Botan Dorou
When she woke up, her window was open.
Seto lay on the ground of the dark room, which was now mostly a faded grey. Light from above shone from her 'window', the woman merely staring upwards, blankly. She didn't know how much time was passing... She was just... Lying there. The sun was shining through her 'window', and now that it was late September, it was calming rather than harsh. "...My memories..." Had returned. She knew... Almost knew who she was again. She could remember everything she'd lost... From the puzzle at least. And with her memories repaired, so was the golden, almost spherical device beside her.
The woman managed to pull herself to her knees, staring at the 'new piece' with a frown. This piece... She grabbed it, the frown deepening. A fleeting memory of some sort of... Explosion? Was that what it was? And two faces... She could see two faces in the fogged memory, almost similar to the Mutt and her brother. And yet it couldn't be them... The faces were too simple, too wrong. Enormous eyes painted onto a surface that literally shined in the light, these were just figurines, mock ups of their appearance. Nothing existed that could change her mind. Besides, she thought with a snort. She certainly didn't have whatever it was she saw in her shadow. Seto placed the piece into her puzzle, numbly standing up as she held it in her grip. As she stood there, she could hear Katsuya and Mokuba speaking... She couldn't find the strength to respond though, and even if she could, it wasn't as though they could hear her right? Each day it felt more and more like there was no point... Time was passing, and the pieces were few and far between. And yet...
The room was lighter... The puzzle was almost done... Seto blinked, looking up as something drifted through the 'window'. 'Thank you', they were saying. Over and over again, they were saying it. Why were they thanking her? She didn't do anything, honestly... All she'd done for the past immeasurable amount of time was lay there in the darkness... Sleeping, suffocating... As she watched whatever it was being sent in drift forward, she found herself thinking of the 'ghost'. The white, smoking figure that appeared in this place... The woman narrowed her eyes as she recalled the 'conversation', if it could be called that.
'Please. Help me...' "Tch... In the end, he knocked me out..." Typical... She didn't even know who it was, just how had that thing made it in here? Seto snorted, watching as whatever had come through landed with a clatter to the ground. A figurine... She picked it up, looking it over with a blank expression. Hn! Like the things she saw for a brief moment in her memory... Her eyes narrowed as she took in the details on the figurine's face, frowning. "Psh," she said with a scoff, holding the winged miniature in one hand as she crossed her arms. "As if I would be caught dead with that smile..."
Nonetheless however, her face softened as Katsuya continued to speak 'outside'. Really... This place made her 'soft'... 'Seto-chan... I don't know if you were really there but... Yah saved my life an' Mokuba's both.' Seto frowned, looking upwards. "What did I say about calling me that..." Whatever... He wasn't listening anyways. She'd just have to make sure she remembered to get him back for everything he said while she was here when she 'got out'. Idly, she looked back at the figurine. Saved them? She'd be more than willing to do that for her brother, but for the Mutt... Eh, maybe if she wasn't doing anything else. 'Heck, prolly e'ryone's life... Thanks... F'r everythin'...' Everyone? Now that was pushing it.
"...Moron," she said with half closed eyes as she allowed a small smile to creep on her face. The woman took a seat, still looking at the figure in her hands as she spoke. "You shouldn't need saving if you're on security." The figurine glowed a few moments, before becoming a puzzle piece as well. "...Hn..." Seemed to be a trend really... They'd 'give her' something and it'd be some piece with a menial if not possibly pointless memory in it. So far the only real exception to that had been her pendant... (Though she did like that dragon. A lot.)
And as she placed it in, she found her smile remained on her face longer than she would have ever expected... Far longer actually, even if the memory was nothing but an open view of her backyard in the middle of the night.
"...Hmp... Am I losing myself here," she wondered aloud, spinning the puzzle in her hands as the memory ended. "Or have I simply lost myself for too long..."
There was no answer, as usual. But then, she didn't expect one this time.
In the end, things fell back to normal within a few days. Bakura's friends all over Tokyo regained consciousness, their souls freed of their prisons. Even the damn gym teacher Karita-sensei was freed, though he appeared to have no memories of the event- hell, he came back the next day, which certainly said something about his drive as a teacher. 'You four,' he'd shouted that morning, the teens rushing for the classroom. 'You're late! You want a detention!' Sheesh, after getting his body back too... He wasn't even that good as villager 'D'... Well, at least they'd been let off the hook in terms of that detention. Nothing like a bit of a break to calm things down.
Bakura in the meantime, ended up waiting for an ambulance at his house. Technically, they'd all been there. The story was that they'd gotten so excited over the game that Bakura had slammed his hand down... On the tower instead of the table. It seemed just a little too far-fetched of course, but really, with so many 'witnesses', the doctors bought it, and within just a few days the white haired teen was back in school, left hand bandaged up more than a mummy. Thankfully, he was right handed... Though Katsuya wished he'd had that option before. Either way, regardless of how fast discharge had been, he wouldn't be using the hand for a while. But from what they could tell, he found it a perfectly fine 'price' after what had happened the nights before.
Nonetheless, the day had gone as expected... Mostly. Weeks had passed, even months, with the events in between essentially blurring together no matter what the event. Though Katsuya did have to admit... Health and Sports day had been a little more interesting with Mokuba around- particularly with the three-legged race. By the end of that particular day, they'd even managed to win one of the events... Resulting in Mokuba going home with a booster pack of duel monster cards. In the end, the boy had... Absolutely no clue what to do with them though, and he'd opted to give it, as well as a few other things, to his still 'sleeping' older sister once the 25th rolled around.
Times were flying... And Kaiba slept through it all. The amount of time that had really passed hadn't hit Katsuya for a while though... At least not until Bakura had come in, his hand completely healed at last. Though a large, slowly healing scab could still be seen within the boundaries of what would be an intense scar, the fact that two months had already passed was... Incredible. Had it really gone so fast? Katsuya had shaken his head at that moment, instead watching as the teen carried in with him a clear box of sorts. 'There's something I want to show you,' he'd said, before uncovering the box. 'I made it last night.'
It was a large diorama, a castle scene... And a very well made one at that. The figures of the entire party they'd had in the Monster World, 'Kai' and 'Bakura' included were all reaching upwards with smiles on their faces. Briefly, Katsuya held back a laugh at the small smile that 'Kai' had. It wasn't a large grin like the others of course, as that would be a bit too much but... Well, seeing the expression on 'Kaiba's face was interesting. Even the other Yugi was there, holding a ten-sided die in his well detailed hand... With a small smirk on his face as well. All together, it was fairly well made... 'This diorama is a memento of that adventure,' Bakura had said, smiling. 'A symbol of our friendship when we fought together against the monsters! Let's play again someday...'
Much as he wanted to say 'HEEEEEELLL NO', he ended up nodding and smiling anyways. It was the better thing to do really, what with Bakura being Bakura. Quieter than Yugi, possibly just as 'innocent'. Definitely more polite than all of them put together! Besides, the other Bakura was gone now right... Dead and gone, and he wasn't ever coming back. Though the similarities of 'Egyptian Artifact with Other Self Inside' was a little creepy, when comparing that ring with the puzzle.
Mokuba had taken a bit to calm down after that day; he was just a little jumpy around the house, almost screaming when he'd come from behind to go into the kitchen. The last few weeks however, he seemed to finally be over it, calming down to his regular persona. In fact, he'd asked him the next week if he could pick him up from school and walk with him rather than go by car. Apparently, the boy was becoming rather fond of the walks, given how often he'd been taking them... Katsuya supposed they were alright too, what with the silence of his own trips to school being somewhat broken on the way back now. It was more than a little upsetting after all, when security had been 'heightened' to the point that anyone else they knew couldn't enter the house. Hell, they were lucky they weren't on house arrest from what he could tell! Walking down the street however, his mind was turned to other things.
To be specific, he was looking through his duel monster cards, scowling. The game had recently picked up considerably in popularity, and at the moment it wasn't at all uncommon for most of the class to duel during breaks at school. However... "Augggghh..." Mokuba looked up as the teen grumbled over his cards, the pair taking a break from the walk back home to sit down. As to where they were really, who knew. All he knew was it was some wall that was low enough for even the shorter of the two to hop up on for a seat. "I jus' don' get what I'm doin' wrong here!"
The boy blinked, peeking over his arm at the cards before grinning. "Pbbbbbtt... I think I can guess!" As Katsuya leveled a fairly unimpressed stare at him, he continued laughing. "Your entire deck is made of monsters! You can't work with that!" Oddly enough, Yugi had said the same thing... But he had to turn down the offer to invite him over to rebuild his deck thanks to his shift for work... Damn it.
He huffed, folding the cards back up before turning to Mokuba. "Alright then smart guy, then what exactly should I be workin' with?" Lets compare answers here... And maybe he'd have enough spare change to actually move on it.
"Well, it's a strategy game! You're supposed to combine monsters with spell and trap cards Katsuya-nii!" He rolled his eyes, still snickering as the teen muttered something about being told twice. "Otherwise, your opponent can easily dodge all the monsters!" Even though they're cards... Granted he did tend to lose to spells and traps all the time.
Katsuya stared, visibly frowning at the words. He... He and Yugi had a really good point didn't he... "Nhhhh... I need tah figure out some decent strategies huh..."
The boy grinned, nodding his head as they continued walking again. "Yep! You know," he said with a grin, "You could probably get some ideas watching the duel monsters finals tomorrow... I'm not good at the game myself, not like n-" He cut himself off, sighing. "Not like 'her'..." Mokuba turned to the ground, the good mood fading. It was the week before December after all... And if Kaiba had slept through her birthday, there was a good chance of it persisting into Christmas.
He winced, before ruffling the boy's hair a bit. "Hey... She'll wake up soon, alrigh? Guarantee it." It seemed that since 'Kai's appearance in the Monster World, Mokuba had been getting more and more depressed about the 'zoned out' woman. The vegetative state had refused to let up, and if things kept going the way they were... Christmas and New Years were the least of their worries. "I promise yah." Didn't know how to fix it, but it was a promise he would keep. No matter how pointless it seemed...
It was about as gloomy as his own sister's condition; she could still see, but give it a few weeks... Well, she was due to loose all sight by February according to his mother- Shizuka herself had refused to say. Mokuba looked up at the blond, nodding. "Y-Yea... Hey," the boy said, giving a nervous smile. "Yugi's Grandpa owns a game shop right?" Without waiting for a response, he continued. "Why don't we go there tomorrow to watch the finals? You could get some cards at the same time!" Mokuba at Yugi's house? That was new.
"Hnn..." He blinked, before nodding with a smile. "Yea! That sounds good teh me!" Well, at least Mokuba's dislike for Yugi seemed to have decreased with the 'Monster World' fiasco... If anything, the boy was completely fine with him now. Well. Mostly. Mentioning Kaiba seemed to gain about the same effect around Yugi as it did Mokuba, albeit the former was completely drenched in guilt on the topic. "I'll meetcha there, alr- Wait," Katsuya muttered with a frown, turning back to the kid. "I thought I had work..."
They continued walking back, Mokuba now smiling a little more genuinely. "Eh, consider it a day off! I'll have Hobson cover for you!" As Katsuya nodded in response to that ('Alright, sounds good...'), the boy scratched his head, frowning "...Though... I might be a little late, alright? I kinda got a detention..." He flushed, rubbing his head. "Pretty stupid..." If not for the fact that it wasn't something to be proud of, he'd probably say he was. At last, Mokuba doing something that was on the scale of normal kids getting in trouble! (Unlike Death-T... Hihhh...) Wait, how did Mokuba...
Another blink, before Katsuya smirked. Well, no better time to ask really! "A detention? Whad'ya do?"
The boy snorted, crossing his arms. "Nothing... Just ran late for class..." Late for class. Yea, he could see that. Made sense too, Mokuba wasn't the type to go around being a delinquent. (That was his job. And he'd lightened up.) Doesn't matter really..." He trailed off, before grinning. Home stretch to the house now, and in the currently glaring sun they could see the walls of Kaiba Mansion. "Come on, we're going to miss supper, alright?"
"Nyh, what?" He watched as Mokuba already disappeared a few meters ahead, running full tilt. "Oi! Get back here!" He charged after the boy, soon catching up as a somewhat 'rigged' game of tag came about. "Oi!"
As they ran, Katsuya couldn't help but welcome the wave of normalcy that had settled over them. Things were finally set in place, no crazy mummies, no homicidal penalty game rumors... And while it was hard waiting, Kaiba seemed to be getting better day by day; the feeding tube was removed, and the woman seemed to have longer and longer periods of 'wakefulness' (Regardless of the fact that her eyes were clearly dead)... In fact, she'd kept her eyes open almost a full day once. (Though that was creepy...) Personally, Katsuya figured it'd be about a week before she woke up... Though he didn't want to say anything only to bring Mokuba's hopes up. After all... Given what happened when she'd first hit the vegetative state...
And now even Mokuba was getting along with Yugi, to the point where he had recommended spending an evening at the kid's house... Well, he'd find out just how 'well' that was going tomorrow really, but still. Things were looking up! Really looking up, and if the boy's behavior was any sign, Mokuba was feeling better as well!
At least... He'd thought that...
But the next day, sitting outside Yugi's house, Mokuba never showed up. In the end, Sugoroku had called him inside for some food, telling him that the duels were already on screen. He'd called shortly before the finals began, already sitting with Anzu, Yugi and grandfather. He'd called in only to be told by one of the newer maids that Mokuba had come home an hour ago and was working on homework. And when he asked to speak to him... 'Forgive me Jonouchi-kun, but Mokuba-sama is just too busy to come to the phone! They really loaded him with work today... I recommend you enjoy the rest of your evening off instead, things will be better tomorrow.' And then she'd hung up, Katsuya standing there with a dead line.
It kinda hurt... Yea the kid had homework, he got that, but it was Friday! He had the entire weekend, he knew that... Couldn't he have called or something, rather than having a maid tell him, a maid that he had to call? In the back of his mind, he wondered if something had gone wrong. If Mokuba's greatest fears had come true, whatever they might have been. That this was all a set up, that if he didn't hurry back to the house... However, as Anzu shushed everyone, the show beginning, he ended up just taking one of the cookies beside him and munching it idly. Nothing was wrong... Nothing, things were too calm to go wrong. "This is kinda exciting," Anzu was saying, drinking a can of chilled tea. "I never thought watching card games would get me this hyped up!"
Yugi nodded, currently holding a package he'd received in the mail earlier. The box itself was about half the size of the boy, making an interesting image. "Of course! This decides the number one player in Japan after all!" Number one huh... He knew someone who would (probably could) argue that.
At this, Katsuya blinked and turned to the boy. "Hey Yug," he asked, swallowing a bite of his cookie. "How come you didn' enter? I mean, you could'a gone all th' way!" Like all the way. As in championship title.
"Yea," he said, looking down sadly. "But I made a decision," the boy continued, smiling weakly. "When I enter a tournament again, it'll be to fight 'him'..."
Katsuya blinked, before nodding. "Kaiba..." It took a second before 'him' registered as 'Kaiba'... He'd kinda gotten used to saying 'she' in his mind, though if he wasn't careful he'd probably pay for that soon. It was probably just him, but it felt almost like Yugi had hesitated with the word as well.
The boy nodded, grinning. "Yea! This time, fair and square; that's my dream!" He turned to Katsuya, the smile disappearing. "That reminds me... I hear Kaiba's still..." He coughed, shifting awkwardly. Right... Kaiba had become a 'forbidden' topic of sorts really, so it was no surprise that only now... "I mean, ever since he was moved from the hospital, I haven't been able to visit..."
"Yea," the blond said, nodding. Honestly, Yugi deserved to know in his opinion; after all, his other self had been the one to do it right? So he should know how the lady was doing. "He's still sittin' at a 'vegetative state' or whatever it's called..." Honestly, he surprised himself with how much he knew about the state of being just by working at that house. "So yea," he added, looking at the ground a moment. "...There's no change..."
There was an awkward silence, and Anzu seemed to stare off with distant eyes. "That man..." She screwed her eyes shut, shaking her head. "Even if he comes back, I still can't trust him..." The others turned, Katsuya blinking. A few months ago... He'd think the roles would be reversed. Anzu was the trusting one. The one with unending faith that was only topped by Yugi's... "I'll never be able to trust him!" Felt almost like he'd been thrown into the twilight zone or whatever it was called just now... He and Yugi swallowed nervously, each of them turning back to face the screen.
The silence returned for a good few minutes, only broken by a cheering crowd from the Duel Monster finals on screen. "For the thousands of duel monsters fans across the country," An announcer stated cheerily, Katsuya glad for something to distract him. "It all comes down to THIS moment!"
The final round had begun..! He grinned, leaning back on his hands as he watched. Here it went..!
And just as quickly as it started, it was over. 'Dinosaur Ryuuzaki' played a 'Two-headed Rex', 'Insector Haga' played a trap, and attacked directly. Haga won, and Katsuya had to mentally groan as he caught the point Mokuba had been making about using spells and traps. Damn it... He was taken from his thoughts however when he heard the name 'Maximillion J. Pegasus' on screen. "Hn..." The CEO of I2 made mention of another tournament (visibly making Haga wonder why he'd bothered with this one), Katsuya narrowing his eyes at the mention. Pegasus... Regardless of what he saw of the guy, the way that he was hounding Mokuba and the rest of KaibaCorp just had him on edge... Who would have guessed he'd even be this worked up about 'company warfare'... He had to admit though, it was his first time seeing the man. And ohhhh boy. That guy was the very definition of 'camp'... He was pulled from those thoughts as the show hit the credits, conversation starting up behind them.
"Insector Haga eh," Yugi's grandfather was saying, hand to his chin. "Can't say I'm surprised..."
Yugi grinned, nodding. "Me neither! But it sure was a great duel!" If only it lasted more than two turns... He knew that cards were coming out with better attack power and such, but seriously, two turns?
Regardless, he found himself grinning as well, nodding. "Yea! It was like Osaka VS Tokyo!" Well... Shizuka had bragged earlier about Ryuuzaki being from Osaka... And Haga WAS from Tokyo... There. No one could make fun of what he had just said.
The boy laughed, shaking his head. "See what Mokuba and I were saying? Even the strongest monster can't stand against a good combo!" Yea yea, he got it!
He continued grinning, nodding. Mokuba had missed the battle... Probably buried to his nose in class work... While it was really upsetting that he wasn't there right now, he mind as well enjoy the night off that he'd been given for the event (Rather, for the duelist finals). "Yea! Yug', you think you could help me out with my deck?" That was kind of the reason he'd come there right? Besides all the other obvious things.
"Of course!" As Yugi moved to get a few cards to show the blond some tips, he was stopped by his grandfather.
The man coughed, pointing over to the box that Yugi had been holding. "Before you do that Yugi," he began, placing a pair of scissors on the box. "I'd like to know what's in this package... The lack of return address is making me rather nervous!" Well, it was a big package... Really though, was it just him, or did everything make Sugoroku nervous? (Then again, even with how long it had been since Death-T, that made sense really.)
Katsuya blinked as the boy nodded, scratching his head. "Well, we can play after this," he said as he cut the tape, slowly opening the box. "Heh... W-What the..?"
The blond stared, eyebrow raised. A tape, two star-shaped chips and... A glove that the two chips could easily fit into. All surrounded completely by packaging peanuts. And lots of them. The tape itself was rather small... An 8 millimeter tape, meant for video cameras. As to whether or not anyone had anything to play it with... "Hnn..." He picked the tape up, looking over at Yugi. "We'll probably get th' explanation from this tape... Oi, Yugi," he said with a neutral gaze. "You have an 8MM player?" The boy nodded, moving to connect it to the TV. "Alright... Let's see what we get..." Figured that Yugi would have one of these. Granted, so did Kaiba, but that was just for the camera feed... So it made sense.
The tape went in, and he reeled back in shock as Pegasus appeared on screen. "Hello~," the silver haired man called, Katsuya blinking as the video played. "At last we meet, Yugi-boy~ It's a pleasure!" If.. Meeting could be called video messaging...
"T-That's..." As the others stared in shock, he shook his head. "What th' hell... Why th' heck is Pegasus contactin' yah?" Not only was it really... Weird that he'd do that but... Pegasus was raring after a company right now, not a single duelist..! Granted, he was holding a tournament in a small bit, so really it probably figured...
Pegasus shook his head, smiling. "No no, don't be so surprised," he said, before folding his hands together. "I just wanted to send a video letter to the esteemed Yugi-boy, the real champion!" Katsuya found himself narrowing his eyes at the tape as the others watched. Video letter... Now why bother with that.. Though he had to hand it to Pegasus for pointing Yugi out as that 'champion'. "I understand you are extremely skilled at Duel Monsters," the man continued, grinning. "After all... You defeated Kaiba-boy! Good job, well done.. Wonderful," he shouted, the blond tensing at the mention of Kaiba. And of course... There was always that link... Pegasus and Kaiba worked side by side for the hologram technology, they had to; one had the tech, the other had the cards.
And now that Kaiba was comatose...
"Now then, lets get down to business, alright Yugi-boy? I want to test your skills right here and now!" And he was going to do that how..? (What was with the constant use of 'boy'..? Weird Americans...) "I challenge you to face this video recording of me at duel monsters!" Again. how was he going to do that? The statement was voiced by the boy's grandfather, before Pegasus picked up a card deck and continued. Then again, it was a tape, so that couldn't be taken as ignoring him. Right? "Alright..? Build your deck in front of the monitor, and we'll begin in five minutes."
Yugi nodded, moving forwards with the cards he'd pulled out to play Katsuya with. "Okay," he said with a nod, pulling his deck together. "I'll take this challenge!" Katsuya blinked as the boy moved forwards to face the screen, mentally shaking his head. Well... On one hand, if this worked that would be insanely cool... On the other, he decided as he moved to the side to watch...
Why did he have the nasty feeling that this could only end badly?
Sometimes, he really hated his luck. Not to mention the paranoid thoughts that had gotten the bad habit of tugging at his mind for almost the past year. The match between Yugi and Pegasus... It had worked...
And it ended badly. Though about half way through he'd mentally wondered if he should get himself a dragon capture jar if it became available before Kaiba woke up... Provided he had the funds of course. (He wouldn't.)
It was an... Interesting bet. Lose, and take place in the tournament, which didn't sound too bad at first (Granted it was also completely asshole-ish when combined with Yugi's earlier promise to Kaiba)... Key words being 'at first'. Apparently, as he found out after Pegasus used a time limit to 'win', lose also translated to 'have the soul of someone close taken' as well. Did he say interesting? He meant shitty.
Yea, they could still talk to him. He was sealed in the tape, and as they found out interestingly enough, said tape could be carried around in a video camera for continuous communication. So really, aside from the initial creepy factor and the ambulance that took the old man's body away, he was 'alright'... The prospect of sealed souls however had only served as a grim reminder of Seto's condition and the earlier events of the 'Monster World' as he walked through the mansion gates that night however.
Katsuya entered the house, only an hour having passed since the end of the tournament battle; it was 9:30 when he got in, the sky completely black and most of the lights in the house already turned off. Mokuba was probably in bed by now if he was listening to Isono... So really, he mind as well just head to his own room and attempt to get some homework out of the way to play with him in the morning. Speaking of Mokuba... He didn't want to think that the maid he'd spoken with was wrong, but the first thing he did after putting his stuff up in the coat room was find a maid he actually KNEW...
He didn't have to look far however, as the moment he'd turned down a hall to look for the woman (What was her name, 'Kyouko'?) he was hurriedly pulled into a closet by said maid. "Nye- What?" Ignoring the fact that whoever was watching the cameras was having a good laugh right now... What was Kyouko doing?
The maid held a finger to her lips, a panicked expression on her face. "Shh! Keep quiet please... It took all I could to find a room without surveillance please listen!"
The blond blinked, a few times in fact, before frowning. "No surveil... What th' hell do yah mean?"
She bit her lip, taking a few deep breaths. "Jonouchi-kun," she began slowly, still attempting to regain her breath. It was quite obvious that she was flustered, and from the expression on her face something really, really bad had- "Mokuba-sama never returned from school today..." Happened.
Waitwaitwait... WHAT? "What... What th' hell do you mean," he hissed, barely keeping his voice down. "I called earlier t'day an' they told me he was here, doin' homework!" Told by one of the maids that the BOARD had hired..! God damn it why was hindsight the one that was perfect! "He.. He's here," he muttered, shaking his head. "He has to be.."
"No..." She shook her head, still breathing heavily. "That isn't what happened at all... I don't know why no one else has made a move to call in authorities, or at least try and search but..." The maid chocked, before slowly regaining her composure. "Jonouchi-kun... These new staffing arrangements," she whispered with a pale face, as though realizing just now what had everyone so worried. "I don't think it had anything to do with getting rid of moles... I mean..." Kyouko continued to shake, holding her head. "I knew that there had to be some reason why Mokuba-sama gave me those papers but... I..."
As the woman cut off, Katsuya just about felt everything shatter. No... Oh god no... Stumbling out of the closet to head for his room, Kasuya grew immeasurably pale, gripping the doorknob to his room tightly. Who cared if Seto was going to slaughter him... He'd slaughter himself, the teen told himself as he slid down the side of the door with his head in his hands. He could have easily gone to get him from school, told the principal to 'screw the detention, Kaiba has money' but- His eyes widened, fists clenching with realization.
The detention... Mokuba said he'd been late for class but... Oh fucking hell...
As Katsuya lay back on his bed, he couldn't find the will to sleep. Mokuba was kidnapped... And he'd brushed it off thinking everything was fine. He'd actually believed that the kid he'd spent most of the year getting close to had just dumped him for homework, when he hadn't done that once since school started up again. Not once... He should have known... He should have...
Was this what Seto felt like, he wondered as he rolled over to his side in the bed. Before Gozaburo had done whatever it was that made her what she was before the coma? Was this what she felt like when Mokuba was in danger..? He didn't know... He'd only been a kid when he and Shizuka were separated, so he didn't know... The closest thing he could think was when Yugi had been strung up like a hanged man back in September... But while it was the same on some levels, on others it simply didn't even compare...
This feeling... He wanted it to stop so bad...
The tape he got in the mail the next morning didn't help matters. If anything, it made things a thousand times worse, simply strengthening his fears. Besides the fact that it came with the same glove Yugi's did... With no starchips, he noted... Katsuya swallowed as he sat in the security feed room, plugging in the 8MM player with relative ease. He was alone... And hopefully it'd stay that way. But honestly, he doubted that if no one close to him was in the room any souls would be stolen. ...It was sad how normal that seemed really. "Alrigh... Here goes nothin..." He popped the tape in, locking the door as he dulled the volume slightly on the other video screens. Yea, he could get fired for this but... Something told him that the conscious people remaining didn't really give a damn about Kaiba's security right now.
The first few seconds of snow kicked in... And his eyes widened. "Nii-san," Shizuka said as she waved on the screen. Her glasses were gone now, vision having deteriorated too much for them to really do a thing. Most likely... All she could see was haze. "How are you doing? I decided to send you a video letter! You don't have an e-mail, so I can't use a webcam... It's not quite the same, but even this will work right?" Sh-Shizuka... Pegasus had intercepted a mail from Shizuka and... Katsuya grew pale as his sister smiled, the girl leaning forward to adjust the camera slightly. "Katsuya-niisan... This summer was so fun... Spending time with you, and Mokuba-kun..." She sniffed, a few tears developing. "It was good to see you, at least one last time!" As the blond watched, frozen, the girl in the tape continued. "Nii-san... Thank you, for everything... Even though I won't see it again... I'll always remember your face! ...That's all... Take care of yourself, nii-san!"
The camera filled with static again, before slowly fading to another image. He'd intercepted it and... "Hnhnhnhnhn..." Katsuya's eyes widened as he stared at the screen in horror, chuckling filling the room. He gritted his teeth as Pegasus' image appeared on the television, almost turning the video off right then. "An interesting thing," the man said with a 'charming' laugh, eye narrowed. "As I looked for a reason to coerce dear Yugi-boy into my competition, perhaps even Kaiba-boy as well when he woke up, I found out just where my little Key Holder vanished off to during the summer..." As the man continued chuckling, Katsuya grew pale. The key... Mokuba had given him a key that summer... Mokuba had insisted on giving him the key, during the vacation he'd insisted they go alone on, without letting anyone other than Isono know of his whereabouts... He'd insisted, with the same determined, semi-angered semi-frightened voice he'd heard from the boy's sister months before from behind a bathroom stall... The voice that he had, of course, passed off in anger rather than the latter. Still did in Seto's case actually... "Well... Who knows where he's gone now," he said with a narrowed eye and an eerie smile. Who knew... He had a feeling he knew alright... "But it seems to me that you've been given something important to me..." The blond's eyes widened, and he kicked the counter to push his wheeled-chair as far back from the screen as possible. This guy read minds? Well! He'd make sure that he didn't have the chance! Gripping the support pillar at the back of the room, he watched as the Pegasus on screen gave a false pout. Come on... Please let this have worked...
Pegasus sighed, shaking his head. "Ahh... And it seems you've moved out of my range..." Thank. God. He smiled, eye narrowing again. "Not that it matters... I might not know where, Doggy-boy," Hang on what? DOGS AGAIN? "But I know you have it... So I'm going to make you a little proposition..." His eye narrowed further, seemingly looking towards the box and glove on the ground. "All competitors receive a glove and two starchips," the man explained, folding his hands. "However 'Doggy-boy', you were not meant to be a member of the competition... Not really at least." He smirked, and continued on, unable to now see the glare Katsuya sent back at the 'dog' comment. "I've sent you a glove... But only the 'real' competitors receive the chips and cards required for entry!" Tch... He gritted his teeth, still clutching the support pillar tightly. What was he trying to pull! "It's up to you," Pegasus stated, cruel smile in place. "Beg your dear friend Yugi-boy for half of his entrance, cheating your way into the competition for the possible prize that could save your darling sister and... 'friend'... Or," he added with an even more menacing smile. "Leave it, and wait for someone to find your rusting key holder... Either way," he said as the image faded out to static once more. "I'm waiting..."
The tape was ejected from the screen, and Katsuya sat there, frozen. Slowly, he reached under his shirt, pulling out the key he had in the pendant box. He knew... He knew he had this... Maybe not where, but the fact remained...
The blond gripped it in his hands, biting his lip. Yugi... He had to talk to him... Damn it, he didn't want to drag him into all this and yet...
This was his only hope... Mokuba's only hope, even Shizuka's only hope... And as an offshoot of Mokuba, it was Seto's chance too- this was her company after all... And her brother. This key... He didn't know what it lead to, but whatever it was had to hold some sort of importance. So many people... Riding on... Him. Him of all people! Since when had he been the go-to-guy for anything! Why...
Why... If he'd never met Mokuba, never taken Kaiba up on that 'reward'... He couldn't even comprehend the paths he would have taken instead of the one he was on. Regardless of what could have been however, there was only one thing to do. He stood up from the chair, ejecting the tape and tossing it back in the box he'd been sent. One thing... And only one.
The papers were filled. He knew that it'd be troublesome in the end, at least when he got back, but he could afford a 'week' off. He only worked for a few days of it after all, weekend included. Hobson was filled in, as was Isono, and Kyouko. Not on everything of course... Hell, if he said everything there was a chance that things would end up that much worse. He left it at one thing... He was going to be gone for a while, and that was that. They seemed to get the hint anyways, allowing him the next weekend off provided he finish off this one without an argument. They were on the same side, right? So why ask..? His cards were prepared, box stowed away under his bed... All that was left was...
This. He stood there, 'uniform' on as he took his last shift. Here... Seto's room. One full day had gone by, and there were minutes before the night shift began. He would sleep through that, and leave for school in the morning... This was the end of his 'last shift'. Katsuya faced the woman, whose eyes were shut as she lay on the bed in her usual eerie silence. The room hadn't changed much really. It was still mostly made up of elaborate furnishings, closet to one side bathroom to the other. Bookshelf in the corner filled with English titles he more or less didn't understand, and not a single picture or 'toy' in sight...
Save for the sidetable. It sat beside the bed, on the far corner of the room. He didn't know when it had started accumulating things... Maybe it was after the trip to Osaka, when he and Mokuba bought an extra mask and fan. 'Hey,' he'd said, grabbing one from the stands. 'A fox mask! How do I look?' 'Like a dog,' Mokuba had said, laughing. The boy had gotten his own mask, a tiger of sorts... And then spotted a dragon one. Or maybe it was when he had saved up enough for a camera, and started going crazy with it, taking shots of Mokuba and his friends whenever he could. 'Katsuya-nii,' he could remember the kid saying, 'Make sure at least one of these goes in Nii-sama's room, ok? I don't think she has any pictures of anyone really..!' Perhaps it went to the day he'd made that clay dragon, who knew..!
The mask was put on the table, with the promise to bring the woman to the festival next time around. The pictures were framed and set up with promises of spending time at all the places in them, and with all the people (regardless of what she said about those people). There was also the clay statue of blue-eyes he'd made, followed by a level 5 'cap mon' Mokuba found that happened to look similar to the dragon, accompanied by promise after promise after promise...
Pictures the pictures were of more than Mokuba of course. Most were of course, but there were a few of Katsuya himself, and even Yugi and the others (Though Katsuya didn't think Seto would leave it there when she woke up)... And finally standing at the side was the 'Kai' figurine from the Monster World game. He couldn't recall a 'promise' being attached to that one... Just a thank-you, and a pile of wishes.
Katsuya turned from the table as those thoughts faded out, looking at the woman with sad eyes. "Seto-chan," he said softly, refusing to take a seat. He'd stood there the entire day really... He wasn't sure how, but he had. He hadn't said a word either. But now, even as the camera picked up on his moving lips and morose position, he needed to say his good-byes. "...I know... You'll probably do everything in your power to slaughter me when yah wake up..." He paused, biting his lip. "But I'm only lettin' yah do that after I've done that myself..." And only then, he decided with a sigh. "Mokuba's gone... Snatched off from school with out me ev'n noticin'..." He swallowed, shaking his head. "But I know who did it," he added, clenching his fists. "An' I'm goin' after him with all I've got... But for 'is sake, I want you tah get better! I want yah teh wake up for him, even if he ain't here, got it? Cause he needs yah, Seto-chan... More than anythin', he needs yah..."
Another chocked sigh, and the blond got down on his knees. Rubbing his face, his arms eventually came to rest on the side of the bed as he continued to speak. "'M gonna get 'im out... Ev'n if it kills me, understand... 'Seri-chan'?" He gave a sad smile, shaking his head. "I don' know if that's what your name was, b'fore all that orphanage, crossdressin' buisness... Thought I'd take a guess, see how it sounded," the blond said idly. "...Y'know," he continued. "E'en though it's a girl's name an all, it doesn't suit ya... In th' end, I like Seto-chan alot more..." He gave a quiet laugh, before looking over the woman's still unmoving face. Quiet... And calm. So different from when she was 'awake'... "Sometimes, I gotta wonder... All this magic an' soul-stealin' crap goin' on... Makes me wonder if those stories like 'Sleepin' Beauty' an' 'Snow White' were based on real things..."
He stood, blushing slightly as he looked at the woman. Sleeping Beauty and Snow White... They were in a 'deep sleep', almost coma-like, broken because of a kiss... right? He coughed, rolling the thoughts in his head as the blush deepened.
'The last piece,' the figurine counterpart had said. 'For her sake...'
"N-Nyyyh..." Katsuya scratched his cheek, a cherry red as he continued to stare at the woman. It... Couldn't mean him though right? In the end, the figurine had also said 'don't die, both of you'... And that had to mean something. Yet... "I wonder..." He leaned over the bed slowly, swallowing nervously. His heartbeat sounded akin to a jack-hammer in his mind, and idly he wondered what would happen. Hell... He knew she wasn't dead but... Well... Damn it, that 'Botan Dourou' play was seeming more and more relevant to his life... "...Please don' kill me f'r this..."
He bent over, swallowing again... And lightly, nervously, the teen's lips brushed over the girl's own cold lifeless ones. They were held there only a second, his eyes closed. And then he pulled back just slightly, opening his eyes to look at the face that would otherwise have seemed to belong a peaceful, sleeping young woman. Rather than a victim of a coma that lasted over half a year. It was a sad kiss... His first kiss really, and part of him wondered if this would count as a 'real one' anyways. Then again, he wouldn't likely get one otherwise... Katsuya stood there a few moments, before slowly pulling back, completely red. "I..." He coughed, looking at the clock as his 'shift' ended. Maybe it was for the best... That she not remember all of this. It felt better to talk to her but really, would she bother with him when this was over? "I gotta go... ...Seto-chan," he said, as he headed for the door, looking back one last time. "...No matter what... I'll get 'm back! It's a promise!" Sunday's shift was over and done... This would be the last time he came in without Mokuba.
Katsuya didn't know what he'd expected when he left the room... If he wanted Kaiba to wake up, or if it was better she sleep now. If he'd deluded himself with thoughts of the past few months into thinking that maybe, like in western fairy tales things would turn out 'happy' at the end. But all that aside...
He would keep his promise, no matter what.
AN: ... ... ... Finally, the fluff BEGINS. *mad giggling* And now you won't get any for a long time. Bawwwww...
Fun fact- it's really really really hard to figure out the heal time for an impaled hand on the internet. In the end, I ended up estimating; got the discharge time from how long a few people who were impaled in closer-to-fatal places... Though technically, it would have been possible for Bakura to literally buy all he needed and patch it himself. One guy in real life actually had to do it after his doctors didn't do a thing- look up 'how to patch up an impaled hand' on youtube, you should find him. (And have an idea of what Bakura's hand looks like for a while.) As for the rest of the time, that came from actual heal time for a broken hand... Which, technically, he has. You just need to throw in a lot of scabbing fun after that. All in all, they just skipped over all of October as a result... Not to mention November!
Think of it this way- Bakura arrived (Due to Fanfic Time) at the last week of September. It 'supposedly' took 8 weeks total for his hand to heal (His hand will definitely have a scar, and at this point it still won't look too pretty.), or two months. That means it's actually DECEMBER at the end of this chapter. To be specific, the first week of December. Total events I have skipped over as a result... Are listed below in their usual place.
Anonymous Review Responses
Hey there Iona! Doing alright? Yugi's definitly connecting those dots, but for Bakura I can't quite say... What with Kaiba's soul being silly with the outfit changes (You can hear her mouthing me off about yukata's right now I bet...), not to mention the situation he saw her, it's hard to tell if he'll be able to connect the two... We'll just have to see really.
Interesting point you bring up (Covered above and below), but Bakura's hand did indeed get the attention needed; sort of. It's wrapped up fairly quickly on the last few pages of the Monster World Arc, when Jonouchi asks Bakura if he 'got the bandage off his left hand'... To which Bakura says 'yes'. Personally, I find the lack of scar just a little creepy... But at least he got that looked at.
And if he didn't someone on Youtube has a how-to for impaled hands, so he can always look there... Or something.
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that after a somewhat blank period now has things to talk about! (And you thought you escaped...)
Events skipped over include Health and Sports Day, which is the second Monday of October in Japan... And is when most of the schools have their field day... Generally involves the school being split in two, though from what I've seen doing my research, people outside of the school can join in as well. The other event, outside of Kaiba's birthday on the 25th, Culture Day on the third of November, and Labour Thanksgiving Day on the 23rd... Which started off years and years ago as a the Rice Harvest Festival and celebrates the years hard work.
True to the Manga, Karita magically recovered within a few days of waking up... Not true to the manga however, the detention-speech is far before Bakura comes in with the diorama. This is because an impaled hand would not heal that fast. Ever. Reasoning is described above. On the Diorama's note, the only thing I changed about it is the appearance of the 'Kai' and Mokuba figurines... And apparently 'Kai' was taken rather well, which makes me feel rather good about this.
Another Manga point is that originally, (for obvious reasons), Yugi's the one who tells Jonouchi about deck building. Another change is that this happens the day of the finals, not the day before. On the match itself, there's actually a dialogue switch, which is not only lampshaded by Jonouchi himself in this fanfic, but probably obvious... As you can guess, the Duelist Kingdom may or may not be filled with dialogue switching... Mostly on the extreme insult towards Kaiba part when referencing Death-T. (Don't worry though, they'll be back to the regular chew-toy bickering we know and love soon enough after Kaiba wakes up.)
The duel between Ryuusaki (Rex Raptor) and Haga (Weevil) really did take two turns only. It was a little upsetting. And to all you anime people... If you thought Pegasus looked feminine in the anime... Ohhh... OHOHOH... First time I saw his face in the manga, I did a double take.
In the manga and anime both, a lot of the tape business happens differently, for obvious reasons. The more obvious one of course, is that Jonouchi doesn't have an 8mm player, so he goes to Yugi the next day (As the above events didn't take place on a Friday then) to watch it there. In addition, this is how everyone finds out that Jonouchi has a sister, what with Shizuka appearing on it. However, nothing else happens outside the video message and his friends finding out 'hey... Jonouchi's sister is going blind.' Rather, Jonouchi mentions the prize, and Yugi gives him a star chip and a card (Specifically the one representing the prize money) as a way to enter the tournament for a chance to save his sister's vision. His glove is later stolen off of Haga...
Another big change between anime and manga is that while in the Anime, Sugoroku (Yugi's grandpa if you haven't guessed) is sealed into a card in Pegasus' possession, in the manga he's sealed into the tape. So yea, you see the creepy 'Yuuuuuuugiiiiiii' on the screen... Only to find that he can literally be carried around in a camera like some sort of Metal Gear-MKII. (Only not as cool.)
Fun Fact: 'Kyouko' (Like Kyoko. With more 'oh'.) uses the same kanji as 'Anzu'... It's just read differently. Anzu's name has the kanji for child, which is occasionally pronounced 'su' at the end of her name, but it doesn't seem to actually be pronounced... If it has, the pronunciation has been changed from 'su' to 'zu', but that kanji is more commonly read as 'ko'. The first kanji however, which means 'apricot', as the readings of 'an', 'anzu', and 'kyou'... Though the latter is less than common. Basically, it's me constantly taking the un-named maid who shows up in the manga like... once... And linking her to Anzu's appearance. (By the way, this means her name reads 'apricot child'. Huh, where'd they get that now...) Ignore me~
Also, a reference to a later point in the manga is seen when Kyouko is speaking; when Kaiba wakes up, he's got a folder with him on the helicopter he takes... Inside are all the papers on what was happening with the company from the day he went comatose. Supposedly, Mokuba gave these papers to the 'only servant he trusted'. In the end I handed them to a maid, for the sole reason that she's seen running after Kaiba in the manga. Granted, she's doing this because he literally just woke up out of a coma... Which means his body should not be able to move without possible narcoleptic fits. (For those who don't know what that means... It essentially says that Kaiba should have pretty much gone right back to sleep after waking up. BUT THERE WERE THINGS TO BE DONE...) Ohhhh well... Also, Isono's more of an advisor than a servant, while Hobson is one of the first obvious choices to search, thereby making both of the men good decoys while Kyouko actually holds the information. Whoo!
Till next time guys... See you then!