Chapter 1
Dear Mom, Dad,
It's been a long time since I wrote to you. I wanted to tell you about these new kids I met. More particularly this boy named Yugi Motou. Did you know he managed to beat me in a duel once? Yeah I know, don't get too caught up with the idea of losing. It just feels so alien, you know, I'm so use to winning. I guess I got too overconfident. Even so, Yugi Motou is a great duelist, of course, don't expect me to admit that! I promise you, one day I'll beat him in a duel, fair and square.
Well, you probably think your son's rude, beginning a letter by complaining about some kid who beat him at a card game, so I'll just jump to some other things, probably more light hearted. The company's doing great. I guess all those times with Gozaburo did turn out good after all, I'm handling the business like a breeze. You're proud, right? I mean, I don't even have to go to college. College is for the future, and I have my future right here! Well, still, if you want me to, but I won't know if you do, would I? And you always said I can make my own decisions about these things. I'm already pretty successful, with that big mansion and all the money to go on vacation for the rest of my life.
Mokuba's doing great. He's going to be a doctor. Remember how he use to prance around the room asking what a doctor does, " preparing" to be one? Well now he knows what it takes to be a doctor, but he's still willing to go for it, and I got his back every step of the way! He is great friends with Yugi Motou and the others with him. Needless to say, I'm not very happy with that, but still, those are his friends, and I'm glad Mokuba's having a social life. He really needs one. Shouldn't be like me, all solitary and all, but anyway.
Now back to me. Did you know that there are these things called Millennium Items? The maker of Duel Monsters, Pegasus J. Crawford, has one. He sacrificed his real eye for it, because it's called the Millennium Eye. I don't like those things. He trapped my soul in a card, but Yugi Motou was kind enough to rescue me along with his Grandpa, and Mokuba too. Still, that didn't mean I have to like him. There's something not right about him, something almost sickening about the nice way he acts. Maybe I'm jealous, I don't know. But still, the point is, I don't have to like him, and I don't.
How did Pegasus trap my soul in a card? He kidnapped Mokuba first, to lure me, and then dueled me. I lost that duel because of that dumb eye, and he planned to put me away so my company could be up for the grabs. It was actually the idea of the Big Five, but now that the threat's over and I'm back, everything's okay.
I miss you, Mom, Dad. After all that happened I realized more and more how lonely I'm getting. Sometimes I go to the park with Mokuba and I see mothers and fathers yelling at their sons and I want to get yelled at. Sure, it might make me feel bad, but at least I have someone else who is willing to waste their energy yelling at me. But I'm rambling, aren't I? I hope you two are doing fine. I'll write again at least before your birthday, Mom. I have a gift waiting-nope, you can't open it. Not until your birthday, those are the rules! Oh, Mokuba's coming. He'll freak out when he sees I'm writing a letter to my dead parents. I love you, kisses and hugs and all.
With much love,
Your son,
Seto
Seto folded the letter and turned to his parent's picture. He smiled, then stood up.
" Ni-sama?"
Seto was expecting him. " Hey kid."
" What are you doing?" Mokuba asked.
" Oh, nothing. Listen, it's time for bed."
" But Ni-sama-"
" No complaints. Now, go upstairs. You already took a shower, right?"
" Hai."
" Good. I'll tuck you in in a minute."
Mokuba nodded and left. Seto slid the letter in an envelope, and wrote, To Mom and Dad, From Seto. He placed the letter on the table and left to tuck his brother in.
Upstairs, Mokuba had gotten under the covers. Seto made sure all the windows were closed and turned off the lights.
" Good night Mokuba."
" Good night Ni-sama."
Seto smiled, then shut the door quietly. He turned and walked back to the room. Taking the envelope and a box of matches, he went downstairs, took a small porcelain bowl, and grabbed his home and car keys.
The cemetary had an aura of gloom to it, but Seto was unafraid. He had been here so many
times, he was use to it. He walked across the line of graves and stopped at one.
" Mom, it's your turn to receive the letter." He whispered. " Dad received it last time." He lighted the match, took out the bowl, and set the envelope inside. Resting the bowl on the grave, he lighted the envelope, and watched it burn.
The sky was dark. It was a quiet area, so the sky was glittering with stars. Seto watched as the envelope blackened and the fire finally disappear, having nothing left to burn with. Taking the ashes, he scattered them onto the soil of the grave. Waiting for a while, he turned and left the graves.
Yugi Motou yawned as he woke. The birds were chirping merrily outside, and the sky was a
clear blue. Sitting up, yawning again, he listened for his grandfather. Ah, he's downstairs alright, he
could hear the dishes clattering already.
The boy got dressed. Combing his hair a little, just to right it a bit, he opened the door and went downstairs.
" Ohayo, Yugi."
" Ohayo, Ji-chan." He yawned again. " Good thing it's a Saturday. Are we having porridge again?"
" Hai. Gomen, no pancakes."
Yugi pouted, then brought the bowls of porridge on the table as his grandpa looked for the chopsticks and cucumber.
Seto groaned in annoyance as he slammed the papers down. " I want this retyped, with all
the corrections I made." He gritted his teeth at the stuttering employee. " This is ridiculous! Don't
you know how to write?"
" G-G-Gomen Nasai, Kaiba-sama."
" Never mind." Seto sighed. " Leave now, and make sure you get this done and bring it to me later
today."
" H-Hai," The employee bowed and left the office.
Seto rolled his eyes and sat down again. " Baka."
There was a knock on the door.
" What?" Seto demanded. A woman stepped in.
" Fujimoto-sama, Kinoyashi-sama, and Yoshihara-sama are here Kaiba-sama."
Seto sighed. " Send them up."
" Hai, Kaiba-sama."
The phone rang.
" Moshi moshi, Kaiba Corps, Seto Kaiba here."
" Kaiba-sama, there's a stranger here who demands to see you."
Seto paused. " Who is he?" He demanded.
" I don't know. He never told me his name."
" Send him away." Seto sighed. " I don't have time for this."
He hung up. " What's with the nonsense calls these days?" Just then, the door opened, and
two men and one woman stepped in, bowing in acknowledgment.
" Konnichiwa. Sit down, please." Seto stood up to be polite.
" Aw come on, Jou, give that guy a chance." Honda told his friend.
" He keeps callin' me a Mutt. It's him who should chill out."
" Ni-sama's not a bastard." Mokuba pouted.
" Fine, then prove it." Jou challenged.
" Jou, do we really need to go through this again?" Anzu asked. " I mean, come on, it's like you've
got some personal problem with him. Seto Kaiba doesn't go around chasing you in order to insult
you. You're acting like he's a stalker or something."
" Well, we can all agree he's a bastard."
" Iie, we can't!" Mokuba protested.
" Then prove how he's nice!" Jou demanded.
" Well, he reads me a story whenever there's a rainy night..."
" Seto Kaiba reads stories?" Honda stared at Anzu.
" Of course he does! And he tucks me in every night no matter how busy he is."
" Well, he might be nice to you, but he ain't nice to other people."
Yugi sighed. " Jou, you've been talking about Kaiba ever since you got here. What's wrong
with you and Kaiba?"
" What's wrong with me and Kaiba? I'll tell ya what's wrong with me and Kaiba. I tell ya, that
bastard goes around..."
" Aiiiii," Anzu sighed.
Seto looked at his watch. Eight-o-clock. He had to pick up Mokuba.
He preferred picking Mokuba up in person, but with Yugi and the others, he was a little reluctant.
Just go, it's not like they'll eat you or anything. Most likely you'll eat them.
Shrugging, Seto called up a limo.
The door sounded with a jingling as Seto Kaiba entered.
" Ni-sama!" Mokuba laughed, rushing to his brother. Seto fixed Yugi-tachi with a glare.
" Come, Mokuba, it's time to go home."
" Okay."
" Hey wait!" Jou shouted, for some reason really cranky that day, and the talk of Kaiba did not
make him any better. " You still owe me a duel!"
" What duel?" Seto sneered. " You can hardly hold one card in your hand, let alone play it. I have to
get home. I have more important work to do."
" Oh, so that's your excuse? ' You got more important work to do.' Work my eye! You're just too
chicken to face a challenge, especially aftuh Yug beat ya! Is that it, huh Kaiba? Afraid of little old
me?"
Seto sniffed in disdain. " I have no time to bicker with you, Mutt. Come Mokuba."
Behind him, Jou was quaking with anger. " I'll put you in your place, Kaiba! I'll show you what a loser you are!!"
But Seto was already gone.
Dear Mom, Dad,
Hey, promised I would write soon! Today was terrible. Sometimes I think being a genius is a curse. People are so much more...stupid, than you, and when things are so obvious they still can't seem to see it. I was tempted to fire everyone from my business, but unfortunately geniuses aren't thriving everywhere. Still, it's really trying on my patience. I know, I know, I should learn to be more patient, but you know, there's only so much a teenager could take. I guess it's more important for me to control my temper than for other teenagers, because I hold the fate of several thousand employees. Other teenagers hold only their own fate.
You know Jou Katsuya, the friend of Yugi Motou's? Iie, of course you don't. I never introduced you to him. He's a bawling blonde, outspoken and snobby. He wasn't much of a duelist, but he's got the duelist's spirit. He just goes about it the wrong way. Today he challenged me to a duel and said all these insults at me when I refused. I wasn't particularly worried about his insults, I'm just worried about the reason why I refused.
I'm starting to be afraid, Mom, Dad. I feel like I'm losing my grip on the cards. I refused to duel him because I'm afraid of losing. Sure, I'm always afraid of losing, but the fact that I thought it was possible that I would lose to Katsuya worried me. Jou wasn't a bad duelist, but he definetely wasn't Yugi Motou either. If I had my original skill and confidence, I wouldn't have been so worried about him. I'm losing it, I think. I think it's time I retire from Duel Monsters, but if I do all the media would think I was scared. God, I hate being famous.
Mokuba's really happy at Yugi's. I'm happy for him. I just dread picking him up from there. That's actually how I got myself into this Jou Katsuya mess. But they're use to me picking up Mokuba and not my driver. If I let my driver pick him up they'll get skeptical.
Anyway, enough about me. I forgot to tell you one thing yesterday. Mokuba scored a hundred on his science test! Aren't you proud of him? Well, of course you are. Mokuba says that if this goes on, he would stand a good chance at getting into the best high school in Japan. That might mean he'll have a long way to go from home. Of course, I'm not worried about that. As long as Mokuba's happy and his future's safe. Of course, Mokuba should work on reading more. I'll tell him that. I'll make sure he reads at least a book a week. After all, just because you're a doctor doesn't mean that exempts you from literary works. Mokuba also grew two inches taller! Isn't that quick? One week and he's already taller. That kid's going to grow even taller than me. I'll dread the day when I have to look up to him, but hey, as long as he's happy with that. I'm sure Mokuba's just praying for the day when he can look down and say, " Hey Ni-sama! I didn't know you're so short!"
Well, I'm taking a day off tomorrow because Mokuba's begging me to. Actually, he didn't really beg, he just kept on pouting until I was afraid his face would stay that way. It's alright, tomorrow's a Sunday, and usually Sunday's are slower than normal. Mokuba said he had a surprise planned tomorrow. Wonder what it is. I was tempted to think he would drag me to the arcade again, but that wouldn't be a surprise, would it? Who knows what he's up to, except you, Dad. You always seem to know what Mokuba wants and thinks. I wish I had that talent! Ugh, anyway, love you both, don't peek at the present Mom, and I'll write to you soon, if I don't, expect my letter on your birthday!
With lots of love,
Your son,
Seto
Yugi was talking with everyone gaily as they walked down the street. Mokuba convinced
everyone to go to the mall with him.
" Ni-sama's been acting quiet lately." He explained. " I want to get him something special this week. Don't tell him that."
Everyone laughed.
" So what is wrong with him anyway?" Jou asked. " Why's he down? Got great business that's
doin' really great, school's fine and all."
" Mom's birthday is coming up." Mokuba answered. " I never knew her, but Ni-sama did. He gets
like that every year whenever her birthday's coming up. I can't say he's sad but, he just gets really
quiet. He makes this ritual too, for Mom and Dad. Every time their birthday comes up he takes me
to the cemetery to place flowers on their graves. He'd start talking to them as if they could listen to
him, and then he'll dig a little hole. He'll take off the wrapping paper as if he were showing it to
them, it's really scary. Then he'll take a bowl and light a match, and burn the card and envelope, and
wrapping paper in it, then scatter the ashes into the little hole and then place his gift inside. Then
he'll cover it. Sometimes he burns the flowers too."
" What a looney." Jou blinked after a pause. " What's with that?"
" I don't know. I don't understand it." Mokuba answered. " But I guess it makes him feel better.
That's all that matters."
" Arigatou." Seto nodded as he took the package away from the man, then, signing his name, he
closed the door as the man departed. Opening the package to inspect the necklace, he checked it to
make sure it was just as he wanted it.
" Hm." He nodded in approval, then sighed. " Now for some wrapping paper. Drat, I just ran out.
Guess I'll have to go to the mall."
Taking his keys he walked out of the building.
" Iie, those things are too cheap." Mokuba shook his head in distaste. " Ni-sama wouldn't like that."
" Wouldn't like what?" Asked a voice curiously. Mokuba looked up, starting. " Ni-sama!"
" Huh?" Honda looked up. " Hey, Kaiba, what are you doing here?"
" None of your business." Seto snapped. " What are you doing here Mokuba?"
" What are you doing here?"
" I'm getting some wrapping paper."
" For what?" Anzu asked.
" None of your business." Seto snapped again.
" I know. It's probably for your parents eh? Are you wrapping up some pearl necklace to put
around your mommy's skeleton?" Jou sneered. Then he paled. Oops, why the heck did I say that?
Seto paled visibly and for a moment was at loss for words. Then his eyes narrowed at Mokuba. Mokuba just cringed.
" What I do is no concern of yours." Seto said after a moment. " Mokuba, do you like this one or
this one?" He asked, holding up two rolls of wrapping paper in each hand.
" I like both..." Mokuba said hesitantly.
" Alright, I was planning on buying both," Seto sounded irritated, which surprised Mokuba a little, "
But what I meant was, which one should I use this time?"
Mokuba paused. " The white one."
Seto looked at the white one for a moment and then nodded. He walked over to the cashier without another word at the group.
Mokuba gave a glare at Jou, and it was the first time he ever did that to anyone Yugi knew. When they turned, Seto was gone.
Mokuba refused to speak to Jou for the entire day.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Mokuba told them about how we use to give your presents. You know, Yugi-tachi? I can't believe they're so coldhearted. I won't blame them if they make fun of me or insult me, but insulting my parents is way beyond question. I think Jou just got carried away and he didn't mean it, but still, it hurts a lot. You don't mind, right, me bothering you all the time? I mean, you don't even have to read my letters if you don't want to...
Nothing much happened today. I went to the store to get some wrapping paper. That's how the Jou thing happened. I'm so mad at Jou, but I don't feel like killing him. Somehow he made me feel stupid about this whole thing. Don't worry, I won't stop writing to you. You two are the only ones that listen to me anyway. No one else would bother. Sometimes I wish there's a way for you two to write back, but I know that you can't.
Do you think I'm stupid by doing this, Mom? Dad? I mean, most people might think I am, writing to people who will never answer me back, sending gifts that you might never receive. I don't really care if other people think I'm crazy, as long as you two don't mind. Somehow I have a feeling that every time I send a letter you always read it. I guess it's intuition, but I'll never know for sure. Anyways, tomorrow's your birthday, so just one more night Mom. Just one more night, and you'll get your present! Are you excited? I'm sure you are. I'm not sure what you're going to do with my gift, but hey, gifts are often useless. You get all the necessities by buying them. I know I'm excited about giving them to you-but now I'm not making any sense, am I? Alright, I'll just stop talking now. Remember, I love you.
Your son,
Seto
" Are you sure about this?" Anzu asked Mokuba. " Sneaking up on your brother like that?"
" I'm worried about him." Mokuba answered. He was still in his pajamas. " It's not like him to go
out at night without telling me or leaving a note."
" He's heading towards the cemetery." Honda whispered.
" I don't like this idea." Yami said sternly.
" Fine, you can stay. I'm going, and someone's gotta go with me." Mokuba answered.
" Alright, alright." Yami sighed. They followed on their bikes.
" What in Kami's name is he doing?"
" He's burning a letter at Dad's grave!"
" I thought he only does it on their birthdays!"
" I thought so too!"
Yami watched as Seto stared at the flames. Unable to restrain himself, he stepped out. " Kaiba!"
Seto started, turning his head in Yami's direction. There was a silence, as the flames died out. Seto gazed at Yami for a while longer, before looking back at the grave. He stooped down and picked up a bowl. Putting his hands in, he picked up some of the ashes and scattered them over the grave.
The others had stepped out to watch him. Seto dumped the rest of the ashes from the bowl onto the grave, wiping it clean and scattering it all onto the ground. Then he turned towards the group and began walking towards them.
Seto paused when he saw Mokuba. Mokuba stared at his big brother for a long time.
" Ni-sama."
Seto did not answer. There was a terrifying hard look in his eyes. He walked past without speaking to his car. There was a sound of an engine starting before the car drove away.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Mokuba hurt me today. He hurt me so painfully that I don't think I can forgive him, even if I try...