Author's Note: hey everyone! sorry for the delayed update, I've been busy with a few things. I want to thank the ones who read, favorite and followed the story in the last two chapters. It really means a lot, so I appreciate it and it motivates me to continue posting this story. Once again, thank you fellow readers!
Trigger Warning: depressive thoughts, anxiety, stress, emotional breakdown, substance use and suicide may be mentioned in this story.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The series Yu-Gi-Oh! and its characters belong to the late Kazuki Takahashi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
October 25th, 2014 [present]
"Seto, please wake up…"
Gray-colored eyes stared into the sleeping figure as he listened to the beeping sound of a nearby monitor—ridding itself of the silence that has engulfed the chalky room. His two hands held a paper plate with a slice of chocolate cake on top, ready to be eaten at any moment. However, on this occasion the cake would not be tasted nor devoured. Tears fell from his face as he could not control his emotions. "Happy birthday! I know, I shouldn't cry but it has been almost five years since that day… I wish you would say something… I miss you, big brother."
Another person entered the room, watching the scene as the younger individual blew off the candle in front of the unconscious person who had numerous wires connected to his chest—with the intention of measuring his heart rate and rhythm. The blond walked to the raven-haired young man and patted his back, trying to offer emotional support to his friend. "Mokuba, it's okay to let it out. The more you bottle up your feelings, there are higher chances of feeling shittier later down the road."
Mokuba sniffled, trying to clear his tears. "Joey, I don't know how much I am able to handle in seeing my brother like this… I just want him to be here… to be happy and live his life," he expressed, letting his blond friend take the paper plate off his hand.
"I know, man. It's hard, trust me. But you can count on the gang and myself for anything you need. It will continue to be like that even if it has been almost five years. Kaiba will wake up, Mokuba," Joey said, trying to lighten the younger man's mood a bit.
"Thanks Joey."
Mokuba nodded, appreciating his friend's support. Over four years, the dark-haired male has been occupied with a lot of KaibaCorp duties and also the media. After his brother's horrible accident became viral in the news all over the world, he had to take over the Kaiba empire. His future plans were to pursue something outside of his brother's legacy, but fate had other things in mind. Seto Kaiba has sacrificed so much for his safety and well-being—even with the risk of his own life especially after countless times of physical and emotional abuse from their tyrannical stepfather, Gozaburo Kaiba. That horrible piece of a human being who did not deserve to even breathe had stolen his brother's essence at such a young age, trying to create a replica of him. Although Seto became emotionally unattached, he still prioritized Mokuba's needs over everything. Everything about this hurt him; wishing he could rewind time and show his brother how much he meant to him.
As the Vice president, Mokuba was second in charge of the company, supporting his older brother's ideas and plans. Nothing was the same, not even at KaibaCorp after taking over as the interim President. It had been a rough couple of years, but he managed to take the temporary leading role with no problem as months passed by. Fortunately, he completed his high school education so he could fully commit to KaibaCorp. KaibaLand has expanded all over the world, just as his brother had wanted since he was a child. He was fulfilling Seto's dreams and will continue to do so.
Mokuba looked at his older brother's sleeping state for a moment until allowing the nurse to care for him. It was past six o'clock, so the nurse was starting her night shift. She had been hired after the hospital transported his brother to the Kaiba mansion for in-home care. The process took a while, but Mokuba found it safer for his older brother to be at home. After installing an intensive care unit in one of the rooms, Seto Kaiba remained in supervision by the nurse. By looking at the monitors and various wires, Mokuba's heart fell, and the guilty feeling would consume him at times. There was no sign of his brother waking up from his coma. Per Mokuba's instructions, Seto's room has not been touched. It remained as it was left that night—spotless and organized as it always has been over the years.
"Master Mokuba, you have guests downstairs waiting for you." Roland said, following his young boss down the stairs.
"Thanks Roland, I will take care of them," he thanked him as he headed to the living room.
Yugi and company were talking among themselves until they realized Mokuba made it downstairs. Mostly every week, the gang tried to visit Mokuba since they knew that the young boy needed all the support in the world. With the lack of guidance from the older Kaiba, Mokuba was fending for himself but as they promised, they will care for Mokuba until Kaiba recovered from his coma. If that was a possibility since he has been unconscious nearly five years.
"Hey guys, sorry! You know today is a tough day for me," he explained, hoping the group of friends would understand.
"Hey, don't apologize. We understand, Mokuba," Yugi said with a small smile. "And besides, your brother needs you a lot."
Mumbling interrupted the conversation. Those shaky four words startled almost everyone in the room. "He will wake up. Sometimes my heart wants to tell me otherwise."
A blonde woman started at the auburn-haired female, understanding the torment and grief she was going through. "He will, hun. We all know Kaiba is a fighter… he won't give up that easily because he has a lot of worth fighting for… Mokuba and you."
"It has been over four years, Mai. I want him to wake up… to be here… to be with me so I can hug him and kiss him… and tell him how much I love him," the young woman could not control her tears.
"Seren, sis…" Joey whispered, sitting next to her to embrace her.
"I want to go back to the time I saw him at Mai's birthday party… where we had a decent conversation."
Over the last couple of months, Serenity could not take it anymore. During one of her morning shifts at work, the hazel-eyed female broke down in tears and let years of bottled emotions out of her chest. Ever since he was pronounced comatose, she believed he would wake the following day. Days, weeks, months and years have passed, and no sign of improvement has been made. Seto Kaiba laid comatose in his bed, awaiting the day for his awakening.
November 20th, 2008 [five years prior]
Five. Well, that's how much she counted last time. Her twenty-fourth birthday had her in such bright spirits. Joey managed to surprise her, yet the best part was getting to meet up with her friends once again.
"My, this is party is wunderbar, meine Liebe!" the pink-haired German expressed before taking another shot of tequila with Mai.
"Cheers, hun!" she exclaimed as they clink their shot glasses with one another.
Joey squinted his eyes at the male. "So, what brought you here, Zigfried? Not to flirt with my girl, right?"
Mai chuckled at the obvious jealousy of her man. She was familiar with Zigfried's flirting character, but she never felt attracted to him. Their relationship was of two friends who met at a point in their lives where they regretted their choices. The whole Dartz and Kaiba Land Grand Championship situation affected them in some way. After befriending Vivian Wong, the blonde encountered Zigfried and his brother Leon in Germany as part of her traveling adventures. They dueled a few times with him coming out victorious.
The pink-haired gentleman shook his head. "Of course not. Mai is a good friend. I must say, you are a lucky man, Herr Joseph. Viviane is more up to my standards," he replied while drinking another shot.
Joey wanted to believe him only to fail in trusting someone who went his way to almost ruin someone else out of pure jealousy and hatred. "Eh, I do have to ask this. How do you feel about rich boy being here?"
The German laughed, acknowledging the blue-eyed young man's presence in the party. They may not be in speaking terms but his grudge for Kaiba has dimmed—it was not worth sacrificing his mental health with something insignificant as a long-time rivalry with the frigid CEO. "Herr Kaiba and I may not see eye to eye but it's not about our differences today. We are here to celebrate Liebschen."
Joey nodded, taking another shot of tequila from his girlfriend's grasp. Next to him, Tristan sighed since he knew he would have to take care of his drunk friend later on.
"Man, that's like the fourth shot. Take it easy there," he stated, noticing the scary glare from Mai. "Hey, I'm just looking out for Joey."
"Oh please, Taylor. Joey will be fine. Relax and enjoy the party. Don't be a party pooper. Makes you seem like Kaiba but at least he hasn't said something insensitive yet. Lighten up!"
Tristan covered his face with one hand in embarrassment, aware that most of his friends were intoxicated. "Well then, I'm not cleaning up if any accidents happen."
"Whatever," Mai responded before continuing her conversation with her boyfriend and the flamboyant German.
Seto watched in repulsion as Duke started lap dancing on Vivian Wong. The lady seemed to have consumed alcohol like the rest of the party. With the exception of the underage group and Yugi, the ambience seemed to be ridiculous. Kaiba glanced for a bit more until he caught sight of hazel eyes staring directly at him. He did not put much mind into it.
What are you doing here, Seto? Being a waste of space, I see. Mokuba wouldn't mind you being gone…
This was not the time and place for those intrusive thoughts. He had to get his head in the game and leave this stupid party. His brother Mokuba has not come back knowing that his attention was in the blonde genius, Rebecca Hawkins. Seto almost stood up from his seat, prepared to dismiss himself from the uneventful party until the obnoxious voice of the Wheeler interrupted his movement.
"Summer lovin' had me a blast," Joey started singing joined by the birthday girl afterwards.
"Summer loving happened so fast," Mai followed with the singing as most of their friends cheered.
"I met a girl crazy for me…"
"Met a boy cute as can be…"
The tipsy couple kept singing for the crowd, enjoying their time of their lives. Nothing will stop and ruin the moment, especially something as special as Mai's birthday. As the song came to an end, the background became filled with music and chatter. The atmosphere was lively, and everyone gathered in one room forgetting about their daily responsibilities.
Have you learned, Seto? This people do not care about you. Even Mokuba is happy not being around you…
"As if I'm going to believe such nonsense…" he whispered, oblivious of the person taking a seat next to him. Seto sighed, getting completely lost in thought—forgetting that he was in a public area with a few of his classmates—but his attention remained in the image of not existing in this world. Would that be ideal for his little brother? To grow up without him, without knowing of their brotherly bond.
"Mokuba needs me… but why do I feel worthless?" he thought coming back to his senses as he heard his name being called.
"Mr. Kaiba!" the other presence next to him said.
Startled by the sudden addressal of his name, he didn't feel the cup of hot chocolate falling from his grasp. Once he realized, he noticed the other person standing from her seat and helping to clean the mess with napkins. "Here, I got it."
"You know, you didn't have to do that. I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself," he scoffed, unappreciative of the female's aid.
However, the girl had a different opinion of the situation. She could tell that there was something bothering the billionaire. "It's okay, I don't mind helping out."
He huffed, indifferent to the auburn-haired beauty taking time of her day to help him with a simple thing. "Whatever, suit yourself."
She giggled at his comment. He had not changed from being the serious and aloof man she met at the blimp back in Battle City. When she was still a little girl, unfamiliar with the world making seem an easy target to fool. Her naiveness and innocence never went unnoticed even by men. But that was ages ago and now she was able to defend herself without fearing for her own life. One thing that remained was her shyness and anxiety, yet it did not prevent her from forming friendships or getting closer to a man as Seto Kaiba.
She set the broken pieces of the mug on the coffee table by the couch. That will avoid any accidents and a possible trip to the hospital. "So, Kaiba… what brings you here?"
Her question took him by surprise but responded. "Obviously not the Geek convention, I'm only here for Mokuba. He begged for my presence but based on my observations, he doesn't really need me."
She shook her head. "Actually, I think Mokuba needs you. It may seem like he does not but deep down, your brother is happy that you tagged along… it may mean a lot to him. But, I do must say… you have changed a bit from the last time I saw you, Kaiba."
The blue-eyed male turned to look at the female sitting next to him. "Ah, you're Wheeler's little sister. Took me a bit to recognize you."
Now she was interested in his statement. "Oh really? Duke and Tristan said I look the same but you're the first one to say otherwise."
Kaiba rolled his eyes, not impressed with the lack of intelligence of those two morons. "Please, don't compare me to those two imbeciles… their puny brains do not equal to my genius. Besides, it takes someone with intelligence to notice the difference in you, Miss Wheeler."
"You may call me Serenity… and what is that difference, Mr. Kaiba?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"Well, for starters your hair is shorter and the last thing you would be caught doing is mingling with Yugi and his idiot friends without the overprotective mutt you have as your brother," he answered, taking out a pill bottle from his coat. He needed that headache to disappear.
Serenity frowned at the little comment she made about her brother, but he had a point on his reasonings. "My hair was getting in the way, so I cut it shorter. And Joey learned how to set boundaries and respects my decisions."
The blue-eyed executive took note as he took two pills, trying to get rid of that immense headache. What he failed to realize was that he grabbed the wrong container from home—since the two containers were similar in size the confusion was difficult to avoid—and Seto most of the time did not read the written content because of fatigue and lack of sleep. He took a sip of water from the glass that Yugi had left earlier along with the hot chocolate.
Serenity could not take her attention from him, wanting to learn more about him than what it is known about him due to her friends and the media. She felt the vibration of her phone, more notifications of her post from earlier.
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serenitywheeler Blue…
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She chuckled as she read some of the comments—from thirsty women to jealous men who appeared impressed or surprised by her recent post. It was part of blogger duty to share her wonderful findings and since he was one of the few guys who appeared on her social media, it was no surprise that her followers would have mixed reactions.
"What's so funny, Wheeler?" he questioned, eyeing her for a bit until a certain annoying duelist sat next to him, unable to hear the young woman's answer. "Oh great, just my luck. Another Wheeler. What do you want?"
"Hey Kaibaaa.." the blond put an arm around his shoulder. "What are you doing scooped up over hereee… c'mon join the gang into some Cards Against Humanity or even Monopoly," he slurred, putting a shot of vodka on the coffee table.
Kaiba separated the blond's arm from his shoulder. "Keep your filthy hands away from me… and I do not need to explain myself to you. I wouldn't be caught playing with you dorks so go take a hike, Wheeler."
Joey laughed loudly, expecting the brunet to make those type of comments. "Typical boring Kaibaaa. I was only trying to be nice and inviting. I can't believe Mokuba puts up with someone like youuuu."
"I don't need your opinions, Wheeler… so you can start going back to your friends and leave me alone," he said, tired of the blabbering mouth of the blond.
But he is right, Seto… poor Mokuba has to deal with a pathetic excuse of a brother like you. He deserves someone better…
He lost count of the times those invasive thoughts took over his head. His mind was playing tricks on him, and he could not let it get to him. Though, his heart was starting to hurt emotionally, and every day was another day to do the same tasks, it was dragging and deep inside he was struggling. He had learned how to suppress those negative feelings after years of taxing education training from Gozaburo Kaiba. One of the main concepts he took with him was the idea that emotions were for the weak.
"Man, youuu are lameeee…" Joey stated while Serenity sighed, knowing that her brother had drunk a bit too much.
"I could care less what you think of me, Wheeler. So now, get out of my sight," he crossed his arms, aware that the blond was not going to give up.
"Only with one condition… how about you let loose and take a few shots of vodka. I'm sure a person of your caliber has drank a lot in those fancy rich meetings," he pointed out, proud with his statement.
Another sigh as he grabbed the shot full of vodka from the coffee table. "You think that scares me, Wheeler? You sure are pathetic… you should have stayed at the dog pound," he said, ignoring the stares of everyone.
"I don't know, prove it, rich boy. And for the last time, I'm not a dog!"
Serenity fiddled with her fingers as anxiety started taking over her. Last thing she wanted was her brother starting a stupid fight with Kaiba. It would not end great, especially if her brother had been drinking over the top for most of the night. She loved her brother to pieces but sometimes he was an idiot. What was he trying to accomplish with this little stunt? Was it to prove he was superior to Kaiba or to provoke him?
"Joey, that's enough. I'm pretty sure Mai would love if you were with her," Serenity blurted out, hoping her brother took a hint.
"Nah, she's chilling with Vivian. I just came to lift some spirits up, sis."
Kaiba did not think more and chugged the entire shot of vodka and placed the empty shot glass on the coffee table. "Easy. Do you really think I'm afraid of your stupid challenges? Please Wheeler, you know me better than that."
Joey smirked. "That was only one, you fool. Here, there are three more left."
He glared at Joey, observing how the shot glass was being filled with more alcoholic content. Kaiba was not a drinker—those company gatherings only served red wine or champagne as a form of toast and nothing more. He avoided alcoholic beverages to maintain an exemplary reputation. "Fine, only three more. You are really wasting my time, idiot."
As promised, Kaiba drank three more shots of vodka awaiting the dismissal of Wheeler so he could breathe. On the other hand, Serenity felt a bit out of place due to her brother shenanigans. Seeing the satisfying look on Joey's face, she turned to face the brunet. "Sorry about Joey, I think he's drunk."
"You think? He's clearly intoxicated. Spare me the lame excuses for your brother," he said and looked away.
A tint of insecurity filled the young woman as she had no further discussion to add with the CEO. Yet she did not want this to sour their earlier conversation; it was within her mission to establish a connection with Seto Kaiba. "I know, but don't let my brother's behavior ruin your night."
"Whatever, the more Wheeler is mentioned, the more I lose braincells," he expressed, standing up from the couch. "Where's Mokuba?"
Serenity pointed to two adolescents dancing to the current song playing. "He seems to be having a blast with Rebecca."
"Oh great, just my luck," he murmured, causing the auburn-haired female to cackle.
"Kaiba, the night is still young. C'mon, let's join them and dance!" Serenity stood up and grabbed his hand, dragging him to the dance floor.
Kaiba shocked with the woman's actions but at the same time, he was beginning to feel lightheaded and drowsy. Perhaps he got on his feet too quickly or it must be the alcohol since he never drank vodka in the past. The taste of it was horrible and did not see the hype now that he thinks about it. He watched as the girl danced in glee while he followed along, attempting to keep his eyes open. Dancing was nothing out of the ordinary for Kaiba—there were some business events that require his involvement in such frivolous affairs like dancing and talking to female executives or the daughters of various businessmen.
Now that Joey had taken his leave, she could feel the tension of the room decrease. The dancing with Seto Kaiba was going better than anticipated—his dancing proved to be better than the other men in the party. A romantic ballad came up next, sending some of the guests back to their seats but Serenity was not exhausted yet. "Excuse me, Kaiba," she said, placing his hands on her waist while she placed her arms around his stiff neck. Mokuba and most of the gang stared at the dancing pairing, not expecting the reserved CEO to dance. The dance appeared to be going well up till the brunet collapsed on the floor. Serenity gasped and immediately went to check on Kaiba.
Other than Serenity, Mokuba ran to his side. "Seto!" he shook his brother's body trying to wake him up.
"He's breathing, Mokuba. That's what's important," Serenity said after checking his pulse, feeling the pounding of his heart.
"Guys, can you help me put my brother into the couch?" he asked his friends, immediately getting help from Tristan and Duke. "Thanks guys, appreciate the help."
"I think the alcohol that Joey made him drink knocked him out," Tristan said, hoping that his assessment was correct.
After four shots of vodka and taking two sleeping bills, it managed to overwhelm the young CEO, and fall into sleep mode. His body was intoxicated with medication and alcohol; something that was dangerous to mix together due to the sedative reactions it may cause. Nevertheless, Mokuba had a different opinion.
"I told my brother to stop overworking… yet he does not listen. I caught him sleeping in before coming to the party. He never does that. I'm really worried about him, guys."
Serenity patted his back. "Your brother is stubborn, but Kaiba getting enough rest will heal his body from all that exhaustion. He will be fine, Mokuba. Have faith in your brother."
Mokuba nodded. "You are right, Serenity. Everything will be okay, my brother is the strongest and toughest person I know," he smiled, watching his brother sleeping peacefully on the couch. "I might have to call Roland to pick us up."
Yugi intervened, not bothered if his friends decided to stay for the night. "You don't have to do that, Mokuba. You can stay for the night if you like. I wouldn't want to wake Kaiba up."
"Good call, Yugi. Seto needs the sleep more than everyone else."
The party was coming to an end as the clock read two thirty in the morning. It was past their bedtime and getting rest would be ideal, especially since school was in two days. "I have two guests room, you guys are welcome to stay for the night as well.," Yugi said, offering his place for a sleepover.
"Sounds good to me, Yuge. I would take one those guests rooms," Joey said, less inebriated due to the whole gallon of water he drank.
"Okay, Joey, Tristan and Duke can take one guest room. Téa, Mai, Viv and Serenity can sleep on the other," Yugi stated as he watched his friend Bakura laying down on one of the couches.
"I can sleep here, Yugi," the white-haired male said before shutting his eyes.
The German a bit taken aback by Yugi's hospitality had to decline since he had to head back to his hotel. "Herr Yugi, thank you for letting me come to this party for Liebschen. I will be heading out since I did book a hotel."
"Yeah no worries, Zigfried. Tell Leon to stop by next time, it has been a while. Have a good night," he bid farewell before the German left the Mutou residence.
The lights in the house were shut off as his friends scurried to their room. For sure, it would be an eventful morning but for the moment, everyone needed their beauty sleep.
xoxoxo
and that's a wrap for chapter three! once again, thank you all for taking time to read this story. will do my best to update it soon.