Sadness hits you like a sledgehammer, and then ties you up in chains. You sink like a sack of bricks and drown in depression. Your heart grows heavy and dead, just a hole in your chest. Your world becomes dark and lonesome, even if you're surrounded by family and friends. Your eyes continuously burn with the threat of tears, and you ache for a way out of this torture.
Then write. Write, and draw, and dance, and make music. If there is only one way to channel emotions so that they may be easier to bear, it is through the arts.
Kaiba lay for a few seconds, blinking his eyes to make sure they were open. There wasn't much difference between his surroundings and the back of his lid. He hoped he wasn't blind.
His body ached all over. For long, precious minutes he was content to lie there on his back. He was on a bed with a rather firm – but not uncomfortable – mattress, and a blanket was thrown over him. He knew he should get up, walk around and maybe find out where he was, maybe find a light switch or something, but he couldn't summon the willpower to even lift a finger. Or, rather, wouldn't. For the first time in his life (that he can remember), he felt lazy. This laziness was perhaps brought on by the fact that his muscles ached.
But just because he was lazy, didn't mean he wasn't curious. He wanted to know where the hell he was. He guessed Magneto took him somewhere after he blacked out… Speaking of which, how long was he out? He hoped Mokuba was okay. He had wanted to say goodbye to him, but then complications arose…
His acute hearing picked up the sound of a door swinging open. The noise of a light switch being flipped reached his ears, and a light on the ceiling snapped on. He squinted at the sudden brightness.
"Oh good," came a familiar voice. "You're awake." Magneto… "How are you feeling?"
"Like crap if I move," Kaiba replied. There was no point in lying to this old man, he decided. If he lied to Magneto, he wouldn't get as much out of what he has to learn.
The man chuckled. "That's understandable. You used too much of your power before you had worked up your stamina. It seems it's easier for you to cast illusions on people if you are touching them – mainly on the face and eyes."
Kaiba suddenly remembered the Blue Eyes White Dragon he had summoned. "Illusions?"
"Yes, illusions," Magneto drawled. "Quite obvious. In the times I've been observing you, it seems there are three stages. One requires you to cover the victim's eyes, and uses minimal energy. The other requires eye contact, and uses a little more energy. The last summons an illusion for everyone, but uses much more energy."
"Makes sense," Kaiba agreed.
"Would you like to rest more?" Magneto asked.
All of a sudden, Kaiba's heart ached, too. It felt like there was a great pit in his chest. Was it Magneto's empathy? Or was it something else? He couldn't quite pinpoint it. "We should be… training," he pointed out.
He could almost feel Magneto's amused smile. "We will start training when you are re-energized." He flipped the light switch once more and left the room.
Kaiba forced down a dry sob. He knew what it was.
Magneto was acting like a father…
He hadn't meant to, but he fell back asleep. Kaiba squirmed in his slumber.
His dream was confusing him. His surroundings were a thick, purple smoke, and red spirals faded in and out of view. He tried to wave the smoke away, but there was so much, nothing really happened.
More shapes started appearing in the haze. Faces… People… At first, he couldn't tell who they were, but then there were two screams, one male and one female. Chiyoko and Jounouchi faded in, frozen in time with looks of terror distorting their faces. They, too, faded out. Another voice reached his ears, and another person faded in to accompany it.
"Why did you leave me, Seto?" The boy's black hair shielded his eyes, but Kaiba knew who it was. "Where did you go, Seto?" The boy was also frozen in time, and even though his closed lips never parted, his voice still echoed around Kaiba, pounding on his ears. "I miss you, Seto."
Mokuba started to fade away. Kaiba reached out a hand, but like in a 3-D movie, the ravenet* was untouchable. "Mokuba!" he tried to call, but his vocal cords didn't want to vibrate. His mouth was open, but no sound came out.
A brand new character faded in, in the exact spot Mokuba had disappeared. This man was wearing all red, with a red helmet and purple cape. Kaiba knew who this was, too. "Come with me," the man said, holding out his hand. "Come with me and you won't have to destroy those you love." His cape was flowing out behind him dramatically. His feet weren't resting on anything. This man was not frozen in time. "Come with me, and you will learn to control your powers."
Kaiba couldn't take it anymore. He opened his mouth and forced his voice to comply. He screamed.
That was how he woke up, too. Screaming.
Mokuba pressed his forehead against the airplane window to look at the clouds from above. The plane's vibrations rattled his bones annoyingly, but that didn't stop him from looking out the window. Jean and Scott sat in the other two seats next to him. Scott was sleeping with the earphones of an MP3 player in his ears. Jean was reading a book, glancing over every once in a while at Mokuba.
"You act like you've never been on a plane before," Jean noted.
"I have," the ravenet replied. "But I love looking at stuff from so high up."
Jean nodded knowingly. Mokuba continued staring at the clouds for a while, before turning forward again and thumping into the back of his seat. He stared at the back of the seat in front of him blankly, his mind suddenly gone numb.
Where was Seto? He missed him already, and it's only been maybe 24 hours since he last saw him. Mokuba's heart ached with a loneliness that he was almost certain couldn't be solved without his brother.
It's not like Seto hasn't been gone for a few days, Mokuba reminded himself. He tried to reassure himself with that thought, but it always cycled to another one. One that chastised him, telling him "This isn't a business trip he's on. He's actually missing!" Mokuba swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn't want to cry in front of Jean and Scott… He barely knew them, and he didn't want to look weak.
"You okay?" Jean asked.
"Fine," Mokuba quickly replied. "Just bored." The she bought it, thankfully, and returned to her book. Mokuba sighed and looked out the window again. He could only hope he was doing the right thing, that these people were good people… and that by joining them, he might be able to find his brother.
Magneto stared intently at the glowing monitor in front of him. His red helmet was back on his head to protect from any possible psychic attacks. Sabretooth stood grumpily behind him. On the screen, Magneto could see Kaiba sitting on his bed with his head cradled in his hands.
"Why do you have such an interest in this kid?" Sabretooth growled.
Magneto shifted his attention to the laptop next to the monitor. He clicked a button, and it woke up from its sleep. He pointed to the now-luminous screen. Sabretooth squinted at it. "That's why," Magneto said. "About two years ago, he almost killed an old man out of greed. Two or three years before that, his stepfather died mysteriously, leaving him Kaiba Corp."
"Hmph," Sabretooth harrumphed. "He doesn't look like he could kill anyone to me."
Magneto had anticipated this question. "No, he refuses to kill willingly, it seems. At least, right now. He changed after playing a card game with a person named Yugi Mutou." He jabbed his finger at the screen for emphasis. "I want him to be like he was before that card duel."
Sabretooth made a disbelieving grunt. "Oh yeah? How're you gonna do that, then?"
Magneto closed his eyes for a moment before looking at the monitor of Kaiba's room again. "He's slow to trust, that's for sure. But once I gain it, I know how I'll be able to tear him down into the cold-blooded human he was before."
Sabretooth raised a furry eyebrow and watched as Magneto began to chuckle maniacally.
Mokuba wasn't aware that he had fallen asleep, but he must have, because before he knew it, Jean was shaking him awake.
"The plane has landed," she told him. "Let's go."
Mokuba yawned and rubbed his eyes. He grabbed his backpack and followed Jean and Scott off the aircraft. Once past the baggage claim, they headed out to a taxi waiting for them. About half an hour later, they were on the highway headed to Bayville, New York.
One their drive to the Xavier Institute, Mokuba made small talk with the two older mutants. They discussed what was going to happen. Apparently, to help keep an eye on Mokuba, he was going to enroll into Bayville High as a freshman. It wouldn't be too much trouble; he was way smart for his age. He'd have no trouble keeping up in class, and it wasn't like he was going to be friendless. The other freshman mutants would be there, whom Mokuba would meet soon. Besides, he was only two years younger than the ninth graders.
Mokuba was really excited to be meeting new people, but deep inside, he didn't allow himself to enjoy it too much. He couldn't, not when he didn't know where his brother was. His only family was gone. No matter how friendly these new people were going to be, he would never be truly happy until he at least found out where Seto was. He knew it.
So when they reached the Institute, he plastered on a wide grin. Jean and Scott led him up the long driveway to the front steps of the large manor. Once in through the double doors, he looked apprehensively but appreciatively at the entrance hall. His house was bigger than the Institute, but it was a fair size.
In front of him was a wide marble staircase, the middle of which was covered in plush red carpet. At the top of this staircase, there was a landing. Three hallways opened onto this landing. Hanging from the ceiling was a massive chandelier that illuminated the entire room. That wasn't the only light source, though, for almost the entire front wall were windows. Mokuba could see a door on either side of the staircase, and a hallway to his left and right. His two elders took him down the hallway to the right.
He entered a large study, complete with books lining the wall, a fireplace, a couch, and multiple arm chairs. In this room, there was a bald man wearing dark clothes in a wheelchair. Once Jean and Scott had nodded at the man, they left.
"Hello," he said. Mokuba thought the man had a British way of clipping off his words. "I am Professor Charles Xavier. I founded this Institute to help new mutants like you learn to control and utilize your abilities. You must be Mokuba Kaiba."
"Yes," Mokuba replied politely. "That's me."
"I hope you will be comfortable here," the professor told him. "You'll be getting a room to yourself." Suddenly, he frowned at the black-haired boy. Mokuba immediately started putting up mental walls like he did for Jean, but the professor said, "That might've worked for Jean, Mokuba, but it won't work on me."
Nevertheless, Mokuba didn't stop trying to block out Xavier. After a minute, Professor X let out a sigh. Mokuba couldn't help but snap at him, "I don't think I like telepaths."
"I apologize for intruding," Xavier told him. "I couldn't help but sense your depression. Jean might have not noticed anything, but I have. I'm sorry for your brother."
Mokuba suddenly couldn't look the professor in the eyes. "He was supposed to come here, wasn't he," he asked dully.
"You're a bright young man," Xavier said soothingly. "We'll find him. Give it time. In the meantime, get situated, and meet the other mutants once they come back from school. You'll start school tomorrow." Mokuba turned to leave, but looked back when the professor added, "Mokuba, I won't intrude on your mind again, but if there is anything you want to share, you can share it with me."
And Mokuba knew the professor would be more secure than the Kaiba Corp. files. He couldn't help but feel that this old man was offering that because he was at least two years younger than the other mutants. So even though he said "Okay" back to the professor, he knew he wouldn't take up on the offer. He'd be strong, he decided. He'd be strong for Seto.
*Ravenet (fem. Ravenette) is a term I made up to describe someone with black hair. I was tired of saying "Black-haired boy." Same with "White-haired boy" (came up with Blanchet (fem. Blanchette)).
I am aware that Magneto might be acting more evil than he should be. Well, maybe he is, but he IS kind of evil. Sure, he wants to help mutants too, but he's still kinda evil.
Nevertheless, tell me what you thought. :3
