Everlasting

Prologue: New Beginnings

Seto Kaiba never felt feelings like this before. He just simply didn't understand it, this... this emotion. It was so difficult for him to express what came so naturally to her. Her.

That word echoed through his thoughts and invaded the darkest recesses of his soul and heart. Yes, finally, at last cupid found the chink in that dragon's armor; found it right over his heart. The silver blue-ish scales that before harbored an impenetrable fortress were now close to exploding with emotion. It practically drove him mad.

His heart sped as he stopped to ring the doorbell. Kaiba, the once fearless duelist now quaked in his genuine Armani suit waiting for his girlfriend's father to open the door. His heart nearly skipped a beat, his knees nearly collapsed as it took a millennium for that doorknob to finish turning. He did not even bother to see who had stepped out as all of a sudden words rushed out of his mouth, towards his shoes.

A laugh. That was when Kaiba opened his eyes to see the floor, and the feet before him.

Lilliana stood there smiling at the mockery of her boyfriend. Always he seemed so strong and brave… and stubborn, but she knew, and could see through it all to the real him. She knew it drove him mad to be read so easily but she couldn't help it, it was if for the first time she felt what is was like to be complete, as though she found the missing half she never knew was missing before.

"Kaiba, you're late."

"I'm sorry." Kaiba choked back nervous spit before rushing over to the side of the porch to lean over the railing and vomit. Lilliana sighed and helped him, rubbing his back, and making sure he did not ruin his tux, or shoes, or her dress for that matter. When he was finished she helped him to the porch swing, and handed him that water one of his guards came rushing out of the limo with. Quickly he composed himself again and regained his normal posture and facial expression, although it masked all but his green-ish tint.

"Well, are you ready to go?"

"I thought your parents were going to be here."

"They were, but something came up and both my mom and dad had to go away on a business trip for something, or another. I think it was the new store they opened in London, I overheard a conversation about corrupt coding in the network, or something. she sighed I really don't care about it though."

"I see…" Kaiba offered her his arm as they walked towards his limo. Suddenly one of Kaiba's guards opened the trunk as Mokuba came flying out with a camera.

"Say cheese oniisan!" Mokuba snapped a few dozen pictures off with his professional, paparazzi camera he bought off one of them before taking off down the street. Through Kaiba's thinly veiled, to her at least, expression Lilliana saw the quick passing of a flash of anger, before he composed himself again, but it was not for long because just as he was composed Mokuba shouted out that he caught him vomiting in the bushes. That's when Kaiba gave up his inhibitions and took chase. Mokuba had it planned out one full step ahead though as he quickly reached the end of the block and hopped into another one of Kaiba's cars passing by and told the driver to gun it. (Of course he had it planned, he WAS a Kaiba after all.)

Lilliana tried to hide her laughter. It was rare she got to see the two Kaiba bothers together, acting like normal siblings would. Normally Kaiba always tried to remain composed in front of her, but Mokuba always managed to relax Seto, or at least make him angry.

&&#$#(

Seto sat up in bed. He turned to his right and touched the shoulder of his wife.

"Lilliana." His voice came out in a half-whisper through the night. Slowly an arm shot out and touched the switch on a lamp, lighting a soft glow across the room. The sleepy woman sat up and slowly faced him, her sluggish movement revealing how deeply sleeping she once was.

"What is it Seto-kun, did you have that nightmare again?"

Seto looked into the eyes of a different woman from the one in his dream. His face betrayed nothing as he calmly answered.

"No, I'm sorry to wake you Atashi-chan." Seto stood up from bed and walked towards his study. Once there, in the safety of his sanctuary, he began to ask himself again, 'How long ago was it?'

Seto checked the calendar, which held the explanation for his dream.

"Today is the 27th of April. My son was born on this day 12 years ago, and 5 years before that was when I took my first wife to prom… and, 8 years ago was when my first wife finally divorced me…" His heart felt like lead as he stopped and sat down on his couch. The phone line in his study rang and he answered it, already knowing what to expect.

"Ohayo! Oniisan, do you need to talk this year?" Seto felt inclined to hang up immediately.

"No, ototo. I believe I'm fine this year. I have to respect Lilliana's wishes and get over her… and not try to contact her again."

"Hai, oniisan, I believe that would be wise, I also think you should go back to bed."

"Mokuba, since when do you think you can start to order me around?"

"Since… good point. Eh, I'll give you a list of reasons why in the morning before work. Bye."

Seto hung up the phone and retreated down into his personal safety room in his office. Inside it was a safe that held his most important papers, and prototypes, and even inside that was a smaller safe that held his own personal belongings. Slowly he turned lock on the smaller case, turning the dial almost by touch.

Inside were his most precious possessions: pictures of Lilliana while she was still his wife, pictures of Julian when he was still a baby, Lilliana in her wedding gown, a tape of Julian's birth, Lilliana on their honeymoon, Julian's first birthday, Lilliana breast feeding Julian, Seto holding Julian, all three of them together for the last photo ever taken as a happy family, but at least he thought they were happy…

Seto turned to close the door to his safety room. He locked himself in it and began to cry, for the one and only woman he had ever loved, and the son he was never a father for, and never gotten a chance to be a father to.

#&#$(

Ok, I believe it has been about 5mo since I last updated any stories of mine, and about 2 or 3 yrs since I created a new one… I suppose I can't really guarantee too much… but this story means a lot to me and I plan to see it through. It will also probably be really short though…

R+R!