Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh!, or Seto Kaiba, or Mokuba Kaiba, or the Blue Eyes White Dragon, or Mississippi, or the moon, or one million dollars, or the Pacific Ocean, or the Golden Gate Bridge. Only the first few are relevant to this story, but I figured I'd mention the rest just to be safe. So don't sue me, 'kay?
A/N: When I refer to Bakura, I will usually call him Ryou Bakura, or just plain old Ryou. Why? Not because I don't like the name Bakura, but because 4Kids forgot to give him a surname. So if I was referring to Yugi's friends, as I do at one point this chapter, I would get 'Yugi Motou, Joey Wheeler, Téa Gardner, Tristan Taylor, and… Bakura.' Which doesn't sound right. I like the idea of poor Bakura having a surname.
Joan stood outside of a small coffee shop, wondering why she was there. She had been greatly surprised to come home to her apartment late the night before to find a note taped to her door, requesting her company at this café. A note from the most unlikely of persons…
She stepped inside, the bell above the door tinkling as she did so. She was greeted with warm air, laden with the smell of coffee and pastries. Gazing around the cheerily lit room, she saw the person she was looking for.
She headed over to the table in the far corner, where he had chosen to sit. She cleared her throat when she reached it, announcing her presence to the suited man who sat sipping his coffee.
He looked up, surprise and relief evident on his face even with the shades covering his eyes.
"Ma'am. I'm glad you're here; I was worried that you wouldn't show."
"Of course I came," she sat down. "Do you mind telling me what's going on, Carlson? Has something happened? Did…" she hesitated. "Did Seto send you?"
The goon fidgeted. "No. Mr. Kaiba doesn't even know I'm here."
She couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. It would have been too much to hope for, that her son would have had such a sudden change of heart towards her.
Apparently, her regret showed on her face. Carlson looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, ma'am. Mr. Kaiba's had it rough lately – both of 'em."
"How have they been doing?" she asked softly.
He sighed. "Not very well. Master Mokuba's takin' it real hard. He's been mopin' around the house ever since we got him home from the hospital. It's understandable, I guess, but still… Master Mokuba never mopes.
"Mr. Kaiba's tryin' real hard for him, but he's not really sure how to handle him when he's like this. We're all used to him bouncin' back from everythin'. I remember one time some bully at school had it in for him, but he never stopped smilin' throughout it all. And Mr. Kaiba had someone speak to the school and the boy's parents, so everythin' turned out all right in the end." Carlson smiled fondly, but then his expression turned glum. "But now…" He sighed.
Joan, deciding that now would probably be a good time to change the subject, asked, "Why did you want to see me Carlson, if my son didn't send you?"
"Well, ma'am, it's like this… I've known Mr. Kaiba and Master Mokuba longer than almost anyone at Kaiba Corp. has. I'd just been hired into the Goon Squad a few weeks before they first came to us."
"The Goon Squad?"
"Kind of like the Kaiba's personal bodyguards. We keep 'em safe, stop anyone from hurtin' 'em, et cetera. We also drive the limo and make coffee in the mornin'. Mr. Kaiba likes cookin' his own meals, but he couldn't make coffee to save his life." They both grinned at this. Carlson continued, "In the past, back when Gozaburo was in charge, we took care of dirty work, too. Assassinations, and the like. Anyone he didn't want around…"
She nodded. She'd seen her fair share of the underhand dealings that some corporate executive sharks stooped to.
"Not since Mr. Kaiba's been in charge, though. He may not be the nicest of people, but he follows the law.
"Anyway, I'd been assigned gate duty the day they first arrived. Now, let me tell you this, ma'am, we all hate gate duty. It's mind numbin'ly borin'. You sit in a little gatehouse all day, open the gates when the limo comes in or goes out, watch some security cameras, and occasionally see some action when you chase off trespassers. Gozaburo'd left early in the mornin', and it'd been a fairly quiet day, so I was even more bored than usual. So I was surprised when the limo pulled up with someone in the back seat. Two someone's, s'matter of fact.
"They never told us what was goin' on in the mansion back then, unless it was important. Bein' newly hired, I was about as low as you could get, so they didn't even tell me most of that. So you can imagine my surprise when I see two little boys, about five and ten years old, step out of the limo and get led inside.
"That was Master Mokuba and Mr. Kaiba of course, though we didn't call him Mr. Kaiba back then. That title was reserved for Gozaburo." The man made a face as he said his former employer's name, as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.
"I took a likin' to the boys immediately; everyone did. Master Mokuba was pretty scared at first. He'd never been in a house that big before, and Gozaburo scared him. Heck, Gozaburo scared everyone. He was worse than Mr. Kaiba that way. At least with Mr. Kaiba you know he won't really eviscerate you with a rusty spoon. With Gozaburo, you could never be too sure.
"But even around his fear, which I admit never really went away so long as that man was still alive, Master Mokuba was a ray of sunshine. He'd always give you a big smile, like he was happier to see you than anythin' in the world. Of course, he saved his biggest smiles for Mr. Kaiba. Still does, except these past few weeks. It's so strange, not havin' him happy.
"Mr. Kaiba wasn't quite as innocent as Master Mokuba was. He'd seen things most of us can only imagine. Accordin' to him the world sucked and there wasn't anythin' he could do about it. He'd gone through Hell, and he'd done it all for Master Mokuba.
"That's the thing with Mr. Kaiba. If he doesn't think somethin' will be good for his brother, he won't do it. Everythin' he did, he did it for him. He didn't really care what happened to himself, just so long as his brother had a chance for a better life. That's not to say that he didn't want to live a happy life, too, but his brother was – and still is – first and foremost.
"Gozaburo was a… a very cruel man. He left Master Mokuba alone, mostly; I'm pretty sure the only reason he'd brought him home in the first place was that he came with Mr. Kaiba, no exceptions. I don't know much about their time before they came to us, but I do know that Mr. Kaiba fought like crazy to keep his brother and him together.
"Mr. Kaiba, or Master Seto, as he was then, was a different story. I don't really have permission to go into details; there's some things the Kaibas don't want gettin' out. But I can tell you this: Mr. Kaiba still has scars."
She gasped at that. Scars? What had been done to her son?
"Anyway, I remember thinkin' to myself a lot that it was a shame that the boys had to go through that. I did what I could to make things better for 'em; so did some of the rest of the staff. But to be honest, ma'am, we should've done a lot more. We should have gone to the police, or somethin', instead of lettin' it just go on. But we were afraid, ma'am, afraid for our jobs, afraid for our lives. Some of us had families, too, and I wouldn't put it past Gozaburo to have sent someone out to hurt someone's family if he thought they'd betrayed him.
"But there was so much more that we could've done, that we should've done. Too late thinkin' about it now, I guess, but some of the things we might've prevented still haunt me today.
"I can remember always regettin', late at night, that I didn't have the courage to stand up to that madman. Regrettin' that there was nothin' I could do. I did a lot of regrettin', back then.
"One of the main things I remember regrettin' was that the boys had to be here in the first place. That they didn't have any family that could take 'em away." He fixed her with a long, steady gaze.
"It went on like that for four years, and then Master Seto played his trump card. He beat Gozaburo at his own game, and took on the role that he's had ever since. He stopped bein' Master Seto and became Mr. Kaiba, and I tell you, he's done a lot better job of it then the old one did.
"We were real busy after that, restructurin' the company. You know Kaiba Corp. used to be a weaponry company, right? Well, Mr. Kaiba turned all that around. He's seen too much death in his life, I guess, too many hardships. He didn't want anyone else to go through what he did. He wanted to give everyone a reason to be happy. Seems kind of strange to some, those who don't know how he is deep down, but it's the truth all the same. Mr. Kaiba turned Kaiba Corp. around, takin' us in a completely different direction. We went from makin' weapons to makin' games, and we're all better off for it.
"At any rate, what with life so hectic for a while, I forgot all about regrettin' that they don't have a real family, except for each other. And after Gozaburo died, there didn't seem to be much of a point.
"Until you came along. You made me remember, ma'am, and I can see now that it's just as important now as it was then. The past still bothers Mr. Kaiba, ma'am, and I think that you can help him. If Mr. Kaiba can learn to accept you, that is."
She looked at him, hardly daring to hope. "What are you saying, Carlson?"
He grinned at her. "Just what you think I am, ma'am. I'm goin' to help you."
She still couldn't believe it. Seto's trusted bodyguard was willing to go against his employer's wishes just so that he could be happy? Weren't bodyguards trained to do whatever their boss told them, to follow orders without question? "I-I don't understand…"
His grin grew. He clearly knew what she was thinking. "Yeah, I know, I have to be the first goon in the history of goon-kind that ever thought to disobey their boss. But I'm mighty fond of those boys, ma'am, if you don't mind me sayin' so. Master Mokuba has gone so far as to accuse me of actin' like a 'mother duck,' I get so worried if somethin's wrong. And it may cost me my job, though if everythin' works out in the end I doubt that Mr. Kaiba'd do that. But even if he does that's okay. It'd be worth it, to see Master Mokuba smile again. To see Mr. Kaiba smile in the first place. He's not one to smile easily, if you haven't noticed.
"And maybe this isn't the best time to be doin' this, what with Master Mokuba's accident. Life's been real chaotic, of late, and I'm not sure I should add any more to it. But I figured this might be my only chance, as I don't know if you'll be in town long."
She shrugged. "I had been hoping for my stay here to be indefinite, but after Seto reacted the way he did… But maybe with your help, I'll be staying in Domino for longer than I expected." She smiled at him, and he grinned in reply.
"How do we go about doing this, Carlson?" she asked. "Do you have any kind of a plan? You know him better than I do – you know what would work on him." She smiled, a little sadly. "I know what would work if he were still five, but I doubt bribing him with milk and cookies works anymore."
Carlson laughed. "It most certainly doesn't. And I might have somethin' that would work, yes. Do you have any keepsakes from when Mr. Kaiba was small? Somethin' that he'd remember, that would help convince him that you are who you say you are?"
"Yes, I have a few old pictures. And I have… something else," she smiled. "Do you think that'd work?"
"It might. Though you'd still have to talk to him. Just because he believed you doesn't mean he'd accept you right away. You prepared for that?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Good. Then I'll find a way to get Mr. Kaiba out to your place as soon as possible. I'll call as soon as I know when, so you'll be ready."
"That sounds great, Carlson." She stood, wanting to get home and start looking for mementos as soon as possible. "And Carlson?"
"Ma'am?"
"Thank you."
Mokuba lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was once again thinking about how his life had been turned totally and completely upside down.
He still couldn't understand why this had happened. Hadn't he and his brother been through enough? Apparently not; life kept throwing hurdle after hurdle in front of them. Mokuba wasn't sure that he'd have the strength to keep leaping over them for much longer.
He wondered briefly if his brother wasn't the only one to have had a past life. (Well, he believed Yugi and Ishizu, even if Seto didn't!) He wondered, if that were the case, what kind of terrible crime he had committed, to be paying for it so harshly now.
He struggled to sit up, shoving his legs off the bed and pulling over the rickety excuse for a wheelchair that he was supposed to use. He couldn't wait until he got his own; he was sick and tired of having to use that old piece of junk.
With some hassle, he managed to seat himself in the chair and fasten the buckle that held him in place. He had barely been out of the house in the week since he had returned from the hospital. Seto hadn't had the heart to send him to school just yet, though he was supposed to start up again the following week. He wanted to get some fresh air.
He was getting better at using the wheelchair. Seto had taken him to get some custom made black leather gloves, fingerless, to protect his palms, which he found had started to chafe after a few days of constantly wheeling himself around the house. He was getting better at keeping his fingers out of the way of the spokes of the wheels, too, and hadn't given himself a new bruise in a few days. All in all, his hands were much happier than they had been in the beginning.
His arms were getting stronger, too. After only a few days, Mokuba found that they were not as sore at the end of the day, and his stamina had greatly improved.
His steering had become enhanced, as well. He easily maneuvered himself through his bedroom door and down to the elevator at the end of the hall.
He took the elevator down to the first floor and wheeled himself towards the front door. The boy allowed himself to roll unchecked down the ramp, enjoying the feeling of the wind that blew back his long hair.
He started turning the wheels as soon as he reached the bottom, keeping up a good pace down the driveway and to the gate. He was stopped by the goon who had been landed with gate duty that day.
"Going out, sir?"
The young Kaiba nodded.
"Where to?"
He paused. He hadn't really thought about where he would go yet. He just wanted to get some fresh air. "I'm not sure."
The goon hesitated. "Does Mr. Kaiba know you're going out?"
He shook his head. "He was working. You know what he's like when he's working. I could have rung a Chinese Temple Gong right next to him and he wouldn't have noticed."
The goon grinned, pleased that his young boss seemed to be in a bit of a better mood, at least enough that he was able to joke.
"Now, Master Mokuba, you know that's not true. His phone rings, and he'll answer it before you can even say 'Chinese Temple Gong.'"
The boy chuckled. He felt better already – and he hadn't even left the property yet.
"If he asks for me, you can tell him I went for a-" he bit off the word "walk," feeling a bit of his gloom return. "Just tell him I just went to get some fresh air. And that I have my cell phone with me. Will you do that?"
"Yes, sir." The goon opened the gate for him. "Have fun, sir."
Seto Kaiba was diligently at work in his home office when he heard a knock on his door. Expecting Mokuba, he called, "Come in."
He was surprised to see Carlson enter the room. "Carlson? Is something wrong?"
"Not exactly, Mr. Kaiba."
"Then what can I do for you?"
"Well, Mr. Kaiba… I've been thinking…"
Mokuba sighed in content, enjoying the feeling of the sun and wind on his face. He'd had a good time so far, and could practically feel his frustration melting away. Not completely, of course; a small seed of depression kept nagging him at the back of his mind, but it was held at bay for now. And he supposed that that small bit, too, would eventually go away. All in all, he was in a pretty good mood, until a voice from across the street hailed him.
"Hey, Mokuba! Mokuba, is that you?"
He looked up, surprised to see Yugi Motou and his group of friends hurrying towards him. Joey Wheeler, Téa Gardner, Tristan Taylor, and even Ryou Bakura (Mokuba fervently hoped that it wasn't the boy's yami in control at the moment, though he doubted that Yugi's own yami would have stood for it if he were) were all coming towards him, concern etched in their faces.
"Hey guys," he said unenthusiastically. He wasn't sure he wanted to see them right now. As far as he knew, they hadn't been informed of his accident. Seto always did his best to keep the media out of their private lives, and he certainly hadn't told them himself. For once, Mokuba wished that his brother had allowed at least one reporter to learn something. He didn't want to be the one to explain about his accident to the people who, along with Seto, were the closest things he had to friends.
"Oh, Mokuba, what happened to you?" Téa wailed.
He looked at her bleakly and mumbled, "Accident."
"You okay, man?" Joey asked.
"Yeah, you look like you've been through a lot," Tristan agreed.
"I'm… Look, I really don't want to talk about it."
Soft-spoken Ryou (not, Mokuba was relieved to see, his yami) came to his rescue. "That's okay, Mokuba. You don't have to. It can't be very easy to talk about. Was anyone else hurt?"
"Yeah, is Kaiba okay?" Yugi asked, looking worried.
"He's fine. Everyone's fine. I was the only one who got hurt."
"Would you like to spend some time with us, Mokuba? Yugi's grandpa was going to show us his newest Duel Monsters cards later on today; I'm sure you could come along," Téa suggested, trying to cheer him up.
"Of course he could," Yugi agreed. "Would you like to, Mokuba?"
"No, thank you. That's really nice of you, but I should be getting back. I've been out for about an hour, and it's my first time out; I don't want anyone to worry."
"All right, Mokuba. Have a good day."
The rest of the gang all bid the boy good-bye, watching him head back towards the Kaiba mansion.
"Poor kid," Joey said as the wheelchair-bound figure rounded the corner. "You dink he'll be okay?"
Yugi looked at him sadly. He could sense the sadness that had radiated off of the younger boy, and could only imagine everything that he was going through right now. "I don't know, Joey. I really don't know."
Mokuba stopped as he rounded the corner, looking back at Yugi and his friends. He would have liked to go with them, and he doubted that anyone would really get worried about him for another hour at least. They were used to him disappearing for short lengths of time. But the encounter with Yugi's group had been enough to show him that readjusting to society would take a lot longer than he had originally thought. He wasn't sure he was ready to face it just yet. Sadly, he turned and started to wheel himself home.
He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he never noticed the hand that shot out of the dark alley and grabbed him until it was too late.
The unstable wheelchair easily tipped over. The belt that held him in place, which was as poor of quality as the rest of the chiar, snapped, sending him sprawling on the ground. He opened his mouth to scream, but whoever had overturned him quickly slipped a hand over his mouth, effectively stifling his cries.
Wait a minute… That wasn't just a hand… That was a cloth… and the sickly sweet smell that was now assaulting his nose was…
Mokuba blacked out.
A/N: (insert evil laughter) Well, I told you it'd be heating up this chapter. What were you expecting, fluffy bunnies? No, that would've been too sickeningly cute for my tastes. How about a nice cliffhanger, instead?
Or rather, several nice cliffhangers. Will Carlson manage to convince Seto to go see his mother? If so, will she manage to convince him of her identity? If so, will he accept her? If so, will I get a million dollars and a tuna sandwich? Probably not the last one, unfortunately. As for the rest, well… You'll have to be patient. (Patience? What's that?)
And what of little Mokuba? Will he adjust to his new lifestyle? Why did someone just kidnap him? Will he escape? Will he be rescued? Would Seto really not notice if he got a Chinese Temple Gong? All this, including the gong (not in Seto's office, though), with a lot more added, coming (hopefully) soon!