HE blamed it on his forgetfulness.
All of it.
The car had run out of gas halfway to the designated pick-up point, and his chopper was out of commission because of "technical issues." That had meant staying at a hotel for the night.
There were three beds in the room, so it was decided that Sasha and Henry would take one, while Kyle and Mokuba would take the other two.
Seto hadn't allowed his brother to argue the matter; he was still recovering (from what, he wouldn't say, even when Henry asked several times), and Seto was used to sleeping in uncomfortable places, anyway. Mokuba had clearly been upset by this, but eventually had ceded to his brother and agreed.
In the morning, Seto had just woken up after about three hours of sleep. None of the others were awake, so Seto walked into the adjoining kitchen and started up a pot of coffee to force himself awake.
He'd forgotten to turn off his cell phone.
And he'd guessed the call would come eventually...why he hadn't turned the stupid thing off...hell, why he even answered it, was beyond him.
It was impulse and habit that flipped open the device before checking the number, and in retrospect he really wasn't sure who he was angrier with...the person who'd called him or himself.
"Ah...Master Kaiba, I'm so glad I caught you! I know it's a bit early; I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No. What is it?"
"Well, it's just...I wanted to know if you were free next Wednesday."
"...Why? You people aren't still working, are you? I'm sick and tired of telling you everything is on hold."
"No, no...of course not, Master Kaiba. We understand. It's not that. It's...well, I'm sure you've heard about the...incident a while back."
The incident...tch. What a stupid word for it.
"If you're talking about Kaine, yes. I know."
"Ah...good. Well, you see, his funeral is Wednesday. And I was just...well, calling to see if you could be present."
...Complete silence.
Seto's grip tightened on the phone. Be present at his funeral!
His fucking funeral!
Only one bit of information from this call could be construed as a good thing: his attempts to keep the motive behind the murders a secret had succeeded. No one knew what Kaine had done. Otherwise, the question would never had been asked.
Not even Wheeler was stupid enough to ask Seto to appear at the funeral of his brother's rapist.
"...No."
"Are you...not free, Master Kaiba?"
"Oh, I'm free. Plenty free. But I won't be there."
And then...it happened.
The fuse lit.
"Master Kaiba, with all due respect...Spencer Kaine was a great worker. He did a lot of things for the corporation. Without him, we wouldn't have gotten the VRPG project up and running! It...it would be a matter of respect, Master Kaiba, that you attend the service."
Respect...?
The fuse was burning...growing shorter.
"...No," Seto hissed fiercely.
"Master Kaiba," the voice was irritated now, which made Seto's eyes flare with wrath, and if the man had been standing in front of him he likely would have run away as fast as possible, "I understand you dislike social activities but this is a very serious matter! One of your employees was murdered, Master Kaiba! The least you could do would be to honor his memory by being there for his burial!"
"...The only reason I would show up to Spencer Kaine's funeral would be to spit on his tombstone. I wouldn't honor his memory if he'd been the greatest worker Kaiba-Corp has ever had, which he wasn't, might I add. The only employee I can actually say I am proud to have working for me is Noa Kaiba. If Mokuba were still acting as the vice president, he would be on that list as well...but that is the end of it."
"Master Kaiba! How rude!"
"If I recall, you were the one who called my personal number while I am on vacation to inquire as to my presence at an event that you should have known I would have no intention of attending, so who is it, exactly, that is being rude?"
Almost completely burnt out.
His left fist was clenched so tightly that his nails bit into the palm nearly enough to draw blood, his right so tense that a single snap would likely break his phone.
"Look, Kaiba! I've worked for you for a long time, and I've known you were an arrogant punk, but this takes the cake! I won't have you disrespecting a good friend of mine this way! Do you understand!"
"...Do yourself a favor...and don't say another word..."
"What!"
He was shaking so badly that he nearly dropped the phone. His left hand now clutched the edge of the counter. Veins bulged, his blood boiled, his vision was a haze of red splotched with black.
"...Spencer...K-Kaine...was...a disgrace...to humanity...and anyone who pays honor to him...deserves to die..."
"What did you say! Is that a threat, Kaiba?"
"I don't know who killed Kaine...but I wish I did...so I could thank that person..."
"WHAT! Spencer was one of the greatest men on the planet! His death is a terrible thing! He was a much better person than you!"
The fuse was gone...the bomb went off.
"AND WHAT THE FUCK WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT GREATNESS!" Seto screamed, finally unable to hold back his rage. "IF KAINE WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEN ON THE PLANET, I'M A FUCKING ANGEL! HE WAS A SICK BASTARD AND DESERVED EVERYTHING THAT CAME TO HIM! YOU'D BETTER HOPE I DON'T SHOW UP AT THAT SON OF A BITCH'S FUNERAL BECAUSE I'LL BURN HIS FUCKING CASKET!"
A single snap.
His phone broke in half.
How dare he! Where in the hell did he get the nerve to...to...! That bastard!
He wanted to scream, he wanted to rip his hair out, he wanted to break everything in the room. He wanted to lose himself in the indignant anger welling up within him, to vent the frustration on the walls and the counter and the doors and anything else.
...He poured a mug of coffee and sat down at the single table.
And then...he laughed.
It came without warning, and he wasn't entirely sure why, but he laughed. He tossed his head back and laughed harder than he ever had in his life. It bounced off the walls, echoing throughout the room.
Eventually his sides began to hurt, and he couldn't draw breath. But he couldn't stop for some reason. He didn't even know what he found so funny...
That made him worry.
If he didn't know what was funny...why was he laughing?
He decided he'd think on that later, once he was able to breathe again.
"Any idea where Seto and Mokuba went?" Noa asked as he set down the second volume of the manga Nathan had brought him and picked up the third.
"Nah," Nathan said, cracking his knuckles and picking up his pencil again. "Didn't say. Tried calling him, but it didn't go through."
"Hm."
"Likin' the series?"
"Yes, actually. It's really interesting. But...it's kind of creepy. Not only does the main character look just about identical to Seto and me...but his father! If Gozaburo had been a cop..."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You know...now that you mention it...you're right. I wonder if the author ever met your father."
"Maybe they just based them off of TV appearances or something. Or it's just one hell of a coincidence. Either way, it's surreal."
"Kinda," Nathan murmured, erasing a line and redrawing it, then rubbing his chin as he glanced around the room. "I wonder if Mokuba would mind if I used his image as the basis for a new character..."
"I think he'd be ecstatic," Noa replied, shrugging his shoulders.
Looking down at his drawing, Nathan frowned. "This looks too girlish...I don't think he'd appreciate it if I switched his gender on him."
"Seto did it once. For a prototype on his VRPG project. Princess Adina, if I recall. Mokuba didn't seem to mind too much. Worked out to his benefit, from what he tells me."
"I don't know," Nathan said. "When it comes to drawing kids, there's a fine line between genders, and it doesn't help any that Mokuba has long hair. Maybe if I mess it up a little...make it sort of...sharp. Spiky. Something like that."
He erased the hair on his drawing and redid it, using sharp lines and triangular shapes to make it appear more like a boy's style.
"That's better. Yeah. Hey, what if I...? Hm."
"What?"
Nathan frowned thoughtfully. "From the sort of things Seto tells me, you guys have led...colorful lives. I wonder if I could make a series out of it...you know, all those card tournaments Seto was a part of."
"It's an idea," Noa murmured, "and given the nature of Magic & Wizards, it'd be right up your alley. But, uh...I wouldn't get too personal were I you."
Knowing what Noa was referring to, Nathan shook his head. "No...not that. I wouldn't dare."
"Good."
Nathan took out another sheet of paper. "I'm thinking...Seto wears trench coats a lot of the time...I think maybe a little flair would be good...trench coats are a good tool for the cool characters...you know, the dramatic types. Maybe a bit of...a windswept look or something."
He drew a sketch based on the white sleeveless coat Seto wore most often. Showing it to Noa, he raised an eyebrow again. "What do you think? See what I mean?"
Noa smirked. "Very dramatic. But, uh...there's no way in hell a coat would do that. It defies gravity. And what's with that...projection at his waist?"
"I dunno. Just felt right."
"Well...I guess it works."
"Seto's a serious type, so...narrow eyes. Dark. Sort of a death-glare look." He scratched with his pencil. "Add in that necklace of his...a little more...decoration...there!"
"...Uh, Nathan? Are those...belts on Seto's arms?"
"Kind of. Yeah."
"Why would he wear belts on his arms? And it looks like his pants go straight into his boots...what are they, pajamas?"
"Oh, don't be so critical, would you? It's a design. Manga isn't always supposed to be completely realistic, you know. There's always a bit of a personal touch. Besides, complete realism makes it easy to confuse characters. I've seen it. Costume is a big part of a character's personality. For Seto, I think the belts on the arms and the sharp projections on the coat work. Just go with me here, huh?"
"Nnh. If you say so."
"Now...let's see...you next."
"Huh?"
"Well, I've designed Seto and Mokuba. Next is you."
Noa frowned. "...I don't know about this."
"Don't be modest. You'll be immortalized. Besides, I can't have two without the third. Makes no sense. Hey, do you spell your name with an 'h' or not? I've been meaning to ask."
"No. A lot of people do, but it's a mistake. N-O-A. That's it."
"Got it."
"What brought this on, anyway?"
Nathan shrugged. "This many pictures around, I figured I'd draw something. Haven't done any sketching or brainstorming since I finished that present for Mokuba. Still need to give it to him, too."
"Hey..." Noa leaned over. "...how come I look crazy?"
"Huh? Crazy? You think so?"
"I look all...evil. Like I'm plotting world domination or something. That was my father's shtick, not mine. My thing was vengeance."
"Same difference. You're plotting revenge here."
"...I don't know. I still think I look crazy."
"Well, that's a good thing. Psychotic characters are fun. See, if I make the pupils in your eyes really small, here...now that's crazy!"
Noa shivered. "That's just weird."
"It's artistic."
"Uh-huh."
"Oh, just read, would you? I bought those for you, the least you could do is read them. Leave me to my work! I must have silence!"
"...Whatever, Nathan."
Noa settled back in his chair and started reading again, leaving the artist to his brainstorming.
"Hey, if this idea takes off, it'll probably be made into an anime. Think Seto would provide his own voice? How about you and Mokuba?"
"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"
"Hey, Ir'yulan's being made into one. It's a natural step."
"Yeah, but you're already assuming this new project of yours will sell."
"If I don't assume that, I'm out of a job. What's the point of making a manga if I don't think it's good enough to sell? Sure, it's fun, but it's my business."
Noa found he couldn't argue with that. He shrugged. "I guess. Well, if you decide to do this project of yours, and it does get made into an anime, I guess I'll be my own voice actor. Otherwise, it'll just end up stupid."
"Great! Now I'm motivated! I can already see it...ooh...hey, that's a good scene..."
He drew several squares on a third sheet of paper and began sketching wildly, grinning like a child on Christmas.
Noa rolled his eyes. It really was no wonder he was successful...with that sort of enthusiasm, he could probably sell anything.
"...I'm adding belts to Seto's legs, too."
"Huh? What? More belts? Why in the...?"
"Rounds out the look."
Noa rolled his eyes. "...If you say so, Nathan."
"I do say so. Just trust me. The belts work."
"Yeah, okay. Sure."
I'm having a bit of fun putting Nathan in the spotlight for a bit. I find it interesting. Hopefully, you do too. If not...sorry. Don't mean to disappoint. I'm just writing it as it comes. Can't do any different, anyway. Not my style.
Speaking of which, tonight I finally jotted down designs for Nathan, Franks, and Kaine...you know, I think I picked that up from Seto. Characters I like, such as Darren and Nathan, I refer to by their first names. Characters I don't like, such as Franks and Kaine, I refer to by their surnames. Odd...well, maybe not.
Anyway, here's a couple links for you guys to look at. Please do.
For those who didn't see my Darren sketches: http / i85. photobucket .com / albums / k57 / viperflame124 / Darren .jpg
For the new ones: http / i85. photobucket .com / albums / k57 / viperflame124 / KaineFranksNathan2 .jpg
Okay...looked at them? Good. A few notes on them, if you would indulge me:
In terms of design, each of these OCs had a distinct model.
For Darren, the model was Mimura Shinji (or Shinji Mimura, if you prefer) from the 15-volume manga series "Battle Royale." The hairstyle and, to an extent, his attitude came from this character, although most of his personality, as I stated in an earlier chapter, matches that of Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Franks was, from the beginning, modeled in my head after Conrad Eckley, from C.S.I. I gave him a bit more hair, and a lot less confidence, but I think the basic look is still intact. I'm not entirely sure, but hey...whatever. It works.
Nathan is also altered from his original inspiration. Johan Leibert, the antagonist of a manga and anime series called "Monster," one of the greatest stories I've ever experienced, was his inspiration. I made Nathan look nicer and less insane that Johan, though...or at least I hope I did. And I added the glasses. Just seemed to fit with his status as a writer. Overdone? Sure. But it fits him.
Kaine...well, he's an interesting one. Sort of a mix between Hojo from Final Fantasy VII and George Carlin, it seems. The ponytail was added on impulse, probably because sick, disgusting villains almost always seem to have ponytails (what does that say about me? I have a ponytail), and the facial hair was added for the same reason. Of all my sketches so far, I have to say I like his the best...I'm not sure why. Maybe the pose. Maybe the fact that, as sick as he was, I liked him. He was fun to write, even though it threatened to turn my stomach through some of it.
Last note...Franks has brown hair, Nathan blonde, and Kaine gray. Darren, I think, has dark brown or black. I'm not sure yet. Just thought I'd mention that in case I hadn't in the story itself.
I don't know if I'll ever end up drawing the Roderick family, but maybe I will...eventually. And as for Jen and Katie...same thing. Don't know.
Sorry this author's note was so long. Just thought I'd share my creative impulses with you all. And I'm sorry about the horrid clean-up job I did on the new sketch...I'm tired, it's late, and it was hard enough just to draw it.
Hope you enjoyed this. 'Til next time.
