I was a little confused on how to write Seto's character, and after several tries, I decided this would do for the moment... he's confused, and despairing, but like Yami, a proud man. Seto isn't going to cry very easily.
Thanks to these wonderful people for their reviews last chapter:-
XXRoseGoddessXx: Thanks for the review, and here is the confrontation you've been waiting for... I hope you like it.
Winter-Rae: No, Nakama, I'm honoured to have someone like yourself accept to beta this story for me. I would have deleted the last chapter if you hadn't checked it over for me – I was sure it wasn't good enough. Thank you for reviewing, and yes, I loved the Dark Magician scene as well. Once again, thank you for being my beta.
Wolf Flash: I love you too Nakama, and thanks for reviewing. I can't wait to read more on your amazing 'Dark World Light World' story; stop doubting yourself because you're a wonderful writer.
Minasantaria: I'm sorry I made you cry , Mina. But I'm also touched that you enjoyed the chapter so much. Thanks for the review, and here's the update – I hope you like it.
Blue September: Thank you for your generous review. I decided to let people peak in the little into Sugoroku's mind, and see how he was coping with the loss of his grandson. To be honest, it was kind of needed as he will appear later on in the story. Once again thank you for the compliments.
Saffire Blade: Hm, yes... I was aiming for dramatic, angsty, and borderline tragedy. Thank you Clingon – this is my favourite story at the moment (in all the ones I'm currently writing). I'm pleased you liked the Dark Magician scene – I was worried it didn't really show the bond between Yugi and Yami. Thank you for reviewing.
Salkiethia: Yes, hopefully most of the chapters will be filled with the same style, except the emotions may vary to compliment the scenes. Hm, as for Yugi... he went on a coach tour of Tokyo for fun, but he had another reason as well... which will be delved into later. Unfortunately, the driver crashed the coach, and only one person survived... find out this chapter. As for Yugi and Yami – Yugi was 17, and Yami is 18, almost 19. Thanks for the review.
Phoenix To Flame: Thank you for reviewing. Hm... Yugi was killed in a when he went on a coach tour of Tokyo, and the coach crashed. Only one person survived the crash. – and you're about to find out who.
AirGirl Phantom: I tried as hard as I could to let everyone see Yami's internal struggle – since he was once a Pharaoh, it would be very difficult for the poor guy to let go of his pride quite simply to cry. Thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it even though you aren't into yaoi stories.
xnightmare'sxnightmarex: Thank you for your review... and there's much more angst to come.
Thank you for being patient and bearing with me... here's chapter 2.
Seto sighed softly as the world flew past his tinted windows, which effectively hid both him and his grief from the unsuspecting citizens of Domino City. The wheel of life, for them, would smoothly continue on as normal, while the CEO's own had grinded to an unexpected and yet horrifying halt.
The day the coach had crashed on its anticipated tour around Tokyo was the day Seto's emotionless mask almost cracked from a sudden onslaught of fear and terror. He had rushed straight to Domino's finest hospital, barking orders and insults at any doctors foolish enough to stand in his way, then into the intensive care ward, eyes searching frantically for its newest occupant. Almost immediately Seto's face had paled as his eyes had locked onto the last bed in the corner. The floor spun at his feet, stars hurling themselves into his vision; it took several nurses to convince the CEO to take a minute to sit down and clear his befuddled head.
For hours after an unbelievable yet shocking conversation, Seto had sat at Mokuba's bedside, secretly clutching his younger brother's hand beneath the crisp white sheets. No one – not even the head doctor – could persuade him to get up and leave. The CEO blatantly refused every single time. It was incredibly startling, when the week flew by, leaving Seto sinking deeper and deeper into a lingering confusion and despair:
'Why Mokuba? Why... why him?'
The doctors had claimed that the raven-haired boy would cease to awaken. Just thinking of the words caused a shudder to rip through Seto's entire form – Mokuba would sleep for eternity in the black void of unawareness, blissfully unknowing of the way the world still span on without his cheery laughter, or his high-pitched squeaks of concern. Already he longed for the shrill cry of "Seto!" every night he walked in through the door to his – their – mansion. A now very lonely place without the pitter-patter of tiny feet running over the carpet or the gleeful shouts when Mokuba raced into the kitchen.
Would he ever hear that sweet, taken for granted sound again?
His concentration was broken when Isono cursed loudly and slammed on the breaks, causing the limo to skid uncontrollably for several seconds before coming to a sudden stop. Seto was thrown forward and almost fell to the floor – he managed to catch himself before his head could meet the hard surface.
"Isono!" The CEO spat, straightening his jacket. He was in no mood for slip-ups today, especially from one of his most trusted men. "What the hell are you doing? When I put you in charge of my team of elites, I wasn't expecting a mistake..." His voice trailed off dangerously, the threat hanging crystal clear in the tangible air.
"Kaiba, sir..." came the spluttered reply as Isono held a quaking hand over his heart. "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but... I hadn't really expected..."
"Spit it out before I grow tired of your blabbering," sighed Seto, crossing his arms with a quick snap.
"O-of course..." Isono chuckled weakly as his shocked trembles stilled, and he glanced up into the rear-view mirror to his employer. "Kaiba, sir, I could have sworn I just saw Yugi Mutou..." The driver gulped when the CEO's eyes flashed angrily, impatience making itself known. "H-he's supposed to have died last week..."
Seto froze as he heard the words. He's supposed to have died last week... So why, then, was his employer hallucinating and seeing dead people on the street? To confirm if he was indeed touched in the head, The CEO carelessly glanced out through the darkened window, and stiffened as a multi-coloured flash caught his eye. In an instant Seto had thrown open the limo door and bolted in the same direction, ignoring Isono's startled yelp – if it was indeed Yugi, and he was supposed to be dead, then why on earth was he walking (more like running) around?
Though of course, Seto realised with distaste, it could also be Atemu... the supposed 'Pharaoh'. The CEO couldn't believe that after two entire years – two years of breaking away from the geek squad's crazy and almost inescapable grip – they still believed Yugi's mysterious older brother was from Ancient Egypt. It was such an absurd notion, after all; there was no way in hell that Atemu could have survived three thousand years, yet still look as young as a normal, albeit strangely-haired, teen.
Seto sharply turned a corner and once again, was thrown forward; this time by a large obstruction at his feet. Growling as he picked himself up from the hard cement, Seto whirled around, ready to release his pent-up frustration on the idiotic object that dared to force him to the ground, and gaped as he found a body instead. The same tri-haired teen that he'd been frantically chasing lay as a tangle of limbs, eyes clenched tight.
The first thing Seto noticed about Atemu was his startlingly pale skin. When had he been so white and pasty? What startled him most, however, was the fact that from what he could see, the teen had collapsed – right in the middle of the street. Seto was fairly positive that wasn't healthy.
Crouching down gingerly, Seto stretched out a warm hand and shook Atemu's shoulder roughly. "Wake up, you idiot." He sneered, unimpressed. "Unless you enjoy being part of the sidewalk." Certain that his insult had made it's way to the Pharaoh's ears, Seto shook him yet again, before pulling back and getting to his feet.
When Atemu did not react, Seto shoved away the strange feeling trying to clench his heart. Frowning, he nudged the teen with his foot, thankful that the street was empty. "Get up." This time Yugi's lookalike responded slightly; his eyelids flickered gently, yet Atemu's body remained still. The lack of motion was quite disturbing... it reminded Seto of-
'of a dead person.'
Mokuba and Yugi flashed to the front of his mind – the former lying still, tucked gently into a white bed, and the latter lying completely motionless, surrounded by the sides of a smooth, oak coffin. Seto held back a shudder as he once again crouched by Atemu, his frown slipping into a grimace of worry. How foolish of him – the CEO could not hold back a flinch – to think the teen would be unaffected by his 'brother's' death. He could almost understand how he must be feeling.
Almost.
There was one key factor that seperated both him and Atemu right now: Yugi was dead, while Mokuba still lived, except in a deep, unbreakable sleep. For that, Seto was eternally grateful – but he at the same time, the CEO felt a sudden urge to take away the younger teen's suffering. If Seto ever lost his younger brother to death, he'd be broken, unable to continue on his own. God knows how Atemu was coping at the moment.
With a frustrated and reluctant sigh, Seto gently slipped his arms beneath Atemu and hoisted him up, almost toppling over yet again because of the unexpected lightness. When was the last time the teen had bothered to eat? The CEO couldn't be sure without a verbal response from Atemu, and even then the chances of it being a truthful answer was incredibly slim. With a dramatic whirl of his jacket, Seto spun around and carried the tri-haired teen back towards his waiting limo, the door still left open in his haste.
"Mr Kaiba, sir?" Asked Isono hesitantly, wary of his employer's reaction. After all, one could never be too sure with the cold-hearted man – yet the driver felt that perhaps Mr Kaiba wasn't completely emotionless. He seemed to have taken his brother's death quite badly.
Seto offered no explanation as he slid Atemu onto the soft leather seats, before climbing in himself and closing the door with a snap. "Take us back to the mansion, Isono." He demanded, crossing his arms once again. As soon as they arrived, Seto was going to make sure the younger teen to eat something, by force if necessarily. It pained the CEO to think about it, but he was sure Atemu would do the same in a reverse situation. Which, of course, would never happen.
Isono nodded his head, biting his lip in an attempt to stop the question desperate to escape: what about Mr Mutou? It was safer to keep your well-paid job than know a shred of information, no matter how curious it made you. With a flick of his wrist the engine hummed quietly into life before the limo sped off down the street.
The soft purr from the vehicle almost lulled Seto to sleep, had it not been for his pride and the still figure being jostled slightly on his right. The CEO's heart clenched in pain once again as he thought of Mokuba – sweet, innocent Mokuba – and naive, jovial Yugi, both dead in their own way. Yet Yugi's way was much more frightening and realistic. At least his raven-haired brother's heart still beat inside his small, suddenly fragile chest.
Which is exactly how Seto had felt when he'd entered that ward last week – fragile and broken. It simply wasn't right, in a way – he was so used to being strong; a pillar of support for his younger brother to cling to. Cold like marble, but solid too, and unbreakable. Yet somehow the marble had splintered painfully across the ground, weakened greatly, and struggling to keep itself upright underneath such a heavy roof of burdens.
When Yami felt his consciousness return to him, he didn't expect to feel the ground moving smoothly beneath his back. That most of all was utterly confusing; had he not been lying against a wall earlier, when hunger had finally struck and taken it's toll after a week of neglect to his body?
Before the tri-haired teen could have a chance to think about where he was, grief struck his heart with so much force his body almost convulsed. His heartbeat sped up frantically when he sunk back into the bowels of despair. 'Yugi... my hikari...
'...aibou...'
That one word raced across Yami's mind so fast it felt as though his nerves were short-circuiting. Never before has the former Pharaoh known what an electric shock felt like, but part of him was pretty positive the feelings coursing through him now were pretty similar to the real thing. Yugi was gone; without Yugi there would be no more boisterous laughs, no more cheerful little smiles, and certainly no more of those amethyst orbs. Bright, dazzling amethyst, which could drag you down into their shining depths - a whirlwind of happy, colourful emotions.
A sharp bump below shook his body harshly, snapping his mind away from the pain momentarily. Slightly dazed, he heard an irritated voice snap angrily at another person, and a stuttered, nervous reply. Where on earth was he? Determined to find out, Yami peeled open his tired eyes and stared. Seto looked back just as intently, azure eyes ablaze with anger and... was that grief lingering quietly at the back? Yami resisted the urge to frown, slightly interested as to why he was lying in what seemed to be Seto Kaiba's very expensive limo. Yet before he could open his mouth to ask, the CEO bet him too it.
"I've no idea what you're playing at, Mutou, but collapsing on the sidewalk wasn't your smartest idea." Despite the fact Seto had answered with his usual cold tone, the younger teen could hear traces of worry coating the ice. This time, Yami could not keep back his confusion.
"And why am I here instead?" He asked quietly, never breaking eye contact. Yami dimly wondered what could cause Seto to be so unhappy, but he shook the thought away – his sympathy and concern would not be appreciated by the older teen. Rather they would be shunned away with disgust.
The CEO turned his head away, deep in thought. To admit the honest truth – when he was deep in denial himself – would be an absolute nightmare for Seto. Firstly, Yami might not believe him... or worse, mock his sudden change in attitude. But what other options did the brunette have? Though lying wasn't something that troubled him, he knew Mokuba would be put to shame if he did cover up his reasons.
It was a bad way to honour his brother.
"Because contrary to popular belief, Yami," Seto clipped, still struggling hard to keep the concern out of his voice. "I am not completely heartless." The younger teen said not a word in reply, choosing instead to gaze out through the tinted window, which was slightly difficult when lying down. Thought he did not voice it, part of Yami wished that Seto had left him on the street to die.
Maybe then he'd be reunited with his aibou.
Yes, Yami is still heartbroken over his loss... as is Seto. With two grieving males in the same proximity, what chaos could happen? What emotions could be stirred?
Next time: Seto discovers the reason for Yami's collapse. Are they fighting again? Do they ever stop? ...And what's this about intruders into the Kaiba Mansion?
Stay tuned, and please review...