Chapter 39

Happiness and Forgiveness

Author's note: just to not get in trouble, I should remind everyone that I don't own anything YuGiOh. I just own my characters and Dark Mage of the Sea owns hers.

When a sentence is ~like this~, it's phoenix speech.

Thank you, Dark Mage of the Sea, my coauthor and best friend.

One night around 8pm, Tiki was starting to settle in for the night. Sitting on the bathroom stool, she was drying her hair and daydreaming. Her son was due next week and she was getting really excited. Looking down, she rubbed her belly and giggled. "I can't wait to meet you, Noa…"

As she reached for her hairbrush, she winced in pain. At the same time, Kaiba came in to check on her. "Are you all right?"

Tiki took a few deep breaths and nodded as she started to brush her hair. "Yeah…yeah, I'm okay." She smiled up at Kaiba. "It's just Braxton Hicks."

Kaiba nodded and kissed her head. "You should get to bed."

Tiki agreed and stood up with difficulty. Cradling her stomach, she went to bed and laid on her side. Sighing softly, she curled up against her pillow. Sitting next to her, Kaiba stroked her hair; this made Tiki smile some more. Looking over her shoulder, she told him, "You should get to bed too. Year-end starts for you tomorrow."

Kaiba nodded so Tiki rolled back and closed her eyes. Scooting to the edge of the bed, he turned his back to her to hide his face. 'Why can't I stop this…?'

The last few nights, Kaiba had trouble sleeping. His doubt had all but taken over his mind. Because of his lack of sleep, his mind was open to Itami, who was giving him a dirty look from her tree stand. ~Seto…stop stressing yourself over something so stupid.~

Kaiba winced at Itami's harsh tone. Part of him wanted to retort but his other half kept him verbally quiet; he did not want to wake Tiki, who was wincing again, and he knew his unease was affecting Itami's sleep, another thing he felt guilty about. 'I can't help myself…'

Itami's eyes narrowed. ~You need to stop this, Seto. If you don't, you're going to do something you'll regret…and that will destroy you.~

Kaiba glared back at her and laid down. 'I know what I'm doing.'

Itami ruffled her feathers. ~Forgive me if I still need convincing. After all, you stupidly refuse to let go of your doubts.~

Kaiba said nothing.

At 4am, Tiki woke up. For the past eight hours, she had barely gotten any sleep. She was kept feeling random spurts of pain, more than usual. 'This…this feels real…but is it?'

Remembering her doctor telling her the 511 rule (a contraction every five minutes lasting one minute for an hour), she made note of the time and started to keep track. She tried putting her pillows in different places, eating a couple chocolate-covered almonds she kept on her nightstand, and some breathing exercises to keep herself calm. An hour later, she timed the latest pain and realized it was indeed 511. To her luck, she heard Kaiba's alarm and felt him stirring. "Seto…Seto, I think I'm going into labor."

Less than an hour later, Tiki, Kaiba, Itami, and a blurry-eyed Mokuba were at the hospital. Her doctor had already come to check on Tiki and had confirmed she was in labor and already at four centimeters. Tiki was no longer in pain as she had insisted on an epidural. Rubbing his eye, Mokuba yawned, "How you feeling?"

Tiki smiled. "A little nervous…but more so excited."

Mokuba smiled. "I guess Noa wanted to come early and meet his mom."

Tiki's smile brightened. Kaiba said nothing, his doubts still plaguing him. Mokuba noticed how quiet his brother was and decided to give them a moment. When he made that decision, an idea popped into his head. "I'll be right back."

Before the couple could ask him where he was going, he had left. Along the way, he winked at Itami and mentally told her his idea. Her eyes sparkling, she went through the open window into a nearby tree. The fiancés looked at each other. Sitting next to her, Kaiba asked him, "How are you feeling?"

Tiki smiled and rubbed her belly. "I feel good. The epidural is working really well."

Kaiba nodded and took her hand. Noticing the look on his face, Tiki squeezed his hand. "You okay?"

Before he could stop himself, Kaiba admitted, "I have doubts…"

He became stone-faced again, not wanting to reveal what he was really doubting. To his relief, it worked and Tiki smiled in assumption. "You don't need to doubt yourself. You'll be a wonderful father, like you were to Mokuba." She put his hand on her bump. "You'll see…our son will love you."

Kaiba could feel his guilt getting stronger and battle his doubts. Looking up at him, she kissed his hand. "Seto…it's going to be okay. We can do this together."

Kaiba looked at her. "You really believe that? Parenthood is not easy."

Tiki moved his hand to her check and started to nuzzle it. "Of course, Seto. Have a little faith."

Kaiba gave her a small smile, not wanting his mental battle show. Just then, Mokuba came back, grinning from ear to ear. Seeing his look, Kaiba asked, "What did you do?"

Mokuba looked annoyed. "Why are you assuming I did something?"

Kaiba smirked. "It saves time."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and flopped down on the couch. Seeing Kaiba still looking at him suspiciously, the teenager rolled his eyes again. "You'll see in a bit."

Kaiba was annoyed but could tell Mokuba would not say anything else. About 40 minutes later, Yugi and Merina showed up. Yugi knocked on the door. "Hi there."

Merina smiled. "A little birdie told us you were delivering."

Looking up from her water, Tiki brightened up. Kaiba was a little confused but then looked at Mokuba. "You called them, didn't you?"

Mokuba grinned. "Maybe…"

Kaiba's eyebrow twitched in suspicion as Torru and Tarra flew up and landed next to Itami. Merina went to Tiki's bedside. "How you feeling, sweetie?"

Tiki smiled and nodded. "Good…especially since I have an epidural. I'm just…so excited."

Yugi smiled. "My sister is going to be a mom. I still can't believe it." His smile became a grin. "I am definitely going to spoil my nephew rotten."

Tiki giggled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

A few hours ticked by. The doctor came from time to time to check on the progress of contractions. During those hours, Tiki's family and their Domino friends came by, to Tiki's delight. Merina said she would let her friends from Seien know about the birth since Mokuba did not have their numbers to tell them himself. Around 11am, the doctor kicked everyone but Kaiba out and checked Tiki's progress. She smiled and nodded. "All right, we are ready to have a baby."

Tiki perked up, both with excitement and nerves. As the doctor and nurses started to prep, Tiki looked at Kaiba and took his hand. "You'll be here with me, right?"

Kaiba nodded. "Of course."

Tiki smiled and squeezed his hand. Once she was in position, she started to push. Thanks to her epidural, she was not in pain and was calm. Kaiba's mind, however, was running a thousand miles a minute. His guilt and doubts continued to battle for dominance. After a few minutes of pushing, he made a decision and closed his mind to Itami. Outside the open window, Itami felt a shiver of dread. Her eyes widening, she looked at Kaiba. ~What are you doing, Seto?~

Kaiba did not answer, keeping her out. Itami was very worried. She knew from her experience with Seth that, when someone shut off the mind connection, something bad was about to happen. Before she could try and reach out to him, Tiki gave a final push and pushed the baby out. The doctor immediately put Noa on Tiki's chest and started to clean him off. The rubbing and sudden cold air from being born made the newborn start to cry and scream. Feeling overwhelmed with what just happened, Tiki held her son as close as possible as she happily cried. "He's perfect…"

Kaiba found himself just as overwhelmed but also conflicted. He was overwhelmed by having just witnessed a new life coming into the world but his doubts were telling him that Noa did not look like him. His logical side tried to point out that it was because Noa's face was squished from birth and was still slightly covered in fluids but the doubts refused to listen. He only snapped out of it when the doctor held up forceps and asked, "Dad, you want to cut the cord?"

Feeling a twinge of guilt, Kaiba nodded and did as he was instructed. Once that was done, the doctor started to help Tiki with the afterbirth and a nurse took Noa to a warming bed. Kaiba joined the nurse, his hand starting to slip into his pocket. "What are you going to do?"

The nurse explained all the tests Noa would go through to check that he was healthy and strong. When Kaiba heard that a little blood would be taken to check for infections, he decided to make his move. Not knowing that Itami had flown to the window, he went a little closer to the nurse and slipped her some money before whispering, "Run a paternity test on him."

The nurse was taken aback at his request. "Mr. Kaiba….if I may, it takes about a month for a woman to become pregnant. I'm sure that…"

Kaiba gave her a hard look, making her go quiet. "That was not a request."

A little nervous about his look, the nurse nodded and continued to work. He turned back and saw how furious Itami looked. ~You…me…outside…NOW!~

Despite him shutting his mind off, she had to really project her voice. It was low enough for him to kind of hear but her harsh tone came across very clearly. He started to leave, catching Tiki's attention. "Seto?"

He kept walking but answered, "I got some calls I got to make. I'll be back."

Remembering it was year-end, Tiki accepted. His eyes then went on Noa and started to sparkle.

On a patio, Kaiba closed the door. He looked at Itami, who was flying over. "What?"

Instead of answering, she started to viciously peck him. Growling, he pushed her back. "What the hell are you doing?!"

~It's just what you deserve!~

"I have a right to know if Noa is my son!"

~You have no reason to doubt, you idiot! I've been telling you that from day one!~

"You don't know! You know I was away from her for a month!"

Itami squawked furiously. ~You heard that nurse! It takes about a month for a woman to get pregnant! Use your logic, you idiot!~

Kaiba growled, "I am, Itami! How do I know if something happened during that month?! Pregnancy timing is not exact!"

~You're being unreasonable, you imbecile! If you would just listen to me—!~

Hearing those words pushed Kaiba over the edge. He growled and gave Itami a deadly glare. Startled, Itami made a tiny squawk of shock. Before she could say anything, Kaiba started to speak in a low voice that slowly got louder. "Listen to you…? No…YOU listen to ME! You weren't there when all this happened! In fact…you weren't there my whole life! You did not come into my life until a few years ago! You say you understand me but it is clear to me that you do not! You are nothing but a flying pest and nuisance that invades my mind!"

Seconds after he stopped talking, he realized that he unfairly took his anger out on his phoenix. Itami looked at him with hurt eyes. The look in her eyes made him feel even guiltier. "Itami…"

Tears forming in her eyes, Itami hissed, ~You're a monster…LIKE HIM! You are not my Guardian!~

When Itami said that, Kaiba felt as if something was severed from him. Itami flew away, tears falling. Kaiba tried to reach out to her. 'Itami, wait! I didn't mean that!'

Itami did not react and kept flying away. Growing angrier by the second, Kaiba punched the wall and stayed on the patio, seething. Minutes later, the nurse he paid off found him. "Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba looked at her and asked, "Are you doing the test?"

The nurse nodded. "I will need your DNA to compare Noa's to."

Agreeing, Kaiba followed her to a room, where she swabbed the inside of his mouth. As she put the swab in a bag, he asked, "How long will it take?"

"About five days."

Kaiba tensed up. "What?!"

The nurse winced and gently explained, "I'm sorry. That's the fastest we can do with our current technology."

Kaiba was furious but knew he could not do anything. Accepting the answer, he returned to Tiki's room, where she was holding and looking at Noa. Hearing him enter, she looked up but paused at his tense body language. "Seto, are you okay? Where's Itami?"

Kaiba mentally stiffened at the mention of Itami. He could still hear her proclamation but knew he could not tell her. Instead, he went to her bedside and lied, "I sent her to HQ to get some files for me."

Tiki nodded, remembering the "call" he said he made. Balancing Noa with one arm, she reached out and touched his back with her free hand. The contact made him tense up. Smiling softly, she rubbed his back in a soothing manner. "It'll be fine…okay? Don't stress yourself out." She smiled. "That's the last thing us new parents need."

Kaiba nodded and looked at Noa. The newborn was sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms. Before he could say anything, everyone came in and immediately react to the newborn. Her family and Mokuba went as close as possible to look at Noa. Solomon smiled. "He's so cute!"

Mokuba agreed. "Can I hold him?"

Tiki nodded and gently gave Noa to Mokuba. The newborn fussed softly at being moved but settled in Mokuba's arms. The teenager's eyes sparkled. Joey looked at Kaiba and grinned. "I'd say he's handsome but he looks like you."

Kaiba glared and smacked Joey upside the head, muttering "Idiot bonkotsu…"

Tiki gave Kaiba a "behave" look. Relaxing, Kaiba retreated into himself as Kiko shook his head at Joey. "You really are something."

Joey grumbled to himself as Tiki's mother went to Mokuba and stroked the baby's cheek. Noa continued to sleep as Yugi came forward. "Can I hold him now?"

Mokuba nodded and gently gave the newborn to the young man. Yugi's eyes sparkled. "Wow…he's so cute. He's got your nose, Tiki."

Tiki touched her own nose. "You think so?"

Tima went over and looked down at the baby. She smiled, "Yep! He has your nose."

Tiki giggled a little as Tristan looked at Noa. "Little man, please promise me you won't turn me into a robot monkey when you get older."

Kaiba gave him a deadpan look; everyone else tried not to laugh. Tiki chuckled, "Don't worry, Tristan. I'll make sure he keeps that promise."

Tristan sighed in relief as Yugi grinned, "You still can't get over that little incident, can you?"

Serenity pointed out, "That was our minds, not our real bodies, though, Tris-chan."

Joey felt a shudder go down his spine; he was still not thrilled with his sister dating his childhood friend. Tristan protested, "I don't care! It was a bad time for me!"

Tiki rolled her eyes as Atem pointed out, "How about we let Kaiba hold his son?"

Before Kaiba could say anything, his phone went off. Both relieved and confused, he answered the phone and went into the bathroom for privacy. Everyone but Mokuba and Tiki were suspicious. Tiki asked Mokuba, "You two weren't supposed to do something today, were you?"

Mokuba shook his head as Kaiba came out, looking stressed and furious. "Mokuba, we need to go. Tiki, I am so sorry but I have to go."

Tiki asked, "Is everything okay?"

Kaiba shook his head. "No, the representative from the business I bought last year needs to leave tomorrow so we need to meet with him right now."

Eyes widening, Mokuba ran out of the room. Tiki's eyes were wide as well and waved him off. "Go! You don't want to keep him waiting!"

Kaiba gave Tiki an apologetic kiss before leaving. Joey asked Tiki, "What was that?"

Tiki smiled softly. "It's year-end for KaibaCorp so Seto and Mokuba will be extremely busy this week." She turned her smile to Noa. "In fact, he was supposed to come next week, after year-end. But he clearly had different plans."

Noa made a noise in his sleep, melting everyone's hearts.

At the end of the week, Tiki was napping on the couch. Suddenly she was awoken by Noa's whimpering. Rubbing her eyes, she went to the baby swing and picked up her son. "There, there, sweetie. It's all right."

Noa whined and fussed while licking his lips. Seeing this, Tiki sat back on the couch with him and a pillow, laid him on the pillow, and started to nurse him. To her relief, her guess was right, making her smile happily. Just then, her cell phone dinged. She looked at it and saw it was Mokuba, telling her he and Kaiba were on their way home. She sighed in relief: this year-end was so brutal, Kaiba spent the week at the office. Mokuba managed to come home just to sleep but Kaiba remained at headquarters. She looked at the baby and cooed, "Daddy will be home soon. Isn't that wonderful?"

Noa cooed, more focused on feeding. Tiki smiled and stroked his arm. She was so absorbed in her baby that, minutes later, she did not noticed Kaiba standing in the living room entrance. The week had been very stressful for him. He was extremely busy with work; his doubts plagued his mind with wondering if Noa was his; his guilt about his doubts and lying to Tiki battled his doubts; and he had not seen or heard from Itami since their fight in the hospital. 'I can't…I can't keep this up…how did I manage to live before Tiki and Itami…?'

Lost in thought, he did not noticed that Tiki had finished feeding Noa and started to burp him. Seeing Kaiba, she smiled. "Welcome home, Seto."

Kaiba blinked awake. "Hm…?"

Tiki smiled sympathetically. "Rough day at KaibaCorp?"

Kaiba took a deep breath. "You could…say that…"

Tiki's smiled softened. "Tell you what. Why don't you head to your study and, once I'm done with Noa, I'll bring you some tea."

Kaiba nodded and turned to leave. But he paused: he wanted to turn around and beg for her forgiveness but his doubts moved him forward. Before he could reach his study, though, there was a knock at the door. He opened it to find Roland with a large envelope. Kaiba asked, "What is that?"

"Results from the hospital."

As a rain storm began, Kaiba snatched the envelope from Roland and shut the door. He heard Tiki call out, "Who is it, Seto?"

Thinking fast, Kaiba said, "Roland dropping off some work papers."

Tiki went quiet, believing him. Clutching the envelope, he went to his study and closed the door behind him. Sitting at his desk, he opened the envelope but hesitated. 'What am I doing…? Why am I doubting…?'

His doubt gave him a final poke, prompting him to pull out the two papers and read them. The first paper explained the test so he put it aside and started to read the second page.

"In all analyzed PCR systems, Kaiba Seto does show the genetic markers which have to be present for the biological father of the child Noa. The biostatistical analysis of the PCR systems was performed according to the method of Essen-Möller. The probability of Kaiba Seto being the biological father of Noa is 99.9999%. Conclusion: Based on our analysis, it is practically proven that Kaiba Seto is the biological father of the child Noa."

Kaiba's hands started to shake. "My son…"

His guilt officially won the war, ending the battle with Itami's statement during their argument. ~You're a monster…LIKE HIM! ~

Dropping the papers, he buried his head in his hands. He continued to shake as tears started to fall. 'How could I not believe the nurse…the words of Itami, who has looked out for me all these years…and…worst of all…I didn't trust Tiki's love and loyalty…' He whispered, "I am a monster…like him…"

He stayed shaking and silently crying. Just then, Tiki came into the study with a mug of tea. "Seto, I brought your tea. I hope you like—"

Seeing the state Kaiba was in, she stopped mid-sentence and dropped the mug. Ignoring the mess the tea made, she quickly rushed to his side. "Seto, are you all right?!"

Hearing her voice made him shake a little more. "Tiki…"

Concerned, Tiki helped him up and took him to the living room. Sitting on the couch, he noticed Noa in his swing with the radio playing to keep him entertained. Seeing the baby made his heart break with guilt. Tiki sat next to him, scared. "Seto…what's wrong? Talk to me."

Putting his face back in his hands, Kaiba said in a low voice, "Can you…bring Noa over here?"

Pleasantly surprised but still concerned, Tiki nodded and went to the baby. Just then, a song about forgiveness started to play. Kaiba mentally winced. 'Am I being punished for this? Whose sick idea is this?' Once she sat down with Noa, he looked at her and said aloud, "Tiki…please forgive me…"

Tiki paused, not expecting this. "Seto…?"

"I did something very stupid…and I need your forgiveness."

Tiki started to get scared as possible scenarios played in her head. "What…?"

Putting his head back in his hands, he started to shake again as he confessed, "I paid the nurse off…to run a paternity test on Noa."

For a while, Kaiba could only hear the chorus of the song. Finally, Tiki spoke: "Seto…why…?"

Hearing her ask in a gentle and concerned tone was horrible; he would have preferred her to scream at him. His head lowered to his arms, with his hands gripping his hair. Tiki's heart broke at the sight of her fiancé, one of the proudest men in the world, breaking. "Seto…please…talk to me. Help me…try to understand…"

Kaiba could hear hurt in her voice but the worry that was also present made him feel worse. Taking a deep breath, he sat up and looked away, unable to face her. "I've…had doubts…from the moment you told me."

"What? How could you…?"

"I was gone a month…and you know how bad sexual education is around the world. My education…was no different."

"But…you must have known…that I would never cheat on you…" Kaiba's eyes closed, letting a few more tears escape as Tiki asked, "Why didn't you remember that?"

Kaiba took a shaky breath. "My past."

"What?"

"I thought…you got tired of shouldering my burden…tired of my PTSD keeping us from trying new things in our sex life…and wanted someone who could give you more."

Balancing Noa with one arm, Tiki touched his arm. "I don't want someone else. I want you…always. Noa is your son and I am your fiancé."

Kaiba could not look at her. Her then silence made him wonder if she was going to break up with him right then and there. 'It's the least I deserve…'

He prepared himself for that. She finally spoke: "Can you do something for me?"

Taking a chance, he looked at her. "Anything…name it."

Tiki locked eyes with him. "Hold your son."

Kaiba was taken aback by this request. Taking a stabling breath, he nodded and gently took Noa. The baby fussed at being moved but settled and looked up. While his eyesight was still blurry, he still seemed to be looking at Kaiba. When the song's tempo changed, Noa broke into one of his reflex smiles. Kaiba did not expect this and took pause. "He's…"

Tiki smiled softly. "He loves and forgives you…" she leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, "…just like I do."

Kaiba's eyes widened and slowly looked at her. She had a kind, gentle smile on her face. Kaiba uttered, "Tiki…you…?"

Tiki nodded and touched his cheek. "Of course, Seto. I love you more than anything in this world…and I forgive you."

Hearing her forgiveness made him feel better; seeing Noa at ease in his arms made him feel even better. But there was a part of him that still felt horrible: he did not have the forgiveness of Itami. 'Will she even…come back to me?'

~You big idiot…you're lucky Tiki is such a saint…

Both adults looked up as Itami flew into the living room and perched on the couch arm. She looked at Kaiba, showing guilty, sad eyes. ~You are my Guardian Seto…now and always. I love you and forgive your…stupidity.~ Kaiba looked a little annoyed but knew she meant her forgiveness. ~Can you forgive me for what I said?~

Kaiba looked at Noa. Like the night he told Tiki what he went through, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Feeling his guilt, Itami leaned against him; Tiki did the same. Kaiba said in a quiet voice, "I don't deserve either of you…"

Tiki smiled and kissed his cheek as Itami nuzzled Kaiba's arm. "You do. Don't beat yourself up." She was about to continue when she noticed Itami was shivering. "Itami, you okay?"

Itami's eyes sparkled, as if a little embarrassed. ~Well…it is raining outside…~

Tiki chuckled and got up. "Come on, let's get you dried off. Excuse us, Seto."

Now alone, Kaiba looked down at Noa, who yawned and started to fall asleep. "My son…"

Minutes later, Tiki came back with Itami wrapped in a blanket. The two paused at the living room archway: Kaiba was laying on the couch with a sleeping Noa on his chest. Itami's eyes gleamed as Tiki felt her heart soar. "Seto…"

Kaiba looked up and gave a private smile to her. Putting Itami on her tree stand, Tiki went to Kaiba's head. Understanding, he lifted his head a little, allowing her to sit down. As he laid his head down on her lap, she started to stroke his hair. "You know…I think Noa is very happy to be with you…Dad."

Kaiba smirked and looked at Noa. He then noticed something: other than Tiki's nose, he looked like a clone of Kaiba. He felt his heart squeeze. "He looks just like me…"

Tiki agreed. "Like father, like son. That means he will grow up to be one handsome man."

Itami got a mischievous glint in her eyes. ~As long as he doesn't inherit his father's coldness and sarcasm.~

Kaiba gave her a glare. But he did miss her sarcastic jabs.

Later that night, Tiki was sleeping soundly when she heard Noa fussing in his nearby bassinet. Groaning a little, she sat up and was about to get up when Noa went quiet. Turning on the nightstand lamp, her eyes sparkled: Kaiba was holding the baby. She made a happy noise, catching his attention, and asked, "What does he need?"

Kaiba came over with Noa and sat in front of her. "I'm not sure. He started to fuss just as I was walking in."

Tiki took a closer look and saw Noa licking his lips. Understanding, she took the baby from Kaiba and started to nurse Noa. Kaiba watched her for a moment and smiled. "You are so beautiful."

Tiki smiled as he kissed her forehead. "Did you get your project done, Seto?"

Kaiba nodded. "Yes."

"Can I know what it is now?"

Kaiba smirked. He had kept her in the dark about what he started after dinner. "First off, I burned the paternity test. No need for anyone else to know about that." Tiki nodded in agreement. "Second, I have been in contact with KaibaCorp. I am going to be working from home for the next month."

Tiki looked up in surprise. "Really? Why?"

Kaiba gently stroked Noa's cheek. "I missed five days…I want to make up for that."

Tiki smiled and kissed Kaiba gently. "You will be a wonderful father to Noa…I know it."

Kaiba smiled softly and looked down at the baby. He still felt a little guilty about doubting the paternity but he knew he would do everything and anything to make Noa feel every ounce of love he felt for the child.