Last chapter - Enjoy!
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5
Mokuba was very nervous. Today was the day, but it was obvious Gozaburo was suspicious. Pegasus had been slowly buying up KaibaCorp stock through dummy companies and proxies for the past several months. Just recently, it was revealed to the Big Five that a takeover was about to happen and it would be in their best interest to facilitate the changeover.
The brothers and Yugi were at the café just a few blocks away from KaibaCorp waiting for the appointed time.
"Yugi, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to be there." Seto looked anxious.
Yugi misunderstood Seto's intent and got angry. "After all we have been through, you are not cutting me out of this, Seto."
Seto shot back at him, "With all the agreements and contracts written forming our partnership, you think I could do that, even if I wanted to?" Seto then shook his head, "No, I am more concerned about your welfare. If this goes bad somehow, I don't want you caught in the middle of it.
"I never mentioned you to Pegasus, so he is not aware of your involvement. I am sorry, but I need you as my ace-in-the-hole." He held out a safe-deposit box key. "This has everything you need if something should happen to us. Some of the things that are in there: my deck, power of attorney for the account that has my tournament winnings, a description of everything that has happened, certified copies of the patents and … my will."
Yugi shook his head and refused to take the key, "No. I have worked for this too. I will not be robbed of our crowning moment!" Yugi hit the top of the table, forcefully emphasizing his distress.
Mokuba grabbed the key and slammed it down in front of Yugi. "Yugi," Mokuba plead, "please understand. If all goes well, your moment will come and we will make it well worth the wait. BUT, if the worst happens, you will just be another body for them to get rid of. We don't want that to happen to you."
Yugi noted the looks on their faces, and finally believed them. "You're adamant about this, aren't you?" The brothers nodded. "I would have gladly faced the danger with you." Yugi reached out, picked up the key and then they all shook hands.
"Maybe you can – next time."
--
The brothers rode the express elevator – silent in their own thoughts. Mokuba had a deep feeling of dread. Should we just turn around and leave? he thought, kind of late now. Seto had successfully faced Gozaburo down in the world Mokuba now believed to only existed in his own imagination. The Seto standing beside him looked more like the one he remembered, but still was not quite him. Mokuba had groomed him as well as he could to take over the company and be the CEO he had before. Was that just a figment of my deluded mind? Seto had told him about the episode that landed Mokuba in a mental hospital a few years ago.
Did I do the right thing by trying to force Seto into that mold? Would it have been better just to leave him the way he was? What if something happens to him because of me? Tears sprang to Mokuba's eyes at the thought that his selfish reasons for trying to change Seto might actually cause him harm. Mokuba's vision dimmed and he heard the same kind of hospital sounds he had heard in his nightmares.
"Moki!" Seto said sharply, "Snap out of it. You look like you were about to pass out."
The doors opened and waiting outside Gozaburo's private conference room were the Big Five and Maximillion Pegasus. "Now, now, Kaiba boys, don't look so scared. Put on your game faces. It will all be over in a little while, and we all can get on with making lots of money." Pegasus rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
The doors were opened, everyone filed in behind the Kaiba brothers, then took their seats. Gozaburo was at the far end of the table – calm, hands folded on the table in front of him. His eyes never left Seto's face.
"You dare enter my presence with a show of force? So, you finally got the gall to try to overthrow me. Funny, never thought you would ever get around to it."
"Awww, give Kaiba boy a break. He has been planning this for some time now." Seto glanced at Pegasus, there was something wrong with the way he said that. He looked at Mokuba with concern in his eyes.
The older Kaiba ignored Pegasus and kept his comments directed at Seto. "I can understand you wanted to take my company down and me with it, but what makes you think you can actually take it over and run it?"
"Oh, come on now, Gozaburo." Pegasus chimed in again. "As the little one says, 'Seto is a genius!' I am quite confident that he will take this company through the financial rooftops. You should be proud of him." He was speaking as if everything was a big joke.
Again, Pegasus' words were ignored. "How did you convince the Big Five to go against me? Hmmm?" The emotions slowly showing on his face did not match the words or tone Gozaburo was using.
Johnson spoke up, his words sounded as if they had all been rehearsed. "He convinced us that he was the one who for the last few years had been doing all the research and proposal work that you were taking credit for. When we discovered he had the financial backing of Industrial Illusions, we just couldn't pass up this opportunity." He paused for about two beats. "It is time for fresh blood."
Gozaburo smirked and nodded. "I think your right … Roland, would you do the honors?" A quiet /phut/ was all Mokuba heard before he saw Seto jerk in his seat. "There's your fresh blood, Johnson."
"SETO! No!" As Mokuba headed for his brother, he heard another /phut/ and felt the bullet rip into him. As he fell to the floor and darkness descended, he heard Pegasus say "Nice shot!"
-..-
Mokuba opened his eyes. It was dark in the hospital room except for the lights of the equipment, which softly beeped. "Seto, I'm so sorry. You were my hero, and now, because of me, you're dead." he whispered, hot tears rolled down his cheeks and he curled into fetal position.
So deep in his misery, he barely noticed when someone sat on the bed beside him, gently lifted him onto their lap, surrounded his body in their strong arms and wiped his tears from his face. The smell of the clothes, the sound of the person's breathing and the strong, confident aura was familiar. "Am I dreaming?" he asked quietly.
"No. You were dreaming while you were in a coma. Welcome back to reality, kiddo." The power behind the voice was unmistakable, as was the gentle love that came through it. Mokuba melted into Seto's embrace and cried with joy.
-END-