Broken Velvet 12

His deck sat in front of him, separated into magic, trap, monster and fusion monsters cards. The three Blue Eyes sat side by side, next to their ultimate counterpart. Looking at his deck didn't make him feel any better. Stoically, Kaiba set aside one of his Blue Eyes White Dragon cards and shuffled his deck back together before sliding it back into his duel disk silently. His hands were shaking, the time ticked by and he knew he'd have to face Mokuba's funeral, and people, all the people he couldn't stand to be around would be swarming around him, suffocating his grief. It unnerved him in ways that he didn't want to explain or rationalize.

At the funeral home he sat in the limo, dreading walking inside. Kisara sat next to him in silence. Gently, she took his hand. He pulled away and finally limped out of the limo. The young woman bit her bottom lip and climbed out of the car elegantly. She lingered behind him, giving him space. The hallway the led to the viewing room was dark, the walls painted a wine red. Kaiba's stomach dropped as he entered the room. In the middle of the room, against a far wall was the pearl white casket that held his little brother. He shook as he limped forward on his crutches, taking deep slow breaths. This shouldn't be happening. I'm not supposed to do this, I'm not supposed to bury my baby brother. I failed, it was my job to protect him. His thoughts spun as he came to stand in front of the small, elegant coffin.

It was painfully obvious that the mortician had tried their best to cover the gash on his throat, but even under all their make up and artistic concealment, the evidence of his demise was still present. Tenderly Seto pulled his little brothers shirt up to cover it before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Blue Eyes card. Protectively, he slid it into the little boy's vest pocket and kissed his cold forehead. Tears were falling but he didn't care, he didn't care about anything anymore. Cradling Mokuba's cheek he swallowed his tears.

"She'll protect you now," he choked out in a whisper, referring to the card. Forfeiting one of his most valuable cards was his biggest act of selflessness, a sacrifice that no one ever thought he'd do. Cautiously Kisara poked her head into the doorway and lingered not wanting to invade Kaiba's privacy. Disappearing from the door, she leaned against the wall next to it and uncrumpled the tissue in her hand. She had been crying since they walked in and had stuffed her pockets with kleenex pre emptively. Emotions were running high and the young woman didn't know how to help. Dabbing her crystal blue eyes again, she pushed her hair over her shoulder and took a deep breath.

The rest of the day was a tunnel visioned blur for Kaiba. People came and went, some he knew, some he didn't. They hugged him, touched him, offered sympathy and pity, but he paid attention to none of it. Why did it matter? His last memory of the day was throwing the white rose on the casket as it descended into the ground. Kisara had been by his side the entire time but he barely acknowledged her, consumed in his own world of grief, hate and despair.

Days turned into weeks, turned into months, and Seto slowly began to return to his routine, throwing himself deeper into his work to avoid facing his harsh reality. Kisara became a constant in his life, as much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to enjoy her company and look forward to the nights when she slept in his room, even if it wasn't in his bed. Eventually came the night when Kaiba sat down with her and revealed what he saw on his trip to Egypt, what happened, what he knew. He watched her desperately try to hold back tears before she sobbed uncontrollably. The puzzle was complete as far as he knew, and she didn't insinuate otherwise. They were beginning to genuinely bond albeit slowly, something the young man didn't see and was too ignorant to admit to. Their relationship had changed several times and Kisara adapted to them aptly, playing role of maid, nurse, lover, confidant, enabler, supporter and cook.

Sitting in his home office a strange and perturbing thought fell over the man, paralyzing him briefly. He didn't know how it had happened. She acts just like a wife, without the love and emotion. His mind began to race and he wondered if the trauma of the circumstances they shared together would factor into making them compatible. Would the bond that grew for shared pain be stronger than one from joy? Kaiba dropped his head into his hands and sighed heavily. Is this what a relationship is supposed to be? He wondered. His mind was cruel and contemplated if he was someone who could be loved and return it. Was what they had even a relationship? Seto didn't even know, and he didn't want to question it or jeopardize what they had. The day dragged into night and soon he limped off to his room with a book in hand, research reading was best done on his own time, so he made sure to make time for it.

His room was empty, the curtains drawn. Dropping down to the settee Kaiba turned on the lap and began reading. Hours later he faded into a sleep, the book dropping to his chest. He dreamed of Kisara and her dragon, the power she held, the compassion, her kindness and innocence. Stirring awake he looked around the room and found the woman sleeping in the chair next to the couch, curled into a ball, her knees up to her chest. Groggy and bleary eyed the man meandered to his bed and collapsed again. It had been a night of normalcy and peace, and if Kaiba knew what was coming in the morning he would have savored it a little bit longer. Normalcy and peace would be a fleeting fancy in the Kaiba household for quite some time. Chaos had been enveloping their lives and wouldn't let go without a fight.

History would keep repeating itself, destiny forcing fate's hand in retrial. Would it pan out differently this time?

A/N: I know, another short chapter, but the next one will make up for it, I promise! I'm going to need about a week to work on it though- but don't worry I'm not killing anyone else off or anything, but I'm finally putting the gears into the plot, I just needed a transition chapter so here. I know it's shitty and a bit rushed but I'm working between this, my novel, work articles and brainstorming Black Rain as well. I hate to make you guys wait, but I want to give you longer chapters, so keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing, but I'm going to try to update once or twice a week, versus every 2-3 days.

Black Rain is slowly coming together for chapter 2. Keep up the reviews and I'll keep writing. You guys rock, and I'll see you at the end of the next chapter. XOXO