Monday had risen once again only to descend Kaiba into another week of damnation.
What happened on Friday night had haunted Kaiba everytime he closed his eyes, everytime silence rung in his ears and spoke of only his breathing.
The entire weekend had been spent in futile attempts to rush it out of his system, to burry it behind the stack of important activites to fulfill, so far with no result.
His blue eyes now lacked the polish of a fresh gaze, instead they held a dull and opaque tone to them, the result of late work hours and high levels of stress. His hair was array and the frown on his face seemed etched deeper and deeper every passing day.
He made his way down the crowded hallway, oblivious to the stares and the insults, his indifference almost customary now.
Taking one last turn, he arrived to the classroom, first, like always. The teacher didn't show signs of acknowledging his presence as he walked in, her rapid fingers texting away on a cellphone, her attention poured unto a virtual world.
He sat at the back of the room, body achingly stiff and eyes drooping with every blink.
He did his best to keep a straight face while the other teens poured into the room, quickly filling the classroom. As the school day begun, Kaiba noticed the empty seat in front of him, much to his delight.
One less weight on his shoulders.
The rest of the day followed the usual routine: dorks trying to scam a few bucks out of him, girls undoing the first few buttons on their shirts when he passed by, pathetic.
Every last one of them.
The world continued around him in an all to dull pace, never sparking an interesting change.
Lunch time came around as Kaiba stacked his books into his locker and made his way out.
A cold breeze sharply crept its way up his neck as he took brisk steps underneath the gray clouds, the path he was to take already mapped out in his mind.
An enormous oak tree sat alone, away from the main entrance, its leaves swaying with the wind. A wide trunk sat tied down by peeking roots that rose from the grass like creatures in the ocean, no doubt his favorite spot on school grounds. He scanned the area, feeling oddly at peace, his body begging for the comforting solace of the tree.
As his breathing grew shallower and his eyes closed, a familiar sensation trickled into his mind, past events reeling in his mind like an all too familiar film.
The minute he whirled around that night a small gasp had reached his ears, although he knew it was unlikely that someone had been following so close behind and not be seen. Orders to the guards to stay even longer than usual and to be extra alert had been issued, but so far nothing out of the ordinary had turned up.
Hastily he pried his eyelids open, for he was growing sick of the monotonous aspect his mind had begun to take.
Few cars passed by on the other side of the wire fence, not unusual since the area was mostly private. The outer world didn't seem any more exciting than his school life, with little, if any, people walking by.
A mother pushed along a stroller whilst shouting at a young boy, a couple walked hand in hand, oblivious to the world. Aside from them, only one other person stood on the other side of the fence, a blonde girl with her back turned to him. Her red raincoat and boots feeling like a pebble in Kaiba's shoe, a matter he could not ignore.
He propelled his body to sit up as he squinted to get a better look at her. She seemed to be searching for something or someone, her hasty steps going in no particular direction. This time Kaiba noticed her off white skin and fragile condition, her bones peeking from the angles in her body.
Kaiba's eyes widened as familiarity sunk in and he could feel his own skin go pale. She couldn't be who his mind was conjuring, she couldn't be the girl his heart was suggesting she was.
No.
He had already dealt with the dead and had refused to believe that they could come back. Still, no matter how many times he muttered the silent word to himself, his mind willed his logic in a different direction.
The teen was becoming angry at himself for letting those thoughts even come within a five mile radius of his mind when he knew he didn't need any further mental strain.
A grunt erupted from his throat as his trembling fingers reached to sooth the bobbing Adam's Apple that swayed with his thick gulps.
As if feeling his gaze, she turned to face him, her accuracy in meeting his gaze almost frightening.
Indeed she was the blond girl from the other day, but she wasn't just that, not even close.
Flashback
The smell of dead rodents seemed to penetrate the small orphanage, its odor rising with the ongoing downpour. The sheets of rain outside hadn't stopped all day, taking their toll on the small, weak building.
The director of the orphanage had told the children to calm down, they would be alright as long as they strictly followed the directions. But Kaiba wasn't so quick to believe the man's words. It was evident the structure would not survive the harsh storm, much less a crowd of small panicking children.
He stood in a line holding Mokuba's hand, waiting patiently for the workers to lead them out. Mokuba kept asking questions about what was going on, about what would happen to them, none of which Kaiba had the heart to answer.
Deep in the back of his mind Kaiba wondered about one of the other children, Skyelaar was her name if he remembered correctly.
She had been there longer than he and Mokuba and had also been one of the few who didn't torture Mokuba, quite the opposite she showed him around and even shared the best toys and some of her meals with him.
When Kaiba had met her she was nice to him, despite his somewhat indifferent manner of treating her sometimes. She gave him tips on who to avoid and who never to make angry, not that he felt he needed them.
He looked around, trying to not look desperate, thought her little blond head was nowhere to be seen. Their line started advancing, much to Kaiba's relief. He turned down to reassure Mokuba only to find his small hand was no longer in Kaiba's.
He stepped out of the line, ignoring the angry yelling from the workers. He ran around desperately searching for him even in the most impossible of places. He could feel the tears threatening to make their way down his features. His heart felt as if it were on fire, beating faster than humanly possible.
He ran to their bedroom, finding the door had been locked, probably for security reasons. He sighed in frustration kicking the door with all the might his small body could muster. The water had already thinly layered the floor, mixing with the few tears falling from Kaiba's chin.
He couldn't bear to lose Mokuba, never. He promised his parents, Hell he promised himself. Life wasn't worth living if he didn't have the only person that had been there even in the worst of times with him.
He stepped back from the door, tightly shutting his eyes, as if everything would be better when he opened them. The yelling and shouting seemed distant, the rushing of streams outside pounding louder and louder, the cold water now reaching his knees.
His eyes snapped open, his knees.
Mokuba was barely taller than that, he didn't have much time before the water fully covered him. He took a deep breath and threw himself as hard as he would let himself at the door. The door creaked open a few inches, which was just enough for Kaiba to pry it open.
His shoulder screamed pain and Kaiba could see crimson drops merge with the water below. He shook it off, concentrating on Mokuba. He pulled the door one last time and got it open, releasing a savage beast of pure water. Kaiba held his breath as the water emerged and overtook him.
The water rapidly lowered to his waist continuing its path down the hallway. Kaiba ran, almost swam, as fast as he could into the room, only to find Mokuba wasn't there.
His heart stopped momentarily.
Even if he tried looking for him elsewhere the water was up too high. His body froze, letting the current drag him along.
He had failed Mokuba. The only important thing in his life was now gone. He drifted out into the hallway, feeling his soul start to give up. Icy blue eyes started to shut, his shoulder numbing. How long it had been, he didn't know, he could feel the water start to cover his face.
A hand strongly gripped his shoulder just as his body started to sink. His eyes opened, vision blurred from the water rushing into them. He tried blinking the water out and vaguely made out a small shape.
He could feel his body being carried by the current, the hand pulling his body closer to whoever owned it, pleasant warmth against his cold skin.
The water gradually lowered until it was completely gone. Someone propped him up making him cough out streams of water. He groaned in pain and opened his eyes.
His small hand rubbed at his eyes, clearing his vision. Two workers, a man and a woman, staring intently at him, next to them Skyelaar was sitting, drenched and panting heavily.
"Mokuba." He said, barely audible. Skyelaar shakily pointed to a spot next to Kaiba then collapsed into the male workers arms.
Kaiba turned to look at his younger brother lying next to him, eyes closed. His breathing seemed forced but he was alive.
Since that day Kaiba and Skyelaar had gotten closer, almost inseparable, until the day she got adopted. Kaiba was mad at her for leaving, which he later understood hadn't been her fault.
He had found her again some years later, after he and Mokuba had gotten adopted. They reconnected like they had never before, his gratitude towards her rapidly escalating into grander feelings.
She helped Kaiba when Gozaburo made him work hours that weren't even legal, when he had to take the beatings the man justified as discipline. She was a confidant and a shoulder to lean on, but most of all she looked out for Mokuba when he couldn't, something even Kaiba would always be thankful for.
Their friendship lasted for years, eventually turning into something more, something they wouldn't comprehend, and something they wouldn't question. That was, until everything in Seto's life seemed to come crashing down.
Gozaburo disappeared, leaving him in charge of the company, in charge of his own life.
That was when he turned cold and distant, almost never leaving the company. He had instantly become this hot shot that everyone wanted their hands on, that everyone was intrigued by. Skyelaar tried getting in touch with him, only to be denied, insisting he was busy with more important matters.
When she finally confronted him she was crushed to find he denied ever feeling love for her, claiming love was for the weak, for the spineless.
Much to her dismay, he willed he away, shoved her far from his empire, his only true love.
They meet up years later at a dinner party, he almost would have claimed he didn't know her if she hadn't brought up the fact that she saved both his and Mokuba's asses.
They had a harsh argument in the parking lot afterwards, Kaiba spitting venom out in every word he uttered.
He hurt her harder than he would ever know that night, with his words and demeanor. He stood by the idea that love was for the weak, for people who didn't have enough brains to make decisions on their own.
So she left, drove off into the night in a furious fit. Kaiba knew she was the kind to let her emotions get the best of her, he knew they would dictate her actions, as irrational as they may be. He considered offering her a ride home but after the argument he found himself hoping she'd crash, he didn't need someone breathing down his neck with useless nonsense.
The minute he saw the next day's paper he regretted his words.
She had crashed, just like he had wished, but something else had happened, something no matter how angry he was he would never wish for.
She had died.
At the toll of another burden he buried himself in his work, never under any circumstances leaving his office, even when he didn't have work to do he would create some as long as his mind was occupied, as long as her name was no longer tugging at Kaiba's tongue, her smell no longer lingering in his lungs.
He willed himself to believe it hadn't been his fault. She was explosive, emotional, a poor driver even and would have crashed anyway, but none of it truly penetrated the thorns surrounding his heart. He should have offered her a ride home, or better still they shouldn't have fought in the first place.
But it was too late now, she was dead, never to return. Except she was standing there now, standing less than twenty feet away from him, emerald green eyes melting into ice.
Thanks for sticking around, don't forget to review and tell me your opinions on the story! I'd love to hear them :)