But life went on around me. Despite me. When I think back to it, I see me
standing there and life going past me at the speed of light. It was
probably two months after that night, when I was in gym class, trying to
cover my still-healing bruises in the shorts and thin shirt. Couch had let
me sit out for the first two weeks, but was forced to make me participate
without a doctor's note. They were choosing teams and I was chose so I
walked over to the side. Then I heard the words that began the sickish
nightmare. "Skins. Take off your shirts."
After several failed attempts to communicate through my eyes with the couch, I noticed everyone was staring at me. Waiting for me to take off my shirt so we could begin. What sport were we even doing? Basketball? Football? Who knows. All I know is everyone was watching as I slowly pulled off my shirt. Everyone was watching my sickening bruises come to light. I couldn't hear a sound besides my heavy breathing, then one collected gasp. I looked over at you. Your eyes widened. I dunked my head and waited, playing with the hem of my shirt.
"Kaiba..." the couch spoke first.
I looked up at him on the verge of tears, then ran. I bolted to the locker room, tears streaming down my face. I was ashamed. I ran through the large locker room and hide myself in the farthest corner, sobbing into my folded arms on my knees. My sobs echoed through the room, along with your soft calls for me. "Seto? Seto, come out...please...where are you?"
Couch found me first and gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "Kaiba...Seto...who did this to you?"
I jerked from him as he continued to interrogate me softly.
You finally found us and slide down next to me. "Seto..." you whispered and took me into your arms. You rocked me back and forth as I sobbed into your chest. You ran your finger through my hair, soothing me down to silent tears. I love the way your arms feel around me. Or at least the way they used to feel. I don't know what they feel like now.
"Seto, what happened?" Couch asked me softly. "Who did this to you?"
"N-n-no one. No one...no one..." I whispered.
"Was is Wheeler?"
I shook my head.
"Was it Taylor?"
Again, I shook my head in the negative.
"Was it Monroe?"
As he continued through a list of "tough guys," I kept whispering "no" over and over.
"Was it Adams?"
"No."
"Was it Simmons?"
"No."
"Was is Gazaboro? Was it your adopted father?"
I turned to stare at him with a stricken look on my face. "N-nnnn..." My mouth tried to form the word, but I couldn't. I closed my eyes and droned out, "No, it wasn't Gazaboro. Kaiba-sama would never to this."
He began speaking again, but the bell rang. We all looked up at the ceiling, a bit startled, having forgotten where we were. He shook his head and pulled me up. "Get dressed, Wheeler. Kaiba, will you come with me?"
I shrug, looking down at my shoes. He led me to the main office and sat me in a seat. He whispered a few things to our consular and motioned towards me. She led me to her office, where we nearly repeated the previous conversation, sans your support. She paused through the list. "Seto? Seto, look at me. Please."
I kept my head down, but glanced at her through my bangs.
"I don't want you to think I'm punishing you. I'm just trying to help you. Understand? Do you understand, Seto?"
I shrugged. "I should get back to class."
"One more question, Seto. Did your step father do this?"
"He's not my step-dad, he's my adopted father," I quickly corrected her. "He didn't do this. No one did. I want to leave."
She studied me for a few passing seconds. I could tell she wanted to dig deeper. But honestly, who would question Kaiba-sama? He was a god to these people. A multi-million dollar god.
When I made my first billion? I laughed and spit on his picture. I was barely 16 and I had beat him.
She let me go after that, shaking her head. I saw you, even though you thought I didn't. I bet you still think I didn't see you. I did. I saw you slip into her office. I heard the words. "Mrs. Madison? I know who's been beating Seto."
I wanted to go in there and slam my fist in your mouth. How dare you. That was my personal life. If I wanted people in my life, I'd have told them, wouldn't I? Did you really think you were helping things? You weren't. That's what you don't understand. You only made things worse! You thought you were rescuing me? Fuck you and the high horse you rode in on. Who do you think you are butting into my business?
What do you think it was like, sitting at home, eating dinner, knowing someone was going to call? Do you know what it was like to hear the phone ring and for Kaiba-sama to pick it up?
"Yes? This is him. Did he do something wrong?" Glare. "Oh, really? I assure you, I would never do nothing like that. Mmmhmmm. Of course. Must have been one of those fights he started. You don't know? Yes, him and that Wheeler kid fight often. Yes. Yes. I'll make sure. Yes, thanks for calling. Bye." He hung up his cell phone and narrowed his eyes at me. "Finish your meal. We'll talk about this later."
As I pushed the food around my plate, he moved in across from me. "Mokuba," he said not taking his eyes off me. "Go to your room. I need to talk to Seto alone."
A servant came in a picked up my plate and hurried out. I stared down at the table. Idiots, I thought. How's it helping me if you're going to question the person who's hitting me?
"Seto," he said coldly. "Do you know who that was?"
I shook my head, keeping my eyes down.
"It was your school consular. She had a very interesting thing to tell me. Apparently, that little faggot friend of yours has been telling her something interesting. Do you know what that is?"
I shook my head.
He reached over and hit me with the back of his hand. "Listen here, Seto! I discipline you! I make you stronger! You'll never survive in the real world if I didn't toughen you up! I don't abuse you!"
"Yeah, of course you don't abuse me. You're too rich," I found myself saying.
He grabbed me by the hair and slammed my head into the table. "You little retard! Who do you think you are? I adopted you! What if I was to send you back?!"
"Any place would be better than this!" I screamed, his hands ripping hair out.
"Even the street? Is that what you want?! Because I can have that arranged!" He threw me back into the chair and back handed me.
"I hate you!" I screamed.
A smile danced across his face. "Oh really? Well, you're the one who won at the chess game." He crossed his arms. "You tricked me into adopting you and that little snot-nosed brat."
"Don't you ever--!"
His fist knocking into my mouth stopped me. "He's mine. You're mine. I can and will do whatever I want with you!" He suddenly turned from me and started up the stairs.
I was too stunned to do anything until I heard screaming. "Seto! Seto, help me! SEEEETTTOOOO!!!!"
I bolted out of my chair and took up the stairs as fast as I could. "Mokuba!" I yelled. I found him, half-clothed, on his bed. Kaiba-sama loomed over him, loosening his belt.
"NO!" I screamed and ran towards him.
It always seems to be raining in movies when someone's about to die. That's what it was like. The minute I ran for him, you could hear the crack of lightning and the sound of thousands of drops hitting everything in the world; cleaning it. We were lit only by the occasional lightning bolt, his fists cracking into me like lightning. Mokuba's window, which never latched right, suddenly burst open with a gust of wind, just as I pushed him off me. He tripped over his own feet and slipped on the soaked porch and fell to his death. Mokuba ran to me and I held him close. We rocked back and forth, sobbing into each other's arms.
After several failed attempts to communicate through my eyes with the couch, I noticed everyone was staring at me. Waiting for me to take off my shirt so we could begin. What sport were we even doing? Basketball? Football? Who knows. All I know is everyone was watching as I slowly pulled off my shirt. Everyone was watching my sickening bruises come to light. I couldn't hear a sound besides my heavy breathing, then one collected gasp. I looked over at you. Your eyes widened. I dunked my head and waited, playing with the hem of my shirt.
"Kaiba..." the couch spoke first.
I looked up at him on the verge of tears, then ran. I bolted to the locker room, tears streaming down my face. I was ashamed. I ran through the large locker room and hide myself in the farthest corner, sobbing into my folded arms on my knees. My sobs echoed through the room, along with your soft calls for me. "Seto? Seto, come out...please...where are you?"
Couch found me first and gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "Kaiba...Seto...who did this to you?"
I jerked from him as he continued to interrogate me softly.
You finally found us and slide down next to me. "Seto..." you whispered and took me into your arms. You rocked me back and forth as I sobbed into your chest. You ran your finger through my hair, soothing me down to silent tears. I love the way your arms feel around me. Or at least the way they used to feel. I don't know what they feel like now.
"Seto, what happened?" Couch asked me softly. "Who did this to you?"
"N-n-no one. No one...no one..." I whispered.
"Was is Wheeler?"
I shook my head.
"Was it Taylor?"
Again, I shook my head in the negative.
"Was it Monroe?"
As he continued through a list of "tough guys," I kept whispering "no" over and over.
"Was it Adams?"
"No."
"Was it Simmons?"
"No."
"Was is Gazaboro? Was it your adopted father?"
I turned to stare at him with a stricken look on my face. "N-nnnn..." My mouth tried to form the word, but I couldn't. I closed my eyes and droned out, "No, it wasn't Gazaboro. Kaiba-sama would never to this."
He began speaking again, but the bell rang. We all looked up at the ceiling, a bit startled, having forgotten where we were. He shook his head and pulled me up. "Get dressed, Wheeler. Kaiba, will you come with me?"
I shrug, looking down at my shoes. He led me to the main office and sat me in a seat. He whispered a few things to our consular and motioned towards me. She led me to her office, where we nearly repeated the previous conversation, sans your support. She paused through the list. "Seto? Seto, look at me. Please."
I kept my head down, but glanced at her through my bangs.
"I don't want you to think I'm punishing you. I'm just trying to help you. Understand? Do you understand, Seto?"
I shrugged. "I should get back to class."
"One more question, Seto. Did your step father do this?"
"He's not my step-dad, he's my adopted father," I quickly corrected her. "He didn't do this. No one did. I want to leave."
She studied me for a few passing seconds. I could tell she wanted to dig deeper. But honestly, who would question Kaiba-sama? He was a god to these people. A multi-million dollar god.
When I made my first billion? I laughed and spit on his picture. I was barely 16 and I had beat him.
She let me go after that, shaking her head. I saw you, even though you thought I didn't. I bet you still think I didn't see you. I did. I saw you slip into her office. I heard the words. "Mrs. Madison? I know who's been beating Seto."
I wanted to go in there and slam my fist in your mouth. How dare you. That was my personal life. If I wanted people in my life, I'd have told them, wouldn't I? Did you really think you were helping things? You weren't. That's what you don't understand. You only made things worse! You thought you were rescuing me? Fuck you and the high horse you rode in on. Who do you think you are butting into my business?
What do you think it was like, sitting at home, eating dinner, knowing someone was going to call? Do you know what it was like to hear the phone ring and for Kaiba-sama to pick it up?
"Yes? This is him. Did he do something wrong?" Glare. "Oh, really? I assure you, I would never do nothing like that. Mmmhmmm. Of course. Must have been one of those fights he started. You don't know? Yes, him and that Wheeler kid fight often. Yes. Yes. I'll make sure. Yes, thanks for calling. Bye." He hung up his cell phone and narrowed his eyes at me. "Finish your meal. We'll talk about this later."
As I pushed the food around my plate, he moved in across from me. "Mokuba," he said not taking his eyes off me. "Go to your room. I need to talk to Seto alone."
A servant came in a picked up my plate and hurried out. I stared down at the table. Idiots, I thought. How's it helping me if you're going to question the person who's hitting me?
"Seto," he said coldly. "Do you know who that was?"
I shook my head, keeping my eyes down.
"It was your school consular. She had a very interesting thing to tell me. Apparently, that little faggot friend of yours has been telling her something interesting. Do you know what that is?"
I shook my head.
He reached over and hit me with the back of his hand. "Listen here, Seto! I discipline you! I make you stronger! You'll never survive in the real world if I didn't toughen you up! I don't abuse you!"
"Yeah, of course you don't abuse me. You're too rich," I found myself saying.
He grabbed me by the hair and slammed my head into the table. "You little retard! Who do you think you are? I adopted you! What if I was to send you back?!"
"Any place would be better than this!" I screamed, his hands ripping hair out.
"Even the street? Is that what you want?! Because I can have that arranged!" He threw me back into the chair and back handed me.
"I hate you!" I screamed.
A smile danced across his face. "Oh really? Well, you're the one who won at the chess game." He crossed his arms. "You tricked me into adopting you and that little snot-nosed brat."
"Don't you ever--!"
His fist knocking into my mouth stopped me. "He's mine. You're mine. I can and will do whatever I want with you!" He suddenly turned from me and started up the stairs.
I was too stunned to do anything until I heard screaming. "Seto! Seto, help me! SEEEETTTOOOO!!!!"
I bolted out of my chair and took up the stairs as fast as I could. "Mokuba!" I yelled. I found him, half-clothed, on his bed. Kaiba-sama loomed over him, loosening his belt.
"NO!" I screamed and ran towards him.
It always seems to be raining in movies when someone's about to die. That's what it was like. The minute I ran for him, you could hear the crack of lightning and the sound of thousands of drops hitting everything in the world; cleaning it. We were lit only by the occasional lightning bolt, his fists cracking into me like lightning. Mokuba's window, which never latched right, suddenly burst open with a gust of wind, just as I pushed him off me. He tripped over his own feet and slipped on the soaked porch and fell to his death. Mokuba ran to me and I held him close. We rocked back and forth, sobbing into each other's arms.
