Chapter Four: Kaiba's Uncertain Future.
"Are… are you the Ghost of Christmas Future?" Kaiba asked the dark, hooded figure in front of him. The Spirit nodded slowly. "I see," Kaiba replied. "Spirit, take me where you will. The night is waning fast… and I just want to get this over with," he said. The Spirit slowly turned, and they were covered in a dark miasma, opening to a dark portal that led to the unknown. After only a few steps, the miasma lifted, and revealed the open corridors of the Stock Exchange.
"Ah, now I feel at home," Kaiba said, looking around. He pointed to a group of men and said, "I know some of these gentleman Spirit. What do they have to do with my future?"
The Spirit guided him over, and he listened in to their conversation. "Well I don't know much about it either way," said Mr. Ishtar. "I only know he's dead."
"Well, what happened?" asked another, Kiaba's business rival, Sigfreid von Shrouder. "I thought he'd never die."
"It's likely to be a cheap funeral," said one Kaiba recognized as someone he did business with often, a young Mr. Sesshoumaru. "I don't anyone who would attend."
"I'd go," said Master Raptor, "If lunch is provided."
"I never eat lunch," the shrewd Mr. Underwood said, "And I never wear black gloves, so there's not much in it for me."
"Then it's a party I suppose?" Sigfreid asked.
"Let's say, a gathering," Sesshoumaru said, as the goulish group broke up, chuckling to themselves.
Kaiba watched in disgust, then turned to his guide, "I pity those men now, Spirit. But who were they talking about? What has any of this to with me?"
The Spirit pointed towards another dark portal, and suddenly they were in a darkened bed chamber, and on the bed was a being who lay covered in a sheet. Kaiba gasped and backed away.
"Is that the man they were talking about?" Kaiba asked, trembling. The Spirit nodded. "You don't want me to look, do you?" he asked. Again, the Spirit nodded. Kaiba gulped nervously, and shook his head, "No, I can't! Not yet. Not till I know more about him. Is there anything else you can show me about this man?" he asked. The Spirit nodded, and they turned out the door of the bedroom, and stepped into a back alley. They passed the destitute and impoverished people of London as they went into a drafty old Pawn Shop, with not but a ragged curtain for a door. Inside was a man with the eyes of a hungry wolf, and coming in behid Kaiba were three very different individuals. And he wasn't the only one who noticed.
"What've we got here?" the shop dealer said as the unlikely trio came in. "An undertaker, a Laundress, and a Chairlady? What brings you all to Kouga's door?"
"Just some business," said the undertaker, a young man with long white hair, and bent top hat on his head. "Just got some more old junk from a new dirt napper."
"Wait you're turn, Inuyasha," said the old laundress, "I'm first."
"Oh what about lovely Madam Sango?" Kouga asked, "What brings a woman so devoted to the church in here?"
"It's no conspiracy!" Sango insisted as she adjusted her bonnet. "I just happened to pick some tings up while I was doing some charity work."
"Charity work?" Inuyasha asked, "Is that what they call it now? In my day it was called thievery."
"No need to lie, Lass," Kaede said, "We all why we're here."
"True enough," said Kouga, rubbing his hands together, "Now down to business. Show me your loot."
"Mine first, Kaede said gruffly.
"I want away from here as soon as possible," Sango said, "Me first!"
"Oh no, ladies," Inuyasha said, "My bundle's the smallest. I'll go first." he walked up to Kouga and undid his handkerchief.
"Hmm…"Kouga mused, "A pencil case, collar buttons, and cufflinks. Nah, not much here worth anything worth a few coins. Better luck next time, Mutt."
"What?" Inuyasha exclaimed, "Why I oughta!"
"Quite barking Inuyasha," Kaede said, kicking him aside. "Here's my collection."
Kouga unwrapped the bundle and tossed it out to reveal bed curtains. He whistles as he inspected the fine quality of the fabric. "Nice. Very nice. Wait a minute- the rings are still on him!" he cried, "You mean you took these down, rings and all, while he was lyin there cold?"
"Aye, I did," she said. "And why not? It's not like he never stiffed me extra on Christmas while others gave me extra to do their stinking laundry."
"Well, you've got a good eye," Kouga said, not caring that this was literal. "I'll give ya…uh… Five pounds for 'em."
"That's all?" she asked. Then, she sighed, "Very well. Not like anyone else will give me more."
"And now, you Madam," Kouga said, taking Sango's bundle.
"It's Miss," she said, "and I expect more than just five pounds for all this, after the trouble I went to."
Kouga unwrapped the blanket she carried it all in, and took out several silk shirts. One unparticular was freshly cleaned and ironed. "How on earth did you get these?" Kouga asked in awe.
"It wasn't easy," Sango said. "Some fool put that one on him to get burried in." she said, pointing to the one Kouga was holding. His face white and ghastly.
"I hope he didn't die of anything catching," Kouga said as he felt his skin crawl.
"Oh please," Sango said. "It's not like I would have loitered about there if he had."
"This is disturbing," Kaiba said, turning from the grave robbers. "Get me out of here, and show me some feeling connected with a death!" he begged the Spirit. The Spirit took his arm, turned, and they were confronted with Yugi's front door.
"This is getting kind of old," Kaiba said, "Can't we do any old fashioned walking?" but his complaining was stopped short when he looked down the street to see Yugi coming home, alone, his head hung down. As the young man approached, Kaiba saw tears running his clerk's cheeks… and a crutch in his hand.
"No," Kaiba said, running through the wall into the darkened house. He saw Tea, and the rest Yugi's children, crying and sobbing. All except little Rin, who was no where to be found.
"Tea," Yugi said, a small, sad smile coming to his face, "Um…"
"You went by the graveyard today?" Tea asked.
"Yep," Yugi said, "You should have come with me. It would have done you good to see how green the place is."
"Oh Yugi," she whimpered, "I just…"
"Show me no more Spirit," Kaiba said, closing his eyes to the sad sight. "Take me home! I wish to see no more."
The Spirit shook it's head and pointed out the door.
"There is something else I have to see, isn't that right?" Kaiba asked, getting angry with this apparition. "Fine. Let's go." he said, and stepped out the door into a cemetery. A dark, rank, miasma clouded cemetery. As his eyes scanned the vast landscape of tombstones and granite angels his heart seemed to beat faster in uncontrollable fear.
"Alright," Kaiba said, "Why are here? Looking at the grave of the man I saw? What purpose would it serve? How does his death involve me!"
The hand that had led him on pointed down at a particular stone which lay upon the ground. The stone was covered in snow, covering the name, and then the hand brushed it away, revealing the dreadful script.
"NO!" Kaiba cried, backing away, stumbling on the graves and falling to his knees before the horrible sight of his own marker. "Not me! It can't be mine! I still had so much to live for!" he grabbed the Spirit's robes in his hands and cried louder, "I was young! Wealthy! How can my life lead to this? Alone and despised, ridiculed in my final hours!" He stopped his mad ranting and looked up at his guide, and grew furious at his silence. He leaped to his feet, and screamed at the Ghost. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"
Suddenly, the Spirit started to chuckle. Then his chuckle grew in volume to a deep, and ominous laughter that chilled Kaiba to the bone. But that was not the end of his terror, for the Spirit lifted it's white hand, and threw back it's black cowl, revealing a face with red eyes and spider like black hair.
"I don't think, Master Kaiba, I know," said the Spirit, "And I know I am Naraku! And I also know that you made this tomb yourself!" The ground shook and opened up, revealing a open casket, with Kaiba himself lain dead inside of it. The living Kaiba screamed as chains, the chains of his greed, reached up from the grave and pulled him, binding him to the image of his own dead body.
-Transition-
"NO!" Kaiba cried as he struggled in the sheets, "Let me out! Let me out!" he opened his eyes.
"Wake up big brother," Mokuba said. "You're having a nightmare."
"What?" Kaiba asked. He looked around at the 20th century technology, in his lavish rooms in the Kaiba Mansion. "But… Quick Mokuba- What day is it, and don't say its Christmas morning!"
"Christmas morning?" Mokuba asked, confused. "it's the middle of July." Hering that, Kaiba sighed with relief and flopped back against his pillows. Mokuba just sat on the edge of his bed and asked, "Um…Are you okay, Seto?"
"Just fine," Kaiba replied. He got out of bed, and went to the window. Not a snowflake in the sky, and in the distance was Domino City in Japan. As Mokuba got up to hurry downstairs for breakfast, Kaiba grabbed the curtains, and scoffed, "Humbug!"
The End.
"Wait! The end! You mean it was all a fake out?" Shippo said as he and Sota sat on the tree limb outside.
"Of course it was," Sota said. "This is Japan. We don't have Christmas here," Then he looked over his shoulder, and gave a wink.
The End (for real).