When Destinies Collide
By Ash Kaiba
DISCLAIMER! We do own Ashley "Ash" Black, Kathryn Takemura, and Mae Black, and any other character you don't recognize on the show or games (which is a lot). Plus, we don't own Kaiba Corp.
Knock, knock. Ash here. I'm still open for ideas on how to kill the Big Five. Setoglomper suggested that Yami Bakura gets his hands on a flamethrower and torches them.
Previously in When Destinies Collide: Chapter 30: Moon of a Demon
Leichter takes Kathryn and Kaiba to an old Kaiba Corporation warehouse. They are placed in a room of Kaiba's dreaded past. He makes the same promise as he did Mokuba. Then, he is left to contemplate whether or not to tell his cousin about himself.
Chapter 31: Cold Reflection
Italics - thought
Italics - remembered words/phrases
"No one cares about you, Seto! You failed yourself!"
Those were the words of the almighty Gozaburo Kaiba. And he is right. I did fail. I allowed him to get close to me. I allowed myself to trust him. He acted like he loved us, treated me as a son, and I…respected him as my own father. Then, once I was settled, he turned around and began hitting me. I merely it was disciple. It only happened once a month. But I was wrong. It became twice a month, then three. It grew into the weeks…until my entire two years with him became endless torture. It didn't matter what I did…a scuffmark on his kitchen floor to lacking in my studies. Sometimes, it would happen in his "sack." I was unloved, a tortured soul.
"Big brother… Big brother, are you okay? I love you, Seto."
Mokuba…the only reason I have for living. He was only one there that made me feel loved, though I strived to get my stepfather to love me as well. It never worked. He'd only hit me more.
"You shall not show any weakness: exhaustion, hunger, thirst, or illness!"
"No, no, Gozaburo…don't!"
That was me…helpless in my own bed. Tied down…panic sweeping through me. I tried hard not to scream. Gozaburo hovered above me, slashing at me with his knife. And when I thought he finished, he wasn't because he returned…carrying a bottle of vinegar and cotton balls. He acted like he was cleaning them, but it actually hurt! It never ended.
"Now, look, Kaiba-boy. You lost. You lost your only chance to save your baby brother. But don't worry, I'll spare that pain."
Pegasus… the man who tried to take my company and kidnapped Mokuba. I hate him. I refuse to breathe the same air as him. He is a snake; he can't be trusted.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She's innocent, so innocent…like Mokuba. Kathryn, a name that I've forgotten long ago, has returned. I can hardly remember my youth with her… All because of him. I hate him. I hate him and want him dead so badly.
"Hey, if you don't want to tell yet, that's okay."
Yugi, why are you so determined on befriending me? Don't you know that I can't trust you or your "pets?" I can never trust. Never. It only leads to disaster. What you proclaim isn't real!
"Come on, Kaiba. Let's have some fun. No rivalry, okay?"
"Yugi, you know I can't."
"Just try."
I did. That was the first time I actually did something…normal. He took me to the arcade and we send the day playing "Virtual Versus." Our Duel Monster rivalry slipped my mind. I could even feel a smile coming. I was enjoying myself. Yugi was being considerate too. I thought he gave me a crash course in normal teenage life. Instead, he slowly exposed me to it. I never learned any of that from Gozaburo.
"Please keep this a secret."
Yet, I know I can't completely trust him. The pain I endured is too much.
"Don't you dare mouth off at me!"
I was up against a wall…in this very room. Helpless, afraid. I was weak. One time, he discovered I was sick and beat me until I was barely conscious. I ended up with deep gashes that needed stitches and a fractured humerus. I filed complaints, praying that Social Services would move us to a foster home. But, they never did. I learned why when he finally accepted me as his own son. The final straw I had with him was what he was engraving…on my flesh. I remember the sound of his bellows heating the coals. A glow of red snared my sight. Then, it was on me. I tried not to scream… It was too much. It didn't end. A man he had hired walked in. His machine poked into my tender, recently burned skin. The family crest…I hate it. Not as much as the man that gave it to me, but it is still hated. Mokuba hasn't even seen it. No one has and no one will.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
No, Kathryn! I won't! I'm…not ready. I have a world to save and a brother to defend.
"Hey, let me help."
"Get your own job."
Noah will have nothing to do with the company unless I request his presence. I hate him because he is Gozaburo's biological son. Kaiba blood runs in his veins and not mine. He never has been through what I've endured. And I despise him of that.
"Seto, let me help you. You should get some rest."
Mokuba, you know I can't. I know that I am a workaholic, but how else can I get food on the table? I don't care if we're rich, because in order to be and stay rich is to work. You are my family. You need to have a happy life with friends, something that I was never allowed to have. So, it's my fault for getting diagnosed with fatigue…not yours.
"Moron! Why do you think I'm here! Step aside! I'm helpin' whether you like it or not!"
Ash, can you see into my soul? Do you have any clue about my past? I'm sorry about your mother, but we all have to move on.
"Forget them, Seto! They don't live with you! They left you, Seto! I am your father now! You will listen to what I teach you! You live by my rules!"
"Never, you monster." Kaiba growled. He felt Kathryn curiously look at him.
That man was a monster. To make my matters worse, he is still a live…in me. I became him. I treated everyone the way he once did.
"Act superior. Be strong. Bow to no one."
"Seto…"
But, I do bow to someone. Mokuba, the only person that has power over me. But still, I can't tell him. I can't lie to him anymore; I can't tell him that the screams he heard were from me having nightmares, when in truth, it was our stepfather. Can I tell Kathryn? Yugi? Even Black? No…That will only show that I am weak. I will get walked all over.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Kathryn has to know. So do her mother and father. She has to learn that what I've endured is the reason I am this way. I can't trust anyone…except Mokuba. If I do, they will take advantage of me. Me…Seto Alexander Kaiba.
To be continued…
Next chapter in the When Destinies Collide Saga: Chapter 32: A Cousin's Love
Heishin revives Gozaburo Kaiba again. Gozaburo's first course of action is to pay Seto Kaiba a painful visit (unaware of Kathryn's presence). Necra returns to Yugi and the gang, with the Soul Blade reacting to a revival. Kaiba shows signs of suffering from a panic attack and an accident best left forgotten.
Review please! I shall beg Katie Mae for more stuff. Please read my other stories if you have the time. And I shall try to update whenever I can (school again).
