Chapter 12
Scars

Kisty lay in her room, asleep; she was quickly awoken by the sound of the front door slamming sending vibrations through the walls. 'Great he is home,' she whispered angrily, as she listened to Seto walk drunk up the stairs, then a sudden thump, told her he fell into a wall in the hall way yet again. "Why in the hell did I have to drink the red wine better yet, why the hell do I drink at all" he muttered getting off the floor.

'Drunken Ass' thought Kisty 'Actually Seto, go throw yourself out the window so I can sleep or better yet being my mother back from the dead.' Seto made his way to his room, he flopped down on his large bed"Finally" he said aloud.

Kisty got up from her bed; she was dressed in regular clothes as it waiting for Seto to come home so that way she could leave. Seto lifted his head from his bed and looked down the hall; he could make out a figure moving in the darkness of the room. "KISTY WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE OFF TO AT 1:00am" he yelled at her. Kisty turned"Somewhere, where I do not have to listen to your drunken fits" she snapped at him. Seto sat up"I am not drunk" he said. Kisty shook her head"I can smell you from here Seto, I am going to Mokuba's until you're sober, I will be in the pool house" she said.

Seto stood up still wobbly but enough to look at his biological daughter"Your staying here, in this mansion" he snapped. Kisty shook her head"there you go again, barking orders, you know that may have worked for your employees but it doesn't work on this teenager" she spat at him. Seto rushed at his daughter"You little ungrateful brat" as he smacked her upside the head, just as this hand was about to connect with her face.

End Dream

Kisty sat up, she found herself in the back of Pegasus's limo still. "Kisty, you alright" asked Pegasus worried. Kisty nodded"Fine, I am just, it was a bad dream" she said wiping the sweat from her head. Pegasus knew she was lying about something or better yet hiding something. "Kisty, when you got that bruise on your cheek a few years ago, did Seto give it to you" he asked. Kisty shook her head"No! Why would he hurt me ever? I am the last thing of my mother he has left" she said.

Pegasus placed his hand on her shoulder"Really, then why do you lie to me and everyone else about it" he asked. Kisty shook her head"Seto hasn't laid a harmful finger on me, trust me if he ever did you and Mokuba would be the first to know" she confirmed to her uncle. "Ok, but when your ready tell someone, I don't like to see you with bruises on your body, your just too perfect" he told the young girl.

Kisty smiled"I know" she said as the limo pulled up to the Kaiba mansion"Night Uncle Max, I will talk to you later, thanks for bring me home" she thanked Pegasus. "Your welcome Kisty sweetie, I will talk to you at the next investment party" he laughed. Kisty smiled and headed up the stairs into the mansion as Pegasus's limo drove away.

"I am home" she yelled in to the empty mansion. "Kisty, your home early" spoke Mokuba coming out of one of the hallways. "Seto let me leave early he caught Uncle Max and me talking" she sighed. Mokuba nodded"And I take it, that conversation didn't go well" he assumed. Kisty nodded"Mokie you have no idea, I hate him so much and the fact that he..." she could not say it again she did earlier but now it was just painful.

"I know you blame him, just remember he promised your mother that he would take care of you, he just doesn't know how to raise a girl, look how I turned out" Mokuba laughed. Kisty nodded"good thing you and Aunt Lisa live so close by" she said. "Speaking of my wife, I better get out to the pool house before she wonders why I slipped off" he chuckled. Kisty smiled"Just make sure that the microphones and lights in your house are off, I don't want to hear you know what again" demanded Kisty in a joking tone.

Mokuba nodded"Oh, I won't be pulling that trick on my brother again I am still have to pay for it. I have to make sure the house speakers are always off when I head over to the pool house" he laughed. Kisty smiled and headed up the stairs towards her room"Night Uncle Mokie" she said while climbing the long stairway. Kisty was in her room and grabbed a look wooden bat from her bed

Three hours later Seto arrived at the mansion, little drunk but not drunk enough to stumble into things. Kisty lay in her room, with an ice pack against her shoulder along with two on her legs. She heard Seto walking up the stairs; he stopped at Kisty door and knocked on it. "Kisty can we talk" he said through the door.

Kisty sat up but did not say a word trying to avoid Seto and make him think she was asleep. "We need to talk and I know your awake because I am short an ice pack" he said. Kisty shook her head"Darn it I knew I should have left one in the freezer" she muttered. "Fine, hang on while I get it for you" she yelled from her bed. Seto leaned against the wall across from Kisty's room.

Seto ducked just as an ice pack flew at his head"Thanks" he said picking the pack off the floor and walking in to the room. Kisty looked at him, her bedroom light was on, and she lay on her bed with two ice packs on her legs with new buises forming on them. "What do you want" she snapped at her father. Seto shook his head"To talk to you" he said pulling out a chair from her desk across the room. "About what, you're drunk I can smell the wine on you, and I am in too much pain for simple chit chat, right now" she snapped.

Seto laughed"Well you sure are my daughter for we share an attitude problem, espcailly how to handle pain" he said to her. Kisty rolled her eyes"Whatever Seto" she said. Seto shook his head"We need to work out the issue of your mother" he said quickly.

Kisty sat up"I don't want to hear it Seto, just..." Seto stood up"Would you let me talk, gosh, Kisty, you're as stubborn as your mother sometimes, you know that. I am trying to level with you, so I can stop having a guilt trip every time, I try to apologize to you for not doing more the night your mother died" he said.

Seto was breathing hard; he was barely able to hold back his frustration. "Done" said Kisty. Seto shook his head"No, look I am sorry you blame me for your mother, but as I recalled you didn't do much either. You were 4 I admit you were young, but understand that, alright, I wasn't the reason your mother refused to get help for her spinal infection that she could have fought but decided not too" he snapped.

Kisty looked at Seto hard"I know that, I am not that stupid, ok. I know what I said earlier tonight was out of line, I shouldn't have blamed you for her death, but the doctors said, oh never mind Seto" she said falling on her back.

Seto looked Kisty he knew why she stopped the conversation she was blaming her birth on her mother's death now. "Kisty, it wasn't your fault either" he said to her. Kisty looked at Seto"How would you know, if I didn't want to go to Egypt so bad that summer, she would have never gotten hurt in the first place" she said in a sore voice as if she was about to cry.

Seto moved closer to Kisty and sat right next to her as he watched her begin to cry "Kisty" he said quietly. Kisty closed her eyes she did not want to look at Seto, she wanted to be alone and deal with her pain alone. "Just leave me alone Seto, I want be alone" she spoke quietly while the tears ran down her face. "No, Kisty, I am not, look I haven't done the best job of a father for you, and maybe we should start over" he spoke.

Kisty opened her eyes and looked at Seto, she saw deep into his blue eyes that he was sober and had probably been that way for a while now, however the smell of wine lingered on her father's breath. "Why should we, were too different" she said to him.

Seto shook his head and lifted up his pant leg"Really, because I been hurting myself too" he said showing a very large bruise on his leg that was now forming. Kisty sat up and looked at Seto's leg his bruises were old but a new one was forming as well.

Kisty removed the two ice packs from her legs"Baseball bat" she asked. Seto shook his head"kicking tables and chairs and stair railings, however I will think baseball bat," he said, "You and I have both been hurt for the last 10 years Kisty, and what you said tonight behind my back kind of made me realize that maybe I should have been better to you. Instead of hiding away from my most important project of all," he said.

Kisty put the ice packs back on her legs, "What project was that?" she asked. Seto touched Kisty's soft white face, "You," he said looking into Kisty's blue sapphire eyes, "I went to the graveyard, and visited your mother's grave," he said.

two hours before

"I can't believe I left that dam party because I am having a sudden guilt of conscious," Seto muttered to himself as he walked up the hill to Alexandra's grave spot. "Ok, why did I even bother getting out of a party where, I could have made some great deals," he continued muttering.

"Because you're an ass," said a female voice. Seto snapped out of his thoughts, "Who said that, come out where I can see you!" he demanded. "Seto Kaiba after 10 long years you still can't tell my voice from the one in your head," laughed the voice. Seto spun around, "Where you are come out, I swear if you're trying to scare me…." "Well it's working," said the same voice. Seto looked at Alexandra's gravestone, "AHHH, ALEX!" he said jumping about 20 feet in the air.

Alexandra sat on her gravestone with an angelic glow around her, which quickly faded. "Wondering when you figure to look my direction," she smiled. Seto shook his head, "You're dead and I guess I am too?" he asked. Alexandra shook her head, "NO! You're alive and I am still dead, just freaky things happen when you're at a graveyard at this time of night, and you had too much red wine from what I can smell," she said.

Seto looked around, "good point, anyways, umm, sorry I haven't been to visit," he said. Alexandra laughed, "What no, hi honey, I missed you," she said then paused, then started again, "I have been too busy with work to think about you. I working too much, so much in fact that I even keep a decent eye on our child, and the final thought in your mind, oh, I am such a dick for coming here. Did I get all the thoughts that have been going though your thick skull, just now," she said, covering all of Seto's excuses that he was about to use for no hi honey.

Seto flatten his lips and nodded his head, "Yes, actually you did," he said. Alexandra jumped off her tombstone, "Kisty told me, and that last one was a guess, about you being a dick," she laughed. "I wished that I visited you more," he said looking at Alexandra god that woman still looked like an angel. "You wish that I wasn't dead," she corrected Seto.

"That too, would be nice to actually hold you again," he said. Alexandra smiled, "Kisty told me, she also mentioned the fact that she been hurting herself, with a baseball bat in her room, because she wishes she was dead," she mentioned. Seto nodded, "Caught that didn't you?" he said. Alexandra smiled, "I am dead Seto, let the past stay there, but if you don't do something soon, your going to lose each other, or worse your going to lose our daughter," she said.

Seto was puzzled, "What are you talking about?" he asked. Alex rolled her eyes, "Seto, Kisty has been beating herself up physically and mentally, I am worried about her and you. I know you blame yourself now, look get this straight it wasn't her or your fault ok, it was my own, if I didn't abuse myself so much I would have made it, I was wrong not to get the treatments," she said.

"I gave let myself die, get that through your thick skull, ok, I didn't listen to you, Yugi, or even Kisty," Alexandra sighed, "but that's life for you, I was dying and now I am dead and here to be an intervention to save you and our child," she said a flash of light overwhelmed them both. Alexandra's ghost and Seto where blinded by the large amount of light that just appeared out of nowhere.

Seto stood at the in front of his mansion; he did not know why that Alex had brought him here just that she did. "Ready to go in" she asked him suddenly appearing out of nowhere. "Alex lets just get this over with, I am a busy man" he snapped. Alex just shook her head"SETO! That's your problem you're too busy for anything" she snapped back at him. "Come on Mr. Too BUSY" she teased pulling him away towards the mansion.

Inside the Kaiba Mansion

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" screamed an 8-year-old girl "SETO HELP ME" yelled Kisty. "Mage Seto can't help you now, your mine" said a man with white colored hair holding Kisty hostage walking down the stairs.

"PHARAOH, HELP Me" yelled Kisty"The thief has me" she said struggling in Yami Bakura's arms as they walked over to Josh and Ryou.

Mokuba stepped out "I will save you dear Princess Kisty" he said at the top of the stairs with a cape. Kisty covered her mouth, and started to giggle. "Mokie, what are you dressed as" askedLisa as she started to laugh on the floor of the mansion.

Mokuba smirked"Superman! Who else" he said pointing to the very large S on his chest. Kisty and Lisa raised eyebrows and looked at each other before laughing again. "Well then where are your tights because that outfit is incomplete" snapped Bakura walking Kisty over to Josh who was dressed as a prince.

"I want to be saved by the Pharaoh and Seto, not you Uncle Mokie" giggled Kisty. Mokuba dropped his head"Oh man no one wants me to save them" he whined. Lisa smirked"I want to be saved by you" she laughed. "Where is Seto anyways, where going to be late" snapped Bakura still holding Kisty over his shoulder.

"He isn't coming" said Atem quickly coming out of Seto's office dressed as his former form. "He is on the computer and refusing to move, he said Kisty can go to Tea's party with out him." Kisty looked at Bakura"Bakura, can you put me down, please" she asked calmly, Bakura did so, and Kisty ran to her father's office.

Seto was sitting on his computer dressed as Priest Seto with his fake Millennium Rod on the desk. "Seto, why aren't you coming" asked Kisty. Seto glanced over his computer screen"I am busy Kisty, something has come up, have Atem and Yugi's little gang take you to the party" he said waving his hand at her.

"Seto, you promised to come this year, I let you off for four years now, I been working on these costumes all year and the least you can do is come to the darn party with us" snapped Kisty sounding beyond her years. "Kisty, I am very busy I have a company to run, and don't have time for Tea's costume parties, alright, go with out me your 7 years old now you can take care of yourself" Seto snapped typing away at his computer.

Kisty had heard enough"You know if haven't noticed I am 8 1/2, Mr. Busy Body. YOU PROMISED SETO! You know what, fine, be that way. If Mommy was alive you would go to that party with out even second guessing work, but ever since she died you been work, work, you know what Seto, don't expect me to come home tonight, I am staying at Yugi's until you show up" threaded Kisty as she walked out of the office.

Seto was still typing on his computer not giving any hint that Kisty his daughter left the room with a threat, her voice had fallen to Kaiba's deaf ears. Present day Seto looked at himself at the computer"You idiot get off you ass and be with your daughter" he yelled at his past self. Alex sighed"He can't hear you, remember this is your past" she said.

Seto watched himself work, Alex looked at him"You know Kisty was right, and she held her treat to a tee" she spoke. Present day Seto sat on the couch while his past counter part worked"Atem and Yugi brought her home, after she fell asleep on their couch. They didn't even talk to me, which was a plus but the tongue lashing Kisty gave them was quite a show from an 8 year old."

Alex smacked Seto upside the head"You idiot you where not there for her, if you haven't figure it out by now then maybe another memory would help" she snapped grabbing Seto's hand and showing him something else as another blinding light appeared.