January 13, 2007 – when I first started writing this chapter. It's now February 3, 2007, and I've been chewing over what I wanted to say during that time. My muses were coming and going, and I've finally settled on how I want to write this. So, it's not that I got writer's block for it (just everything else…), but that this fic – as short as it is – means a lot to me. I have a lot to say, and I wanted to say it right. So, I hope it shows.
Yes, this is NOT the last chapter!
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
by Pearl of the Dark Age
The Choice
No anger spewed out in blood-curdling screams. No passionate tears save one trickled down the fair face. Amelda stood there, quiet as a statue. He trembled from head to toe, but the expected tongue lashing never came. His wet, silver eyes pleaded with Seto Kaiba one last time. Ice-cold blue eyes remained resolute in answer. The redhead exhaled as if accepting the inevitable.
He's taking this better than I thought, Seto realized. I wonder why he's so calm. The CEO gave an almost inaudible, soft sigh, and stood up resignedly. "Please leave my office, Amelda. I am not going to tell you again. You will not contact me ever again unless you have a dire, real life emergency. Not… this. You can call me if you actually need help. When I had offered you help before, with Dartz, I didn't mean to give you the impression-"
"That you care?" Amelda finished for him.
"No, you know what I mean," Seto replied softly. "Being a world famous duelist, president and CEO of an international company, a famous celebrity…"
"I get it!" Amelda interrupted, slamming his fist upon Seto's desk. "You don't want to damage your image."
"So, you understand how it would look? I can't do this, Amelda," Seto informed with a heavy tone. "I'm not ready."
"When will you be ready?" the pacifist inquired somberly.
"Never," Seto answered immediately. He hesitated, then elaborated, "Or rather I should say that I doubt if ever. Amelda… just forget about it."
"I can't!" Amelda cried. "I can't just forget!"
"Just do it," Seto said in a commanding tone.
Amelda gulped. "Are you sure? There is only one way that I can forget…"
"Just do it," the brunette repeated automatically. He observed Amelda's reaction. He's so calm. Is he finally coming to his senses?
Amelda hung his head. "Is that your final word?"
There was a brief pause, then, "Yes. That's my final word, Amelda. Farewell."
Silver eyes blinked. An expression of acceptance solidified his features. Amelda hung his head and cried.
o O o
Since he was unable to concentrate upon work by the time evening arrived, Seto decided to visit his younger brother and sister-in-law for dinner. He called them up, announcing his impending arrival; Solongo cheerfully replied that she would save him a plate, and Seto felt somewhat better.
All afternoon he had been wondering if he had made a mistake. The redhead meant a lot to him – much more than he cared to admit. Perhaps that had been the reason that he did not respond to Amelda in their duels the way he did to Yugi or Jonouchi. He did not fully understand the reason. He just knew that when he met him for the first time, he could see himself. Moreover, he could see who he could have become…
The dinner lifted Seto's spirits even further. He spent most of his time playing with his little niece and teasing Solongo of the soon expected nephew.
"I feel like I'm ready to burst!" she exclaimed while rubbing her swollen belly. She poked her brother-in-law in the shoulder. "Nii-san, I mean it! If you don't start calling me Solongo I won't let you hold the baby when he's born!"
"Ever?" Seto queried in disbelief.
"Ever."
"Dear, that's harsh," Mokuba interjected.
"Okay, a month then…" she muttered. "I mean it, Nii-san!" She poked him again.
Seto smirked. "Whatever you say, Nari-chan."
"Let's watch some TV," Mokuba suggested after a quick glance at his wife, who looked ready to explode.
"Oh, good!" Solongo agreed happily, completely distracted from her previous temper. "I want to hear more about the earthquake!"
They all moved to the television room, arranged themselves comfortably on the couch, and Mokuba's daughter soon fell asleep on Seto's lap. The CEO smiled at his brother and family. "This is the way a family should be," he stated.
"What?" Mokuba murmured, distracted by the TV.
"Never mind," Seto answered. He, too, turned his attention to the anchorwoman on screen. The news of the latest earthquake to rock Japan was covered in excruciating detail, followed by the global warming crisis, celebrity gossip, and then little side stories, which Seto began to tune out. Soon, he was as sound asleep as the toddler on his lap.
"Nii-sama!" Mokuba hissed loudly and shook him awake. "Look!"
"Huh?" Bewildered, he turned his stressed out eyes to the TV screen. On it was a passport photograph of a very familiar redhead. The newscaster reported that a body had been found washed up shore carrying this identification, matching the victim.
"It is believed that the near-shore currents carried this man to the beach from a nearby cliff that is popular for bungee-jumping. No bungee was found, but police found a motorcycle parked atop the cliff registered to the same name found on the passport. They are speculating whether it was suicide or not, as no note has been found. If you have any information regarding this foreigner, please contact Domino City Police at the hotline shown on your screen."
Mokuba turned to see his brother's reaction. Seto's face was as white as paper. It then turned green a brief moment later. Without any explanation, Seto ran out of the room. "I guess I better call the number," Mokuba said to himself.
"Why?" his wife asked. "Did you know him, dear?"
Seto Kaiba came to his senses, trying to analyze his new surroundings. The desert and Yugi's grandfather had disappeared, but Seto had no memory of the transition. He had even forgotten where he had been. He was lying in the middle of a meadow. He sat up straight, completely confused. There were no flowers, and the beautiful trees encircling the near perfect circular patch of wild, golden grass were not of this world. The leaves were an astonishing deep pink color, and the tree trunks themselves were a rich blue-green. Seto blinked. Where is this place?
That's right, I'm dead…
For a moment, Seto thought he had been reliving his life on Earth. He stood up, trying to ascertain who could have created a place like this. The hue of the sky was still blue but slightly different. There was a strand of silver outlining each fluffy, white cloud. Wherever he was, he knew that this was not an illusion of Earth.
A tall person clad in white approached from a distance. It seemed that this person was walking at a normal pace, but the large gap between Seto and the stranger enclosed rapidly. The youthful looking brunette stared at the stranger. For the first time in his life, or any lifetime, Seto could not tell whether this person was male or female.
The androgynous humanoid stepped within a meter from Seto. The voice did not reveal the gender either. "Seto Kaiba, I am the one who orchestrated each of the five meetings."
"But there have only been four," Seto replied immediately. "Are you the fifth?"
"No, but you will meet your fifth later. I have to talk to you first."
"Okay," Seto agreed. He felt that it was in his best interest not to argue.
"You have lived several mortal, corporeal lives on Earth. More than even you are aware. If we see a struggle to meet the potential, we promote your existence to a higher level. Otherwise, you are just reincarnated again, to live your life as before in the same spot of your previous space-time continuum. Roughly put, the same planet. There are many planets within each space-time dimension, many alternate dimensions, and many higher dimensions. There have been two lifetimes where you have made a significant impact upon your planet, your world as you knew it. This has earned you your promotion."
"You are now faced with a choice. You can live another, corporeal, mortal human life again on Earth, or you can move on to live in a higher existence."
Seto stopped for a moment, reflecting upon the previous meetings. "You mean to tell me that Gozoboro has this choice, too?"
"No, he has not yet struggled to meet his potential. He will first serve his penance. Then, he will return to live another human life and try again. You, on the other hand, have a choice. You can become something more than human. But, because you are unaccustomed to non-corporeal life, you will be given a corporeal body for your next life."
"My next adventure?"
"That is a very good perspective to have."
"Shouldn't I pay off my debts first?" Seto asked, almost business-like.
The androgynous stranger smiled. The long, black-brown hair was still in the wind that rippled Seto's sleeveless trench coat. "Your 'next adventure' is your penance. You will have tasks to complete. I think you understand now the culmination of your meetings. Do you realize your potential?"
"Yes," Seto affirmed confidently.
"Do you know who the fifth person is?"
"No, but I know who I want it to be."
A smile greeted him in response.
"You can read my mind?"
"No, you do not have a 'mind' in the sense that you mean. You are spirit now. You exist in a non-corporeal form. This is not three-dimensional space here. This is the threshold. There are many more dimensions than you can possibly conceive. It has been speculated by a few Earthlings that Time is the fourth dimension. You will learn the truth after you've been promoted."
Seto felt his head begin to swell, as if he were still a mortal human being trying to understand the workings of the Universe. "Thanks, I think…" he muttered. The reality began to seep in. The possibilities suddenly seemed endless! He wondered what kind of life he was now going to lead. Obviously, he thought, it depends a lot on my choices. It won't matter where or when I am, it's what I do with my time that matters.
"And… you don't have to do it alone," the stranger continued, referring to Seto's next life. "But that depends on a choice you will now face. In your life on Earth, you were faced with a choice. One answer, no, led to the lonely life you had. The other answer, yes, would have led you on a completely different path. You won't ever know what that path could have been, but your life would have been dramatically different. You now have that same choice to make over again. When you meet your fifth person, you will answer either yes or no."
A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! I really appreciate it! Please, don't put any spoilers for this fic in your reviews! I'll know about whom you're talking. For those of you who don't know who Amelda is: he is called Alister in the English dub version.