Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, or else it would end like this!
To those reviewers who didn't sign in:
Feathercreek01: Thanks for your comments on my story, and yeah, I wished Yuto would've stayed home, too.
Random reader: Mitsuko will be Mitsuko, I guess, but yes, she's very emotional for this chapter. She's stubborn and thinks her way is right, which is why she treats everyone the way she does. She was rather forceful with Yuto, but, then again, he was being a brat to her point of view.
Final chapter, peoples! It just kinda came out this way!
Chapter 6: Ghouls and the Vanishing Act
The next morning, Mitsuko woke with the sun and blinked when she realized she wasn't in her room, or even in her bed. She sat up and stared at the white room she was in. It had no windows save a single small skylight which was right over her head, and the only way out was a heavy metal door which looked too strong to kick in.
"Where am I?"
She frowned when there was no answer, but she hadn't really expected it. She moved to get up, only to hiss when her legs moved. She grimaced when she saw acupuncture needles in her pressure points, and was sure that if she tried to remove them, it would hurt more than when they went in.
What kind of person would do this to me? I must be in a hostage situation, because there would be no reason to kidnap me otherwise. But why would they immobilize me? I can't escape very well with a baby on the way, even if I've kept my fitness up.
She then saw something on her arm and bared her teeth. On her arm was a set of burn marks starting from her armpit of different kanji: kyu, hashi, shichi, roku. At this she raised her eyebrows and when she traced them, she hissed.
"Still fresh."
It was then that the door to her prison opened and she looked up from the markings.
A figure in a violet cloak which had an udjat on the hood entered, holding a tray with food for her. It was set on her lap and then as swiftly as it came, the figure was gone.
"Huh? Was that…a Ghoul?" It couldn't have been, their organization was sunk when Atem beat their leader, Ishtar Marik. Copycats, maybe?
She looked down to see a well-balanced meal for a pregnant woman was on the tray. Could it be poisoned somehow? No, if they poisoned me, there would be no real reason to keep me alive and mostly unharmed. I guess I should eat it, unless I want to starve myself and my baby.
She downed everything and was satisfied when she was done, setting the tray next to her on the bed. "Has a ransom been sent for my safe return? If so, how much? If the Ghouls know Seto as well as I think they do, they'd know he was married and had a child on the way, and family's everything to him." He'd pay just about anything to make sure I was safe, unless he planned a rescue.
She was fed a few more meals before one came in with a wheelchair. She couldn't struggle without the use of her legs, and she didn't want to injure herself further. She was lifted and set down almost gently.
"Where are you taking me? At least answer me that."
"To see my master. He's the one who wished for you to be brought here. He wants to have a word with you."
She was pushed down a long hallway to another door, which was opened before she was met with her captor.
"If it isn't the famous Kaiba Mitsuko. At last we meet."
Isn't that…Marik-san? How could that be? He's not part of the Ghouls anymore! He came clean when Atem defeated him in the Battle City Finals! "What's going on here? I thought you weren't with the Ghouls anymore, Marik-san!"
A sinister grin came to his face as he threw back his hood, revealing spiked hair that she didn't remember on Marik when she'd seen him on TV. "I'm not the Marik you know, Mitsuko-chan. I'm known as Yami Marik, the part that was banished to the Shadow Realm when the pharaoh defeated Marik in the Battle City Finals eight years ago. You weren't there, so you wouldn't have known about it, my dear."
He came over and got down on one knee to look her in the eyes. "You're about the size of the pharaoh, but…" He raised the Millennium Rod, bringing it up to her face so one of the wings brushed her cheek. "You're nothing compared to him in strength. I took you from Kaiba's bed without him even noticing."
She made a snatch for the Millennium Item, but he pulled back with a click of his tongue. "Give that back! It's Seto's!"
"I'm afraid not, my dear. It's part of my plan to break Kaiba and right now is my first phase."
He turned to the wall and a projector screen lit up as Seto's face appeared. "Hello, Kaiba Seto. Remember me?"
Seto gritted his teeth and growled, "Ishtar Marik. What are you up to this time?"
"I'm afraid you won't like it at all, but then again, your pain is my pleasure. It's already been two weeks since your little wife has disappeared, hasn't it? I wonder where she's gone, especially with a baby on the way."
"What have you done with her, Marik?!"
"Enough to have you in the palm of my hand."
He turned towards her again and walked around her wheelchair and then took her face into her hand, the Millennium Rod's knife against her throat the next second. "Here she is, your Mitsuko-chan."
"Mitsuko! Are you alright?!"
She grimaced and shook her head. "He has me pretty immobilized, Seto. I can't escape."
Yami Marik grinned and tapped one of the needles. She stiffened and whimpered at the pain that lanced through her leg. "She's right, Kaiba. She can't run away in the condition she's in. Also, I'm giving you four months to give me what I want."
"If you don't hurt her further, I'll pay whatever price you want!"
"I'm afraid that's not in the deal. See here?"
He turned her branded arm so Seto could see.
"What are those?!"
"Can't you figure it out? I thought the genius of Duel Monsters would be able to guess, but I'll explain. Each of these is a number counting down before her pregnancy is full term. When 'ichi' is on her arm, I'll slice her open and have tons of fun with your offspring. I've never tortured a newborn before, it ought to be a satisfying experience."
"You monster! Tell me what you want already!"
"Oh, what's this? It seems that one's missing. I can't miscount the number of months left, can I, my dear?"
One of his underlings gave him a red-hot brand that was shaped like the kanji "go". Mitsuko quivered and squeezed her eyes shut, only for the most unbearable pain to be introduced to the inside of her elbow.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
She couldn't hold back the sound of utter agony that escaped her throat.
"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Seto yelled, sounding like he was the one who'd taken the brand. "TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!"
Yami Marik sounded almost innocent as he let her go to pant in breaths to try and recover from what she'd just experienced. "Ah! I was having so much fun tormenting you I almost forgot!" He turned back to devious as he demanded, "I want one hundred billion yen or Mitsuko-chan stays in my hands!"
"YOU WHAT?! YOU MUST BE INSANE! WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY DO WITH ONE HUNDRED BILLION YEN?!"
"Well I don't know, how about rebuilding the Ghouls from the ground up? Buying out any competitors of Duel Monsters production, like Industrial Illusions, perhaps? Buy out a country to use for my own pleasure? So many things I could think of with all that money. If you want to see your wife again, I suggest you do it soon, the clock is ticking."
He ended the transmission and laughed, turning to her again. "Well, my dear, what shall we do now? I think I can think of many things that I would find entertaining…but that could possibly ruin my fun for your unborn child, so I'll save anything I could think up until later. Take her back to her room."
Four months passed and Mitsuko stared at her arm with fear. Today's the day of the deadline. Seto, what're you doing that took so long? Yami Marik's going to brand me today and then perform abrupt surgery on me. Our baby's in danger, please save me!
She froze in terror when Yami Marik came into the room. He grinned in glee as he walked over to her bedside. "It seems Kaiba didn't have the proper amount of time to gather the money needed to appease me. I almost feel sorry for him when he's delivered the dead body of his wife and child, you from blood loss and your child from extreme trauma. Now for your last brand, my dear."
She screamed when he branded her with the kanji "ichi", drawing the knife from the Millennium Rod. She had tears in her eyes as he chuckled.
"Don't worry, you'll be alive long enough to witness your child's demise. Come now, let's begin."
Before he could move, there was a click of the hammer of a gun. She stared in shock and relief when she saw her husband and Set behind Yami Marik, Seto holding a gun to his head.
"Seto, Set-kun…"
Set snatched the two pieces of the Millennium Rod away from the crazy man and growled, "You have no idea who you're messing with, Yami Marik. The Shadow Realm's too gentle for you, so die!"
Seto pulled the trigger and Yami Marik fell to the ground in his own blood. He nodded in finality before turning to his wife. "Mitsuko, I'm thankful we weren't too late. Can you move your legs at all?"
She shook her head. "They've been numb this whole time because of the pressure points, Seto. They have to be removed."
He lifted her up and nodded to Set. "I'm thankful you could track down the Millennium Rod, Set. I owe you one."
Set smirked and led the way out. "You don't just owe me one, you owe me big. You could've lost KaibaCorp if you'd paid that psycho off. Mitsuko-chan, are you feeling any discomfort besides that burn on your arm?"
She shook her head again. "I don't feel much because of the duration these needles have been in my legs, so I could be in labor and I wouldn't know it."
They hurried outside to a KaibaCorp chopper and boarded, Seto barking, "Domino Hospital, and make it snappy!"
"Yes, Kaiba-sama!" the pilot affirmed and the helicopter lifted off the ground.
He then turned to Mitsuko, who was resting on his lap from all she'd gone through. "Mitsuko, I'm sorry it took so long. We had to plan, actually track down the trace signal the Millennium Rod was emitting, all which took a lot of time. Do you forgive me?"
"I could never hold a grudge against you Seto," she murmured. "As long as you rescued me, I'm fine. I wonder if Marik-san knew that his dark half had escaped the Shadow Realm."
Set scowled and stroked the surface of the Rod. "If I'd been able to trace it faster, we could've saved you from those brands. I heard your scream when he branded you. It was the most horrible thing I've ever heard. I'm sorry, Seto. I'm as incompetent as those guards you fired for allowing him to get in and capture Mitsuko-chan."
"You helped more than anyone else, besides Mokuba and Noa. Those two were everywhere in Domino, following every lead they could find while we attempted to seek out the weak signal from the Millennium Rod. You're better than any bloodhound, Set."
"Yes, but if we'd had the Millennium Ring, it would've gone so much faster! Damn Shadi for taking it away! We could've used it in this time of direst need!"
"We don't need him, he appears only for Damiri and Damiri alone."
Mitsuko reached up and touched her husband's face. "Seto, I love you. I'm thankful you rescued me at all, I could've been dead."
Seto bent down and kissed her. "I love you too, Mitsuko. When we get to the hospital, we'll get you better and our baby will be born safe and sound."
She nodded and closed her eyes. "That's all I want." It could've been worse. Much, much worse.
Mitsuko was put to sleep for her surgery and when she woke, she could feel her legs again. She sat up with a little discomfort, but she looked around, feeling empty after worrying about her baby every day of the past four months. She found her arm with the burn scars had been wrapped and she felt bandages where they must've removed the needles. She felt her stomach, which was still slightly rounded but just stretched skin, and knew the baby had been delivered safely.
Where is everyone? I don't risk trying to get up, I'll reopen my wounds. How long have I been out? It couldn't be too long, or else Seto would be here. He should be here, but maybe he's stayed up all night taking care of the baby by himself.
She then looked around the room. Wait, this isn't the hospital! It's the room I share with Seto! How did he make it so I'm here instead of the hospital? She tapped a button on their nightstand that she'd used at times to call a servant, so she'd do it now to find out where Seto was.
In a couple minutes, one of the maids came in, bowing to her. "Kaiba-sama, is there something I can do for you, now that you're awake?"
"Where's Seto? I don't see him anywhere."
"He didn't want to wake you with the young mistresses waking up at all hours of the night, so he's out in the hallway right now, feeding one of them."
"When he's finished, can you tell him I'm awake and I want to see him?"
"Of course."
She was left alone again, and rubbed her chin in thought. As I predicted, we had twins. I wonder what they look like. And the maid said "young mistresses", so they're girls… I have a few questions for Seto when he comes in.
She didn't have to wait for long, the door opened again only a few minutes after and Seto entered, looking exhausted. She reached out to him and he sat down on the bed next to her. "Seto, are you alright?"
He shook his head. "I've been up all night, with the twins. How did you handle it yourself all these years?"
His eyes drooped shut and she stroked his hair. "The first while I had Damiri-san, Yu-nii and Jii-chan to help with taking care of them, so I got plenty of sleep. You should take shifts with Mokuba-kun and Noa-kun, and if he's up to it, Set-kun."
Set poked his head into the room, looking just as tired. "Someone say my name?"
"Have you been up all night too, helping Seto?" she asked with a smile.
"Of course, since you have to heal from all that's happened. You're lucky Yami Marik didn't do worse to you."
She shrugged. "I'm used to having scars on my body, what's a few more?"
Set growled. "You shouldn't have had to endure more pain like that. It was bad enough when Bakura attacked you. I'm surprised you keep yourself going after everything."
"If I hadn't, Yuto and Mamoru would've had to grow up without either of their parents. I had to be strong for them. Is Mamoru excited about his new little sisters?"
"He was, under all the worry for your health. When he sees you in the morning, he'll be reassured that you're going to be fine. I have Mokuba and Noa on the second shift for taking care of Shino-chan and Mei-chan, so Seto can have the rest he needs. Noa might not like it, but he's part of this family too, so he gets to lose sleep just like the rest of us."
"Thanks for doing this, Set-kun. I don't know what any of us would do without you. Do you still keep close to your heart your lost love?"
Set held his heart and nodded. "She will never be replaced by anyone, my Kisara."
She noticed him switch languages and did the same. "Kisara? What happened to her?"
He sat down on the other side of the bed, his head low. "I first met Kisara when I was out with Shada looking for powerful Ka. She was being stoned nearly to death because people thought she was a demon from her pale skin. All she wanted was some water, and she would've been gone, but I was lucky to have found her when I did. She could've died from her injuries. Shada saw, through the Millennium Key, that she had an enormous Ka in the shape of a white dragon."
Her eyes widened. "A white dragon?"
"Yes. She had the most powerful Ka besides the three god monsters: Osiris, Ra and Obelisk. My father wanted her for her power, so he tried to draw it out by risking her life, but she didn't call on it, she merely decided to die. If I hadn't stepped in, she would've died then and there. I almost lost my life myself, but I found when I focused again, a great white dragon with blue eyes was protecting us, even if she'd lost consciousness. She wasn't even aware of its presence, for it only appeared when she was unconscious. My father insisted on sealing her Ka into a stone tablet, in which I could control Egypt and become Pharaoh myself, but I realized this was a petty, grasping ambition I didn't want any part of.
"I protected her with everything I had, and soon fell in love. She was a gentle young woman, beautiful with her long white hair and blue eyes. But as everything seemed to crumble around us, I rescued her and brought her to safety, only for my father to seal the Blue-Eyes White Dragon into a stone tablet, killing her."
"Have you told anyone this?"
"No. Not even Atem. She was the love of my life, so whenever I see Seto duel, I see her in those dragons. Her soul lives on, but…"
He jerked when she held out one of her Blue-Eyes cards to him. "What're you doing?" he asked in Japanese, surprised beyond all measure. "This card belongs to you, given to you by your grandfather."
"I've held onto both of them long enough. After hearing your story, I want you to have a memento of Kisara close to you at all times. Take it, please."
He blinked back tears as he took it from her, gazing at it with the deepest sadness and the deepest love. "Kisara…"
"Now I know why Seto values these cards more than any others in his deck. Not just because they're powerful, but because of your feelings for her."
He nodded. "Thank you, Mitsuko-chan. I'll take the uttermost care of it."
"If you didn't, I'd be appalled."
He patted her shoulder and went back into the hall.
She gazed fondly at the door for a moment before she turned her eyes back to her husband. Seto, everything's going to be alright. You can get your rest now, so you can be in better health tomorrow.
For the next few weeks, Mitsuko had strict bed rest so her injuries could heal without any problems. She hated being in bed all the time, but if she tried to move, the wounds reopened.
"Oka-san, are you bored today too?" Mamoru asked as he held Mei.
Mitsuko looked up from feeding Shino. "Not as much today, since I get to help take care of Shino and Mei. Mamoru, you're lucky it's summer break or else you wouldn't be here while Seto's at work."
He grinned and petted the blonde bangs and chestnut locks of his little sister. The girls were identical twins, blue eyes with blonde bangs, the rest brown. Mamoru had been very helpful with taking care of the new additions to the family, so she wasn't worried about him accidentally dropping one of them.
Now I wish that Yuto wasn't so angry at me still. He thinks I betrayed him by marrying Seto, but…maybe I shouldn't have tried bullying him into accepting that things were changing, and not the way he wanted. Yu-nii's sent pictures, but it's not the same.
Her sad face made Mamoru worried. "You okay, Oka-san?"
"I miss your brother, is all. He didn't want to be a part of our family anymore because he doesn't like Seto. I would want him to see his sisters at least once, but I'm sure he'd rather jump off a cliff."
"I miss Yuto, too."
She stroked his head and smiled. "You're such a good boy, Mamoru. I just wish I could've handled your brother better than this."
"You did best you knew how, Oka-san! Don't feel bad!"
"Sometimes I wonder if it was the right choice to ignore your father and marry Seto."
"You weren't happy with Otou-san around! Yuto didn't understand that, he just wanted to be happy for himself!"
"Maybe if I'd tried harder—"
"No, Oka-san! Otou-san had his chance but he left you! Now you're happy with Seto-otou-san and that's how it will always be! Yuto's missing out because he refused to accept your choice!"
"Thank you, Mamoru. My baby boy, always."
"Even when I grow up?"
"Even when you grow up and have children of your own."
"I love you forever, Oka-san."
She blinked back tears and patted Shino's back as she burped the newborn. She gave a stern look at each of her little girls and stated, "You'd better not give me any trouble like your oldest brother or I'll be very sad. You got that, my baby girls?"
Shino yawned and fell asleep, while Mei continued her nap. Mamoru giggled. "I don't think they understood you, Oka-san."
"That's okay, I just needed to get that out of my system. Will you help me keep them in line so they'll turn out good like you?"
"I will! I promise, Oka-san!"
She perked up when she heard footsteps coming to the door. "It looks like Seto, Mokuba-kun and Noa-kun are home."
Mamoru grinned as he turned his head to the door as it opened. Seto came in with Mokuba, Noa in the rear. Mitsuko beamed as she greeted softly, "Welcome home, you three. I'm glad you're back, Seto. I missed you."
Seto came over to her and sat at her side, kissing her cheek and feeling her cheeks for any change in temperature as he slipped a thermometer in her ear. It beeped and he sighed in relief. "Your temperature hasn't changed from normal, so you haven't picked up any infections. Have you felt sick at all since I left this morning?"
She shook her head. "I've been fine, Seto. Mamoru and the twins have been keeping me company, so I haven't been bored like other days since I came home from the hospital."
He looked at the underside of her arm and gritted his teeth. "The next time some psycho from Egypt gets his hands on you, I'm not just shooting him."
Mokuba and Noa nodded in agreement. Mokuba came over and asked, "You sure you're okay? Don't downplay anything, Mitsuko-chan."
"I'm fine, Mokuba-kun. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Aren't you having any…nightmares about your time with that guy?"
Mitsuko snorted. "Nightmares are for sissies."
Noa snickered. "You're still you, that's for sure."
She grinned. "Of course I am. You think something like that would change me?"
Seto snorted and said to his brothers, "That's enough for now, I want to talk to my wife alone."
Mamoru looked up at his stepfather. "Me too, Seto-otou-san?"
"You can come back in when I call you, Mamoru. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong. In fact, in an hour a doctor will be here to remove the bandages off Mitsuko's legs."
"Really?! That's awesome!"
"Let me take Mei while you go have some fun with Mokuba and Noa."
"Okay."
The three left and closed the door behind them. Seto smiled and bounced Mei a little. "Hello, my little girls. Did you have a good time with your brother and mom?"
Mei cuddled into his chest and he stroked her cheek. Mitsuko smiled at the interaction and then asked, "What do you want to talk about, Seto?"
"For the next six months, I have to be in America for the opening of a new KaibaLand park."
"But we just got back together again, Seto. Don't leave me."
"I'll keep in contact, calling you every day, my love. You'll be the head of the household while Mokuba and Set run the company. I'll be back before you even begin to miss me."
"Alright, hurry back."
After a week, Isono came into the nursery, where Mitsuko was just finishing changing Mei's diaper. She looked up as she held her youngest child and asked, "Isono-san? Is everything alright with the company?"
"The company's fine, Kaiba-sama. It's just that…" He wiped his temple with a handkerchief, swallowing nervously. "…I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your husband's plane crashed into a mountain range a week ago. We only just found out today from the rescue team that responded to Kaiba-sama's distress call."
Her eyes widened and she placed her baby into the crib next to her sister and ran over to him, grabbing his jacket with both hands. "It can't be! Is he alive?! TELL ME SETO'S ALIVE! HE HAD TO HAVE SURVIVED THAT CRASH!"
Isono shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kaiba-sama. They recovered his body, frozen from the temperatures of the mountain, yet he was burned from head to toe from the explosion. They're transporting him right now back to Japan, where we'll hold a funeral with a closed casket."
"NO! It's impossible! He can't be dead! He can't!"
She slid down to the floor, covering her face with her hands, silence, not sobs, emanating from her.
Set, who'd been unnerved by something all week, came into the room and gritted his teeth. "So my feeling was right. Seto's gone."
He sank down next to Mitsuko and brought her into an embrace. "Mitsuko-chan, look at me."
Flat, blank eyes met his and he shook her. "Don't do this! You can't break now! You have to be strong for your son, your baby girls! Please, come back stronger than ever! You have to!"
She flopped like a rag doll and he growled, slapping her face. "Wake up! You can't give up when the going gets tough! Where's that woman who wouldn't let anything break her?! Seto wouldn't let you give up! MITSUKO-CHAN!"
Mitsuko sat in her soul room, which shattered around her. "I have…nothing left… Seto…Yuto…Oka-san…Atem… All gone…never…coming…back…"
Everything closed in around her, until she too, vanished into the darkness.
Dang it, I did it again?! What is it with me and depressing endings to these stories?! *sighs*
I hope everyone liked this story, and the next one will be out soon!
For the last time...
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