaiba, ignorant to the existence of duel monsters so many years later? Whatever fantasy they were indulging, this was all the reminder the man needed that the gods were indiscriminately cruel, "Can you tell me what this card is?" He pulled one from a stack that set, for decoration, on the coffee table between them.
He examined it for a moment, thinking hard, and Pegasus could tell the strain was coming from the part of him that knew punishment awaited wrong answers. Suddenly anger filled his stomach at the thought of what his protégé (as he liked to refer to him) suffered at the hands of his step-'father.'
"Now, now, don't look at the name. That's cheating." He chided playfully.
Seto almost laughed at his tone, especially when he allowed himself a passing glance at the broad smile on the man's face, "I don't know sir, I'm sorry."
Pegasus did his best to look offended, "What a silly thing to apologize for!" He gushed in a fashion all his own. Though this provided a perfect opportunity to exploit the child for answers about the inner workings of the only company that could rival him, the desire was far from his mind. Seto Kaiba sat before him a broken, conditioned child the likes of which his heart ached for.
"Sir?" Seto chirped, confused but hopeful that he would seemingly not be scolded for ignorance or questions.
"We don't ever apologize for what we don't know. Use your questions as an opportunity to learn something. Now you're a smart boy and you know there's a time and place for these things, while you're with me, it would be right here and right now."
The child opened and closed his mouth, trying to take in the magnitude of the man's statement. His stepfather disliked any fact, any syllable he uttered that did not pertain to his specific lessons of business. Even then, if Seto was too perceptive, he sometimes cuffed him and deemed him a know-it-all. By the same token, if Seto forgot the meaning behind an acronym, or let a question slip out of turn, he was harshly chastised.
"What is duel monsters?" He asked at last.
Pegasus smiled, and rewarded the curiosity by sliding a bowl of assorted chocolates toward the boy, "Duel monsters is a game of great strategy and skill, brought to life in cards and holograms."
Seto met his eyes for a moment, stomach making small noises of protest at having not been fed for almost a full day. Before the ordeal with the wish, he had been too preoccupied with work and Mokuba's birthday to bother eating, and this was the first morsel his host had offered him.
"Go on." Pegasus encouraged, and he did, taking and putting a chocolate almond cluster into his mouth.
"You summon monsters on cards?" He asked once he had finished chewing.
Pegasus nodded and pointed to a small figurine that also adorned the table, "See if that sparks your memory."
The child obeyed, and before he could stop himself, grasped for the figure as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "It's him! It's the dragon Mokuba drew for me – how could you know about that?" He babbled, still inspecting his finding down to its most intimate detail.
Pegasus blinked in surprise, it seemed the day was full of unexpected turns, and he was moments away from insight into Kaiba's head he wasn't sure he wanted. "Mokuba-boy drew you a Blue Eyes White Dragon?" He confirmed.
Still clutching the ornament, the boy nodded. Relief flooded him at the man's words; he knew his only drawing was safe, undiscovered in a hiding spot beneath a loose floorboard in his bedroom. If Gozaburo found it, he would certainly rip it up. If there was even an inkling of distraction attached to an object, it vanished faster than it had appeared.
"Can you keep a secret?" He whispered, allowing cerulean eyes to meet the brown orb across from him.
"Why of course, I'm full of secrets myself, you know."
For some reason, Seto felt a flicker of worry in his nearly empty stomach, but quickly dismissed it, "That drawing is the only happy thing I have besides Mokuba." He replied, "Please don't tell him about it, if you do he'll take it from me."
Once again the man across from him adjusted his legs first, and then his hands. Seto could tell his mind was turning but had no idea what he might be thinking, for a few seconds, he actually held his breath in anticipation of the reply, "Kaiba-boy, I wouldn't dream of it." Seto let the air out in a loud burst of comfort, and struggled not to blush at the scene he'd made of himself. Pegasus chuckled in surprise; while he let the last drifts of exhale come slowly, pacifying him into bliss. Maybe the child thought to himself, it's really safe here.
"Sir," he piped up timidly, causing the elder to divert his attention from thoughts of doing Gozaburo serious bodily harm, "What should I call you?"
His smile broadened, "Well," he began hyperbolically, "trust me when I say that sir isn't very fitting. Why don't we stick with Pegasus."
Seto nodded, wrapping both arms around his stomach to muffle its growling, "Okay." He wanted to drag out his answer, but could think of nothing else to say.
Once again the man across from him was laughing himself to his feet, "You poor thing, you must be famished." He extended a hand for the small child's, but Seto merely stared at it in confusion.
"I should be getting back to my lessons." He placed the figurine back where he'd found it, gazing longingly upon the more lifelike representation of the drawing before getting up, "My father wouldn't like to hear that I've been slacking."
"Lucky for us he isn't here." He grasped the boy as gently as he could manage while remaining firm, and began to tug him down the stairs toward the front door.
"But I'll fall behind!" He protested, trying to pry the fingers from around his clothing, setting his feet which slid effortlessly across the polished hardwood of the hallway.
"Nonsense," Pegasus chided nonchalantly, "Mark my words, you will be a roaring success whether you take the day off or spend it getting nowhere with business theory. The measure of a person does not come solely from what they learn in books."
"But how they apply it." Seto finished instinctively.
Pegasus shook his head, thrusting the door open and sweeping the boy into the sunlight, "You miss the point, applying what we learn does not strictly pertain to business, to be successful we must learn who and how to trust, when and how often to balance work with friends, family, and time off."
"A true company president never sleeps." Seto objected.
"Only if he has a death wish." Pegasus countered before turning to face the hoard of stunned employees attempting to block his path to the limo.
"S-sir, you can't risk being seen after canceling three appearances just an hour ago. This will be a feeding frenzy for the media!"
He pushed passed them coolly, "The next person to question my judgment is fired. I don't pay a twelve person public relations team to have them sit on their hands all day."
"Please sir, I'm begging you."
"Maybe we should listen to him." Seto encouraged worriedly as he tried to hide himself behind the man's legs.
"Surely your step-father has given you some shred of usable advice."
"Hey!"
"A company president never takes orders from the hired help, and if they know what's good for them, his employees won't bite the hand that feeds them." He moved Seto into the limo and crouched beside him, scooting him over despite the continuing protests as he shut the door.
His driver cleared his throat nervously before daring to speak up, "I assume you're sure about this." He said.
"Did I miss the fun part of downing a bottle of wine? Why must everyone question my judgment today?" He shook his head a bit, "There's an ice cream parlor connected to a city park a few blocks away, you know the route."
"Oh boy…" He murmured as he pulled out onto the congested side street.
"What was that?" Pegasus demanded.
Squeaking pitifully, the chauffer replied, "I said…uh, oh joy, you know it just sounds like so much…fun."
"Mhm." Pegasus replied from the back seat, hand clasped over Seto's, "Anyway." He continued matter-of-factly, "There are some ground rules we'll have to set before we go out there. Don't answer any questions from strangers, if they approach you, ignore them. We're here to play not to be interviewed, but first thing's first, let's get you something to eat."
Seto opened his mouth to reply but was startled by the blaring of the horn a few feet in front of him, "Fucking pedestrians think they own the place, USE THE CROSS WALK!"
"Will you mind your language in front of the child, what on earth is wrong with you?" Pegasus snapped as Seto erupted into giggles, "Don't you dare repeat that word." He sternly instructed, at this Seto closed his mouth to muffle the sound and furiously nodded his head.
The driver continued in silence, trying to focus on the absurdity in the backseat rather than the terrible traffic through the windshield. After a much longer wait than expected, they arrived at their destination and shuffled themselves out onto the pavement.
"Half an hour's notice should be plenty if you want me to pick you up at a specific time."
Pegasus froze, and for a moment Seto thought he might have actually blown his own mind, "What?" He questioned in what was, to Seto, the most comical tone he'd ever heard, "You shall do no such thing, I don't know what they put in the airport food this morning to make you think you're on selective duty, but you will be waiting right here until we decide to leave, then you will open the door like you were trained to and graciously usher us in."
"But sir, I can't park here, this is a traffic lane, the off-street parking to either side gives people access to their homes."
"And?"
The man stared at him in disbelief, "And I can't inconvenience someone by taking up their parking spaces, if I rely on any of the options you've left me, I'll be ticketed for sure."
Pegasus considered this for a moment before pulling his wallet from the back pocket of his suit pants and dropping several crisp hundred dollar bills into the other man's lap, "If they fine you, pay up front."
"Master Pegasus!"
"Gaston." He replied, "Now that we've formally met for the day, Seto and I will be off."
"Please sir, just this once, be reasonable."
The CEO was well on his way to the small ice cream shop that neighbored the park, outside of which a group of children had stopped for cones on their way home from school. "Reasonable?" He mused aloud, "I don't know the meaning of the word." With that, he pulled the door open and a bell hanging above them signaled their entrance, halting several trivial conversations immediately.
"Everyone's staring at us." Seto whispered uncomfortably, trying to make himself invisible.
From his left and right people were talking in hushed, excited voices, "Is that Pegasus Crawford? What's he doing in a little place like this? He's a lot more handsome in person; do you think I should ask for an autograph? If you do, I don't know you." The constant drawl of words made his head spin. Gozaburo was recognized during their outings, but was too intimidating to be approached by foreign nobodies. The unexpected company of clients and wealthy benefactors was one thing, but that of commoners, at least ones audacious enough to entertain the notion of approaching him…simply unheard of.
"Which flavor would you like?" Pegasus asked, grabbing the boy and hoisting him unceremoniously onto the ledge of the ice cream counter where rows of the desert were separated from onlookers by glass.
"It really doesn't matter." He mewed sheepishly, then, feeling ungrateful, he added, "I'm happy with anything."
"If you tell me that I'll have to get you one of everything." He sang playfully. Seto blushed to his ears and tried to squirm away.
"Coffee!" He exclaimed louder than he had intended.
Pegasus nearly dropped the boy in outrage, "Coffee?" He repeated, "You can't be serious, they have chocolate chip cookie dough, cake batter supreme, forbidden fudge brownie! Darling, I'm not asking you to be adult about the situation; I'm asking you which flavor speaks to your dear, eight-year-old little heart."
By now the entire shop was divided into two unanimous subcategories, men and young children who found the pair too hysterically embarrassing to look away from, and women and teenage girls cooing at the scene and gushing over how sweet it was to see the CEO thrust into the world of guardianship. (Some even going so far as to say the child with him was terminally ill, whispering that the outing must have been arranged by a foundation that grants last wishes.)
"I really like coffee." Seto pressed. Pegasus glanced down at the face shining with excitement and shame, and placed the order.
"Alright, a large cone of coffee in a cup, please." He relented, grabbing a few extra napkins to prepare for the messy aftermath of frozen dessert in July heat.
"They come in single or double scoops sir, you wanted the double right?" The star-struck cashier inquired.
Pegasus thought for a moment, the boy hadn't eaten all day and even being so young he could surely eat more than two scoops of ice cream, "They don't come bigger?"
"Well, we also offer quarts."
"That'll be fine, a quart of coffee ice cream and a sugar cone, thank you."
Seto knew from his schooling that a quart was thirty two ounces, or 1.89kg, but could not imagine what that would actually look like packed into a bowl. As the woman behind the counter kept scooping and smoothing ice cream into a white, plastic container, the talking from behind started again.
"For shame, getting all that for a little boy, it'll go to waste. Don't be an idiot, they'll obviously share it and save some for later. There's one spoon. Don't families share spoons, honestly? Yeah, that's the way, go big or go home!" The voices blended together until Pegasus had paid and turned to request his attention.
"Let's share carrying duty." He instructed, wrapping napkins around a sugar cone and dropping the plastic spoon inside of it before handing the bundle to Seto.
"Sure." The boy replied, taking the bucket of ice cream in his other hand with wide eyes, "What are you carrying?" He asked, because Pegasus had said they were sharing duties, and if only one thing was clear to the boy, it was that Pegasus chose his words carefully.
"You, of course." He lifted Seto onto his shoulders and marched out into the park to secure a bench for the two of them.
"I can walk you know." Seto choked out as the pair of them caught more curious stares.
"Yes, yes, I can see your two functioning legs." Pegasus agreed dismissively, stopping in front of a shaded bench and shimmying Seto from his shoulders. The boy found his feet but tightened his hand around the ice cream cone too hard, cracking it.
He whimpered, peeling the napkins from around it to inspect the damage, which was fairly extensive. Though not crumbled, it was in several medium to large pieces, "I'm sorry." He mumbled, bowing his head and refusing to meet the other's eyes. "I didn't mean it, I was being careless and – " Pegasus pressed a hand onto his shoulder, shushing him quietly. The boy's voice trembled with tears, and for the first time since the beginning of their encounter, the man wondered just what kind of abuse he had suffered to cry over something so small. It was not like the bold, stoic Seto Kaiba to show his emotions, especially fear and vulnerability, but for this little boy it was almost second nature.
Strong arms wrapped themselves around the child, hugging him for a moment before gently pushing him onto the bench. Little one…what did that monster do to you? "Come now, don't cry. I'm not angry about a silly ice cream cone; besides, we can still make good use of it." He popped the lid off the ice cream, which had already become the consistency of a thick milkshake, and dunked a larger piece of cone into it, scooping up the treat, "Not exactly the perfect observance of etiquette, but it can't be helped." Before Seto had time to react, he fed the bite to him and pressed a finger against his lips, closing them.
The child stared at him in confusion, letting the coffee mingle with the chocolate melting off the inside of the cone from the heat of his mouth. It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted, "Chew." Pegasus mocked with a grin, "Very good."
Seto polished off the bite and sent him a perplexed look, "You're not angry with me? But I broke that cone; all because I was being selfish and wasting the money you worked hard for."
"You accidentally damaged the cone, not beyond repair I might add, as you still managed to make use of it just now. Anyone who holds a grudge for something that can't be helped is a fool. When you've done something hurtful, on purpose or otherwise, the only thing you can do is apologize and try to make things right. You've done both, and all is forgiven." He soothed, "Now hurry and eat before you're stuck with soup."
Not wanting to be rude, and hungrier than ever now that the bite had teased his appetite, Seto dove into the dessert alternating between the cone and plastic spoon. When he had eaten his fill, he looked down at the remaining near-puddle and tried to ward off his anxiety. More waste. This man was being so good to him and he was screwing it up. At this rate, he'd never watch him for Gozaburo again, he would go home to a beating and have no hope of ever returning to this place where he could talk and not be scolded, make mistakes and be forgiven.
"You made quite a dent in that." Pegasus observed once Seto had laid the spoon down on an unused napkin, "I'm proud of you." He continued, replacing the lid on the ice cream and standing up.
Seto struggled with the emotions building inside, would this man punish him for nothing? Was he never angry or frustrated? He thought back to the very first time they'd spoken, when he'd told him his name…he had been angry then, but not like Gozaburo. He could never imagine this man hitting and kicking him, calling him worthless, or forcing him into freezing tubs of water. This man was a miracle...
"Thank you." Before he could convince himself not to, and before he could tell himself that the man wouldn't like it, he wrapped his arms tight around him and fought to never let go.
Pegasus returned the embrace, trying to squeeze the terrible memories straight out of the boy's head, praying for them to be replaced with the normal luxuries and lessons of childhood. It was not to be, he knew that, but he had the rest of the day to make as positive an impression as he could, and he intended to.
Seto pulled away from him and Pegasus reached down to wipe a drop of ice cream from the corner of his mouth, "Saving more for later?" He asked, playfully revealing the melted dribble against his skin.
Seto smiled and turned in awkward half circles, back and forth, back and forth, until he was swaying like a dancer, "Oops."
Pegasus shook his head at the boy and wiped off his hands, they still had a few hours of daylight left to make use of the playground equipment, "Come on, we're at a gorgeous little park, no sense wasting the opportunity." Though the sun still shone bright, most of the civilians had grown tired of watching Crawford watch Seto eat ice cream, and shuffled home out of the heat. The two of them had barely noticed the soaring temperature because it lacked the humidity of Japan, and, more importantly, because they had been too wrapped up in their own little adventure.
Pegasus raced the boy to the swing set, letting him win to hear his triumphant cheer. "I'm faster than Mokuba too, don't worry." He consoled as Pegasus feigned catching his breath, "You can try again next time."
He took to the swings, laughing as he pumped his legs as high as they would take him, and gasping in delighted surprise when Pegasus pushed and ran his whole body under the swing, sending him several more feet into the air.
"Again!" He begged, giggling to the slowly setting sun, and the man obliged him. Soon even his driver had rolled down the window for the soundtrack of the scenes he was watching. He knew the man had some childish tendencies, but running around a playground for two hours, keeping up with someone a third of his age...it was practically unreal.
When Seto had tired of the swings he climbed the hot metal slide and pushed off from it hard, sending himself down as quickly as he could. No matter how many times he climbed up and down, up and down, he seemed completely entertained and at peace.
Pegasus coached him from below, never thinking to occupy himself with games or messaging on his cell phone. Seeing the child laugh and play, the way he should've been able to from birth on up, gave him more fulfillment than any accomplishment or gadget he could imagine.
He chased up the steps again but took an odd stance, as if bracing himself for something strenuous, then, to Pegasus's horror, made a run down the slope as if to jump off once he reached the bottom.
"Seto Kaiba!" He shouted, latching both arms around the form hurtling toward him, "You're going to fall and break your neck!" He continued scolding, puling the boy gracelessly down to the ground and hugging him tight. He had done more devilish things as a child, he remembered, but he still had to will his heart to slow down as it hammered through his chest. He continued chiding the boy as leniently as he could for such an infraction, but noticed him staring intently passed him, toward a woman walking with her young son, hand in hand.
He muttered something incomprehensible, unable to be reached by the CEO, "Seto." He repeated several times before placing a softened hand under the boy's chin and pulling his head up until their eyes met, "I'm not angry, I was worried. That was very dangerous." He began to explain, "Don't do it again, understand?"
The brunet nodded, confliction lingering in his eyes as they traveled back to their previous target. The woman was humming softly to the child as he trotted along, collecting dandelions and showing her proudly. She praised the weeds as if they were glorious, and he felt a tug of sadness and jealousy deep down.
"Seto, are you ready to go?"
He nodded unconsciously, letting the CEO take his hand as he craned his neck to see the two of them walking away. As distance blurred their forms against the darkening horizon, he battled tears he didn't know were coming. A lump formed in his throat and Pegasus noticed him swallow several times as they clambered into the limo. The ride back to the penthouse took only a few minutes without work-time traffic to contend with.
Everyone noticed the distinctly changed aura about the two as they made their way inside, and did not dare ask questions or follow. Pegasus opened and shut the door, guided him back to the room with the Blue Eyes figurine, and forced him to be brave when he wanted nothing more than to hide.
"Seto, look at me." He did, because as angry as he suddenly was with the man for not knowing to leave him alone, he respected him, "Are you alright?"
"Yes." He replied, unmoving.
It was an obvious lie, stitched together with desperate noises in his throat as he tried to swallow more tears. Pegasus knew this as well as he knew the problem, but he had become suddenly swept up in envy. Seto Kaiba missed his mother, quite possibly the only trusted adult he knew in his young life, but he had this second chance, didn't he? Where were the gods when he made wishes, young, and grieving, and sick? Where was his one day with Cyndia, to change things? He shook his head, this penthouse was not a hope chest for his woes, nor was Seto Kaiba a vessel for his misplaced anger. The child came to him for guidance more than friendship, and after all the boy had been through, he was owed that.
"We don't have much time left together." He announced, hands clasped together behind his back, which was turned to the boy, "I want to do something special, will you join me?"
Seto was pulled from his lamenting immediately, "Yes." He heaved the word, asphyxiated. No. I ignored him and now he's sending me away…he's sending me off and I'll never find my way back to him with Mokuba. He would take just Mokuba if I asked – he would be good to him like he was to me, if I can just –
Pegasus had gathered a piece of paper and a pen, "I want to always be honest with you Seto." He began, "Can you always be honest with me?"
The boy nodded, "Of course." He forced from his still constricted throat.
"I want you to write a letter to someone telling only the truth about what you're feeling right now." He scribbled something across the top, "I'll help you get started."
When he had finished and seemed satisfied, he pressed the paper into both of Seto's hands. Though a few hours away in San Francisco, it was minutes from midnight in Japan, where the wish had been granted. Seto turned the paper around to read it, dropping the pen as the scratches formed words.
Dear Mom,
I miss you…
A sob tore through his chest, then another, until they shook his entire body too much for him to hold onto anything. Pegasus pulled him into another tight embrace, smoothing his hair and offering soft words of tenderness to ease the hurt, "Whenever you're missing or angry at someone, and can't say what you want to out loud, I want you to write it down and pretend you're sending it to the person who needs to read it. Our loved ones never truly leave us, Seto; they live on in our memories forever. Do you understand?"
Through his tears, he felt himself growing weaker, falling helplessly into a sudden haze of exhaustion, "Please don't make me go." He cried, "I'll write down everything and I won't ignore you anymore, I promise. Please give me one more chance."
Pegasus swallowed his own tears to continue, "Seto, I will always be with you, you'll see me again much sooner than you think." He pressed the Blue Eyes into small hands and smothered him in one last crushing hold, "Whenever you need me, think of me and I'll be there. Just like you think of your mother and Mokuba, and their faces come to you."
"I don't want to say goodbye." He pleaded.
As the body against his own grew limp and gave into what was about to happen, Pegasus nodded in understanding, "This is far from goodbye, little one. You'll be putting up with me for a very long time, much to your eventual dismay."
"I love you!" Seto yelled as his body faded into the current of time, and in an instant, before he could return the endearment, the boy was gone from his arms. He was left with nothing but the warmth of a weight that had been lifted too soon.
Just like Cyndia.
Seto felt an odd tug of apprehension when he found himself back in his bedroom. Sleep was calling him, but thoughts of what had just happened plagued him too relentlessly to give into it. He was sure several employees were after him for advice or approval, and he dreaded checking his messages. Instead, he made his way to the window and looked out of it, vividly remembering the penthouse he had somehow spent an afternoon in, and more importantly, the man he had spent it with.
For all of his tricks and mockery, Pegasus had treated him as his own, never prying into Kaiba Corp proceedings or copyright arrangements, never tormenting him by forcing him to relay the embarrassing truth of his childhood. He had shown him kindness and compassion when he had done nothing over their years as partners to deserve it. He was both uplifted and unnerved. In less than two days he would have to face the man and pretend like nothing had happened, the larger part of him didn't know if he could, but in this moment, more than ever, he didn't know if he wanted to.
A knock came at the door, pulling him from his racing thoughts, "Master Mokuba, is that you? If you see Mr. Kaiba before I do, would you let him know that - "
"Shut up." Seto cut in, frustration muted by memories of the previous day's events. He crossed the room to the door and flung it open with more power than he intended, "Whatever it is can wait, I want you to clear the day for Mokuba and I. His birthday was Friday and I don't intend to skip out on the celebration."
"B-But Mr. Kaiba, Monday is the meeting with Industrial Illusions, we're nowhere near ready, if you don't spare at least a few hours we'll end up blowing them off."
"So be it." He replied, shoving passed him to the door down the hall, behind which his little brother was asleep. It felt odd to encompass Pegasus in this way, but there a bit of consolation in the fact that he would be giving the man a taste of his own medicine.
"Forgive me sir, but have you lost your mind? If these designs don't go through it'll set us back months, Pegasus will sick the press on us for sure and Public Relations are already in a tailspin about - "
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" He snapped. The silver haired CEO flitted into his mind, whisked away to forget the world of business for an eight year old stranger too afraid to take care of himself. Cancel everything, he had said, like a real father or friend would have when the situation called for it. It was time, he realized, painful as it was considering the source, that he be more like the man he was intended to be, like the man his father wasn't.
Hurrying down the hall to find Mokuba and announce their day together, he took a final page from the demented man's book of insanity, "The other seven billion people in this world are second to Mokuba, deal with it."
He stopped for a moment, rubbing his finger against the small metal replica he had forgotten he was holding, "There you are…" He mused, bitterly until the man's kindness fluttered into his memory again, pressing the hint of a smile to his lips.
Pegasus wiped furiously at his good eye and blinked to clear it, searching for the scrap of paper that had dropped in the commotion. When he at last discovered it, clutching it to his chest and hurrying off to have it framed, he realized something had been written at the bottom in young handwriting.
"Here I am."
"Think of me, and I'll be there."
-Richard Reeves