Thank You, Old Friend
The telescreen flicked on with a static crackle, as though it rebelled against the somber news of the day. A newscaster's face filled the screen.
"...think we should all look back on decades of incredible dreams and visions that came to life because of this modern genius. One of the world's most incredible visionaries may have left us today, but we can all still enjoy the legacy he left behind. You know, Akane-san, we really have to feel sympathy for the Kaiba family—this tragedy comes only five months after they lost the younger of the Kaiba brothers." The newscaster was speaking in a slow, solemn tone, but there was no sadness on his face.
Yugi raised a hand to his cheek, his fingers gnarled with age, and wiped a tear away. A woman with a gentle face sat beside him, taking his hand in hers.
"He's in a better place now," Anzu said softly.
"With Mokuba," Yugi murmured. He turned the telescreen back off, and the two bowed their heads in silence.
The phone rang, and he watched his wife stand slowly and leave the room to answer it. Fifteen years ago, sitting in a wheelchair, she had been told that dancing had slowly caused irreversible damage to her hips and knees. The surgeries would have cost the two more than they could afford. Anzu's mobility was worth every penny, but after two weeks of debate, she had finally convinced her husband that she could get used to spending most of her time in a wheelchair. He could see that she did not believe it herself, but she was right. Neither of them would burden their own children financially. The day after he resigned to this notion, a hospital prepayment receipt arrived in the mail—signed by one Kaiba Seto, "for a long unpaid favor."
"One moment please," Yugi heard her say. The floor creaked as she stepped back into the room, handing him the phone.
"Yes?" His voice creaked with age, and thinking about his friend's passing seemed to add more years to it. When the caller began speaking, Yugi was surprised to find himself listening to one of Seto's children. The question he was asked surprised him even more.
—
They had chosen to combine the wake and funeral into one ceremony, which was uncommon, but Yugi understood why. It was larger than he could have dreamed. Kaiba Seto's affluence and importance in the world certainly explained the countless amount of people present, but he could think only of his friend's notorious personality and wonder how many of these people meant much to him. Then again... he clasped Anzu's papery hand, remembering the unexpected assistance Seto had offered to her. Jounouchi sat down next to him, two seating attendants appearing pleased to finally see his cane put to rest.
"So the ol' moneybags finally kicked the bucket, ho ho" he laughed shamelessly through a short grizzled beard of gray, and Yugi saw that he was not wearing his dentures. "Who d'ya think's next Yug?" His humor was so infinitely inappropriate and morbid that Yugi couldn't help but chuckle in spite of himself, and the two earned a sombering glare from Anzu.
Jounouchi had settled into solemnity by the time the rest of the gang had arrived—Shizuka and her family, Honda, Rebecca, and several others. After a few minutes, Jounouchi's daughter sat down next to him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, eyes closed.
Yugi and Anzu nodded along with a few others. More children and children of children arrived, but the group of friends remained in tandem. Several people unfamiliar to Yugi spoke—grandiose speeches about the accomplishments of a corporate titan, punctuated with the odd reference to his personal life. The final person who took the podium was both familiar and hauntingly youthful despite being older than nearly everyone in attendance.
"Kaiba-boy," Pegasus said into the microphone, wearing a Mona Lisa smile. "A man who captivated our minds with his innovations," he gestured sweepingly across the crowd, "but perhaps more importantly, he captivated us with his—shall we say—eccentric personality. Kaiba Seto was larger than life in so many ways; there was nothing in this world that could contain a spirit as driven as his. And, of course, I personally enjoyed him because he never failed to make me smile with his dry wit.
"However, what I was asked to speak about here today was something that both Kaiba-boy and myself held very dear, the very foundation upon which both our corporations in their current forms were founded: Duel Monsters." His countenance, for a brief moment, expressed something truly loving, solidifying the importance of the game to him.
"Without the efforts of Kaiba Corporation, Duel Monsters certainly would not have experienced the lasting success that it has. To thank him for this service, I have agreed to grant a favor that I feel he deserves. As we all know, the very symbol of Kaiba Seto the world over is the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, a card I painted so long ago that it seems it was during another lifetime." He paused for a long moment, eyes sweeping the crowd. For the first time since he'd started speaking, his smile was gone. He locked eyes with Yugi briefly before finally continuing.
"I am here to announce with utmost respect that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon will rest with Kaiba Seto. As of his passing, the card is officially retired." The crowd that had sat so silent and attentive suddenly erupted in a wave of incredulous whispers. Jounouchi breathed a soft oath of disbelief. Yugi felt his heart swell. Now he understood that favor.
Pegasus stepped back from the podium, returning to his seat, and Kaiba Seto's wife and three adult children stood from their silent mourning beside the gleaming white casket. Inside, Seto lay pale and rigid, his face worn with age, yet he could have been asleep. One by one, each of his somber children laid a Blue-Eyes card onto his suit just above his folded hands. Seto's wife was last to lay a card, the still-torn fourth. She had held it to her tearful face and, after her children had done likewise, placed it down. Gently, she smoothed the cloth around the card, then bent to kiss her still husband on the cheek and whisper her last words of parting.
It was hard to imagine such a large group of people could be so still and silent.
Yugi wanted to pay his respects, but he wasn't sure what to expect from this event; it seemed to have mixed traditional customs with western ones. Considering the size of the crowd, he didn't think that enough time existed in the day to allow each guest to pass by Seto's remaining family and offer them condolences. He was surprised, then, when a set of ushers stopped by their row and whispered something to Honda's granddaughter, sitting on the end. She stood and gestured for the others.
With a murmur of an explanation that he only half-heard from Jounouchi's daughter, Yugi found himself walking to the front with several of his closest friends in tandem. They had all known Kaiba well. Ahead of them, a small handful of others also headed slowly to the front of the massive hall, and one by one they offered their condolences to Seto's wife and children. Just one of them forked off to approach the open casket. Ahead of Yugi, some of his friends followed suit, bowing their heads in respect to the living and then in farewell to the dead. He couldn't hear if any words had been spoken, but Jounouchi, just ahead of him, was audible.
"I'm gonna miss him," he said to Seto's family. He clapped a hand on a shoulder, Yugi thought it was Seto's middle child, and then leaned on his cane heavily as he took the three steps up to the coffin.
Yugi closed the small gap to face the Kaiba family, but he couldn't help overhearing Jounouchi's mischievous laugh as he looked down at Seto. "I'll be joinin' ya soon, ya bastard. Take care." Anzu had stepped up with Yugi and gave a quiet sigh.
"My condolences. He will be dearly missed," she said. Yugi bowed his head beside her.
"He was a wonderful friend," he said softly. Four gentle nods were given in reply.
The two stepped up to the coffin and bowed their heads in unison.
"Thank you, Kaiba," Anzu said. "Goodbye." She wiped her eyes, and Yugi squeezed her hand.
With a breath so quiet that he barely noticed taking it, Yugi spoke in a murmur. "I hope to see you again, Seto."
Wrinkles smoothed as his lips turned into a loving smile.
"Thank you, old friend."
—
Author's Note: Pegasus is 94 years old and he still refers to Kaiba as "Kaiba-boy."