Important Note: With two Kaiba's around, this story might get a little confusing at times. So to avoid as much of that as possible, I will refer to the one from the regular universe by his first name and the one in the alternate reality as Kaiba. The story starts about a week before Battle City begins, but in the AU, they go back in time to the setting of the first episode. There will be a few changes. Duelist Kingdom never takes place, but I will do a very short version of the virtual reality episodes near the end of the fic. Also, Yugi already knows about Yami and has a short conversation with him once in the story.
Just one more thing. At first I intended the story to focus more on the older Kaiba brother, but alternate Mokuba pretty much takes over after chapter one.
Roads Not TakenSeto Kaiba busily typed at his laptop computer. With Battle City coming up soon, he wanted to get ahead at work so that he would have more time to concentrate on the tournament. Now that Obelisk was in his deck, there was no way he could ever lose to Yugi again. Soon he would reclaim his title of World Champion.
Seto looked up to see his little brother Mokuba watching television from the couch right in front of him. He smirked and shook his head. The kid was addicted to that thing. That and his video games. But it would soon be time to send Mokuba to bed. The child couldn't stay up too late this week if he was going to help his big brother during the tournament. Seto had made Mokuba the Battle City Commissioner. It would keep him entertained, and he was glad to have him involved and by his side instead of sitting at home watching TV. The tournament would take up most of Seto's time, and the finals would take him away from home for several days at least. He would have hated being separated from the kid for so long.
"I'm glad you feel that way," said a female voice. Seto and Mokuba both looked across the room to see a tall woman in a white dress. She had long black hair and eyes as blue as the two brothers'. Her complexion matched that of the younger Kaiba's, and her smile held all the liveliness Seto could always see on his brother's face.
The two suddenly felt as if they were in a dream. Their minds were not completely focused, but they understood that her reason for coming here was important to the both of them.
The older boy was the first to recover from the shock enough to speak. "Mother?!" he asked.
"What?!" Mokuba turned to look at him in surprise and then faced the woman once again with his mouth hanging open.
She smiled warmly at the two brothers, and they instantly felt a sense of tranquility around her. "It is good to see you both. I have been watching your lives for quite some time now."
"Why are you here?" Seto asked her, wasting no time in finding the reason for this strange meeting.
"I have come to take you on a journey to prepare you for what lies ahead at Battle City. There will be many trials at this tournament, and I have come to help you get ready for one of the most important challenges of your life."
Before Seto could say anything, the woman walked over to Mokuba. She ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. "I'm afraid you have to stay here for now kiddo. But don't worry. Everything will be alright." She then went to Seto and placed a hand on his shoulder. The two of them vanished.
They reappeared in the Turtle Game Shop. Yugi and his friends gathered around the counter where his grandfather showed them his prized possession, the fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon. The card was in perfect condition. It was in one piece with no tape to hold it together. Seto realized that this must have been the day he went in there to acquire the card. There was only one difference. Mokuba stood with Yugi and the others. This actually unnerved Seto more than any of the other bizarre circumstances.
When they saw him appear out of nowhere with the woman, they all stared in shock. Joey and Tristan's mouths almost dropped to the floor as their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Grandpa Motou took several steps back from the counter. Tea shrank back before the sight, and Yugi put a protective arm in front of Mokuba who clutched the other boy's blue jacket. However, they all seemed to calm down after a moment as the same sense of tranquility washed over them.
Seto was taken aback by his younger brother's reaction. He would have expected Mokuba to run over to him, even after what had just happened, instead of turning to Yugi for protection, especially against his own sibling.
His mother turned to face him. "We are in a world different from yours," she explained. "You are correct about the day. Your counterpart will arrive shortly. Many things are the same in this reality. You were adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba and eventually become the CEO of Kaiba Corp. However, you and Mokuba were separated at the orphanage." On seeing him starring at the raven-haired boy, she placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I'm very sorry. He doesn't recognize you. Some time after you left, he was adopted into Yugi's family."
She was interrupted from saying anything more when the door opened, and Kaiba came in. On seeing his look alike and his supposedly dead mother, he gaped at them in disbelief. This lasted only a few seconds before the card lying on the counter caught his attention. Amazingly, he walked right by the two of them. Seto watched what happened next. Much of the interaction between his counterpart and Yugi's grandfather was as he remembered it that day once the older man had regained his senses. Kaiba offered the shop owner rare cards and money for the Blue Eyes, but he still refused. He explained how important the card was to him, how his very heart existed inside it. Kaiba clearly did not understand and lost all patience with the man. He left the game shop too angry to even remember his double.
"He has had to live without Mokuba for many years now. He cares for little else besides the game. Even our appearance here could not distract him from that purpose. But soon it will be time for him to reunite with his brother," Seto's mother spoke so low that only he could hear her. But then her voice rose so that everyone would understand her next words. She pointed to the locket around her son's neck. "This is how others will be able to tell the two of you apart. He doesn't have one. I must leave you now, but remember to look after Mokuba. You already know what will happen next. I'll help you in any way that I can. And don't worry. When this is over, I will return you to your world in time for the tournament." Then she was gone and with her left the sensation of being in a dream.
Seto's mind was clearing but still needed time to think. He knew Mokuba would be safe for now, so he turned to leave the shop. Joey called after him, demanding an explanation as he left, but the brown haired boy ignored him and kept walking.
~`~`~`~`~`~
The next daySeto knew that Mokuba would be in school when his counterpart sent his goons to get Yugi's grandfather. He imagined the kid would be fine until he went with the others to Kaiba Corp, but there was no question that he would come along. Seto's little brother was strong-willed and probably would not have much trouble convincing the Yugi and his friends to bring him.
He arrived just as Tristan, Tea, and Joey were taking Yugi's grandfather to the ambulance. Seto went inside the building and headed to where he knew his counterpart would duel Yugi for the first time. He wondered for a moment if he should warn his other self about Exodia but decided against it. Even if this Kaiba did win, it would make no difference for Seto in his own reality.
He went into the room as the first card was played. Mokuba looked frightened as he gasped and stepped back when the monsters supposedly came to life. Seto had forgotten that this kid had probably never seen the holograms before. He placed a hand on the child's shoulder to comfort him and explained that everything was all right.
Mokuba was surprised to see him, as were the two competitors, but the duel did continue. Seto looked into Mokuba's eyes and saw that the child was debating within himself whether or not to trust him.
After seeing the gentle expression on Seto's face, he calmed down and even smiled at him before turning back to watch the duel. The child then saw Joey walking across the room to stand beside him. The blond haired boy looked as though he wanted to confront Seto and get some answers, but with Yugi dueling Kaiba and his best friend's grandfather on his way to the hospital, he had more important things to worry about.
Mokuba had now gotten used to the holographic monsters and became more courageous. He began cheering for Yugi to win. Seto could not shake the feeling of how odd it was to watch his little brother root for someone else. It seemed so wrong.
He was lost in thought over this sensation until his counterpart brought Saggi the Dark Clown onto the field. When he ordered it to attack, Mokuba turned to Joey and asked, "Am I the only one who notices the resemblance between Kaiba and that horrible monster?"
Joey had to grin at the comment, but Kaiba heard it as well. This was the final straw. He had had enough of the talkative child. "If you don't get that little brat under control, I'll have the guards throw him out," he warned Yugi.
Seto stepped protectively in front of Mokuba. "I won't let them lay a hand on him," he told his other self.
"This duel will be over soon," Yami added from the other side of the room. "Let's not waste the time. He won't cause any trouble until then." Kaiba said nothing else, and Yugi's voice called to the boy, "Little brother, please be quiet for now."
The child nodded, and the duel continued without another huge incident until Kaiba brought out all three of his greatest monsters. Mokuba gasped as he, Yugi, and Joey realized the reason why Kaiba wanted the fourth Blue Eyes. Seto turned to him and saw tears forming in the young boy's eyes. "You hurt my grandfather just so one card couldn't be used against you?" he asked. Seto had seen sorrow in his brother's eyes many times before. It was most often at the orphanage when an older kid would bully him or steal his favorite toy. But this was so much worse than he had ever seen it before, and he was the cause of it. The pain in Mokuba's voice broke Seto's heart, and he could not take his eyes from the child's face until the end of the duel.
Finally, Yugi summoned Exodia just as Seto knew he would. He then raised his hand towards Kaiba, and Seto thought he saw something change in his other self. His eyes and face looked different, less strained or angry. As the new champion was lowered to the ground Seto watched Mokuba run ahead of Joey to congratulate him.
"I knew you would win, big brother," Mokuba grinned as he jumped into Yugi's arms.
The other boy smiled back at him and ruffled his hair. "Are you ready to go see Grandpa, kiddo?" he asked.
"Yeah, let's go." As the three of them walked out, Mokuba suddenly remembered something. He turned his head back once to see the one who had helped him earlier walking towards the defeated duelist.
To Be Continued