AN: At first Seto Kaiba seems rather weak. ( I know, that's what I usually do) But as the story progresses, I think he starts appearing a lot stronger. There's a lot of mushiness between Mokuba and Seto, and Pegasus is a common narrator because he's...a main character ( duh) anyways, for those of you who like the " I'm better than you" Seto Kaiba, you hopefully won't be disappointed, and for those of you who like the " Seto Kaiba is actually a nice person on the inside" Seto Kaiba, well, you won't be disappointed either. That's all for now!
Prologue
Pegasus wasn't sure what to make of it. He had always thought of himself as one of those who could not be surprised or frightened easily, but the sight of him made him both surprised and afraid. Oh no, not for himself, Pegasus had no doubt he could not harm anyone, but he was afraid for him.
When his name is mentioned Pegasus always thought of him as this tall standing figure proud against-whatever background. He never seemed to lose his dignity no matter where he was. He was a thin figure, which made him look very ethereal in Pegasus' opinion, in a way.
The sight before him was unreal alright. But in a bad way. Seto Kaiba was bleeding, skinny, curled into a ball at the corner of the apparent prostitution building, his eyes blank, like a fallen ghost. He was pale beyond belief, and his ribs showed harshly on his skin. His face looked like the skin was stretched tightly against his skull, so tight Pegasus could almost imagine he could see his teeth pressing against his cheek-he was that thin. And from the lack of clothes, there was no doubt where the CEO had been during the two months he was reported missing.
The boy looked starved and dehydrated, and extremely cold. Pegasus was glad he wore a long overcoat that day. Gesturing to his men, he hurried to the boy's side, slipping his coat off as he went.
Kaiba twitched at the sound of steps and clung closer to the wall, his bony legs unable to help him stand, and clenched his teeth tightly shut. He did not look at Pegasus but at something two feet away in front of him. Pegasus slowed, unnerved by the lack of response, and slowly slipped his coat around the boy.
Kaiba shifted, cringing away from the warmth, but his weak state rendered him unable to put up much of a fight. Pegasus wrapped the coat tightly around the boy and slipped his arms under him, lifting him up. Seto fretted a little, but fell limp. He had blacked out.
" Sir?" One of his men began.
" Hurry back." Pegasus ordered, his voice breathless. " And call the doctor."
" According to the charts, he is severely malnutritioned and dehydrated, with severe infections
especially in his colon and intestines-he did not receive any STD's, luckily." the doctor frowned. "
Since the scanners show that he has been...violated, multiple times during the two months he has
been gone, you can imagine what a great twist of fortune this is-still, we'll have to do some
stitchings in that area-the flesh was torn to shreds and there was severe internal bleeding. The only
way it could be so damaged is if he were violated at least five times a day for the course of two
months. I think he was somehow...kidnapped by...some workers of a prostitution center."
" Kidnapped? Seto Kaiba? How can that be?"
" I don't know." The doctor answered. " It's for him to tell, but I fear we may never know the
answer."
" Why not?" Pegasus asked. Then he fell silent.
The doctor knew Pegasus already understood, but decided to explain anyway. " I don't think his mind will ever recover, Mr. Crawford."
Pegasus didn't think Seto Kaiba looked like he would ever recover. The boy was currently sleeping, or Pegasus wanted to call it sleeping though the boy looked more like he was dying right in front of their eyes. Kaiba was clothed in gray cotton, but his skin looked even more gray than his clothes. He shivered even in his sleep, as if the room were cold, even though Pegasus felt very warm and they had covered the boy with thick blankets. The IV dripped steadily, attempting to replenish the water, but Pegasus was afraid even that won't be enough to sustain the boy.
No, Seto Kaiba did not look like he'll recover at all.
What made him nervous wasn't the people anymore. It was the silence.
He did not see anything, did not hear anything, but he felt cold. He wasn't sure if his inability to move was because of restraints or because he was too weak to move at all. Did they blindfold him again? He didn't want to know. What are they waiting for?
Not daring to cry out, he struggled at whatever was holding him down. There was a hand at his wrist, and he stilled, tensing in apprehension. So he wasn't restrained, but he had to keep very quiet, very quiet, so they wouldn't hurt him again. Very quiet, not making a single sound.
Pegasus stilled and wondered how to proceed. Here was the boy that had outwitted him many years ago, the one that had stormed into his castle like a king of the world, and even in his defeat hardly lost his integrity. Here was the boy that had outwitted some of his supernatural plans, a competitor worthy of note, lying there nervous and trembling at the merest touch, all dignity gone to be replaced by a shell holding only fear and anguish. He wasn't sure what to make of it.
" Kaiba?"
" Kaiba?"
At the sound of the name, he froze. So many times that name, that one word had been followed by the inevitable. The scorn, the degradation, the pain-he began struggling. He tugged with all his strength, but the hand did not let go. Writhing in terror at that name, he flayed his other arm out, trying to hit whoever was holding him, but that wrist was caught too. He stilled suddenly, waiting for the inevitable. They always did this if he struggled. His heart was beating in a frenzy, he could hear it, pounding like mad, but what good would it do?
The hands gently let go of him and one cupped the side of his face, brushing some strands of hair back as it did so. Seto twisted his head, unsure of what to make of this. The touch was gentle and tender, and did not hurt. And the stroking of his hair soothed him, quieting him, though he wasn't loud to begin with.
" He's so weak." Pegasus shook his head, " And why does he look like he can't see or hear me? Did
they blind him? Deafen him?"
" There doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with him." The doctor answered quietly. "
However, there are medical conditions where the patient...the patient's mind is irresponsive to the
world around him. Hopefully, this is not the case for Kai...Seto, because he appears to respond to
his last name very well, and also to touch."
" He isn't responding to anything else though."
" True. It may be temporary. It may be his subconscious acting for now. He's still deeply hurt."
The doctor rose to leave. Pegasus couldn't see him to the door-he couldn't tear himself away from the boy. Kaiba-or Seto, as he must learn to call him, seemed to enjoy the comforting gesture, though Pegasus guessed that one wrong move would frighten him again.
The boy's eyes blinked slightly but remained wide open, though unseeing. It was as if he were trying to stare away whatever danger may lurk ahead of him. A pale hand grasped his own and held on as tightly as the boy's strength would allow. Pegasus sighed and pondered on how just a few days ago Seto had been the pride of Japan-the child prodigy that had nearly conquered the world of business in his department. People hated him, everyone hated him, but all respected him. And now here comes this child-he's no more than a child! Who needs love that perhaps no one will ever offer to him.
If she were here, Pegasus thought to himself, looking up at the far painting where a lovely blonde woman was sitting, smiling faintly. If she were still alive, she'll know what to do.