AN: Hi all, this is a Christmas one-shot…from me to everyone out there – with love x
Inspired by an old film classic which I really, really enjoy, Thought it would be a festive fan-fic and I wish you all 'happy holidays'. I hope you like it :)
It's a Wonderful Life (but only with Kaiba)!
"Where's Yami?" Joey asked, standing on tiptoe to place his pink bauble on a bare branch near the top of the tree.
"He said he might be late," Yugi answered distractedly, as he wrestled a particularly awkward piece of tinsel into position. "He said to carry on without him, but he'll be here." Yugi paused thoughtfully; it still seemed strange to talk about Yami as a separate person…even after six months of being that way. "I think he wanted to see the Christmas lights again."
"Again?" Asked Tristan, "Everyone likes Christmas, but man – he sometimes takes things to extremes."
"I think it's still amazing to him", Yugi replied, "you know, being able to see everything for himself. "Getting separate bodies was a big thing for both of us."
"It was pretty amazing," Tea agreed, "such a relief we didn't have to say goodbye. Will someone please help me with this?" She was looking slightly demented as she tried to separate the fairy lights, having become entangled in the long multi-coloured strand.
Joey went to help her. "I saw a brilliant old movie last night," he said, changing the subject. "Black and white so I might not have bothered, but Mai insisted," he concluded, ducking his head to hide slightly pink cheeks.
Tristan snorted a laugh which abruptly changed into a grunt as he was elbowed in the ribs by Tea.
"Honestly…guys!" She rolled her eyes ostentatiously, "what was it about Joey?"
Before he could answer, the game shop bell jangled its' announcement of an arrival and the four turned, expecting to see Yami. Instead a familiar figure entered the room, tall and elegant, trenchcoat lightly dusted with traces of the snow falling outside; Kaiba returned their look with a glare of his own. His blue eyes looked slightly defensive beneath the chestnut fringe but he arched an enquiring eyebrow, "That surprised to see a customer?" He asked sarcastically.
Kaiba would never have admitted it but some part of him had actually missed the interactions with these geeks. He felt particularly wounded that Yami had not made any contact since his separation from Yugi, had all his previous concern been just an act?
"What are you doing here Kaiba?" Joey asked mistrustfully, "you haven't been around for a while."
"No need to mark your territory just yet mutt, don't panic," came the caustic reply. "I'm looking for stocking fillers for Mokuba – pretend I'm not here."
"That'll be a pleasure," Joey grumbled, but he was hushed by the others.
"That's not a very festive attitude Joey," Yugi chided before turning to Kaiba. "Hi Kaiba, good to see you – look at whatever you want and take your time…you can call me if you need any help. We're just putting up decorations," he added unnecessarily, "and I need to hang this mistletoe over the door."
Kaiba grunted something that might have been grateful (if you were being generous) and moved away from the group to look at some of the shelves deeper within the store.
The others resumed their interrupted tasks and silence reigned for a moment, then Tea spoke. "Go on Joey…you were about to tell us the story of your movie?"
"Oh yea, well it was all about this guy who has to keep sacrificing his own dreams for other people, when things continually go wrong he ends up really bitter – then he meets this guardian angel – I know…I know Tristan, but it's not mushy…well not all that much!" Joey began, "Anyway, he thought his whole life had been a waste of time, and he says it might have been better if he'd never been born…"
Unnoticed behind a shelf, Kaiba too was listening, at the opening words a bittersweet smile passed over his face. 'Wow,' he thought, 'this guy sounds like he's got it about right. I bet it has some sappy ending though - when he had life figured out right from the start – just one long series of struggles and disappointments – whatever you do."
He listened further, identifying despite himself with the premise of the tale, "I'm sure lots of lives would have been better if I'd never been born," he muttered harshly, to himself.
Yet inside he felt disconsolate.
Abruptly the room seemed to swim about him and he clutched a shelf reflexively. What was this – an earthquake? As the world came back into focus, he stepped out from the shadows, "What the hell was…," he trailed off as he realised that everything had changed.
Kaiba looked about him in amazement – even an earthquake couldn't account for this! In fact…
…"What the hell is going on?" Heexclaimed; this was surely a different place – except that it wasn't. The room was kind of the same - but it was empty and dilapidated and piles of trash littered the floor and corners. Gone were the bright displays and careful card layouts; instead shelves yawned emptily or leaned drunkenly at crazy angles in a state of disrepair. The whole place was covered in dust and cobwebs and the smell of the air was musty and stale – no one seemed to have been here in ages.
As he turned full circle, trying to take in these bewildering changes a hint of colour from one of the trash piles caught his eye and he bent to examine it. It was a card, rumpled and torn – almost obscured by the layer of dust…his slender fingers shook – it was a Blue Eyes.
"Not surprising that card would 'call out to you," the suddenness of the voice behind him caused Kaiba to jump almost out of his skin and he whirled, hands coming up, ready to defend himself. When he saw who had spoken, he narrowed his eyes and responded in his harshest tone.
"Ok, you've had your little joke Wheeler – just how did you manage this?" He asked.
"Oh no, I'm afraid you've got it quite wrong," the Joey look-alike replied. "I had to have someone to pattern myself on – someone you could relate to and of the group who were present, this character seemed to have the most emotional resonance with you. You obviously rouse quite strong feelings within each other. "
"You have got to be kidding me," Kaiba responded automatically, "that mutt drives me crazy."
"As I said – strong responses," the figure responded smugly, "I'm afraid I will be somewhat constrained by his speech and brain patterns – I warn you – the guise one takes starts to affect you quite quickly…"
"I don't know what you're going on about," Kaiba interrupted rudely, realising he had been bandying words with the idiot. "Whatever game you losers are playing, I'm not interested and I'm leaving." He turned to do just that but was arrested by remembering the card in his hand. "Whatever this is, there's no excuse to disrespect this card, I doubt the old man will forgive you."
"He wouldn't care," 'Joey' answered sadly, "he's been in an asylum for quite some time, lost his mind when his grandson disappeared."
Kaiba's mind reeled, he must be the one going insane, Mokuba had said he was working too hard. His heart hammered in a sudden fear which alarm for himself could never have generated, he couldn't go mad…Mokuba needed him. He had to pull himself together…perhaps his subconscious needed to work something out? Maybe he should go along with this madness and see where it led?
He turned back to see Joey looking at him complacently, "you're quite transparent rich-boy decided to play along for the moment?...Excuse me! I told you this personality would have an impact."
"For the time being," Kaiba said, gritting his teeth, he would not allow Wheeler to get to him. "So where is Yugi supposed to have gone?"
"You still don't get it do you? You thought it would be better if you'd never been born…that's what I'm here for – to show you how important your life is. I'm sure you've heard of the debate 'when a butterfly claps its' wings – there is an impact elsewhere'? Lives are exactly like that…displace just one and there is diminishment - and yours is a particularly important one you know."
"Spare me the cheerleading speech," Kaiba contrived a yawn, "you still didn't answer my question."
"Yugi lost his soul permanently in a tournament when Yami duelled against Marik," Joey replied simply, "Yami got the body but he might as well have lost his soul too – it could have been different if there had been any hope – he tried, but he failed and it destroyed him."
"That's a lie!" Snarled Kaiba. "Yami won at the Battle City finals, I was there – in fact it was my card that he used – I gave it to him."
"That's just the point you idiot," Joey sneered, beginning to go red with annoyance (clearly that personality was becoming dominant), "you weren't there…not in this reality. He never got that card, never had your support – and Marik won!"
"But…," Kaiba trailed off, had he really been that important to Yami and all that had happened? For a second he actually felt a thrill of triumph that Yami would not have succeeded without his help…but then he considered the wider implications – and thought he had discovered several holes in this improbable tale.
"I knew this had to be garbage," he declared proudly, sure his logical deductions would expose this whole business as the mumbo-jumbo he believed it. "If I don't exist – as you say – how are they duelling at Battle City? Also what are they using? I created the holographic systems we duel with."
Joey shook his head pityingly and spoke slowly as if to a really slow learner. Pityingly! To him! This really was crazy. "Pegasus created the holographic systems, not as good as yours, (the mutt actually sounded aggrieved to have to admit that and Kaiba ground his teeth) and it took him longer, but his obsession with Cecila drove him. He lost himself when he tried to upload both their 'personalities' into the virtual world a short while later – but the technology survived. Oh and it wasn't Battle City…as you said you weren't around so Ishizu ran her own tournament – desperate to save her brother…he killed her after he won." The sarcastic tone had become gradually more sombre as Joey related this history and he spoke the final words flatly.
"But if Marik won…." Kaiba whispered, stunned by all he had heard.
"Oh yes, we were screwed," Joey replied almost conversationally. "Take a look out the window. You know I don't get it? I would have thought your ego would just love realising how important you were? For a short time the 'gang' were the most important people in the world, and you were supposed to be a part of that…whoevers crappy idea that was," he added sounding almost exactly like his usual self.
Kaiba bit back a hot retort; he had to remember this was not Joey, not if what was going on here was for real. He winced – he couldn't believe he was starting to buy into this hocus-pocus nonsense and turned to look apprehensively at the dirty windows.
"So what's out there?" He asked with an inward tremor, for all his loud and stubborn professions of disbelief, he had always known inside that Yami spoke only the truth to him. That unpleasant realisation raised all sorts of hairy possibilities for a world where Marik had won.
"Go and look," Kaiba was starting to really hate that condescending tone from someone he had never expected to feel had any right to use it, "but carefully," a warning note was undoubtedly present now.
Walking to one of the windows, Kaiba carefully cleared a small portion of the filth with his finger, put his eye to the space he had cleared…and gasped.
"Pretty ain't it?" Joey asked, sarcasm failing to conceal the ache in his voice. "Of course that wasn't all Marik, things went wrong both before and after him."
"Tell me," Kaiba ground out, he needed to know what could have caused such devastation.
"You're not gonna like it," Joey warned, "first were the problems caused by KaibaCorp. With no one to stop him - Gozaburo continued to expand the arms manufacturing business. As he got more powerful he got even less selective about whom he sold to – in fact he seemed revel in the mayhem – more profits I suppose – many thousands died through him."
Kaiba's shoulders slumped – all he'd gone through – here it counted for nothing – actually he supposed that technically he hadn't suffered – here. He didn't feel like it hadn't happened though, it was all just too weird. "What else?" Was all he said however.
"After Marik won? Well that nut job was running around killing anyone who got in his way and mind controlling others, 'course that was soon way out of hand. But even worse, along comes Dartz and his merry band of men – and you know who he worked for. They went straight after Marik and his goons, seeking the God cards…used the Blue-Eyes amongst others – whatever cannon-fodder would get the job done."
He paused, then continued in a self-deprecating tone, "The only person around capable of wielding a legendary dragon was yours truly," here Kaiba raised a questioning eyebrow and he waved a hand impatiently, "you know what I mean. Anyway…on my own? Didn't last long…then the pair of them went at it," he gestured to the window, "you've seen the results."
"Who won?" Kaiba asked dully, he knew it was unlike himself to care so little about victory but when Joey responded, "Does it matter?" He shook his head, from what he'd seen out that window, he didn't suppose it did.
Steeling himself and finally looking Joey straight in the eye, Kaiba asked the only question left, although he dreaded the answer, "Mokuba?"
The fact that Joey looked away alarmed him and for the first time he approached him, grabbing his arm, "tell me."
Joey looked at him, "no…I'll show you," he replied unexpectedly and suddenly they were in a street vaguely recognisable as the other side of town.
Kaiba looked quickly up and down the road but nothing was in sight other than a slight figure, enveloped in a muffler and heavy coat who was slumped in a doorway nearby. Incredulously Kaiba looked at the figure then ran forward, a heavy aroma of spirits assailed his nostrils but he ignored it, anxiously pushing back the edge of the muffler to look into the smudged, unconscious face…it was Yami.
His first feeling was of relief but then his heart gave a horrible wrench at seeing someone he admired so much and yes…(he realised) cared deeply about - reduced to this. Alone and broken - he looked so much smaller when that big personality wasn't burning within him.
Kaiba looked up at Joey angrily, "This isn't Mokuba."
"Well duh, we must have come up a few streets short I guess," but he didn't sound as though things had gone awry. "He blamed himself you know, Yugi…all the deaths and destruction; no one was left to carry on for." Joey paused sadly, regarding the form of his friend. He seemed to debate something internally and then continued.
"Guess in some sense…he'd be alone in either world anyway - since you never seem to wise up…at least he has friends there though."
Abruptly he seemed to talk to someone else – directing his words in another direction, "I know, I know – future text – it was an accident I swear – I'll watch my mouth from now on."
Kaiba looked blandly at him, but he was thinking furiously about the implications of that previous statement, 'alone in the real world because he didn't realise – what?'
"Talking to thin air now? Assuming I accepted this nonsense, that wouldn't be the best thing to do if you wanted to keep me convinced," was all he said.
Joey just looked at him and clenched his jaw – interesting – he clearly wanted to leave it at that, whatever message he had tried to convey – he wasn't taking it back.
Finally he seemed to recollect himself. "I think you're about to get all the convincing you need." They shifted again.
This time there were two figures near the end of the road and they seemed to be having some kind of struggle. Abruptly one tore something away from the other who gave a weak cry -seeming to give up. Head down, it began to walk towards them, the other turned the corner at the opposite end of the road.
"Someone stole from him!" Kaiba snapped, choking down his anger, "we'll just see about that!" He didn't understand the pitying glance he got from Joey and glared at him, "I may not be his brother here…but he's still mine - wherever we are – I won't see him get mugged and not do anything about it, whatever you say."
In answer, Joey gestured to the victim who was now much closer to them. Kaiba stared, at first in doubt and then in certainty, it was a weeping and skinny old lady – not Mokuba at all. He looked at Joey in suspicion, "I thought we were here to see my brother?"
"Oh you've seen him, his dealer operates around that corner; you can probably see him again if you think you need to." Joey's tone was compassionate but that fact was initially lost on Kaiba as he erupted in anger, pushing him against the wall.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" He hissed, "Mokuba wouldn't mug an old lady…wait…dealer?" He began to run…
Rounding the corner – he found him.
Mokuba didn't look violent or particularly unhappy…just vacant - as he reclined on some steps, eyes indifferently turned to the sky and drool coming from one corner of his mouth. Kaiba fell to his knees before him, sobs competing with dry heaving to get out of his throat. As tears filled his eyes, he saw Joey's shoes stop before him. "Don't," was all he could find to say.
"I'm truly sorry for it Kaiba, but I have to…Mokuba got adopted alright but not by decent folks – if you get my meaning, eventually he ran away. Somehow he survived the mayhem, hiding in squats, sometimes successfully – sometimes not…but he lived. If you can call it that," Joey added sadly.
"He never had anybody to look out for him – ever," he paused and then continued to sum up the events in this horrendous, impossible reality.
"He was like Yami I guess, just got to a point where he didn't care anymore – didn't see anything worth trying for. Found a different way out though; probably be quicker – in the end…" He finally stopped speaking as Kaiba let out a scream of sheer pain; it echoed for a moment in the street, then abruptly they were back in the dirty shop where they had started.
"Please!" Kaiba begged, he was dry-eyed, all this was beyond tears, "I was wrong…help me…take me back…it was all worth it…please – take me back."
He shut his eyes, reduced to silent despair and felt again that strange sense of disorientation…
When hesitantly, he opened them again - it was to warmth and light – and something he was surprisingly glad to hear. Joey! Still talking about that same bloody story…
"…and every time a bell rings an angel gets its' wings."
"Oh Joey, that's just lovely, I have to see that movie."
These words were the first things Kaiba heard which assured him he was really back. Had he been hallucinating? Well if he was back…two big things crowded for space at the forefront of his mind. Most importantly – Mokuba was still safe, but the other…
As if on cue – the doorbell jangled merrily, its' distinctive sound a halleluiah to Kaiba as it celebrated both his return to reality and another arrival.
As he stepped out from behind the shelving, he was only distantly aware of a snarky comment from Joey, "Been back there all this time? What were you doing rich-boy?"
The newcomer was Yami. For a moment he stood there - just inside the door (fortuitously right under the mistletoe). In his relief and disorientation, with that other Joey's hint fresh in his mind, Kaiba had no time to marshal his usual defences.
Before anyone (including himself) had time to think, he had moved.
Yami's startled face swam momentarily before his own before he pulled him roughly into a passionate embrace and kissed him thoroughly, his whole heart reaching out in that one instant of unguarded honesty.
Behind him, Kaiba heard a squeak from Tea and gasps from the others but he didn't even care…Yami lips clung to his with just as much hunger and his arms had come up to clasp him back - even more tightly.
'This was going to be the best Christmas ever,' Yami thought as he drew Kaiba closer against him.
The next morning, Joey received an extra Christmas present. Much to his amazement, it had been slipped through the letter box of the apartment he shared with Mai… A beautifully wrapped box, it contained a single card – Blue-Winged Crown.
The inscription simply read, 'Every time a bell rings…'
Mokuba was quite simply spoilt that Christmas and much to his delight it was several weeks before he seemed able to do anything wrong (though eventually he managed it).
Despite being showered with gifts by his brother. His best present still - was finally finding that someone else thought his brother was as great as he did…and how happy that made them both.
AN: Okay…drug abuse and alcoholism – maybe slightly less festive than I had in mind :)
Oh well, it all worked out in the end…and at least there were kisses under the mistletoe. Only a short story but I hope you enjoyed it - Happy Christmas and New Year!
I will be updating 'Prideshipping without Prejudice' as usual next week and chapter thirteen has gone up today. Hope you like(d) it.
EvilMidget6 ;)