Sorry it took so long everybody. Here is the long awaited ninth chapter. This one was especially hard to write. Hopefully the last few chapters will come a little quicker. Enjoy!

Chapter Nine:

'You truly are your father's son…'

No one knew how much that one phrase haunted my life. For as far back as I can remember, I strived to be just like my father. He was my ideal. He was the quintessence of what it was I wanted to become. My father was a self-made billionaire. He was a CEO by age twelve, lost his virginity by thirteen, a force to be reckoned with by fourteen, a dueling idol by fifteen, a dueling legend by sixteen, created a kingdom for duelists and an amusement park by seventeen, living the high life with his lover by eighteen, and was a father by nineteen. My father struggled all his life and always managed to come out on top by using his brain and always thinking two steps ahead.

This was the Seto Kaiba I knew as a child. A cold harsh businessman who was passionate about his work. His dedication to his family and his company was both awesome and terrifying. I loved him, and yet, I was frightened of him all at once. He commanded respect and I followed him every step of the way. I wanted to be an image of my father. I worked hard and was blessed with natural talent. I excelled in school and finished with my formal education by fifteen. I wanted to work with my father. I, of course, had to start at the very bottom and work my way up the ranks.

They were the most boring four months of my life!

It was worth it, when big wigs in the company would say the phrase I wanted so desperately to hear; 'You are truly your father's son'. Admirers saw all the traits they loved about my father, in me, and it assured me that my hard work was not in vain. Everyone could see it. No one ever mistook me for anything other than a Kaiba. But this blessing was also a curse.

Many people hated my father. Those same men who praised me, didn't really like him as a person. Even those few who considered themselves his 'friends' didn't like him much. I remember bumping in to some of those friends while collecting survey data at a Kaiba corp. sponsored event. A voice yelled out, 'Gah, it's Kaiba! Ya stuck up prick! What ya think ya too good ta talk to me or somethin'?' I turned to see a stupid looking blond man pointing obnoxiously at me as he yelled for no reason. Three equally blond and equally obnoxious looking children stood at his heals and urged him on. I'm not sure why but they reminded me of a pack of wild dogs. Eventually, the "pants" in the family, a tall blond woman, muzzled him by pointing out that I was not, in fact Seto Kaiba but his son. The man, apparently he knew me, turned red and apologized, smiling goofily. I made no move to return or even acknowledge his smile. I did not recognize this man who spoke to me so familiarly after speaking so ill of my father. He gave up smiling eventually and sucked his teeth before muttering, 'Yeah, you're definitely his kid! You inherited that shitty attitude!' The woman hit him and dragged him off, apologizing, but his words struck a cord. It wasn't the first time I'd felt that way either. Later, when I asked my father about the blond family, he told me not to worry about the mutt or the annoying harpy he married.

The event itself wouldn't have affected me as much had I not already felt that being 'my father's son' wasn't as great as I wished it could be. My uncles, the only links I had to my mother, always looked like they were in pain when they talked to me. For most of my life, I tried to pretend I didn't notice it. I pretended not to see Uncle Marik cringe when I looked him in the eye. However, I needed to confront him on it one day while he was venting his anger towards the man. He looked at me considerately and said, 'You can't help looking like him, but don't think that means you need to act like him.' I didn't appreciate his comment and didn't care to talk to him as much after that. Still the curse continued.

I modeled myself after my father, but that didn't mean I wanted to be in his shadow for the rest of my life. I wanted to make a name for myself. But whenever people saw me, whether it be good or bad, it all led back to me 'being his son'. I was constantly being compared to him. No matter what I did, I could not escape it. 'You truly are your father's son.' People said it when did well at school, when I moved up the ranks at work, when I looked at someone a certain way, when I made a quick remark, anything. I remember when I was sixteen and had worked my way up into head positions at Kaiba corp., I was approached by an attractive older woman. She introduced herself and congratulated me on getting my own office. That night, I lost my virginity to her in that very office. I felt happy and confident in myself. Then, she said it, 'You truly are your father's son'. She gave me her number and left. My sense of self-worth was gone. All I could think about was my first experience in sex and how the woman I'd shared it with had already been with my father. She was toying with me; seeing if I compared. Other women would follow, doing the same thing. It didn't matter though because everyone in my life did it.

What hurt the most was when my father would say it. Honestly, I wanted him to see the way I idolized him and acknowledge me for it. He did acknowledge me, just not in the way I wanted. Anytime he saw something as a flaw in my personality, he would grin and say, 'guess it can't be helped, you are my son after all' and turn away. Whenever I would loose my temper, he would laugh at me and mock me for being so much like him. All my life I'd absorbed both the positive and negative aspects of his personality and chose to idolize and respect all of them. To have that thrown back at me as an insult by the very man I modeled myself after, hurt like hell. I didn't blame him, though. I knew he couldn't help it. He didn't want a child like me; a child who was so much like him.

That's why Sagira had always been and always would be his favorite.

After my mother's death, I continued to develop into a miniature version of my father. However the general consensus was that my mother had committed suicide by jumping in front of that car. It was not a topic of open discussion, but all the family and friends were thinking it. When they saw me, they saw the face of Seto Kaiba; the cold-hearted bastard who drove the only woman brave enough to love him to kill herself. Of course, around my sister and I, the story was that our mother was upset and went out for a walk when a car hit her by accident. Still, the uncanny resemblance didn't earn me many favors with the rest of the family. Sagira on the other hand, began to grow and took on the appearance of our mother. I was cast into the dark and Sagira became the golden child. Everyone loved her and I hated it. Not because I resented her, but because, I think, I loved her most of all.

It must have happened when she first started to talk. Her Baba had always been kind and protective of her, but her brother never looked like he cared one way or the other. It wasn't until she started talking; not babbling or saying the basic words, but talking and thinking in complete sentences with more complex thoughts. That's when she knew that her brother loved her. He had to love her. He wouldn't yell at her and make her cry so much if he didn't love her. He wouldn't pull her hair and hide her toys and laugh when she attempted to reach high places if he didn't love her. He wouldn't say things like, 'You're annoying', 'Get away from me', 'You can't seriously be that stupid', 'I don't get why everyone likes you so much', 'You're not that special' or 'Touch my stuff one more time and I'll flush you down the toilet' if he didn't love her.

If Jahi didn't love her, he wouldn't have beat up the older kids who pushed her off the seesaw. He wouldn't have suffered through her never-ending stories of the adventures she had that day. He wouldn't have held her hand when they walked in public and made sure she didn't run up to strangers. He wouldn't take the blame for her wrong doings when he realized her cuteness wasn't enough to get away with it. He wouldn't stay up past his bedtime, retelling stories he'd heard about the mother that she apparently looked like, even though he knew he'd be scolded for staying up late.

Sagira loved her brother just as much as she loved her Baba. She expressed this by smiling as often as possible. By giving hugs and kisses to them whenever she could, especially when they thought they didn't want them. By drawing pictures for them and yelling when they were not properly displayed. She expressed her love for her father by fiddling with things he told her not to while he was working. Her Baba didn't look like he enjoyed typing on his laptop for hours, so as long as she messed with his stuff, he would have to talk to (or yell at) her instead, which was a much better option. She expressed her love for Jahi by keeping him busy. Sagira knew her brother was super smart and got bored of things easily, so she would set up scavenger hunts to entertain him. This usually consisted of taking things from his room and hiding them while he was at school. By the time Jahi got home, she would have forgotten where she put everything and together they'd try to figure out where toys, like his inhaler, had disappeared to. Often, they'd never find things. It was okay though because Jahi only got asthma attacks when Baba REALLY scared him. Sagira always found them entertaining.

What was never entertaining though, is what would sometimes come after. That was a time when the entire mansion would become quiet and Jahi and Baba would go to different sections of the house. She would always visit Jahi first. Usually, he would be hiding in her room. At first he would be angry. He'd say things like, 'It's all because Baba loves you more', 'He really does hate me', or 'I can't stand any of you'. As he vented, the pain would begin to show, and Sagira, sensing that pain, would start to cry on her brother's behalf. At that point, Jahi would say comforting things like, 'Don't cry baby', 'Thank you for being here for me' and most importantly 'As annoying as you are, sometimes I think you're the only one who loves me here.'

Later on she would see her Baba. Sagira could always tell when Baba wanted some attention. Usually, he would be sitting quietly in his office with his arms folded across his chest. She would open the door to his office and smile. If he smiled back and opened his arms to her, it meant that he was sad. She'd run into his arms and give him lots of hugs and kisses. To seal the deal she would look at him very seriously and ask, "What troubles you Seto Kaiba". That was usually enough to make him happy. He would start by telling her that she looks like her mother when she does that. He would talk to her about many things, only a fraction of which were things Sagira understood, but she always listened to everything he had to say.

There was a lot that Sagira didn't understand. She didn't understand why she needed to eat green beans. She didn't understand why people thought it was so amazing that she could play duel monsters or that her seven-year old brother was in seventh grade. She didn't understand why her Baba and her brother didn't get along; Jahi was convinced Baba hated him and Baba was confident Jahi resented him, but they loved each other so much. She didn't understand why everyone except her uncle Mokuba looked at Jahi like it hurt. She didn't understand why her mother wasn't there with them. She didn't understand any of these things. But that didn't matter. She would do what she could to make everybody smile.

That was the kind of child she was and that's the kind of person she was trying to be on the day of her accident.

Five-year old Sagira woke up to the familiar sounds of breakfast being prepared downstairs and the running water of Jahi's shower. She opened her eyes, her mind still in a deep haze from the peculiar dreams she'd been having. She debated with herself whether she wanted to stay in bed or get up and see what fun things were waiting downstairs.

A large thump came from the direction of the bathroom and startled Sagira into attention. "KUSO!" (Shit) She heard her brother shout out suddenly.

"JAHI!" Her Baba yelled from his room to which Jahi quickly apologized. Intrigued, Sagira pulled herself out of bed and shuffled over to the bathroom. She gave no warning before opening the bathroom door, and greeted her brother with a bright smile. Jahi, who had slipped in the tub, was still caught in the shower curtains, wet and totally naked. Sagira didn't seem to notice and continued to smile.

"Sagira! What are you doing? Get out of here! Nozoki! (Peeping Tom)

"Jahi said a bad word!"

"I don't care! Get out damn you!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Baba's angry voice echoed through the upstairs. Jahi stopped scared and hurried to detangle his foot from the shower curtain.

"I'm sorry, Baba." Jahi apologized. "Now I'm in trouble again! Get out! Bother someone else!" The naked Jahi grumbled vindictively while pushing her out of the bathroom. The door closed with a slam and abrupt turning of the lock. Sagira wasn't fazed too much by Jahi's outburst. He always acted that way when she walked in on him bathing, and had called her much worse things. Upon entering seventh grade, a whole new world of language and humor had opened up to him, and he was generous in sharing it with his sister when appropriate.

Sagira made her way down the marble steps carefully so as not to trigger another fall. The smell of breakfast filled her nostrils with a delicious sensation that made her mouth water. Excited, she scurried over to the kitchen. However, before she could push open the door, interference came in the form of a pair of solid female legs.

"Now young miss, you should know better than to annoy the cooks. Come on." The statuesque woman insisted, scooting her away from the door.

"But Mona!"

"None of that, none of that! Go on!"

Sagira liked Mona a lot. Although the thick bodied, rosy cheeked, dark haired woman stood in stark contrast to the tan beauty her mother was described to be, Sagira always figured that if she had a mother, she would be like Mona. She was a good woman with three adult children of her own, yet she still cared deeply for both Sagira and Jahi. She helped out with Jahi part-time when he was an infant and took over after their mother died. The only problem was that Mona and Baba didn't interact much. It was sad to Sagira, that they couldn't be friends. Her Baba was a good person, Sagira thought, so why did it feel like people were afraid of him.

True her Baba had a tendency to yell when he was annoyed, or say bad words, or hit things. It was true that during the times she watched her Baba duel, he could be viewed as smug, the way he grinned before a match, knowing he was going to win, or when the duel was unusually tough and the outcome became uncertain, how he would laugh mercilessly once he eventually won. Even though her Baba did do all those things, Sagira couldn't see any harm in it. She'd laugh along with her Baba from the sidelines. She'd jump for joy when a henchman was kicked out of the private chopper as it was leaving the ground, to give her more 'arm waving room'. She smiled happily when he finished a vindictive plan to get a weaker company out of business and boost his own profits. It was all entertaining and it was what made her Baba so much fun. Except when he hurt Jahi's feelings too much. That's when the game ended and she had to restore peace.

Heavy, authoritative footsteps signaled the approach of Baba. He made quite an impression in his all white business suit, his face unsmiling. Sagira wished she had her crayons, so that she could correct that problem. She'd add some color to that suit and brighten his day a little. Sadly, Jahi got mad at her the other day and hid them. The five-year old made a mental note to ask Mona to retrieve them once everyone was gone.

"Is breakfast still not ready?" Baba's annoyed voice echoed through the vast dining room. He scooped Sagira up and sat her on his lap once he had taken his place at the table.

"The cooks are running a little behind schedule but breakfast will be done momentarily sir." Mona answered apologetically from the kitchen.

"Whatever." Was Baba's disinterested reply. "Jahi! Come on, you're going to be late for school."

"Yes, Baba." Came a speedy response from the stairs. Jahi emerged in his crisply pressed blue school uniform. As Sagira watched her big brother, she couldn't help but think that he looked a little like a robot, his wild bangs being the only feature not stiff and perfectly straight. Jahi took his seat at the table and paused noticing the absence of a plate in front of him. "Is breakfast still not ready?" He asked Baba in an incredulous tone.

"Breakfast will be out in a few short moments young sir, please be patient." Mona's exasperated voice erupted yet again.

"But I'll be late!"

"Jahi can play with me instead!" Sagira cried out in excitement, disrupting the carefully set tie her Baba was wearing. He said nothing, bouncing her on his knee to distract her as he fixed it. "We'll have fun today. I want to watch Duel Monster Paradise with you like we did before."

"No, I'm going to school."

"Please, you won't even duel with me anymore! I want to play!" She complained.

"No Sagira!" Jahi barked in annoyance before turning to face the kitchen. "Isn't it ready yet?"

At that moment, Mona returned with a large tray holding three plates of western style breakfast; complete with pancakes, eggs, Canadian bacon and orange juice. Two small cups of tea were set out for Baba and Jahi and a single onigiri with a pickled plum in the center for little Sagira. Usually the little smiley face, made of bits of plum and prominently displayed, would be enough to make the young girl's morning, but she was too distracted by her hurt feelings. She didn't want Jahi to yell at her, she wanted him to play with her. Tears welled up in her bright blue eyes and wasted no time running down her pain stricken face. The trembling girl found solace in her Baba's large chest and held in a large sob.

Jahi knew he was in trouble before the tears even began to fall. This happened constantly. Sagira would do something obnoxious and somehow he would be the one yelled at. No one ever took his side and he didn't want anyone to. He didn't need anyone to pick him up and baby him the way they did Sagira. Oddly enough, the only person he could stomach touching him was the same person that he was constantly upsetting and getting him in trouble. Jahi couldn't stand Sagira, but at the same time he loved her ferociously because she was the only unshakable ally he had in the world. In the meantime, he had to be assaulted.

Baba did not disappoint.

"JAHI! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? YOU'RE CONSTANTLY DOING THIS TO HER."

"She was being obnoxious. I got frustrated, that's all." Jahi attempted to defend while poking at his food.

"SHE'S A BABY! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU SHOUT AT HER? THERE'S NO REASON FOR YOU TO BEHAVE LIKE AN ASSHOLE!"

"Mr. Kaiba…" Mona tried to come to Jahi's defense, but no one paid any mind.

"You always say she's a baby. But she's five and is intelligent enough to be a primary student like I was at her age. She's fine, you just baby her." Jahi grumbled between bites of his pancakes. The fluffy, golden brown, morning treat did nothing to lighten his mood. Everything tasted bitter. Jahi knew that his remarks would earn him even more of an earful.

"What did you say?" Baba asked in a silent rage. He couldn't believe that he would hear back talk from his child.

"You always shout at me when I yell at Sagira. You say I shouldn't do it cause she's a baby. But you always yelled at me, even when I was her age." Jahi raised his eyes towards Baba defiantly as well as his voice. "Why should everyone bend over backwards to keep her happy all the time? I'm not even free to argue with my own sister, like she's some kind of Godsend or pure being I'm not allowed to touch. Why can't she learn to stand up for herself like I had to? What makes her so damn special!?"

"THAT'S IT! I WILL NOT…"

"Mr. Kaiba please! I think that's enough." Mona interjected before the children's Baba could finish his outrage. She held on to Jahi tightly from behind, fearing that the confrontation could become physical. The movement took both Baba and Jahi by surprise. Jahi, unaccustomed and not desiring to being held by anyone other than Sagira, fought against the embrace once the shock faded. However, Mona would not let him go. Instead, she held on tighter and planted a kiss on the side of his face. "It's alright young sir. I understand." She whispered into his ear before kissing him again.

He wasn't sure why, but Jahi was afraid if this went on much longer, he would start crying. Rescue came in the form of his Baba's voice. The rage had become quiet once more and was no longer directed towards him.

"Mona, you've worked here for a long time. You've known my children since infancy and cared for them. I understand your need to protect my children from harm since that is, in essence, what your job is; to protect them from malnutrition, from boredom, from negligence, and from bodily harm. However, your job is NOT and has NEVER been to be their mother! I don't care how long you've known them or what you think is best. Do what you're paid for instead of trying to become some kind of surrogate. They already have a mother! Now get your hands OFF MY SON!"

"I know I'm not his mother Mr. Kaiba! I never claimed I was!" Mona declared shocked, loosening her grip on the boy. Jahi took the opportunity to pull away completely. Mona looked at him once and then returned the gaze towards the children's Baba. "Ms. Ishtar died five years ago. When she was alive she loved and nurtured the young sir more than any other. I know that. But Mr. Kaiba, do you really feel so guilty about her death that you can't even bare to touch or let anyone else touch Ishizu's little boy? Do you honestly feel that loving him is off limits? That it was Ms. Ishizu's territory alone, and to show him even the slightest compassion is.. is… somehow IMPEDING on her territory?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" He stood. By that time, Jahi had decided to tune out the conversation and focus on his meal, but Sagira was listening intently in her Baba's arms.

"Mr. Kaiba, the young sir is brilliant intellectually but he doesn't even know how to respond to a simple hug! A loving embrace! A kiss! He's seven-years old! What is that saying about his emotional development?"

"MONA!" He shouted suddenly. Sagira jumped slightly in his arms, to which her Baba quickly apologized before returning to the servant. "You've said enough. You've worked here for a long time and Sagira likes you so I'll let this go for now. But the next time ANYTHING happens, you're gone. You understand?"

Mona forcibly held her tongue. If she was fired, she couldn't save those children. She nodded and took her leave into the kitchen.

Breakfast was finished in silence and with great speed. Sagira hadn't even gotten to her onigiri when Baba and Jahi got up to leave. She pleaded for somebody to stay and play with her but to no avail. Even Sagira knew when she couldn't win. The five-year old poked at the rice ball in annoyance as her Baba kissed her goodbye. Jahi straightened out is uniform for what seemed the millionth time as walked.

On his way out, Jahi whispered, "If you can come up with a decent strategy, I'll duel with you when I come home. But only one game you understand?"

"Okay!" Sagira immediately perked up. Jahi shook his head in exhaustion and walked with his Baba out the door, leaving Sagira alone with her thoughts.

As the little girl went about her normal daily activities; making duel strategies, watching television, playing with her toys, hiding Jahi's things, and coloring, she was reminded of the event at the breakfast table. She was used to seeing her Baba upset, but she realized then that she had never seen anyone hug her brother. Her initial feelings were of jealousy. She was the only one in their family that hugged and kissed Jahi, so seeing another person do it, made her upset. Then, if she understood right, she heard that her mother used to hug and kiss Jahi a lot. As the day went on, Sagira thought about her big brother. She wondered if Jahi would be happier if he had a mother to give him lots of hugs and kisses when he was upset, or yell at her when she made Jahi mad, the way Baba does with Jahi when he makes her cry.

Sagira climbed the stairs and walked to her bedroom. On her dresser, she had a jewelry box that held some very important things. Usually, the little girl was half hazard with her things, like most children are, but the contents of this box were very special. Carefully, she lifted the dainty wooden lid, revealing a few pieces of diamond jewelry, but most importantly, the Blue Eyes White Dragon card her father gave her and a portrait style photograph of the three of them. Baba sat on a chair with Sagira on his lap. Jahi was standing stiffly beside them, holding on to the back of Baba's chair. Sagira was about three in the picture, making Jahi about five. Normally, Jahi's lack of a smile would not bother her, but today she wondered if it was normal.

After placing the picture back and closing the lid, Sagira made her way down the hall towards her Baba's room. She knew he had a lot of things that she was not supposed to touch but today she didn't care too much. She had only pretended not to know about the secret compartment in Baba's closet or the fact that there was a key to it in his nightstand. Sagira giggled at her own deviousness as she walked over to the nightstand and fumbled, above her head, for the key. After a bit of a struggle, her hand caught it and she pulled it out triumphantly. The girl scampered to the closet and went down on her hands and knees. Behind her Baba's large array of shoes, there was what looked like a cabinet door. It was tiny, and Sagira figured it was just her size. She'd never had the courage to unlock the door before, but today she felt an urgent need to do so. She'd been having weird dreams about this door for a week, and she had to see what was inside.

Cautiously, Sagira unlocked the door. The door swung open freely, revealing a small dark compartment. Sagira struggled to see in the darkness when her eyes caught sight of the large black shoebox. Excited, Sagira pulled out the box and walked with it to her Baba's window, where she could see more clearly. Unable to control herself, Sagira pulled the lid off the box and prepared herself to see whatever was inside.

The first thing she saw was the duel deck. Fingering through the cards the realized that they weren't like the cards her Baba used. They seemed, somehow more mysterious and exotic. She wanted very much to keep them for herself but figured she would ask Baba about it later. She knew well enough not to steal. There was also an assortment of heavy gold jewelry, which when put against her tan skin, seemed to radiate and glow. She made a note to ask her Baba about the jewelry as well. For all extents and purposes, this shoe box, with its duel monster cards and its jewelry, was reminding her more and more of her own jewelry box, but somehow more mature. This being the case, Sagira was not initially surprised to see the pictures. What did surprise her was the nature of the pictures.

On the very top was a picture of her Baba, but it was strange because he looked so much younger. He looked very cool in his white Kaiba corp. coat and black, long sleeve shirt underneath. Sagira couldn't help but blush a little at the young man that would become her Baba. Even a five-year old girl can recognize an attractive man when she sees one, and her Baba was definitely an attractive man. The next picture had her Baba in it again, except this time, he had his arm around the waist of a tall, elegant looking tan woman. Sagira could tell that this must have been her Mother, because of the way the woman had always been described. Sagira looked at her in awe. To the little girl, Ishizu Ishtar was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. She wanted to grow up to be that pretty. Sagira also recognized some of the jewelry her Mother was wearing as the same jewelry in the box, and concluded that this box must have belonged to her.

In the next picture, the woman was by herself and showing off a large tummy. After that was a picture of a tan, blue-eyed baby staring intently into the camera. The connection between that infant and her big brother didn't come to her right away. It wasn't until she saw the picture of her Mother holding the baby in Jahi's room that she made the connection. The next picture was of her Baba and Jahi. They were seated beside each other on the sofa downstairs. The pose seemed unnatural in a way that Sagira had come to expect when looking at a photograph of the two of them together. However, she noticed that rather than the disinterest she was used to, the toddler looked as though he was trying to copy Baba's face. The cool glare at the camera was over exaggerated and Sagira thought it was very cute. Sagira flipped to the next picture and stopped.

It was a picture of Jahi, at the same age as the last one, and their Mother. She stopped, looking somewhat confused by the unfamiliar picture. The setting of the picture looked to be the Domino Museum in the Ancient Egypt exhibit. Sagira knew because she had gone with Jahi and Mona many times before. Their Mother was holding Jahi in her arms, and contrary to the image Sagira was used to seeing, he was beaming brightly. The toddler gave a generous smile as he pointed in the direction of the camera and their Mother waved as well. Sagira could not stop looking at Jahi's smiling face. It seemed so very alien to her. What Sagira saw was a level of happiness that she didn't realize Jahi could have. Thinking about how unhappy her big brother must be all the time, was too much for the sensitive child to handle. A cough was followed by a sniffle, and then the water began to run. Sagira cried uncontrollably, and she didn't know how to make it stop. Her tiny heart hurt because she was unable to make her big brother happy the way their mother did. She cried relentlessly and didn't know when the pain would stop until something outside the window caught her attention, and she stopped unable to believe what she was seeing was real.

Father's stone cold expression softened when he saw Sagira. Even though, in his lifetime, she never existed, the magic of my little sister still worked to make even the most solid icicle melt in her presence. That included myself as well. 11 years had passed since the last time I saw Sagira, and my own memories and the pictures I had of her, did not do her justice. I realized that both Father and I were smiling as the scene unfolded around us. Similar to my memories, when Sagira pulled out the pictures and started crying both of us immediately moved to comfort her, even though we knew she could not see, feel, or hear us. But just as we moved to help, the scene morphed. Once everything returned to normal, we realized that we were out on the yard. This particular part of the yard was beyond the gate, where the street lay. In the distance we saw Sagira still by the window, crying.

"Why are we out here?" Father questioned me. I did not respond because I honestly didn't know, although for some reason, I had a very bad feeling. Before I could voice any concern, a very familiar figure seemed to appear out of nowhere. The tan skin, white robes, and the golden scale leading me to believe he was Anpu, was hard to forget.

"Shaadi?" I questioned the spirit.

"Hello again Jahi Kaiba. I pray your attempts to correct your family's destiny are going well."

"Do I know you?" Father interrupted. He looked at Shaadi as though he were struggling to remember.

"You do know me Seto Kaiba. But whether or not you remember me is a different story, and not of much consequence." He replied cordially.

"Why are you here? Have I run out of time already?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I had convinced Father yet, although witnessing Mother's death did seem to shock him. I wasn't ready to let Father go unless I knew he would forgive Mother and correct our family's destiny.

"Time is completely subjective here. It is of no consequence."

"So then why are you here?" I insisted. Shaadi grinned in a way I hadn't seen before. It looked almost malicious. He said nothing, but pointed towards the window. Father and I turned quickly and saw what appeared to be Sagira staring at us in shock from inside the house. I turned to Shaadi in panic. "Is she looking at us?"

"No, actually she's looking at me." A smooth and undoubtedly familiar feminine voice echoed behind us. Father and I both turned slowly, not wanting to believe what we were hearing. We gaped, just as shocked as the five-year old in the window.

"Mother?"

The beautiful tan woman clad in a long, flowing white gown stood only feet away, a slight smile evident across her face. I blinked hard, trying to process that she was really there; not a bruise, not a scratch, not a sign of worry anywhere on her body. She gazed up at the window and waved nonchalantly before turning back to us.

"Jahi, you've grown so much!" Mother appeared to glide towards us, her arms open wide to receive me. I was frozen where I stood. When her arms encircled me, I could feel the warmth of her body, the eagerness in her embrace, I could smell the scent of her hair, and the warmth of her breath against my skin. She felt real; she wasn't an illusion or a character in the scene. But both Father and I had watched her die. That's when it dawned on me. I had also died. She wasn't alive; she was a spirit just as I was. Once it made sense in my mind, I found myself able to react. I hugged her as tightly as I could. "Oh! And you're strong too I see! A little more gently please!"

"You…" Father rudely interrupted our reunion with his own surprise. "You died. I saw you get hit by the car."

"Yes. I'm no longer of the living world."

"Answer something for me."

"Yes, Seto Kaiba."

"Why? Why would you do that? Nothing is worth throwing your life away!" Father was passionate in his argument. Once again I felt humbled by him, the way I had growing up. I wasn't sure whether seeing Mother's death had fazed him enough, but I could see the confusion and the hurt in his face. Regardless of the airs he put up or the walls he protected his heart with, there was no doubt that Father loved this woman and I understood for the first time, why she wouldn't believe anything he said to the contrary.

"The answer is simple." Mother gently replied, distancing herself from me. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine, as though something bad was about to happen. "When I was a young girl, I put the Millennium Necklace on for the first time and saw many things. I saw the things that were destined to occur. I used that to track down my brother all the way to Japan. I used it to find you and I knew how my life was supposed to end up. However, you went against what I saw. After our battle, I gave the Necklace to the Pharaoh, but before that I saw one last thing. Destiny had chosen a new path for me. A happy life, with two children and a husband. The children I saw were intelligent, loving, and sensitive with tan skin and bright blue eyes. The husband, was you Seto.

"At first I was confused. I could admit to myself that you were an attractive young man, but living together and raising a family was hard to believe. But it started to make sense. I was the rightful wielder of the Necklace and you were the rightful wielder of the Rod. When every other Item scattered in different directions, those two remained together. They stood the test of time. As the embodiments of those Items, we were destined to do the same. But when I became pregnant, you were under so much pressure. I was afraid that you would be unhappy about it; that you would be resentful and the happy life I saw in my vision would not come to pass. I decided to go to Egypt, and return with our son when you were ready and willing to be a father.

"But I was wrong. You thought I had abandoned you forever and you were even angrier because of my secrecy. You took my child away from me and shut me out of your life. I watched as Jahi grew more and more distant, I became apathetic towards Sagira, she craved for attention that I would not give her, you were obsessed with proving you didn't need me in the picture, none of us were truly happy. I know you don't believe in destiny or the power of the Millennium Items so I'll say it this way. I loved you more than anything. I wanted to have a life with you and our children. That image of our future family was my life and that had already been destroyed. All that was left was to destroy the bodies of that image. It's as simple as that. My time had come. And now, unfortunately, the time has come for another."

"Hi! You're my Mama, right?"

The chill in my spine intensified 100x when I heard Sagira's innocent voice call out from the front door. Fear, panic, and dread spread through my entire body.

"Mother. What day is it?"

"May 15th. Five years since my death."

With those words, all the air left my lungs. I couldn't move. I couldn't breath. I couldn't do anything. The uncomfortable lump that formed in my throat often when I remembered my baby sister, returned full force. I felt numb watching Mother motion for Sagira to come closer. I didn't see Mother silently mouth an apology in my direction, before beaming a beautiful smile. What I heard, was Sagira approaching the gates and stopping, unable to go any further. For a moment, I was relieved but persistent Sagira moved to the edge of the gate door, where there was a single bar, slightly bent and squeezed her tiny body through.

"No!" I shouted out desperately. Sagira could not hear me and continued to walk in Mother's direction. I turned to face Mother again and noticed that she was kneeling down in the middle of the road. "Shaadi! Please, make it stop! I don't want to see it!" I begged.

"See what? What the hell is going on? Why the hell is Ishizu luring her into the …" Father stopped, piecing it together. "Ishizu! Cut that out, what the hell are you doing?"

"My name is Sagira. You're my Mama!" The little girl scurried closer to Mother and the street, clutching the same photograph in her hands. Mother nodded happily, the slightest sign of a tear in her left eye. Mother opened her arms wide for an embrace.

"Young Miss!! How did you get out there?" Mona screamed from the doorway and ran as fast as her plump body would allow. "Don't run into the street! What are you doing? Please come back! Young Miss!! No, there's a car!!"

The last thing I saw was the oncoming car and Sagira running into Mother's arms. I couldn't do it. I couldn't watch. I turned my head in time to see Father's pure white face look on in horror. If I didn't know any better, I'd have sworn I saw tears in his cold blue eyes. I continued to turn my head and saw Shaadi with his head lowered as though in prayer.

Even though I closed my eyes and covered my ears, I still heard the skid of the car, the loud thwak of her tiny body against the metal, and that chilling scream of pain that stole the last of the strength in my body, causing me to fall to my knees in tears.

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