Chapter 26

Sacrifices

The click of high heels echoed down the hall of the hospital. Those hurried steps were followed closely behind by the sound of hard soled shoes beating the ground. Neither husband nor wife would have paid much attention to the noise except that the halls in this section of the hospital were barren and the silence they shared between them was so horrible that any distraction was welcome. Seto Kaiba stopped his fruitless pacing in front of the door to view the people coming.

Isabella rounded the corner with a polite speed, one of being rushed, but not fast enough to cause a commotion. Her face was torn between anger and tears, she didn't know what she should be feeling at that moment, she wanted to scream and cry at the same time.

"Where is she?" Isabella's question was rhetorical. She had learned from the front desk in which room the little girl resided, but she felt like she had to utter her plea.

"You shouldn't be here." Kaiba's face was decorated in his normal stone façade, but inside he felt like his daughter looked. Yet unlike her he couldn't show it.

"I want to see her." Isabella sobbed a little as she made a bolt to the door behind her father. He grabbed her by the arms and stopped her. She didn't put up much of a fight. Part of her really didn't want to go into that room and see that poor little girl.

"That's not a good idea."

"Why didn't you tell me when this happened?" Isabella struggled a little against his grasp and he let her go. She retreated to Ryo's side. "She's been missing for two days and I just find out!"

"We didn't want to upset you." These were the first words spoken by her mother since they arrived. Before now she hadn't taken much notice of her mother as she sat on the most uncomfortable looking couch opposite the hospital room. Her mother was pale and her body appeared almost feeble, like she would have trouble standing. The handkerchief in her hand and the wet lines down her face were tell-tale signs of her tears.

"And this is better?" Isabella's irate fit was soothing, helped along by her mother's sorrowful condition. "What happened?"

"Someone abducted her from the schoolyard." Kaiba spoke in his typical rational manner and ignoring his emotional need to lash out. "The instructors don't know how he did it. They said one minute she was playing with some friends and the next she was gone."

"But what about the guards you placed on her?" Isabella hated those bodyguards with every fiber of her body, but she understood that they were there for a reason.

"The Principle wouldn't let them on school grounds. She was all alone."

"I can't believe this is happening." Isabella leaned against Ryo for some support and he wrapped his arm around her, which only garnished an evil glare from Kaiba. "She's only a child." Ryo could feel her strength give a little so he casually held a little tighter in order to support her, but made it not appear that she was ill. "What are her chances?"

"Not good." Kaiba's voice cracked just a little as he spoke. The reality that his granddaughter was dying was beginning to kick in.

Reacting to the news, Isabella buried her face into Ryo's shoulder and he stroked her hair trying to sooth her. He knew she was already so weak from the pregnancy, she really didn't need any more stress to hinder her condition. At a time like this he didn't know how he would be able to comfort her, but he had to try.

The door to the hospital room opened with a moaning squeak. Everyone in the party turned their attention to the nurse exiting. Each held their breath awaiting some update, but it did not come. The lady quietly walked away, she didn't even have a smile to give them. Whilst the others lingered their gazes on the nurse, Isabella's turned toward the slowly closing door. For a brief moment she was able to see into the room. From that she could distinguish there was a tiny body huddled on a bed. She couldn't see any of the child's features for she was covered in sheets and bandages. Isabella wondered how extensive the damage to little Brianna was. It must be bad if they had to cover her face. Next to her sitting in a chair beside the bed was her mother, Machi. In the split second Isabella could view her she was struck at how exhausted and woeful she appeared. Her tears were obvious even if her sobs were not audible. The quick glimpse she got of the room made Isabella feel like she had a two ton weight dropped on her heart. The image of that room and the little girl hidden under bandages replayed in her mind over and over again until she finally registered what was wrong with the scene.

"Where's Kureno?" She asked. Her mother closed her eyes and diverted her face to the ground. Obviously not going to get an answer from her mother she turned to her father. "Daddy, where is he?"

He crossed his arms in typical stern fashion. "He's at the restaurant."

"Why is he there? He should be here with Brianna and Machi."

Her father didn't answer, he only huffed his disapproval.

From how he held Isabella, Ryo could feel the energy rising in her. He had seen it before, it was surge that could only be created by anger. In this she was like her father. He could be energized in an instant if he felt threatened or angry.

In an instant she had burst from his embrace and headed off down the hallway. He didn't try to stop her, he just followed closely. Nor was any direction needed, they got in the car and he drove her where she wanted to go.

Kureno sat at his desk typing heavy and carelessly on his keyboard when Isabella burst through the door. He gave a slight sigh as if expecting her to do something of the sort, but never diverted his eyes from the monitor. Isabella charged up beside him and Ryo hung back in the doorway. This was not something he should interfere in.

"What do you think you're doing?" Isabella nearly yelled at him.

"These invoices are overdue." He spoke in a tone that was eerily reminiscent of Seto Kaiba.

"You should be at the hospital with your daughter!"

"Why? It won't do any good."

"I won't do any good!" Isabella scrunched her face in disapproval. "You're daughter needs you and you're not there!"

"It doesn't matter if I'm there or not, it won't change things."

At this point Isabella was getting highly agitated by her brother's seeming disinterest. "How can you say that? She needs you. Your presence might be the one thing that gives her the strength to go on living, you have to go and see her."

"Believe me, it's better if she doesn't live."

"You want her to die! I know in the beginning that you didn't want her but…You're her father, god damn it!"

Kureno shifted his gaze from the monitor and stared her down. "I bet he didn't let you in there, did he? You didn't see what the madman did to her. And if you did you wouldn't begrudge me for saying that she should die."

"I don't care what she…"

But before Isabella could finish her sentence Kureno jumped out his chair and loomed down at her. "She doesn't have a face!" Isabella took a step back, she wasn't sure if his abrupt action of flying out the chair or his statement caused her to do it. "They had to ID her from her dental records! The plastic surgeons said that there wasn't even enough left to fix. She's ruined! Utterly and completely! There is no hope for her now. It's better that she die and not have to live with that humiliation and disgrace for the rest of her life."

"I thought you loved her."

"I do, and that's why I don't want to see her in that kind of pain. She should die, it's what's best for all of us."

"Best for you, you mean! You would have gotten rid of Machi a long time ago if you didn't have Brianna in the way."

"You spoiled little brat, you don't know anything!" Kureno had raised his voice previously, but now he was at the point of shouting in his sister's face. "I can't divorce her, because dear old Daddy would never let me. He ruined my life the day he forced me to marry that bitch!"

"Well then maybe you should have kept your pants on!"

Shock and pain rushed through Isabella as her brother's forceful hand slapped her across the face. It only took one second for Ryo to react to this attack. In two large steps he crossed the room. Then in a single bound he jumped over the desk, scattering papers and office equipment onto the floor, and right between the siblings. Before Kureno could even register Ryo's actions, he was hit with a sharp blow to his right cheek and knocked to the floor. Ryo turned his attentions to Isabella who was now showing signs of a bleeding nose when he heard the hollow voice from behind him.

"How dare you touch me you piece of filth!"

On his guard once again Ryo faced the man who was still lying half sprawled on the floor. Apparently being bested in combat didn't deter Kureno from insulting the victor, for he continued his verbal assault.

"You may pretend to be a big shot, but we all know what you really are! You're nothing but trash! A poor pathetic little urchin trying to weasel his way into a rich family. But you're not fooling anyone! No matter how hard you try he will never let you into this family. He'll use you and throw you away like he does everyone. In fact he's already training your replacement, it's only a matter of time before you're out of here."

Ryo's eyes widened in anger and he lunged toward the man sitting on the floor with his hand pulled up to his new wound. He would have attacked again if not for the weakened tug on his arm and the plea of 'please Ryo let's go' he heard in his ear. He slowly retreated and they left the room leaving the seemingly defeated Kureno lying on the floor.

The pair found refuge in a secluded corner of the restaurant's kitchen. It was not yet rush hour and by this point most of the staff had heard about the commotion and were staying far away them. Which was fine for the couple, they preferred the privacy.

"I'm sorry." Isabella said softly to Ryo as he held an icepack up to her cheek. They had both agreed that it was best to try and avoid any swelling or tell-tale sign of the encounter from her father. "I'm sorry." She repeated after getting no response. "I'm sorry for what he said. It was wrong of him to treat you that way."

"It's the truth." Ryo said solemnly.

"No it's not true."

"Bella, we both know it is." He shifted her icepack slightly so he could look directly in her eyes. "You're father knows I come from nothing, he reminds me constantly in case I forget. And that is exactly why he won't let us be together."

"But we are together. And things can change…they already have." Isabella guided Ryo's spare hand to her stomach reminding him of the life inside her. "He can't deny us anymore."

"Can't you see Bella? I want to earn your father's respect not force his hand. I've got to prove myself to him."

"I don't care what he thinks about you, it doesn't matter to me."

"It matters to me. And no matter what you say I know it does to you too. You'd regret it if you disappointed him, it would eat you alive and I can't let you do that. So I swear I will become that man you deserve, the kind of man he will gladly call his son."

"Ryo I…" Isabella hesitated and took a deep breath trying to regain her courage. "I've done something that I know is wrong, but I saw no other way. It was all I could do." Isabella diverted her eyes from him in shame.

"I already know."

Isabella flashed wide eyes at him.

"I know you planned it all, that you manipulated things so you could get pregnant. I knew from the very beginning."

"You knew!"

"We had always been so careful, Bella. It couldn't have been an accident. And I think that's why I had a hard time accepting it at first. I didn't want to believe that you were using me, but then I realized why you did it. You wanted a way to guarantee we would always be together. Honestly, that was not the method I would have chosen, but I couldn't deny your reasoning or my child. So I stayed, and your father will never be able to drive me away."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

A small smile had just formed on Isabella's face when the sound of her cell phone made her jump in surprise. Her smile faded as fast as it came. Picking the phone out of her bag she noted the caller. She dreaded answering it, but she felt in many ways she had no choice. With a brief 'yes' she answered. She exchanged no words with the person on the other end, she only listened. Then slowly she closed the phone and looked back at Ryo.

"It's over."

Leaning in Ryo gathered her in his arms. He knew nothing he could no would comfort her, but he held her anyways.

Normally it was not Ryo's custom to show affection toward Isabella in front of her father because of the obvious discord between them, but this was a day that even Kaiba could not deny him giving compassion to the woman he was charged in protecting. Surprisingly as he held Isabella close to him during the graveside service, Ryo received no glares of hatred or disapproval from Kaiba. He didn't even appear to recognize he was there. In fact, Ryo assessed Kaiba to be in a dazed state. Perhaps the death of his only grandchild was too heavy a burden to bear, especially for a man who many considered incapable of showing emotion. Ryo wondered if this grave and somber man had been able to shed a tear for the little girl now being placed into the earth. If he had then certainly it would not be here in front of witnesses, although they were few. Most likely it would be at home and in private. Red stained eyes would be his confessor, but even those were hidden behind dark shaded glasses. Through years of study, this man, this Seto Kaiba, still remained a mystery to Ryo, a mystery that was beautiful and terrible all at once.

The priest had finished and walked away, people had said their last goodbyes and the crowd thinned. Only the immediate family was left now. Anna Kaiba finally lingered from her husbands arm, on which she had clung onto for the most of the ceremony, and approached Machi with kind and reassuring words. She felt it necessary since Kureno had already left without her. Which brought another issue to the table, returning Machi to her home. Anna knew that Seto was in no mood to have visitors in the car, at times like these he had relied solely on his wife. After a brief discussion, Anna called for Ryo to join them. Ryo hesitated only a second in which he quickly assessed Isabella's condition and then traveled the few feet to attend to Mrs. Kaiba's wishes.

Isabella stood alone, which at the moment didn't bother her. It gave her time to look over the scene with her teary eyes, the little coffin draped in white roses, the rows of gravestones that lined the green fields where she knew she would one day be buried also, for this was their land. Her father had bought up these plots before she was born., the reasoning still remained a secret to her, but since then it had become the last resting place of all the Kaibas. Her sight danced along the tombstones that lay rows away from their still empty plots, and then up a slight hill where she spotted another visitor to the scene. He was a little ways off, but still visible. He had probably gone unnoticed because all eyes were directed on the ceremony or because people thought he was a groundskeeper. But Isabella recognized him, even from such a distance. Without a word to the others she silently made her way to him.

The young man saw her approaching and his first instinct was to run, but something made his feet stick to the ground. Perhaps it was because more than anything he wanted to see her again. Isabella stopped a few feet away so that he might have some kind of safety net.

"I'm glad you came, Hari." Isabella spoke softly. "I was worried about you. We hadn't seen you in so long."

"I shouldn't be here, I'm not welcome." He replied in a raspy and strained voice.

"You're family."

"Not anymore, not after what I've done."

"It's okay Hari, Daddy's not mad anymore. If you'd just come down and talk to him, you'll see that."

"It's better I leave." Hari turned and took a few steps, but the rush of feet toward him and the pull on his arm made him stop.

"Please Hari, don't go." Was Isabella's plea.

"I can't stay." He tried not to look at her or he might change his mind.

"At least let me give you this." Isabella hurriedly pulled a piece of paper out of her purse and scribbled down something. Handing it to him she explained, "It's where I'm staying now. Please call me if you need anything, I promise I won't bring Daddy into it if you don't want that."

Hari stared down at the hastily written words. He had known about her place for a while and had even been there once, but this was a new address. He figured it had to do something with Marufuji, probably his apartment. "You've always taken care of me." He said with a little pang in his heart.

"It's my job silly. You're my little brother."

"You have to stay away from me, Sissy. It's not safe."

"You haven't called me Sissy in years." The little comment made a smile appear on her face.

"You're not listening!" Hari raised his voice slightly in protest to her seeming ignorance of his warning. "It's not safe, you'll get hurt."

"I know you Hari." Isabella insisted as she stepped right up to him and took his hand. "You'd never hurt me."

Hari peered down into Isabella's bright blue eyes and saw something there he hadn't in years. It was a caring and compassion that appeared so foreign to him now. It was something he missed. Without even thinking about his actions, Hari reached up and gently ran the back of his dirty fingers along her cheek before cupping her face and leaning toward her.

"You're the only person who ever truly loved me." His voice was strained with remorse.

Isabella gave him a small smile and tilted her head slightly as a sign that he could kiss her. It was an old custom between them, a game they played as children. Hari used to give her kisses on her cheek when she was ill so that she might feel better. And she thought that right now she could use a little happiness, so she allowed it. She had no worries about letting him step closer and bring his face up to hers, that is until she realized that he wasn't trying to kiss her cheek, he wanted her lips. In a panic and with a quick huff of surprised breath she jerked her head a little more to the side and forced his kiss onto her check. He only just caught the corner of her lips as he planted the light kiss. Blushing wildly she took a timid step back and he instantly knew he had done wrong. Hari starred at her in a daze, as if he couldn't believe himself what he had just tried to do. Then the instinct to run caught him.

"Tell Machi I'm sorry." He said in a rush as he turned and took off at a fast pace. "I hope she can be happy now."

Isabella didn't pursue, she just stood there shocked. Did he really just try to kiss her? Her own brother. Technically they weren't related, but they had grown up together, they were as close as any real siblings could be. And this turn of events scared her to some degree. In fact she stood there so motionless that she was startled when a pair of hands rested on her shoulders and a concerned voice spoke to her.

"Who was that?" Ryo's eyes never left the figure of the man as it disappeared into the distance.

"It was Hari."

"Your brother?"

"Can we leave now?"

Ryo looked down at her and noted her extremely sad face. He nodded.

All the others left, the only ones who remained were Seto and Anna Kaiba. This was of typical fashion for Seto Kaiba. He was always the first to come and last to go at such terrible events. Many claimed it was some ritual of his, or that it was his way of honoring the dead, and some even said it was a method in which he could mourn in private, but none would deny him his painful vigil.

He stood silently and alone, immune to the workings of the world around him. He didn't notice the people that had come to the funeral or even the tender touch of his wife. For a man normally so alert and conscience of his surroundings, he was at this moment dull and numb. He hadn't even seen the figure that Isabella had spoken to, an occurrence at any other time would have caused him some alarm. In his daze he saw, he felt nothing.

He barely registered the kiss Anna placed on his cheek and the coldness left behind when she released his arm and wandered away. Finally his eyes diverted from their transfixed spot, staring at nothing, to follow her pace as she crossed to the next row of gravestones, one in particular, a large white marble monument. Slowly he mimicked her and walking came to the same grave. He stared at the name engraved on the stone.

Appearing as though she was unphased by the events of the day Anna proceeded to the head of the grave and brushed a few stray leaves away. "They do such a nice job here." Anna spoke calmly as she kept busy by adjusting the flowers that had been placed there earlier. "Everything is always so clean and well kept. They'll take good care of her." After a brief pause she continued, "I wanted to plant some flowers this year, real ones right along the graves. Maybe daisies for Brianna and violets here. What do you think?"

"I think we've buried too many children." His voice came out as a sad hoarse moan.

Anna had asked the question, but she hadn't expected an answer. And yet she found it encouraging that after days of silence from him that he spoke, even if the words were not pleasant.

"One child was too many." Anna added as she stood and rejoined him. "But three…that's too much to bare."

"I've been a fool. I shouldn't have let him go. I should have fought harder to keep him."

Anna wondered silently if they were thinking of the same person.

"But that's all going to change." Seto's voice suddenly became stronger and his face more determined. "From now on we're going to be the family we should have been. And no matter what it costs me, I'm taking my son back."

Anna didn't say anything, she just wrapped her arms around him in support. He returned the embrace. As per usual, they needed no words between them, they both knew what the other was thinking and feeling. Seto looked up from where he had buried his face into her neck and stared one more time at the name on the gravestone.

"Violets would be nice." He whispered into her ear. "Mokuba always liked violets. He'd be happy to know they're growing around him."

Author's note: Sorry for the long delay, all heck has been breaking out around here lately. Next chapter should be up much quicker and it should be fun. Anyone curious of why Bakura is so hell bent on hurting the Kaiba's and not Yugi? Well you'll find out in the next chapter.