Coming off a NaNoWriMo marathon session over the weekend wherein I wrote 15,000 words and gave myself a bit of wiggle room, I decided to take a break and work on something else.
This is the result. But first, a few thoughts, if you will indulge me.
There's something about Noa that has come to bear, and it's something he shares with Yami. That is, you can never truly believe almost anything he says. I hesitate to say that he is a complete sociopath, but remember whenever you read him that he's close. Damn close.
Last time, Noa told the Ishtars that he spends every waking moment trying to repay a debt that he owes his brothers. This might seem out of character, and the question was raised as to whether it was. Here is my understanding of it:
Familial pride and fidelity is one of the only feelings Noa still fully understands. The rest of his emotions are probably wrecked. But at this point in the story, it is only his family that matters to him. Seto is the only person he respects; Mokuba is the only person he loves.
He does what he wants, when he wants, because he is a true Kaiba, and that carries with it more than a fair share of arrogance. Arrogance coupled with a lack of general empathy makes for an unpredictable powder keg. What holds him in check is his family.
That is what he meant.
You might wonder why I say that's what "he" meant, rather than what "I" meant.
I'm here as an intermediary. I'm just the storyteller. I don't dictate Noa's actions.
No one tells a Kaiba what to do, or how to act, except another Kaiba.
Case in point:
Verse One.
They might have expected Mokuba Kaiba to look like a nervous wreck after being separated from his beloved brother for a week, but actually, the young Kaiba looked reasonably well put together; he wasn't smiling his usual toothy smile, and his eyes weren't sparkling, but he didn't look frightened, or depressed.
He looked grim, and angry.
He greeted Joey, and Tristan, and the others, cordially enough. He instructed Vincent Zika, who was on security when they arrived, to set out refreshments for them. He was as gracious a host as they might have expected from any wealthy benefactor, and for a while they forgot that they were sequestered in a cheap motel room that didn't even belong to Mokuba.
When Yugi stepped into the room, however, Mokuba's eyes flared with a Kaiba's anger and he demanded: "Where's my brother? What's happening to him? What are you doing to stop it?"
Yugi smiled. Yami was in control. He said, "Kaiba is handling things well enough. He and my cousin are…matching wills, so to speak. Do not fear for him, Mokuba. I assure you that all this business is merely a matter of wills. The reason you have been hidden away is just in case four thousand years have addled Seti's mind to the point that he would do something…rash."
"What do you mean by that?" Mokuba asked sharply.
"I mean, little one, that Seti is impatient with your brother. You see, the reason that the Millennium Items have returned to their owners is that, somewhere along the line, my attempt to put them to rest hit a snag. The gods rejected my gift to them, and the task has now been delegated to another. Kaiba has been chosen by the gods, by which I mean my gods, of course, to gather the Millennium Items under his ownership, and lay claim to the power therein."
Mokuba frowned. "…When you got the Millennium Items last time, Niisama told me you just disappeared. That you died. Are you telling me that this spirit in the Millennium Rod wants my brother to do the same thing? He's trying to kill my Niisama?"
Yami held up a hand. "Not at all. I died because I was already dead. You may notice that Yugi remained well and truly alive, after I left him. If Kaiba opts to take this mission he has been given, then the same thing will happen to him, if he so chooses. Seti will pass on into the afterlife, such as it is, and Kaiba will remain here."
"What do you mean about this 'power therein?'" Mokuba's eyes narrowed. "They're weapons. Aren't they?"
"The Millennium Items are the keys to reality." Yami gestured grandly. "Into human minds, hearts, souls. Into the future. Into the realm of dreams. Each of the Seven has a specific purpose. Each represents a different facet of power. Yugi and I chose to let them sleep, once we had them gathered. Kaiba might well choose the same thing. Or, alternatively, he may lay claim to the power, and become a god."
It should have been ludicrous, this conversation. Certainly Vincent looked thoroughly nonplussed, and he itched to throw these psychotic idiots out on their asses. Kaiba-shachou certainly wouldn't want these people filling his heir's head with such errant stupidity.
But something about Mokuba's expression, something about the way it exuded Seto's very being, stayed the young man's hand. He knew that to do such a thing in Seto's presence, without permission, would be tantamount to handing in his resignation; he wasn't going to cross Mokuba at this moment, either.
Mokuba's little motel room was filled with people before long. Yami called them "the king's court," and seemed to find this the height of amusement. Everyone that the Kaibas had ever associated with during the "Mutou Years," as they were called by staff, soon showed up in Mokuba's little room. There was even a representative from Industrial Illusions, standing in for Pegasus Crawford.
Mokuba continued talking to Yami, as though none of the others were there.
"I understand that you are concerned about your brother," Yami said eventually, "and trust me when I tell you that I'm just as concerned. But you should know that Kaiba doesn't cave. That's the only reason he's taking this so seriously. Seti would never do anything to hurt you, Mokuba. Even if he wanted to, I wouldn't let him. Your brothers certainly wouldn't let him. Kaiba is embroiled in this fight because he refuses to share his body with anyone, or anything, else."
Mokuba's face had become more and more a facsimile of his brother's as the afternoon wore on.
"The real issue at hand," Yami eventually said, "is the fact that the Millennium Items have returned to their previous owners. This means, Mokuba, that Pegasus Crawford has his eye again." The young Kaiba went slightly pale at this; he hadn't thought of that. "It also means that Ryou Bakura has the ring. And Shadi, the scales and ankh. The only Item which has passed hands is the Rod, having rejected Malik Ishtar in favor of Kaiba."
Malik, who was standing off to the side in one corner, looked down at his right hand and grimaced. He hadn't made eye contact with Mokuba once since his arrival.
"You said Niisama has to find the rest of them," Mokuba said. "You just said they're already found. The people who used to have them, have them again."
"Kaiba must take the items from their owners. More importantly, he must win them. These artifacts are not simple trinkets which can be bought and sold. They are…well, think of it like Harry Potter. A magic wand cannot simply be given to another witch or wizard, once it has been claimed. Can it?"
Mokuba blinked; an ancient spirit, citing modern-day, British children's literature. "…No," he said, and almost—almost—laughed. "They have to be earned. Won."
"Precisely. Think of the Millennium Items like those magic wands. They are provincial. Protective. They will not function properly for anyone who has not earned the privilege of their power. So, in order to gain access to the remaining six Gems of the Golden Cradle, Kaiba has to…ahem…duel for them."
Mokuba raised a sardonic eyebrow. "…Seriously?" he asked, deadpan.
"I don't mean cards," Yami said, chuckling. "Not this time. Things are much more serious this time around. It's not…quite as simple. I mean that he must prove to the Items themselves that he is better fit to use them than their owners. He must be tested. That is his task."
"Where is he?" Mokuba pressed. "Where is my Niisama?"
"I'm afraid I have been instructed by Kaiba not to disclose his location, even to you. He wants to make sure that he has my cousin well in hand before showing himself again. I know that this is an inadequate answer, and I apologize for that inadequacy, but that is all I can tell you."
He looked around the group that surrounded him. "This situation is dangerous for us all. Even if Kaiba does elect to do his part in this glorious destiny, there is still the matter of Ryou Bakura, Pegasus Crawford, and Shadi. These three individuals, aside from being nearly immeasurably powerful, are most likely to strike directly, rather than waiting for Kaiba's involvement. My experience with them has shown me that to underestimate any one of them is a capital mistake. I have brought you all here to discuss this problem. What might we do, not only to streamline things for Kaiba, should he embark on the path to power, but to safeguard ourselves. So, before I begin, are there any questions? Anything that needs to be clarified?"
"Yes," a new voice rang out from near the door. "I have a question."
Yami glanced over.
Kay Mayer stood with her arms crossed over her chest. "…Why am I here?"
Verse Two.
Ryou Bakura woke up, wholly himself again, just as dappled morning sunlight coated his face. His eyes flared open, and he shot upward like he was starring in a movie and he'd just been thrust out of a nightmare. The silence that pervaded the white-haired teen's home was a sentience, and Ryou found that he couldn't shake the idea; no matter how often he told himself that something as innocuous as quiet couldn't be a threat in and of itself, he still felt an undeniable instinct that something—dangerous was waiting for him to close his eyes again.
The spirit. Had the spirit of the Ring taken him again?
Ryou stood up, gingerly, and looked down at himself. He was dressed in a set of pajamas that he didn't remember putting on the night before. There was no…blood. None. Whenever he was taken by the spirit, there was always blood. On his shirt, or his arms, or under his fingernails. Ryou studied his hands and found nothing amiss.
He felt somehow peaceful.
Then he heard a sound, something sharp and painful in the quiet, and his spine shuddered. For a reason that he couldn't quite pinpoint, Ryou elected to rush out of his room and chase the sound, rather than hide from it.
He found that he was tired of hiding. It never worked.
At least, if he rushed headlong forward, it would probably be over more quickly.
In the kitchen, Ryou saw someone. For one wild moment he thought it was his father, come home at last. Had his father discovered the truth of the last gift he'd ever given his son? Had he found some way to stop the spirit from—
But it wasn't his father.
His father's hair wasn't green.
A man that Ryou couldn't place, but nonetheless found immediately familiar, was milling about his kitchen. He turned. The man had Kaiba's face. Seto Kaiba, the man, the myth, the legend, was in his kitchen? How in the—
But no. Kaiba didn't have green hair, either.
The man whirled, and bowed with a flourish. "Morning, Princess," he said, laughter in his light blue eyes as he stood up straight again. "Noa Kaiba, at your service." The voice did not match Kaiba, but all the same he had a similar aura. Not that Ryou had ever had much interaction with the CEO of the Kaiba Corporation—the de facto king of Domino City—but nonetheless, there was something familiar at work here.
"Good…morning? I don't believe that we have met."
Noa laughed. "No, no, I suppose we haven't. Hope you don't mind me hanging around your house like this. See, I found you in a back alley last night, over by R & J Meat Market? Shady place. Anyway, you weren't exactly in good shape, so what I did, is I checked your ID. Looked for your address. I knew the area, so I thought I'd take you home. Wanted to make sure you were ship shape before I left, so I thought I'd wait 'til you woke up."
Ryou wasn't sure what it was about this man's voice that was so—slick. But his smile seemed genuine enough. Hopefully. Ryou said, "I was…out last night? Did I…?"
Noa seemed to calculate something. Then he said, "The way I understand it, or at least the way Yugi Mutou interprets it, is you've got yourself one of these, ah, Millennium Items. Right? And I guess there's a ghost or something inside of it."
Ryou didn't miss the dismissive anger in the man's voice at this juncture, and thought it must be a family trait.
"Anyway, whatever it was, this thing had a hold on you last night. Covered in blood. Got the moves like Dahmer." This last was accompanied by a little dance that was thoroughly un-Kaiba. "Doing all sorts of things that a good boy like you wouldn't be caught dead doing, I'm sure."
Good boy? Was that an insult?
"…Bakari."
Noa raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"
"That's…the spirit's name. Bakari." Ryou lowered his eyes, then raised them again. "Whatever this is, whether it's an ancient spirit, or a psychotic break, or whatever…its name is Bakari. It's a monster. I…I don't want to do the things it makes my body do! I don't! But…but…!"
Noa smiled. It was a bright, friendly sort of smile.
"Whoa, whoa, there, chief. Take it easy. Come on, now. You're gonna want to keep yourself calm 'n collected, here." He pulled up a chair and gestured for Ryou to sit. "Look. This Bakari you've got, he's a wicked number. I'll admit that. Almost had me a couple times. But nothing to worry about. See, my brother, you'd know him as Seto-sama 'round these parts, he's dealing with a similar kind of thing right now." Noa found a second chair and sat down when Ryou did.
Seto's brother. Mokuba's brother.
Which meant…
"Gozaburo's son," Ryou murmured. Noa quirked an eyebrow. "You're Gozaburo Kaiba's son. Aren't you? Yugi told me about you. He said you were killed when you were little, and your father put you into this virtual space, where you could keep living. Only it…made you go crazy." Ryou flinched at the flare in Noa's eyes. "Sorry! I'm sorry! I meant…I meant it affected you. And…and Yugi said that you eventually figured out that your father was—was using you. And you switched sides, and saved him; Yugi, and Joey, and Mister Kaiba and little Mokuba…and everybody."
Noa's expression softened. "…Yeah. Yeah, that's me."
"I'm sorry that you…had to see it."
"Your other half?" Noa asked, smirking. It looked like the natural set of his face. "It was a ride, I'll say that much. Strong. Tenacious. Kind of rape-y. Is that a word? This Bakari character, whatever he is, he's got some deep-seated issues."
Ryou actually found a smile, hidden somewhere in the back half of his mind.
Then he flinched.
"Wait. It was…awake? And you—stopped it? Stopped Bakari? You…overpowered it?"
"Yup. Wasn't expecting me to take what he was dishing out. Didn't figure I'd be strong enough. But when Aniki brought me back, he saw fit to build me like Frankenstein's monster, I guess. This body of mine can take a lot more punishment than most people. Dishes it out pretty good, too. Seems even an evil spirit can't raise much hell when it's knocked unconscious with a brick. Sorry 'bout that. I cleaned up the wound as much as I could, but you might be stuck with a scar."
Ryou reached up gingerly, and found that his right temple had a thick bandage on it. "Oh. Oh, that's…okay. I think. I just…I can't believe you stopped it!"
Noa's face turned serious. "You were with a couple of people when I found you. Or…Bakari was. Duke Devlin. You know him?" Ryou nodded, face suddenly turning almost as pale as his hair. "He'll make it. Some serious injuries, but he'll manage. I got him to a hospital in time. Told the cops I found you guys, looked like a pretty serious mugging. You might have some blue-suits coming by today to question you about it. Anyway, Duke will make it. His friend, though. His friend was six ways dead when I showed up. Sorry. Couldn't do anything for him."
Ryou, stricken, settled back into his chair and stared at his hands.
Noa sighed. "Look. Ryou. That's your name, right? Ryou?" A nod. "A little while back, this spirit my brother's dealing with, his name's Seti. A while back, Seti tried to threaten our kid brother." Here Noa smiled softly. "Little Mokuba. That's cute, by the way. I like that. Anyway, Seti was talking about how 'mundane' he was, and asking what was so important about him. I grew up with a man who'd fit right at home in a mafia movie, okay? I know what a veiled threat sounds like. I stopped Seti from doing anything. But think about it for a second, okay? Should I blame Seto for that? You know my brother. Aniki would rip off his own arms before he hurt Mokuba."
Ryou smiled. He did know that. He'd known it sooner than most of his friends, he felt confident in saying.
"It wasn't Seto," Noa continued. "Seti threatened the little guy, and it's his ass on the line for it. Same goes for you. So I don't wanna hear you talking about how you killed somebody, or hurt somebody, or whatever else is going through your head right now—I can see it in those pretty brown eyes of yours—because of whatever that fuck-job Bakari did while he wore your skin. Not unless you're going to admit that Seto Kaiba threatened his li'l brother. Got me?" Noa's eyes flashed. "And if you start thinking that, I'll have to have words with you."
Ryou found a smile again, and nodded. "I…I understand what you're saying. Noa. Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Noa stood up, went to the stove and glanced up at the cabinets. "Now, as partial payment for crashing at your place without prior warning, how about I make something for breakfast? You and I, we're gonna be bunkmates for a little while, I think."
Ryou blinked. "What?"
"I've heard horror stories of what Bakari can do when he's got his hooks in you." Noa's eyes turned hard. "Aniki has the Millennium Rod now. Chances are, the only way he's going to get rid of Seti is if he goes 'n gathers up the other six. Like Yugi and Yami did before. The way they tell it, Yugi's 'tribute' was denied by the gods, or whatever. So they sent the items back to their old owners, and want someone to try again. They picked my brother. That's why Bakari is back, see? Why the Millennium Ring is back."
Ryou's breathing slowed. "I…see."
"So," Noa continued, "the way I figure it is this: if Bakari is allowed to go free-reign ape-shit around the city again, he's gonna find out about this. If he doesn't know already. And he's gonna go on the attack. Bakari knows about Mokuba, doesn't he?" Noa looked suddenly suspicious, and Ryou nodded hurriedly. "He's gonna know that the way to get to Aniki is to go after his baby. And knowing Seto, he's going to agree to whatever Bakari's terms are, because he doesn't really give a shit about the Millennium Items. Now, I was all about that. I thought he'd do far better to just ditch the whole enterprise and get back to what really matters. But if Aniki doesn't do this, doesn't gather the Items himself, then Bakari is going to try. And now that I've met that motherfucker…I don't think I like that idea."
Ryou smiled, self-deprecatingly. "Bakari has that effect on people."
"So here's what we're gonna do, you and I," Noa continued. "I'm going to hang around here. Watch out for signs. Make sure he doesn't pull any shit. And you are going to take it easy for a while. I know your story, Ryou Bakura. You've had a raw deal. You're broken. No two ways around it. And the only way you're gonna get your life back is if you learn how to…handle it. I don't mean get over it, because that's a myth. The best any of us can do is face up to life's shit-storms and find an umbrella." The green-haired Kaiba scrunched up his face, as if he wasn't fond of the metaphor he'd just devised. He shook his head.
"Not…not to say I don't—appreciate this," Ryou said, unsure if he could dare to let the hope blossoming in his chest fully bloom, "but…why are you doing this? I mean, helping me? Why didn't you just…just…?"
"Kill you when Bakari had control?" Noa asked.
Ryou nodded somberly. "Yes."
"That's what my father would have done. Call it youthful rebellion." A pause. "And besides…Yugi failed you." Ryou flinched. "You put all your hopes in him, to get rid of this spirit that's been ruining your life, and for a while it looked like he did it. He looked like a savior. But now it turns out he fucked it up. So now…I want you, just like the rest of them, to see what happens when you put your trust in a Kaiba."
He winked.
Ryou smiled. "Okay, then." He didn't trust this man, but he had very little to trust in, anyway. Doubt was something he was used to feeling these days, and one false savior was as good as the next. And besides…Noa Kaiba had apparently stopped the spirit of the Ring once.
That made him at least as qualified as Yugi.
Ryou looked down at himself, at the pajamas he wore. "Wait," he said. "You said I was covered in blood. And I know I wasn't wearing pajamas when I—" Ryou's mouth opened, and his face went red.
Noa waited, an idle sort of look on his face.
"…Did you bathe me?!"
The green-haired young man raised an eyebrow again, and didn't answer.
But as he turned back to the cabinet, Ryou saw an amused little smile playing at his lips.
Verse Three.
Seto Kaiba was a stubborn bastard.
That was, more than anything else about him, the defining trait of his existence; it was what contributed to his highest successes, and his most resounding failures. He had survived his childhood because he was a stubborn bastard. He had taken over Kaiba-Corp because he was a stubborn bastard. He had defeated Pegasus Crawford, in his own way, because he was a stubborn bastard, and he had kept his brother happy and healthy through all of that…because he was a stubborn bastard.
It looked now as if Seti I, former king of Egypt, was going to murder him because he was a stubborn bastard.
"Answer the damned question, you obstinate ox!" Seti snarled, slamming his hands on the dining table where they did their—convening.
Seto simply raised a quiet eyebrow and did not speak.
"What do you think this mission is, boy? Do you think it is optional? A bit of fun, a diversion? It is holy work! You spit upon the gods in your hubris!"
Again, Seto did not rise to the bait.
He leaned back in his chair and stared straight ahead.
It had been this way for days. Seto had retained control of himself just long enough to ensure that he would not descend upon the city. He lived isolated, alone, entirely idle, locked away. It infuriated him. But it also kept him out of the arena, and for that he tolerated it. He would wake, make a kettle of tea, eat. He would spend the day researching the Millennium Items; he would haunt well-documented historical sources, and he would scour fringe forums and amateur's blogs. If he was to take full hold of this situation, then he had to be informed; and since he had no specific expertise, he was in no position to determine which sources were valid.
At night, he would shower, and sleep.
He had kept up this routine ever since he'd entered the hotel, and in the thrall of this monotony, he battled with Seti.
Everything about Seto's current situation grated on his nerves, on his mind, and on whatever served him for a soul. The idleness, the uselessness, the insanity of it, careened with everything he had ever come to believe, everything he had built.
On the outside, he looked as impeccably dressed and prepared as he ever did. His suits were pressed, his creases crisp, his shoes polished. In the midst of his mental imaginings, however, Seto Kaiba was dead. Or else dying.
It wasn't until halfway through the sixth day of having the spirit of Seti screech at him that Seto finally reacted. He turned his head to look upon the creature for which his body had become a prison; when Seto's image was made manifest in his "soul room," his hair was matted, his clothes rumpled, his eyes dark and listless, matching his mental state.
Seto said, "…I will do nothing you ask. I refuse you, and your gods. If that is grounds for my death or damnation, then get on with it. My life is what I determine it to be. My priorities are what I set for myself. You are nothing. Not only to me, but to every living thing currently on this earth. To change oneself for nothing is the cleanest possible definition of madness. I will not do it."
Then he turned his head back to its neutral position, and continued to stare blankly at the wall.
Seti slammed his fist down onto the table, shattering his end of it. "Damn it, man! I have been patient with you! I have been subservient! I have bowed to you! Will you drive me to force you into this?! Must I hang that damnable boy over your head to push you into this work? Tell me now! Stop wasting my time! If that bastard brat's blood is on the line, then will you do the gods' work?!"
Seto smiled serenely to himself.
Seti stiffened.
"…And so you show yourself to me, Seti. You are like every…other…enemy." Seto leaned forward, placed his hands upon the still-intact side of the table where he sat, and stood up.
He shed the tired, dirty, mangled façade as he rose to his full height. It sloughed off him like a shed skin, leaving him clean, bright, and powerful.
Seto Kaiba turned his smile to the spirit; it was the most fundamentally pleasant expression anyone had ever seen cross his sharp, angular face.
The entire soul room began to catch fire, radiating out from Seto's pristine black shoes.
"…Fight me, then. Spirit. Let me show you…how obstinate I am."
END.
Seti seems to have anger problems. And he isn't very good at keeping promises, or being consistent. This may seem like backpedaling, considering the whole "I have finally found a king" thing a couple chapters back, but I beg you trust me. I have at least a vague idea of what I'm doing here.
As for Noa…he's creepy, but I think he's well-meaning. Ish.
At the point where I stopped posting the original version of this work, "Shifting Images," Seto and his band of merry misfit toys (I may have messed that up) were on their way to collect the Millennium Items. Kisara had established herself as an involved part of the plot, and things were getting generally complicated.
Though the road is different, paved with new materials, that is the point of the plot where we currently sit. The games are about to begin. I hope you agree with me that the wait has been…well, maybe not worth it. It's been a long time. But I hope that you enjoy this version better than the old one. I certainly do.
One last thing: I was asked if the events covered in the anime ever fill a role in my stories. So far, no. They do not, except as background information. Primarily this is because I feel like the canon storyline has been given due diligence by the manga and anime. Yes, there are gaps, and errors, and problems. But the original work is a strong one; if it weren't, I wouldn't be here, writing about it eleven years after being introduced to it.
I'll very seriously consider doing some work with canon events, though, if it's something you are interested in seeing.
For now, though, I'll see you next time for Book Two's finale (it's not the end of the story, just the end of this section of it).
Have a great day.
