Chapter 1
The day was very special to Mokuba. Not because it was his birthday or his brother's birthday, or the day their parents died or the day they got adopted.
No. It was the day that Seto disappeared.
How odd it seems, the young Kaiba reflected, that he should always think of his Ni-sama as " dead" instead of " gone". At first it was hard to accept it. He always corrected himself. But now, whenever he thought " Big Brother died today", he never bothered correcting the statement anymore.
How many years had it been? Seven years. His brother had turned sixteen some time ago. Mokuba remembered that his brother looked tired and pale. Strange, he had thought. Was there more work? But no, his brother still kept the dinner schedule, asking Mokuba how school was and about his friends, checking his homework, cooking, all the things he did besides work. So what was wrong?
Then Seto was gone. He went to work one morning and never came back. Mokuba waited one whole night, lying awake on his bed, hoping to hear the sound of a car pulling up and the locks being opened with a key. None came. Only the whispers of the wind through the trees, and the soft hooting of some night creature. The next morning he called Kaiba Corps. Kaiba had left early. He called the police. A massive search was conducted. There was no sign. It was as if Seto Kaiba had disappeared off the earth.
He might still be alive. Or his body might be rotting somewhere. You can't have a grave for someone who isn't dead, and until there is proof, Mokuba wouldn't have it. Still, he knew subconsciously he was already losing hope. Who can live for seven years without appearing somewhere?
Seven years. Mokuba is going to college. Kaiba Corps had fallen with the absence of its most competent CEO, and it was purely thanks to Seto's hard work that Mokuba still lived in relative luxury. Luxury, in economic terms, because there was no more love in the household. Every day from his high school he came home to an empty house, silent and dark and big, and when he went to bed no one was there to tuck him in and in the morning no one was there to drag him out. He was alone.
Oh Yugi-tachi. They were helpful, sure. During the day they offered what companionship they could, but they had their own lives. Jou needs to go home. Anzu needs to go home. Sometimes Mokuba stayed at one of their houses. But always he came back to an empty mansion. Dead. Forgotten.
Nothing can replace family.
Seven years. Seven bloody years of loneliness and despair. Mokuba never took Seto for granted, not since their parents died. As the years went by his fear of losing his brother eased but was never completely gone. Still, Fate took that opportunity to destroy him. Wretched Fate. Wretched Luck. Mokuba almost wished they did find Seto's body, that way he wouldn't linger around like a ghost who had unfinished business but had no power to complete it.
He tried leaving the mansion several times. But something always drew him back. All the memories of the place. The sorrow and pain, the joy and light. The warmth of the household when he was young. Even when Gozaburo was there, there was warmth.
The moon was shining. Mokuba placed the incense in front of the photo of Seto. He bowed down.
" Come home Ni-sama."
In Egypt they praised the sun. And no wonder. It wasn't really because the sun is brighter
and made the day more colorful and cheery. In truth, the Egyptians couldn't care less. It was
because the Sun feeds the crops and vegatables and made everything grow. It gave warmth to the air
and ground and the waters of the Nile. The fire at camps came from the Sun. The candlelights came
from the sun. Life came from the sun.
But now that Yami thought about it, the moon wasn't that bad. The Sun, with all its cheeriness, seemed almost silly on this sad day. The moon was always thoughtful, neither sad nor happy, giving room for both.
Today was the Moon Festival. The moon was at its yellowish and roundest of the entire year. Funny, because it's yellower than Yami had ever seen, and beautiful, because it was such a perfect circle. They say that such a circle will not be seen for several decades.
Seven years, and they still haven't found a blasted clue. Yami wished they would. He didn't really care what kind of clue it was anymore, he just wanted one. And it hurt him to see how Seto Kaiba's name gradually faded out of existence. There were other champions now. Other CEO's. Kaiba Corps was no more.
He wondered if Seto was still alive, how the man would think of that. This year he should be twenty three years old.
He is now a young man.
Odd. Yami will always think of him as a child. Then again, it isn't that odd, because Yami will always be at least five thousand years older than the other man. Man? Is Seto Kaiba a Man already? Yami always thought of him as Child. In his mind, he always called him " That child" or " that boy" or " Seto".
Seto Kaiba should have grown up. That is, if he was still growing.
" Congrats." Yami muttered bitterly. " You are officially an adult."
" Really?" An eerily familiar voice asked. Yami whirled around. His eyes widened. It couldn't be!
But it was. Seto Kaiba was standing there. He was dressed in white, complete white, and he was looking at the moon. Yami stared at him speechlessly. He really didn't need to speak anyway.
" I'm glad you think that." Seto continued, or whoever it was that looked like Seto when he was sixteen. " But considering the fact that you haven't aged a year, what makes you think I will?"
Yami stepped back, rubbing his eyes. When he opened them, Seto was gone. There was no sign, not even footprints. It was as if Seto was never there. Yet Yami was sure he was!
" I must be going insane." The spirit muttered to himself as he resumed his musings.
Bakura kicked at a stone. College was boring. Most of the time you just hang out with your friends, go to social gatherings such as parties and concerts. Your future was all cut out for you. You know every business corporation would be kicking each others' behinds to get you into the company.
Ironic. Several years ago, Bakura always thought that he would be in Kaiba Corps one day. It was his aim when he came to Japan. He was never interested in archaeology like his father. He was interested in business. And Kaiba Corps was one of the richest and biggest in the world. Bakura always wanted to join.
But now, without the CEO, and with Japan's economy rapidly declining, Kaiba Corps quickly failed despite the new leader. It was hard to believe that the fate of that company had rested on Seto's shoulders and Seto's alone, and he bore it so that when he was gone, no other shoulder could do the same.
He noticed that it was getting late. Standing up, he began to walk back to the dorms. Above the university loomed before him. He remembered the thrill of getting in there. Tokyo University. The college where even the Prince had to take an exam to get in. He was in the best university in all of Japan. His future looked bright.
But then, with Japan's economy rapidly failing, and the threat of the United States with their nuclear bombs, or " Little Boys" ready at hand, Bakura knew that his future will never be as bright as he imagined it would be.
Talks were starting already. The government wanted to begin the construction of nuclear bombs despite the US. Naturally, America didn't approve. Bakura didn't know if they still went on with it. If they did, they'll be sacrificing the lives of millioins of people. No one can hide such a big project anymore, with all the satellites they have looming around the Earth.
And then there's China. China also has nuclear weapons. They could bomb Japan to pieces. What kind of future would he have then?
Suddenly, Bakura envied Seto Kaiba. The bastard who died so he will never have to see the Armageddon, or whatever they called it. No, Seto will never see it. Because when he died, his world was bright. He was rich. He was famous. He was the Great Seto Kaiba.
" You look so solemn." A musical voice danced in the air. " What troubles you?"
Bakura snapped his head up. " Who's there?"
There was a giggle. Bakura felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand up, and a cold chill rest on his body like a shroud.
" Come on, don't you remember me?"
Bakura looked up. It was him. Only he seemed shorter, because Bakura himself grew taller. It was Kaiba, just as he remembered, only paler and clothed in white with the sneer absent from his face. He looked divine. He looked like an angel. Bakura sucked in his breath. He didn't know what to do.
" You've grown taller. You're as tall as me now." The specter that looked like Seto observed, tilting
his head. " But you seem more troubled. I thought you would be proud, being a student of Tokyo
University."
" I..." Bakura looked behind him to see if there was anyone else there who noticed Seto. No one. He turned around. " I-"
But Seto was gone. There weren't footprints in the dirt. In fact, the area where Seto was standing happened to be covered with bushes. There were no signs of anything trampling them, and the bushes had thorns. Seto couldn't possibly be standing there.
Bakura swallowed nervously. He couldn't be going mad. It's not like him. Yet Seto's ghost didn't make sense. He looked too cheerful to be Seto. And then again, if he looked too cheerful, how could Bakura have imagined him?
And why is he so young? Bakura reflected on how Yugi had experienced a late growth spurt. He wasn't the tallest guy in the world, but at least he was no longer a midget. And they all experienced changes. Anzu's voice became more melodious. The others became more deep and less rough. Seto's voice sounded exactly like those of a teenager.
Bakura blinked. There couldn't have been anyone there. Thank goodness no student or teacher was here to see him talking to thin air. Shaking the memory off like a dog shaking water, Bakura walked back on the path leading onto the dorms.
He needed a good night's sleep.
Yugi frowned. Who would be talking in the hallways at this late hour? He peeked out of his
dorm. Bakura wouldn't do that. He's not the type. Yet the voice sounded familiar. Jou's? Honda's?
No, they're not in this school. Maybe one of his new friends. Rusuko? Yoshida?
" I took my girl to a fancy ball;
It was a social hop,
We waited till the folks got out,
And the music it did stop.
Then to a restaurant we went,
The best one on the street;
She said she wasn't hungry,
But this is what she eat:
A dozen raw, a plate of slaw,
A chicken and a roast,
Som applesass and sparagrass,
And soft-shelled crabs on toast.
A big box stew, and crackers too,
Her appetite was immense!
When she called for a pie,
I thought I'd die,
For I had but fifty cents!"
The voice suddenly transferred to another section of the building, but Yugi felt a blush heating his cheeks. Several nights ago he had taken a girl on a date-she was a fellow student and a very nice young lady. That night Yugi lost his wallet but didn't realize it until they entered a restaurant. The girl was not as monstrous as the one in the poem, but she did eat enough to give them some trouble. In the end, he had to go home while leaving the girl there to fetch some money to free her. The waiters were sympathetic, fortunately.
" She said she wasn't hungry,
And didn't care to eat,
But I've got money in my clothes,
To bet she can't be beat.
She took it in so cozy,
She had an awful tank;
She said she wasn't thirsty,
But this is what she drank:
A whiskey skin, a glass of gin,
Which made me shake with fear,
A ginger pop, with rum on top,
And then a glass of beer.
A glass of ale, a gin cocktail,
She should have had more sense,
When she called for more,
I fell on the floor,
For I had but fifty cents!"
Oh yes, the wine. Yugi remembered it well, He shuddered. He wondered who was mocking him so. He didn't tell anyone. Surely his girlfriend didn't either. Right?
" Of course I wasn't hungry,
And didn't care to eat;
Expecting every moment
To be kicked out to the street.
She said she'd fetch her family round,
And some night we'd have fun;
When I gave the man the fifty cents,
This is what he done:
He tore my clothes,
He broke my nose,
He smashed me in the jaw;
He gave me a prize,
Of a pair of black eyes,
And with me swept the floor.
He took me where my pants hung loose,
And threw me over the fence-
Take my advice,
Don't try it twice,
When you got but fifty cents!"
Yugi couldn't take it. Suddenly, it seemed the voice came from right behind him. Yugi whirled around in alarm. There was no one there. He peeked outside his door. There was no one in the hallway. All was quiet. Then a musical giggling, which broke into laughter, light and sweet and carefree. The windows slammed shut abruptly and Yugi turned, his heart racing. There was no one there. All sounds were gone. All was silent.
A few minutes later Bakura found Yugi pale and shakened on his bed.
Shadi was silent for a long time as he gazed at the inscriptions on the wall. The prophecy
had been fulfilled, but his heart was troubled. Out of all the Millennium Holders he alone knew the
true story-a story that the Pharaoh had confided to him and him alone so many years ago. Since the
Pharaoh died the story had always been a secret, passing down in history as it may.
The disappearance of Seto Kaiba had disturbed him greatly. Shadi could not recall if a parallel incident had occurred before, but he was certain that this was not how it's supposed to turn out. The High Priest should have recollected his memories and reconciled with the Pharaoh-or at least, the Pharaoh should have reconciled with the High Priest. But how can this happen with the High Priest dead?
Shadi frowned. Once again, he remembered his old mentor's words. Man can only see so far. It was true. No matter how powerful the sorceror, how wise the sage, they could only see so far, and after five thousand years, all of their predictions may be true, or none. In this case, the prediction of Seto Kaiba was incorrect.
Seto Kaiba died. A fifteen year old child, dead. And it was strange, because the last time the High Priest died, there was chaos in the Shadow Realm. The Blue Eyes White Dragons unleashed their wrath. The other dragons mourned. Even the Dark Magician would not come despite the most relentless orders and threats.
Yet this time, there was no reaction. Instead, the Shadow Realm closed on itself. The monsters still came and went through the cards, but there was no sorrow, no pain.
Did the boy really die then?
Or could it be that he simply passed out of existence? But that couldn't be. Last time that happened, everyone except Shadi forgot the person ever existed. This time, the world mourned.
Imagine, the world mourning. Seto Kaiba was not the most popular character in Japan, let alone on Earth. Yet the world seemed to sympathize the young CEO. Shadi remembered how low murmurs were spoken of how intelligent the boy was and how much of a pity it was that he should die so early when his future looked so promising.
Promising. Indeed.
There was a whisper in the background. Shadi turned, slightly alarmed. On the topic of Seto, he remembered how the young boy had stumbled into his room. The child must have been ten then, and very fragile and scared. Shadi had comforted him to the best of his ability-which was to lull the boy to sleep. The boy whispered incantations in his dreams, and that soft voice seemed to have carried all the innocence in the world.
Shadi felt a warmth stir in his heart. How long it had been, since he had last felt it? Ever since the High Priest died he remained loyal to the Pharaoh but couldn't help feeling slightly bitter towards him. The Pharaoh understood him well, and trusted him. You don't have to like the other person to trust them.
The fires flickered. Something glittered on the floor. Shadi walked over. It was a headdress. Seto's headdress. The High Priest had been special. He was the only priest to ever wear that headdress. All others had changed to become more standardized. Shadi bent down and picked up the object and studied it. It looked worn. Old. It was in tatters. Yet there was a beauty to it, like a tender memory. He wondered where it came from.
Then the inscriptions on the walls began to move. Shadi, startled, stepped back, watching, almost fascinated, at the tiny figures shift and twirl, wave, and the pictures on the walls move back and forth as if acting a silent play.
" Don't be afraid." A voice spoke behind him. Shadi whirled around. It was the High Priest, clad in white, staring at the pictures moving eerily in the firelight. " 'Tis only the fire that creates the illusions. Take care of the headdress."
Shadi looked down at the headdress, worn and old, then back at Seto.
But Seto was not there.
The pictures had stopped moving. The air was still. The fire was still flickering, but Shadi suddenly felt cold. He realized that Seto was very much alive. But there was something about the boy that was not quite right. Seto was not evil. His purity won't allow it. But something happened to the child, and Shadi dreaded the truth.
Jou looked up from his textbook. It was late. He should be getting to bed, but there's a test
tomorrow in history and he couldn't afford to fail it. History wasn't his major, but Jou didn't like
failing in college.
He didn't get into the best college, but his college was still pretty good. Jou had decided not to go to the clubhouse that night because he was afraid of the exam. Not that it would be a hard exam-the professors here are lenient and you can bribe an A out of them, but the exam required studying and Jou wasn't good at bribing.
The phone rang.
" Kuso. Who would be calling this late?" Honda muttered from his bed. Jou shrugged, fetching the
phone. " Moshi moshi?"
" Seto Kaiba's back."
Jou nearly dropped the phone in shock. " N-Nani? Who is this? Yugi?"
" I saw him, Jou. I saw him with my own eyes. Ryou saw him too. And I talked with Yami. They all
saw him."
Jou was silent for a while. " Is he okay?"
" He's very happy." Yugi sounded bitter. " He made fun of me. Ryou and Yami said he looked
cheerful and happy. And he didn't look a day older than when we last saw him. I think we all saw
his ghost."
Ghost. Jou never did like ghosts. Over the years he had spent with Yami and Yami Bakura he had learned that ghosts exist, but that didn't mean he had to like them. After all, Yami's only one out of many, and Bakura didn't show him any reason to like ghosts.
" Seto's ghost?" Jou thought for a while, trying to use some logic. " Why would he come back after
seven years?" Honda blinked, sitting up abruptly.
" Maybe he just died. I don't know." Yugi answered solemnly. Jou concluded the other man was
scared. " But whatever the reason, he's back. I don't know what he wants. I don't know why he
appeared to us. Should we call Mokuba and tell him? I didn't think that would be a good idea, but
Ryou's insisting."
" I don't think so." Jou frowned. " What if it's all a hoax?"
Suddenly, ringing from the hallway, came the sound of an orchestra, playing a very intense
piece. Jou jumped, startled. Honda jumped to his feet.
" What's that?" Yugi asked.
" I don't know. Sounds like there's a different instrument in each area." The violins came from the
left and the cellos came from the right. Honda looked at Jou.
" What's going on?" Honda asked. " Do you think..."
Then the music abruptly stopped. There was silence. Then shouts could be heard as other students complained about the annoyance.
" Seto?" Jou called, " Listen, I gotta go." He hung up. " Seto, are you out there?"
There was silence. The dorms were silent as well, as the students went back to bed.
" Seto?"
" Shh!" Someone said to his ear. Jou whirled around. Seto was standing right behind him. Honda
was speechless from shock. Jou tried to calm himself.
" Nani?!"
" Hush! People are resting. Wouldn't want them to yell at you, would you?" Seto smirked. " That's
my favorite piece, by the way. It's the scene where the Montagues and the Capulets have a sword
dance. Literally. Prokofiev is a genius."
" Nani?"
" You should go to Moscow sometime." Seto smirked again. " They have a great theater. I heard
this Sunday they're playing Romeo and Juliet."
" Kaiba? How...what the heck happened to you, man? You left Mokuba all alone, and you had the
entire world going nuts! Kaiba Corps is gone, did you know that?!" Honda recovered his voice and
yelled. Seto blinked, as if amused.
" Nothing happened to me, really," He flashed a gentle smile. " I was only adopted. And Mokuba was never alone-I watched him the entire time. Aren't you proud? He's taller than me. He's smarter, luckier, he'll do great in life. Of course, I'm here to make it greater! And who cares about Kaiba Corps? It served its purpose, didn't it?"
Jou kept his eye on Seto as he turned. " What happened? What do you mean, you were
adopted? And why aren't you any older than seven years ago?"
" Do I have to look older?" Seto asked, almost laughing with mirth. " Yami's not a day older, is he?
But you two sure grew. Fine young gentlemen, ready to graduate by the end of the term. Congrats."
Jou and Honda looked more surprised than ever. " Kaiba? What the heck happened to
you?"
" I thought I answered that." Seto answered lightheartedly. " Oh well, I'll be off now. Can't keep
students up too late, eh?"
" Hey, wait!" Jou cried, as he rushed out the door after Seto. But Seto was nowhere to be found.
Instead, Jou found a few students standing in the hallway in their pajamas, all glaring at him.
" Would you shut up?" Asked one of the students. " Just because you're a senior doesn't mean you can go around and party while everyone else is trying to sleep."
Jou blinked, apologized sheepishly, then went back inside. There was no sign of Seto.
Author's Notes: The poem in this chapter came from Best Loved Poems of the American People. I
cannot give the author because the author is unknown.
The piece the Orchestra was playing is part of a ballet that Sergei Prokofiev wrote called " Romeo and Juliet", after Shakespeare's well-known play. It is during Act I scene I where the Montagues and Capulets begin their quarrel and start fighting. The actual ending is when the Young Juliet is introduced, but in this story, it ends when the Prince interferes and decrees a command to the two families.
The setting of this story is sometime in the future. The five powers still have nothing more destructive than nuclear weapons. Japan is in a tough economic situation, partly because of Kaiba Corps' downfall. There are other issues that played part in its economic decline, and in order to protect themselves, the Japanese government wanted to begin construction of their own nuclear weapons. I chose the US to disapprove because the US always disapproved, and despite the multicultural openness of this country, we cannot ignore that the Chinese and Japanese government were not the best of friends, as history had already proved to us. In a way, this is somewhere near the end of Japan. I plead pardon from all those who are disturbed by this setting. I assure my readers that I have no animosity against either America or China, as I'm Chinese myself and I would be a fool to think the US is as wicked as this story might play them out to be.
" Little Boy" was the nuclear bomb that hit Japan during WWII. Which is why the characters in this story think of other nuclear bombs as " Little Boys". It's a rather nasty euphemism in my opinion, but " Operation Sunshine" was no better for a hydrogen bomb, so I'm assuming that most projects of this kind are often named this way.
Seto will not die. I will not say what happened. That is for you to figure out in the following chapters.