dIsClAiMeR: I don't own any characters.
coolio I haven't update since august…
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Isis shook violently as the icy air of the dungeon crawled into her skin. Dealing with her ill-tempered brother had not the best of encounters; his neck had literally bulged with anger, and in the end, he finally lost any control he had and threw Isis into an underground room. She was held captive, she realized. She doubted Marik would starve her to death; he still wanted to take control of her Millennium Necklace. But these days, who knew?
It was a small scratching sound from the corner of the room that aroused Isis from her thoughts. She crept over, squinting her eyes, trying to see in the perpetual darkness. Finally, she sensed the movement. It was from a tiny boy with dark brown hair …the younger Kaiba brother.
Isis swore under her breath as she examined him. He was half-sitting, his legs sprawled out wildly and his head tilted oddly. His eyelids were fluttering up and down uncontrollably. Isis rested her knuckle on his face, and pulled back suddenly. His skin, despite the cold, was feverishly hot. His face was cut; blood that had spattered all over his body was now hardened. She realized that if he did not have the right nourishment, he would die.
As Isis felt him over, she found that his body began to show movement. She covered his body with blankets that she had discovered nearby. His eyes gradually opened.
"Hey," she whispered, stroking his arms. "Wake up, you."
As she peered into his eyes, she realized that they were gray and lifeless, almost as if…he were dead. But he began to speak. His voice was like his eyes, quiet and lifeless. It seemed like the air was talking, not him.
"Who are you?" he asked softly.
"I'm a friend. Well, of your brother. What's your name?"
The boy took a long, shuddering breath and replied. "Mokuba."
"How do you feel?" asked Isis.
"Tired," he answered. "Where's Seto?"
"Seto…he's coming to save you. And me. I hope. Here, Mokuba. Why don't you get some sleep? Are you hungry?"
But he had already dozed off. Or perhaps he had slipped back into a coma.
Isis kissed him lightly on his cheek. She suddenly comprehended the extent of Marik's cruelty. How could he torture such a sweet and innocent boy? She was already regretting deserting Kaiba, yet she didn't know how she could stand to be with him any longer. She couldn't come to terms with herself. Fear dominated her, yet she wanted to be brave. She felt powerless.0
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Seto found his work in Kaiba Corp harder to concentrate on. He lost his temper with everyone and everything. The company was consistently losing money. Its stocks were sliding downward daily. Seto struggled to focus on his work and bring the company's success and finances up to date, but he found that the harder he tried, the harder it became. He couldn't focus; he couldn't think.
As Seto strolled into his office that day, still limping from jumping out of an ambulance, he found two grim-faced, black-suited men were waiting for him. They nodded a greeting and requested him to sit in his usual chair.
"Good morning, Mr. Kaiba. We have serious issues to discuss. My name is Clark Kenton. I'm the owner of Kaiba Corp. This is – "
"Excuse me?" interrupted Seto. "You're the owner of Kaiba Corp.? Aren't I the owner?"
Mr. Kenton sighed. "You are the CEO, I am the owner. Please, let me continue. We don't have much time. Anyway, this is Andrew Rezowsky, my assistant."
"Go on," said Seto in a bored voice.
"We have discovered that your role as the CEO of Kaiba Corp. has caused the company to lose money and satisfaction from our customers. This is a serious problem, Mr. Kaiba. If we do not reach a resolution today, you may be out of a job."
"Clark… Mr. Kenton, I mean. This isn't my problem. I come in here everyday at 7am and work until 9 at night. I turn in my work on time. What else do you want?"
"Mr. Kaiba!" snapped Mr. Kenton. "You secretaries have confirmed that for the past week, you have done nothing but lose your temper, slam doors, and consistently walk out of meetings. They reported that you did not even show up or call in sick two days ago. If there's a personal problem, we can discuss it and settle it."
"Yes, it is a personal problem, Mr. Kenton. And if you don't mind, I shall prefer not to share aspects of my personal life with strangers. Look, I'm sorry the company isn't performing up to your expectations. I'll work harder. I've been distracted lately, but from now on, you'll see improvement. Is that ok with you?"
Mr. Rezowsky now began to speak. "As the CEO of this company, I would have expected a more professional and courteous man. You are what, seventeen? Perhaps if your personal life revolves around nothing but wild parties, dating, and socializing, then you are not well suited for this job. We cannot allow the future of this company to be tampered with."
Seto's legs were itching from listening to the two men. "You're only wasting my time here. Nothing will be achieved by simply insulting me, will it?"
Mr. Kenton abruptly stood up. He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward toward Seto.
"If Mr. Rezowsky and myself are merely wasting your precious time, why don't you just leave? There are plenty of more competent men who would love to be the CEO of Kaiba Corp., don't you think?
Seto was tempted to knock over a table or throw a fit, but he kept his cool. "Why don't you tell me what this meeting is really about?"
Mr. Kenton sighed, aggravated. "This meeting was obviously meant to settle your problems. But since that cannot be accomplished, let's put it this way. You're fired."
"No, Mr. Kenton. I'm not. I know you're not the owner, and I know that's not what this is about. Why don't you just tell me and get on with your business?"
"Fine," declared Mr. Kenton. He sighed again and put his head in his hands. "First of all," he began. "Did your stepfather tell you that we were excellent friends?"
"My stepfather?" Seto's voice was sharp. "If that bastard has anything to do with this…"
"Calm down, calm down," continued Mr. Kenton. "Don't insult that man; he was extremely powerful. He had capabilities that exceed your imagination. Anyway, he had secrets. And he asked me to place you as the CEO of his company so that you would discover, well, those secrets." Mr. Kenton leaned back in his chair. "Now you have it."
Seto shook his head. He was dazzled by the fact that something like this had happened. Was his whole life and career based on the actions of these two men?
"What secrets are you talking about?" he asked.
Mr. Kenton and Mr. Rezowsky both stood up, to Seto's dismay. "We must get going," said Mr. Kenton. As the two men walked away, Mr. Kenton turned his head around.
"Oh. By the way, you are fired."
Dammit, thought Seto, for the umpteenth time. Life only got worse, never better. Mokuba was gone, Isis had abandoned him, and now, he had just learned that his stepfather, his ever so hated stepfather, had secrets that Seto was not supposed to know of. What was this world turning into?
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DxDevlin: well I forgot what kaiba's stepfather's name was. I think it was Gozubaro or something like that. But someone still tell me! and what did he do and stuff. and did he die by the way?
this chapter was really weird too. I want to turn the whole kaiba/mr kenton thing into this conspiracy, but it seriously makes no sense. like why would seto go to work if he needed to find mokuba? I think im turning into a really sucky writer.
p.s. it was really weird one day when I checked my fanfic and suddenly the reviews had gone from 30 to 50…
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l::::::::::::::::::::::3``````q shoot myself…
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.ss