Big thanks to: doctorwho29, Isis the Sphinx, and starwefter for leaving reviews :)
Chapter Thirty-five
"Checkmate!"
Seto stared at the blue dragon rook that had just captured his white dragon king. He was completely baffled at how his brother had managed to beat him at a game of chess. Again. Holding back the annoyance that his competitive streak was creating he overrode it with brotherly pride and smiled. "You've been practising."
"What can I say; I learnt from the best." Mokuba laughed, knowing that the extra tuition from the Doctor was what made him a better player, but wouldn't reveal that fact to his brother.
"Best out of five?" Seto asked as he lost the hold he had over his competitiveness.
"Are you sure that you've got time?" His brother had already spent the past couple of hours in the KaibaLand office with him, and Mokuba was a little concerned that they'd both lose the perception of time if they started a new game.
"Plenty." The older brother assured as he consulted his watch. He still had over an hour before he was due to pick up his girlfriend for their evening out which would end up with them returning to his mansion.
The dragon pieces were reset on the multi layered game field and it was decided that Seto should go first. He moved one of his pawns forward then waited for his brother to make his move, predicting that he would copy his as though a mirror had been place down the centre of their board. Mokuba did just that and it was his turn once more as he moved yet another pawn.
"It's been three months now bro." The move of the white dragon was mirrored again with one of its blue counterparts. "And from the way that you act I can tell you're still smitten with her, so that's a good sign."
"Is it that obvious?" Seto smirked as he now moved one of his knights up a tier and waited for his brother to do the same as he lured him into the strategic trap.
"Like you're walking around with a neon sign above your head." Mokuba laughed as he moved another pawn, leaving the knight which he knew he'd been expected to reposition.
There was a moment of quietness as the board was studied for the next move. He knows that I'm onto his mirroring tactics, so I'll follow his lead for the next few turns to lure him into a false sense of security by thinking that I'm mirroring him. Seto moved the same piece from his side just as his brother had done on his. He rested his chin on entwined fingers, his elbows provided support on the desk's surface while he watched the next move being made, and spoke during that phase. "Aren't you going to tell me how stupid I'm becoming since that first dance with her?"
"You're talking to the wrong brother if you want to be discouraged from being with Kisara."
A meek smile flashed on Seto's face, falling away as he felt undeserving of the support that his brother had for the relationship. "After all the horrible things that I said when you were dating Becky, don't you want to give me a taste of my own medicine?" He raised his head from his hands and copied the move that had just been made.
"I had thought about it." Mokuba admitted with a partial sigh and raised his dragon queen up a tier. "But if I did then that would mean I still had bitter feelings towards you, - which I don't, - and I really don't want to be on non-speaking terms with you again either." He watched the very first white pawn to be moved repositioned again as he was no longer being mirrored. If his brother had copied his exact move just then, then the white queen would have been taken from the board by him during his next turn. "Brothers shouldn't hate each other, especially over something as trivial as the choice of women we choose to be with." Using his bishop, he took the white piece that had just been moved.
"I completely agree." Seto moved another pawn to take the bishop that had foolishly been moved by his brother. "It's going to have to be something greatly unforgivable for the two of us to fall out ever again." His thoughts wandered to think of Jack and how his brother had turned against him, and was extremely thankful that nothing like that had happened between himself and Mokuba.
With his thoughts staying focused on his friend, he recalled the conversation that they had had regarding the frozen Gray, - who was still kept alive in cryogenic status back at the hub, - on his first day of arrival in Cardiff. Back then the captain had fought to keep his heartache held back even though it clearly showed through his expressions. Even to this day Seto hadn't been confided with any of the older man's feelings over the situation, and didn't want to pressure him into revealing them either. Jack would share them when he was ready, but it didn't take a genius to work out that he must be extremely cut up, which is why the idea had been clawing its way into the CEO's mind.
It would take a lot of time and money, - which he was more than willing to pay, - but with the right kind of therapy treatment Gray would eventually be rehabilitated into society. Jack would be able to have back the brother who had been stolen from him in his youth; all he had to do was give Seto the green light for it to start to happen. But of course it was still only an idea that had yet to be mentioned to his friend who he hadn't spoken to directly for almost a month.
Since the night that they had parted, Seto had waited out the time period that he had spent working for the captain and re-contacted the Torchwood team to find that, just like he had been told by Jack, he still had the friendships that he had feared losing.
He'd sent an apology to Ianto about being unable to duel like they had arranged, and now duelled against the Welshman online whenever both of them found the time to do so. Of course that had only been a handful of times, which were usually interrupted by their working commitments, leaving many of their duels abandoned and unfinished.
An apology had also been issued to Gwen, but whether or not she had accepted it, was beyond his knowledge as the reply he received simply said; "OK". There was only so much that you could type in an e-mail without giving away the full story to someone who may be viewing it who shouldn't be, so it had been vague and hadn't expressed what he had wanted to say. Plus he felt that face to face contact was needed, - just out of manners if nothing else, - with a situation like that.
Over all, Torchwood had been kept busy over the past couple of months as the rift had started to splinter with its ruptures spreading beyond Cardiff, the UK and out into the rest of the world. Several weeks back even led the team to travel all the way to Switzerland and investigate mysterious disappearances at CERN, which Ianto would only describe as 'terrifying; equal to spending a week in a NHS run hospital with the possibility of unforeseen death looming overhead', though Seto found it near impossible to tell whether or not the Welshman was being serious with the remark.
In one of his e-mails Jack even asked him to immediately report any unusual occurrences in Domino. It was then, reflecting on the aurora-like effect of the rift he had witnessed back in Cardiff, that the CEO mentioned the whole escapade from his youth that had involved Dartz. That had only caused the captain to reminisce about how he had been reposition to the London branch during that time and having encountered several of the duelling ogre-type monsters that had run rampant there. When Seto had mentioned the insane, so-called, ruler of Atlantis, his friend been excited, - apparently he had always wanted to visit there? - and was now convinced that there was indeed a rift splinter over/nearby the city to have pulled the lunatic through time. That was what then led the older man to suggest a branch of Torchwood should be formed there also, which made Seto laugh until he almost cried….
There was a knock on Mokuba's office door. "Enter!" The younger brother shouted as he moved his blue playing piece and Seto snapped out of his thoughts.
The door opened and Noah entered, carrying his daughter in his arms as she chewed on the corner of the locket that still hung around his neck. He had taken his brother's advice and lost the strip of facial hair, making him look a lot younger than his actual age. A harrowing expression covered his tired face as he approached his two brothers and carefully set Anathema down on the floor before she ran over to her uncle Mokie, asking to sit on his lap.
"You look awful." Mokuba commented to the newcomer as he lifted his niece up onto his knees, failing to stop her from knocking over most of the chess pieces as she lunged for them.
"I feel it." The eldest brother slowly nodded in agreement, close to the verge of tears after having just been to the morgue to view his wife's body.
"Here, sit down." Seto insisted as he stood up from his chair and helped to guide his brother down. When he had first heard about the woman's death along with her lover, - after having both taken an overdose of an illegal substance, - then he had immediately suspected Noah guilty of foul play. After all, the man had clearly expressed his hatred for her and the determination to succeed in keeping their daughter. But now Seto was certain that he'd been taking the murderous intentions of the 'other' Noah too close to heart, as this one was clearly distraught from the news and clearly did still love his cheating wife.
"Thanks." His voice wobbled as he sat and then stared at his daughter as she happily played with several of the chess dragons. "What am I supposed to tell her about her mother?"
"The truth." Seto stated and ended up sounding slightly cold with his reply. He didn't envy what Noah would have to do, and after trying to comfort his younger self back at the hospital, knew that it was going to be an extremely difficult task. He then chose to add, "Maybe not all at once, and a little sugar coating wouldn't hurt either, but don't lie to her. That would only make matters worse."
"Seto's right." Mokuba agreed as Anathema bounced happily on his lap, completely unaware of her mother's death.
As he watched the toddler play with the chess pieces Seto couldn't help but wonder if she'd even notice the woman's departing from this world. The image that he had gotten from both his brother and Kisara was that the mother spent as little time as possible with her daughter, so would Anathema be affected at all? Of course she will, this 'is' the death of one of her parents. He placed a comforting hand on his older brother's shoulder. "How are you holding up?"
Noah remained silent as a steady trickle of tears slowly crept down his face, answering the question for him. He had lost control of his life, - his world, - and everything in it. "I feel so …." A pause as he searched for the right word to describe how he felt though he knew one simply didn't exist.
"Empty?" Seto offered and received a tearful bow of the head from the broken man. He had known that feeling all too well which his why he pulled out his cell phone. His brother needed him right now.
The tone from the phone's keypad caught Noah's attention. "What are you doing?"
"I'm calling Kisara to let her know that this evening will have to be postponed…"
"You'll do no such thing!"
The cell phone was snatched from its owner's hand and the call negated before it was handed back. "Life goes on Seto. Don't cancel your own for anyone else, especially for me. When it comes down to love you may only ever find it the once during your lifetime, so don't pass by the chance…"
"First of all; you're my brother Noah, so I'm not just going to walk away when you need help, and secondly; it's just one date that is going to have to be rearranged which I'm sure she'll more than understand the situation…"
"Geez, I can't win with you! You complain no matter whether the advice I give is positive or negative…"
"Stop fighting!" The little girl's voice turned the room silent as she called for her father and uncle to cease their bickering.
"We're not fighting Princess." Noah assured his daughter with a forced smile. He turned his attention back to Seto and spoke calmly as his eyes locked onto their target. "Since the day you arrived into this family you've never once turned your back on me. We've been through much unpleasantness at father's doing, and it was you who took charge over us by acting the part of big brother when I failed to do so." He knew that the fact that the other had placed his life before that of his own was the main reason, - amongst others, - why he had suffered living in isolation all this time, and was determined not to let that be the case any longer. "I'm taking over those reins now brother, so you just go and finally live that life which you gave me."
"Noah, I…" Lost for words at what to say, Seto then caught a glimpse of Mokuba staring right at him and nodding his head. It was the kind of look that told him he should go like the other insisted, and that he would remain to watch over him. "Okay I'll go." He smiled and left a moment later, after watching the father lovingly embrace his daughter as she came at him.
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The Mercedes had been stationary for almost ten minute now as Seto remained seated behind the wheel, gathering up the courage to approach the front door of Kisara's home. He'd picked his girlfriend up on numerous occasions now and each time he still got the feeling of butterflies in his stomach; a sensation which he loathed but enjoyed at the same time.
This is stupid! He growled at himself. Waiting here for the nausea to die down when it's only going to flare up again during the moments leading up to before you ask her! Taking a deep breath he opened the car door and stepped out.
Over the past few months he'd learnt a lot about the woman he was in love with. Like how she was several years younger than him, and that for around eight months of the year she remained the same age as his little brother before her birthday then gave her the four month advantage. She had a very gentle, nurturing and understanding personality towards everyone and everything in life. Her interests were mostly romantic and artistic things that he struggled to understand more often than not, but never failed to try, and so she repaid his efforts by showing fascination with all his technical interests, even though she didn't have a clue about them. He also knew that she too had spent part of her life, - all of her childhood in fact, - growing up in an orphanage.
When the time had come for Kisara to be turned out into the world on her own, she had been lucky enough to encounter an old friend she had made some years back, before the girl had been adopted, and was taken under her wing. Since that time she had been living with the friend, - who he'd been told was around his age, - and the two of them had grown close like sisters. So far Seto had yet to meet the only other person in his girlfriend's life, but as he stood there on the doorstep and watched the door open, he realised that that time had drawn to as close as the woman in question cautiously glared at him and had no emotion to her voice as she spoke, "She'll be along in a minute."
"Okay." He smiled pathetically as he waited where he stood. The butterflies he had in his stomach no longer bothered him as intimidation began to set in, and decided to introduce himself. "I'm …"
"The infamous Seto Kaiba." The woman sneered in that rather menacingly, sibling protectiveness way. "I know, I've heard all about you."
He had no comeback for that. What had she heard? No doubt that Kisara would have said good things about him, and of course there was his glowing public profile that he had built up and maintained as flawlessly as possible, but what if she was also aware of the cold-hearted asshole he had once been? If that was the case then he suspected that he may have some run-ins with the woman as she would more than likely fend him off her sister-like friend. Or was he now just being paranoid? "You're Naoko I presume?"
"That's correct."
Seto had been expecting more of a reply than that from the woman. He attempted to probe her on, hoping to fill the void of silence as he waited for Kisara to appear. "I hear you're an assistant to some of the top names in the fashion industry."
"That's also correct." Naoko confirmed aware that the man was trying to coax her into talking about herself to save him from interrogation. Well it wasn't going to work; she intended to vet him out and make him sweat. "Kisara tells me that you're a man of poetry, so why don't you share some with me right now?" She saw him falter before regaining his composure, clearly a fraud claiming to share her friend's interests. "And to make it a little more interesting, why don't you make it an original piece thought up right here, right now?"
Remaining calm, and having decided that he was going to hate this woman until the end of time for toying with him like she was, Seto spoke each of his words with a smug 'you'll have to try better than that' type smile. "If love is truth, then let it break my heart. If love is fear, lead me to the dark. If love is a game, I'm playing all my cards. What is love?" Of course they weren't actually his words, but just like he had expected, the look on Naoko's face suggested that she didn't know where they had originated from either.
"Is that it?" She asked with a sceptical air to her voice not having expected him to answer so soon and confidently, if at all. Glaring frostily, the snooty woman waited for more only to find that the man no longer felt intimidated by her as she received a similar look in return.
"I'm afraid that's all you're getting out of my man for today." Kisara giggled as she pushed by her friend. She wore a knee-length sparkly blue dress that clung to her in all the right places and elegantly enhanced her figure. "Honestly, you don't have to do this every time that I start seeing a guy."
"Yes I do."
"I'm a big girl now and I can make decisions on my own."
"If he breaks your heart like that other guy did then …"
"Naoko, it's not that I don't appreciate you looking out for me because I do, I really do. But you've got to stop chasing off potential husbands for me."
Did she just call me a 'potential husband'? Seto asked himself, not catching the other woman's reply as he watched the two of them hug and exchange kisses before he and Kisara began to make their way over towards his Mercedes. Surely that's got to be a good sign for a future together?
They opened the doors and clambered inside the expensive automobile.
"So is there any more of it?" Kisara asked as she fastened her seatbelt.
"More of what?" Seto asked, pulling away from the curb side and joined the steady stream of traffic.
There was a giggle beside him. "The poem."
"Yeah about that…" He grimaced as he drove knowing that he should come clean about the plagiarism.
"It wasn't your own work." Kisara nodded as she spoke. "I figured that much, but I'd still like to hear the rest of it."
"And it wasn't even a poem."
"Oh? What was it then?"
Seto hesitated for a moment as he thought about the guilty pleasure-type secret that he had. He then decided that there would be no secrets, no matter how big or small, kept from the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and pushed the button on his in-car stereo. The music that came from the speakers belonged to a British boy-band which the captain had introduced him to during his time working for Torchwood. Damn you Jack!
Several songs played through before the Mercedes became stuck in a traffic jam. Impatiently Seto checked the clock every other minute, anxious that they wouldn't make the beginning of the live theatre performance that they were on their way to see, and began tapping the steering wheel in frustration as the butterflies had also returned to his stomach.
"You seem rather apprehensive." Kisara commented with concern. Aware with the situation regarding her boss' wife, she didn't want to mention anything of it unless her boyfriend chose to bring it up in conversation himself, and assumed that this was the reason behind his quietness this evening. "Is something bothering you?"
"No." He lied and then changed his mind as the butterflies flapped faster. "Yes. I mean; I'm not sure."
"I'm glad that's cleared up." The laugh was sarcastic and she leaned across to kiss his lips, making the most of the time that the car remained motionless in the gridlock. Easing back from him, she gentle squeezed Seto's hand and looked him directly in the eyes. "You do know that you can talk to me about anything, right?"
He gulped back what felt like one of his butterflies trying to escape. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"We're been together for three months now and I was wondering …" He froze and more wing flapping increased inside him. Just go ahead and ask her! "Would you like to move in with me?"
Kisara's eyes widened with surprise as she hadn't been expecting that to be the cause of the uneasy behaviour. "Move into your mansion and live there?"
"That was the idea."
"I'd love to but…"
"But?" He gave a nervous laugh now wishing that he had kept his mouth shut as her response so far hadn't seemed too thrilled with the proposition. All of the fluttering had disappeared now.
"I'd have to talk things through with Naoko first…"
"Why?!" He couldn't help but exclaim at what he was hearing, feeling slightly hurt and angered after what she had said before parting from her friend. "Like you said earlier; you're a big girl and can make decisions on your own."
"I can't just leave her on her own; not after everything she's done for me."
"Well she's not moving in with us!"
"Us?! So you've already decided for me have you?" Kisara looked rather peeved and insulted by his remark.
Calm down. Seto told himself as he took a deep breath. If he wasn't careful then he would only end up chasing her away from him and that was the last thing that he wanted to happen. Don't sulk about it, just let it go. It was obviously bad timing and you could have handled the response in a better manner than this…..
A car horn sounded from behind as the traffic began to flow once again but was now being held up by the Mercedes. "I didn't mean to sound patronising." Seto apologised as he moved the vehicle forward. "I will respect whatever you decide."
"Thank you." Kisara frowned knowing that she'd probably hurt her boyfriend's feelings by the almost negative sounding reply to his question. "It's not a 'no' by the way."
Whatever! His mind sneered as he kept the feeling of disappointment and foolishness to himself, and forced a smile onto his face. "Don't worry about it, it was only a suggestion." He returned back into his thoughts as he sailed his car through the rest of the city. After the disappointment he had got from only asking her to move in, he was glad that he hadn't gone with his initial question of asking her to marry him.
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A/N: I haven't got a clue how a multi-tiered chess game is played and I made Seto a closet 'Take That' fan XD (don't worry Seto, I've liked them for over 15 years now)
"Methinks it's time for the Doctor to get a little therapy." - He'll get a little, but I really have to try and resist not to go down the 'Worst of the Timelords' road. lol (I love that web comic)
Yep, 'apparently' it's true; Scorpio and Pisces are compatible together. I say 'apparently' because it doesn't always work out like that as is the case with my parents (who happen to be Scorpio and Pisces, and happily divorced from each other), plus I never really believed much in horoscopes myself.
LATE UPDATE: Just giving you all the heads up that next week's update will almost certainly be late in posting. (It's the Hub2 Torchwood convention this weekend and I'll be busy travelling back home on the Monday - which is my updating day - and most probably won't have the time to do so)
Oh, and there's another 'bonus' fic planned to follow the 'bonus fic' which follows this one.
KG
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Next chapter: "Exterminate!"