CAUTION! PLEASE READ BEFORE VIEWING THE CONTENTS OF THIS STORY
: This particular composition has very disturbing content in it. Please refer to the list below so that you will be fully informed of the situations that occur in this literature.Specified Warnings
:-Situations present within this chapter: severe child abuse (both physical and psychological; involves molestation, painful torture with knives and miscellaneous objects), children attempting suicide, appalling flashbacks.
-Genre: Horror combined with Angst.
If you find any of this subject matter to be offensive, I strongly suggest that you seek another story to read. Writing is not just a hobby for me, it is a beautiful art, an intriguing skill that I hope to perfect until I am deemed a professional author. Please don't get me expelled from fanfiction.net just because you simply didn't care enough to read my statements of admonition. As always, I appreciate individuals who take the time to write a review for me. Above all, constructive criticism is greatly valued, not illogical commentary (ex: vicious slander). Anyone who has any questions pertaining to my work, please e-mail me at shattered_sanctuary@hotmail.com .
If you are still interested in viewing this literature, I more than welcome you to do so. Recite some of your most powerful prayers for Seto and Mokuba. They're going to need all the help they can get so they can escape the heavenly hell they are constantly exposed to...
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Chapter One: Rapture
"Niisan?"
Reacting to the vocalization of his beloved nickname, the young boy glanced at his sibling. "Yes?"
"Do angels really live up there?"
Following the direction of his relative's eyes, Seto studied the endless atmosphere above. Sapphire orbs collided with the wild blue skies, appearing to be two gems buried deep within the depths of an ocean. Cream-colored clouds sailed overhead, rich formations that seemed to be foam on top of the gentle waves of air lolling through the realm of earth. Adding to the ethereal view, various sunbeams seeped through the milky white patches, showering the world below with the light of the good spirits. Never before had he witnessed such an exquisite sight, scenery so beautiful that not even the most talented artist on the planet could capture the absolute perfection of this hour of spring. Did angels truly exist? Of course they did. God's heavenly host of seraphs were surrounding both of them right now, bathing them in the iridescent rays of heaven's glow. Hopefully, they would do more than just illuminate the globe with their love and righteousness. Today was the day for him…for his brother, too. With their majestic wings spread out wide, the noble spirits of Eden would wrap their affectionate feathers around them, carrying them off to be with the creator in eternal paradise. All they had to do was meet their rapture in the middle of the road…
"Sure they do." answered Kaiba knowingly, turning his full attention to the little child by his side. "Don't you remember what Mother said?"
"That was such a long time ago, though."
"You mean to tell me you forgot already?" inquired the eldest male, expressing a look of surprise. "She told us so many great stories about God and Matthew, Luke, and John! How could you just not know them anymore?"
"I dunno." answered the shorter adolescent, giving his sibling a sheepish shrug. A hazy tint of rose splotched his cheeks, revealing his hidden embarrassment. "I guess Mommy's kisses meant more to me than all that other stuff." Shy indigo eyes looked into the cobalt orbs that were studying them, sparkling with painfully treasured memories. Recalling the warmth and security that his caretaker had provided him, he added softly, "Her hugs, too. They were always sweet and nice and kind, like the kinda place that I could stay asleep forever and ever in."
"You slept longer than that in her arms."
"Nu-uh!"
"Yeah-huh!" countered the brown-haired individual, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You always got to stay on her lap while I got the floor!"
"She gave you better bed time stories, though."
"But she came to each of our rooms at night." Seto reminded his sibling, gesturing with a free hand. "Mother tucked us into bed after singing or reading to us."
"I know, but she spent more time in your place than mine." Mokuba pointed out, frowning as he finished his sentence. Saddened by his realization, he blurted out, "Big brother, did Mommy love you more than me?"
Startled by the irrational group of words, Kaiba answered with a question of his own. "Why would you even think that?"
" 'Cause I remember how she'd sing you the prettiest lullabies and wait by your side 'til you fell asleep." Letting his vision drift to the ground, the longhaired boy studied the concrete of their driveway. Half distracted with the glittering mass of solid rock, he picked at a loose hangnail. "I was right down the hall, you know. It wasn't hard to listen in on what she said or did."
Detecting the tightness in his relative's voice, Kaiba's eyes grew sad. He sensed the aura of jealousy radiating from Mokuba, queer vibes of envy that coveted any invented images of their mother spending more minutes with him than his brother. Understanding that his sibling's emotions were overwhelming his mind, Seto sank to one knee. Sweeping the youngster up in a heartfelt embrace, the blue-eyed boy calmly began to contradict the illogical accusations that were made about him.
"Mother…she loved us both very much." the brown-haired male explained quietly, running his fingers through the volume of bluish strands he touched. "You know that, right? That she spent her life making us happy?"
"I know that." admitted the shorter child, throwing his arms around his brother's neck. "Honest, I do. I just miss her so much, though."
"I miss her, too." confessed Kaiba, his phrases nearly cracking under the pressure of his suppressed feelings.
"Lots and lots?"
"As much as there are angel feathers in heaven."
Mokuba giggled, a sweet, youthful sound that made Kaiba's heart feel lighter "That must mean a whole bunch."
"It does." agreed the taller boy, nodding a bit. "Mother used to say that--"
"When she told us how much she loved us." finished the child with blue-green hair, his indigo eyes dancing with the prized mental picture of his mother gliding beside him, giving him a peck on the cheek while whispering the phrase that meant more to him than anything else. Sighing wistfully, he allowed something warm and wet to seep onto his cheek.
"No, don't…" whispered the elder brother, wiping the tear away with a flick of his finger. "Don't feel bad. I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to--"
"Mommy didn't die 'cause we took up too much of her time, right?" Mokuba interrupted, fixing his terribly pitiful eyes on his sibling. Sniffling, he tried to contain the rivers of guilt that gathered underneath his lids.
"No." responded Kaiba, gently shaking his head. "No, we didn't. Don't blame yourself for her death."
"But--But it feels like it's my fault!"
"How can it be?"
Violently shaking his head, a few more frustrated drops of water escaped from the shorter boy's orbs. "I don't know, but it is! It must be! It has to be!"
Delicately placing a hand over his brother's mouth, the older sibling attempted to console the whimpering male. "Don't do this, okay? Please don't cry. You didn't kill her, little brother."
"Then I guess God did." responded Mokuba darkly, staring off into the distance. "He can be really mean sometimes."
"That's not true, Mokuba!" Kaiba protested immediately, astounded by his sibling's lack of faith. "God saved Mother! He saved her from this place!"
An innocent look of hope spread throughout the younger child's features, the expression masking the personality of someone who had experienced far more than what any normal adolescent should. "You mean He helped her get away from Daddy?"
All at once, Seto's mind was thrust into a vortex of flashbacks, recollections of events that were so horrible, so positively terrifying, that he actually shivered in the heat of the afternoon. He could see himself in the expansive kitchen of the mansion, clawing the counters with one of his hands. Nails of his dug into the glossy surface, feeling certain that every time they scratched the white exterior, it would ultimately be their last. Hovering near his tender limb was a butcher knife, its sharp edge lusting for a taste of his childish flesh. Holding the blade was an illustrious man in his late thirties, an eerily composed person who muttered incoherently to fairy mistresses (individual head voices), a disturbed being that claimed to be Kaiba's father…
Hours of torture like that were inflicted on the brothers daily, with some episodes of horror that remained unique to each sibling, while other destructive events occurred only when they were together. Sometimes the brown-haired boy would be rudely awakened to the noise of his relative's screams, blood-curdling racket that echoed all throughout the large house he lived in. On other occasions, he found himself being pulled into his bedroom by his hair, shoved onto his carpet, and having rough, terrible hands explore the skin underneath his pajamas. Then there were those incidents…sick, twisted little affairs that made him hate every piece of himself, just literally despise the core of his being so much that he wanted nothing more than God Himself to descend from on high and punish him for all the heinous crimes he committed. Although he wasn't the one who wanted to cut Mokuba open with paper clips, razors, or sewing needles, he was still the one who was forced to do it. They were appalling duties that became mandatory to finish, courtesy of his psychotic parent. How far would their father go to cut the chords of their sanity loose? Would they have to be subjected to this kind of behavior for all the years to come? Not if Seto could help it. Mother once told him a wonderful tale, a glorious legend that he wished with all of his might that he could make the narrative a reality for his brother. All he had to do was get God to help them in the same fashion that He did when their Mommy needed an escape…
"Better than that." Kaiba responded, a ghost of a grin possessing his lips.
"What could be better than getting away from Daddy?"
"Seeing Mother again."
Indigo orbs widened to a huge, gullible degree. "Can we really?"
Again, the brown-haired boy nodded. "Yeah, it's possible."
"But how? Mommy's not with us anymore."
"We're just going to have to go find her."
"But how?" repeated Mokuba, his phrase sounding more like a strained whine than a question. "We don't even know where she is!"
"God does."
"Why would God help us?"
"Because Mother said so." Seto stated matter-of-factly, his sapphire eyes regarding his brother coolly. " 'Member how she showed us how to pray at night? We'd get down on our knees and press our hands together, counting our blessings. Then, just before she'd leave, Mother would sing that little song about God-"
"You mean the one about Him and all the children of the world?"
Smiling happily, the eldest sibling replied excitedly, "Yes, that's it! Do you know it still?"
Moving his head up and down, the smaller child acknowledged his relative's words. "I'll never forget that song. Not in a million years."
"Good." commented Kaiba, fingering a lock of the shorter male's blue gray hair. A peaceful look washed over his features, cleaning the slate of his face while replacing the former expression with a look of odd serenity. "I know I'll always have her songs playing in my head." Dropping the dark strands, he extended an open palm to the younger individual. "Come with me, Mokuba."
"Where?"
"To heaven. The place God's going to take us to find Mother."
"Then we can all be together again?" asked the shorter male, energized by the precarious promise that all of them--his sibling, mommy, and himself--could magically meet up together in the clouds so that they could be a family again.
"Just come with me." repeated Kaiba, gazing intensely at the longhaired boy. "I swear everything's going to be all right."
Placing his entire stock of faith, love, and trust into his older sibling, the little child locked hands with Seto. Mokuba ignored the weird look of tranquility he saw in his brother's eyes, the dryness in his throat, and the unsettling feeling he had gnawing away in the pit of his stomach. He wanted so very badly for his loved ones to be reunited again that he didn't even notice that his older relative was escorting him onto the street in front of their home.
"Jesus loves the little children," Seto started to sing, appearing to be under a dangerous state of hypnosis. "all the children of the world…"
Halting in the center of a road, the Kaiba brothers stood strong, awaiting the moment when the just and affectionate entity known as God would grace them with His presence. Keeping time with the music, the eldest of the duo continued to chant the hymn he memorized, the quality of his voice clear and unwavering. He was in a separate dimension of his own, a realm filled with a choir of angels that proved to be remarkably compatible with his lovely soprano voice. The other youngster, on the opposite side of the spectrum, was so overwhelmed with fear and anxiety that he squeezed his dear sibling's hand with all of his strength. Was this how everything was going to end for them? Did it have to be this way? Weren't there more humane avenues to dying that they could take other than sporting the fashion of road kill?
"Seto," whimpered Mokuba, still grasping his relative's limb tightly, "I'm scared."
"Hush, baby," Kaiba comforted as best as he could, offering the shorter adolescent a reassuring smile. "God's coming now."
Just as the longhaired boy turned his head forward, he caught a glimpse of a sports vehicle racing towards them. He couldn't see the driver, determine the model of the automobile, or any other major detail about the transportation device. All he knew was that some sort of contraption was heading straight for him and his brother, something so fast that only a magnificent creator could defy the speed of light to travel so quickly. Could it be…? Was it God Himself, arriving just in time to answer their prayers and take them to go see Mommy?
Joining in with his sibling's sudden inspiration to be musically inclined, Mokuba sang, "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world…"
At the same time, Seto and Mokuba closed their eyes, lifting their voices to the Lord as their long-awaited rapture came and took them home.
