February 3 - February 21, 2007

Alas, the second to the last chapter... Again, I should reiterate that I refer to the Japanese original anime, not the English dubbed version. So, I apologize for any spoilers.

No flames, period. If any of this shocks you, then you should re-read the fic over again. I was leading up to this all along.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

by Pearl of the Dark Age

The Fifth Person

The same bright light that had accompanied Seto through many of his transitions in his different meetings returned. The moment passed, and he found himself in a football field. There were a group of children kicking around a familiar black and white patterned ball. The children looked to be European, and Seto had trouble placing the language spoken by them. They ran around, laughing, kicking, with all the joys of childhood wrapped in a single moment. There was a small child with unruly clay red hair, who had gotten pushed over by a larger boy.

Without hesitating, Seto ran forward to help the small boy. Piercing blue-grey eyes sparkled at him as he lifted the small child up from the ground. He had grass stains all along his stomach, and he laughed merrily. "Hvala!" he said to the concerned brunette.

"You're welcome," Seto replied, sure that it was a thank you.

"Seto…" a voice behind him spoke in rapture. "It's really you."

The CEO turned around to face a twelve-year-old Amelda. His height was about up to Seto's sternum. His hair was short, with uneven lengths, but there was no mistaking that hue of red and those eyes. Amelda led him away from the game to a shady spot under a tree. "I've been waiting for you," he informed.

"Then why do you sound so surprised?" Seto asked. He smiled broadly, immensely glad that his wish came true. I'm not making the same mistake again! he told himself.

"I don't know," Amelda answered, stuffing the toe of his foot into the grass, his hands clasped behind his back. "I guess I just believed that I could never…"

"That's about to change," Seto stated firmly. When he locked eyes with the redhead, Amelda had turned into his young adult self. Seto did not see the transformation take place, but it obviously had in the short space of time they were talking. He now matched Seto's height to the nearest centimeter. The hair was chopped at the chin and fanned out to frame his face. The same, stormy grey eyes stared intently into the deep blue.

"Don't you want to know why I'm your fifth person?" Amelda inquired softly, his voice now as deep as Seto remembered it.

"Because I forced you to commit suicide?"

"Do you blame yourself for that?" Amelda asked, slightly surprised. "You should know that wasn't your fault. I had my own issues to deal with, and not all of them were because you refused me."

"If I hadn't…" Seto began, and his voice trailed off. As the Pharaoh had said before, 'You can't escape Truth after death.' Seto realized that he was not to blame for Amelda's premature death, even if he had been the one to… He shook his head. He did not want to think about it, even if the burden of guilt could be lifted. He preferred to bear it.

He glanced up, startled, as a hand rested on the side of his shoulder. Amelda looked deep into his eyes steadily and whispered, "Let it go, Seto. It wasn't your fault. It's true I wouldn't have committed suicide if you had said, 'Yes,' but it was my choice to make. I had many demons I had to personally battle, and I just gave up at that point. I failed to meet my potential. I failed to even acknowledge it."

Seto gulped. "I'm sorry," he stammered. "I never wanted to lose you, really. I never really meant to say, 'No.'"

"We both know you meant it… at the time," Amelda returned firmly. "You weren't ready for it, and you were being honest. You were too concerned with how it would look to the eyes of the public."

"I regret that," Seto added. "I've always regretted it. That is why I never…"

"I know," the redhead said softly. He smiled encouragingly, lifting Seto's spirits a little. "I'm not omniscient, but I've been keeping an eye on you all these years."

Seto felt a little unnerved to learn that someone had been keeping his back all this time. He arched an eyebrow. "So, why are you here if it's not my fault that you died?"

"Because I had a significant impact on your life," Amelda informed. "I thought you knew that."

The CEO thought back to when he had first met the pacifist. It had been right after Battle City. Destroying the Duel Tower after losing to Yugi helped to redirect him down the right path to his true self. He had been embittered with anger, hatred, and revenge. Not really at Yugi, who represented his failure, and not really at Gozoboro, who represented his hatred, but at himself. He could not let go the hatred he harbored for his adoptive father, for all the abuse the man had put him and Mokuba through. He saw his weakness. It was against everything Seto Kaiba believed in to remain weak. He had to destroy the Duel Tower; he had to destroy his weakness.

He learned a new strength, although he never gave Yugi the credit he deserved. That strength derived mostly from his love for Mokuba, but also his love – however unexpressed to others – for humanity. It seriously disturbed him when he had met Amelda, who wanted to destroy humanity because his brother had died. Who would Seto have become had he lost Mokuba? He recognized himself in the psychotic pacifist, and it stirred compassion in him even up to the surface of his usual indifferent veneer.

He remembered offering Amelda help not once, but three times. He remembered trying to reason with him. He remembered hunting down Dartz to save Amelda. He remembered looking up at the stone tablet that encased the redhead's soul and asking for him to 'open his eyes, and bear their duel in mind.' He remembered how it felt when he carried the unconscious body in his arms. He could have left Amelda on the plane for Isono to drag out, but he felt that he should be responsible…

"Do you even need me here?" Amelda inquired, interrupting his reminiscence. "Looks like you're doing fine on your own."

"You were still warm," Seto replied in a quiet voice.

"What?" Amelda asked, confounded. "I'm not psychic, even here! What are you talking about?"

Seto shook his head. "Never mind…" He smiled broadly. "It's good to see you again. I was told I would get a second chance."

"Really?" Amelda stammered. "Me, too!"

"Did you also know that you could be with me when I pay off my debts?"

"What debts?" Amelda asked, puzzled. "There is no currency in Heaven. We don't need it."

"What is Heaven like?" Seto suddenly inquired.

"Don't know; I've never been," Amelda replied, shrugging. "I spent my time serving my penance for all the people I killed while waiting for you."

"I didn't know you killed anyone," Seto said, taken aback. "I thought all the souls returned to their bodies when Dartz was defeated."

"The souls could only return to the body if it was kept in safe condition," Amelda informed. "Not all the bodies I dealt with were left in a safe place." He looked incredibly saddened by this. "I didn't know what I was doing was wrong, but it was still wrong. That is why I've still got a long ways to go before I can cleanse myself of all my wrongdoings. There is more than you know about…"

"But you're not an evil person!" Seto defended for him. "You were brainwashed!"

"I take full responsibility for all my actions," Amelda replied. "Including ones when I wasn't brainwashed."

"You killed even after you were freed? Even after you knew that it was wrong?"

"No, before…" Amelda broke eye contact and stared off at the children playing. "There was stuff that happened during the war."

"It's all right if you don't want to talk about it," Seto said softly.

"Thanks for thinking that I'm not evil," Amelda said, grinning slyly, which unnerved the brunette slightly. "Thanks for understanding."

"All I know is that I would have ended up just like you if Mokuba had died," Seto stated. "So much has been said about potential. We may not have reached ours, but it shows that if you have potential, you can't possibly be evil. If you are capable of love, you deserve another chance. If you know that you can always improve yourself, you should. I know that it was because you lost all the love you had in your life that you went through that period of darkness. You don't have to do it alone, now."

"You mean we will serve our penance together?" Amelda asked breathlessly. Silver eyes widened in anticipation. An expression of impending joy blossomed onto his fair face.

"I prefer to call it 'paying off my debts'," Seto returned. "But yes… We can do it together. That guy… that person said I could." Seto still felt vexed by his confusion over what to call the androgynous being.

It appeared that Amelda knew of whom Seto was speaking. He nodded, his red locks swishing slightly. Amelda gazed fervently into Seto's face. "Can I ask you something?" he asked, his voice breathless. "I know I've already asked you, but I'd like to ask you one last time."

"What?" the brunette inquired mildly as his heart skipped a beat.

"Do you love me?"

Seto blinked. Even though he had been expecting the question, he still felt the same as he had before: as if he were weightless. This time, he allowed his features to reflect his feelings. This time he did not hide it. "Yes," he answered firmly. He reached for the redhead's hand and leaned in…

The surrounding light increased into intense luminosity. The air felt chill, but not bitter cold. By now Seto was accustomed to the transitions. He closed his eyes to keep himself from being blinded out of habit, even though the light had not blinded him yet. He felt Amelda squeeze their still clasped hands. Surely enough, when he opened his eyes again, he was in a different location with normal, earthly light… sort of. He let out an audible gasp. A quick glance to Amelda told him that he was just as surprised as he was. The redhead's mouth hung open in awe.

Swirling, snow white clouds bathed their feet and the hidden 'ground' as far as the eye could see. There was nothing else except a massive golden gate. Encrusted with mother-of-pearl, guarded by a man robed in white, it looked like it had been plucked from a picture. It was exactly as Amelda had imagined it would look.

"This is a surprise," Seto stated aloud.

"Really?" Amelda replied, shocked. "It's exactly what I expected. What did you expect?"

"I don't know," he replied vaguely. "I never was very religious. If I was anything, I was Buddhist."

Amelda blinked, and then he shivered violently. "It's cold!"

"It is a little chilly," Seto agreed.

"Perhaps we can ask him," the redhead said. He pointed unnecessarily at the gatekeeper. They both approached him, trying their best not to appear nervous. "Hello," Amelda greeted, flashing a friendly smile. "Can we enter?"

The gatekeeper looked from one face to the other. "Only one of you may enter," he answered.

"What?" Seto bellowed, outraged. "What do you mean 'one of you'?"

"Only one of you may enter," he repeated. "We don't allow your kind in here."

"Our kind?" Amelda snarled; bitterness filled his voice. "That's not fair!"

"Fair?" the gatekeeper returned. There was not a trace of amusement or malice in his voice. Instead, he sounded rather bored. "Fair is for tourists."

"Tourists? What the -?" Amelda snapped. Seto stopped him with a hand upon his shoulder.

"You go," he said quietly. "You have your family waiting for you. It's better if you go."

Amelda's mouth dropped open even further. He stared at Seto with round eyes. A moment passed, and he became instantly resolute. "No way in Hell I'm leaving you behind!" He turned to the gatekeeper. "Forget it, you lousy, heartless-"

"Amelda…" Seto murmured, stemming the feisty redhead's impending rant. He addressed the gatekeeper, "We don't want to enter alone. It's either we go in together, or we don't go at all. I'm not leaving Amelda behind, either. I love him."

The gatekeeper showed the first sign of interest: an arched eyebrow. "Really?" he inquired, intrigued. "We don't get that too often."

"Can we go somewhere else for now?" Seto asked impatiently.

"Sure!" the gatekeeper replied as if he were now their life-long friend. He smiled benignly. "Just walk down that road there."

"What road?" they both asked simultaneously. The gatekeeper pointed to their right, and an earthen road materialized. The clouds parted to reveal what looked like an ordinary, sunlit country lane. They glanced at each other and mutually agreed to take the dirt path. To where it led neither knew.

After strolling what felt like several hours, they came to a busted up wooden gate. In fact it so well blended into the tree and bush lined country lane, they almost walked right past it! Beside the ivy-laden gate, there sat a man upon an overturned fish barrel. He was whittling away at a tree branch, whistling softly along with the singing birds in the nearby branches. He did not look up as they approached.

"Do we enter here?" Seto inquired.

"You can if you want," the gatekeeper replied without looking up from his work.

"Is there water?" Amelda asked. "I'm kind of thirsty."

"It is kind of warm here," Seto noted. "But it's quite pleasant."

"Help yourselves inside," the gatekeeper informed. He stood up, smiled broadly at them, and opened the gate to reveal a large garden. There were fruit and nut trees everywhere, berry bushes of all kinds, and vegetables sprouting from the corners of the ground. "There is a well over there." The gatekeeper pointed to an antiquated water pump.

Seto, who had never seen one before, thought it was a joke. "What is this supposed to be?" he demanded, puffing up slightly.

"Relax," Amelda said, trying his best not to laugh. "I'll handle it." He showed Seto how to pump the water up into a large, clean cup that the chuckling gatekeeper handed Amelda. The CEO eyed the cup and the pump warily as he observed the redhead take a deep drink. He saw no signs of contamination as Amelda handed him the cup. Seto's indignant attitude subsided, and he drank the most delicious water he had ever tasted.

"I'm impressed," he said under his breath so that only Amelda could hear. The redhead smiled gaily at him. The gatekeeper returned to his fish barrel. They both ambled off and sat down upon a creaky bench in a shady corner of the garden. They whiled away the time, carefree, watching the dragonflies and hummingbirds darting about the foliage. Seto did not need as much rest as his companion, and he strode back over to where the gatekeeper stayed, whittling away his branch into a handsome walking staff.

"Yes?" he asked merrily.

"How long may we stay here?" Seto inquired politely. "Is there somewhere we can lodge?"

The gatekeeper grinned. "You will be allowed to stay as long as you like, but don't you have some stuff to take care of first?"

"Yeah," Amelda agreed, joining them. "The angel said that we would have tasks to complete before we can enter Heaven."

"Angel?" Seto exclaimed, shocked. "Is that what that was?"

"What did you think it was?"

"I thought it was an alien," the brunette said simply. Amelda laughed. "So, what is this place," Seto asked, "and why are we waiting?"

The gatekeeper chuckled. "This is the Gate to Heaven. You just need to wait a little longer for the angel to come. You will receive all the information you need."

"This is Heaven?" Amelda gaped at him incredulously. "I thought that place back there…"

"This garden is sort of like the inner foyer, if you will. Those pearly gates… No! That's not the Gate to Heaven!" the gatekeeper informed merrily. "That's just a set up! That gate leads back to a reincarnation on Earth. It's our way of weeding out those who would leave their loved ones behind. Why else do you think so many people have seen it?"

A/N: Only one more chapter... Thanks for all your support so far! Please do not put spoilers in your reviews, thank you.