Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Forgiveness ❯ Game Start ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh… I'd do a lot of stuff. But I don't.

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Kaiba rolled up the dark window inside the limousine so the driver couldn't look back and got the puzzle out of his briefcase. He stroked it. ---Come on, come out. I can't help you feel better if you stay in there and don't talk to me… Let me help! Please?---

An instant later Yami's weight was on his lap and Yami's arms were wrapped around his neck, and his tears were soaking into his school jacket. --I shouldn't have expected any better. I used him against his wishes to kill. And he knows it. His pure heart… you have known evil, Kaiba. You know what must be done to oppose it. He… to him, what I have done is inexcusable. I have killed, Kaiba.--

---Shhh, shhh.--- Kaiba held the quietly sobbing Yami in his arms. He had an idea. ---Quiet for a second.--- He pushed the intercom. "Driver? Could you stop by Mokuba's school, please? Thank you."

--What?--

---I'll take both of you to work with me. You can play with him, and I can keep an eye on you both.--- `And maybe Mokuba can cheer you up.'

--If you wish. I… I just want to sleep.--

---Oh no you don't. You need to cheer up. Yugi… if he was a complete idiot you wouldn't think so highly of him. And he's part of you, right? And you're a genius, like me. So he'll figure out eventually that you had a reason. He'll want you back, I promise.---

Kaiba kept holding Yami as they arrived at Mokuba's school. Kaiba called to cancel Mokuba's usual pickup, and they waited for his school to get out. Finally the bell rang and Kaiba told Yami to get back in the puzzle so the driver wouldn't see him when he opened the door. Kaiba got out and waited for Mokuba.

--Are you sure he's going to see you? He's not expecting you to pick him up…--

---The limo is where his pickup usually is. He'll come over here…oof!---

Kaiba had lost track of what was going on around him while talking to Yami, and the short Mokuba had managed to use the crowd to fleeing students as cover. He laughed as he stepped back from Kaiba after jumping at him and hugging him. "Hello, big brother! Why are you here?"

"I'm taking you to work with me. Now come on."

"Awww! I was hoping maybe you would ditch work and take me to an amusement park." Mokuba made watery eyes.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Me, ditch work?"

Mokuba imitated the patented Kaiba why-is-this-idiot-wasting-my-time glare. "You, come pick me up?"

Kaiba opened his mouth and shut it a moment later. "Point." He motioned to the car. Mokuba got in and Kaiba followed.

They sat across from each other and once the engine started up, Mokuba asked quietly, "So? How did it go?"

Kaiba bit his lip and looked out the tinted window.

Mokuba sighed. "That bad, huh? How's Yami taking it?"

"Ask him yourself." ---Yami? Come out.---

Yami appeared next to Kaiba, leaning on him. "I am… fine, Mokuba. Thank you for your concern." He sighed, not meeting Mokuba's eyes. Kaiba grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Nuh-uh." Mokuba shook his head. "You look really bad. What happened?"

"It's private, Mokuba." Kaiba looked at Yami, whose eyes were misting over. He didn't need to hear a blow-by-blow of how his other love had pretended he wanted him back to destroy him. `How could Yugi do that? After everything Yami did for him? To offer him the thing he wants most…' It still haunted him. How Yami's bowed head had looked up… he could imagine the hope that had been in his eyes. Then how it had immediately fell back down, as though despair had robbed Yami of even the strength to hold it up.

"Oh." Mokuba said, understanding in his eyes. He went over to Yami's other side and patted him on the shoulder. "It'll be okay."

"No." Yami buried his head against Kaiba's neck. "It won't ever be okay."

"You're wrong. Seto's going to help you and Seto can do anything. So everything will be great. Right, big brother?" Mokuba looked at Seto.

Seto sighed. He'd loved the way his brother hero-worshipped him at the orphanage. He'd almost lost that when Gozaburo had hardened his heart. Now he had it back, and it made him feel horrible. He didn't deserve it. He'd failed to save Mokuba from Pegasus. He'd been cruel to him, abandoned him, corrupted him…

--Shhh. It's alright, Seto.-- Yami's hand rested on his other shoulder. -You do indeed deserve his love. He has seen you when you were consumed by your darkness. He knows what you have done. And he has chosen to still love you, still look up to you. Because he knows what you did when you were free, and that is far more important to him than what you did when you were not.--

---But he does not know the whole truth of how low I have sunk.--- Kaiba sighed, lost in his dark memories, forgetting Mokuba was in the car. His free hand drifted up to hold Yami to him. Pretending that Mokuba had betrayed him, hitting him, to fool Gozaburo. Ruining the other holders of the blue-eyes cards to get them. Gozaburo using his Virtual World to aid in war…

--He knows of Death-T. And of the deaths. You do not hide things from him as well as you think, Seto. And do you truly think that little of him, that his love could be broken that easily?--

---Easily!? I've done horrible things, Yami!--- Seto rested his head against Yami's shoulder and pressed him against him hard, like a lifeline. Tears were threatening to flow.

--And so have I. Yet you still hope to regain Yugi's love for me. And I still love you, even after seeing your mind. And you love me. He is your brother, Seto.-Yami began to rock Seto. "Shhh, shhh…" -He will always love you. See?--

Seto felt another weight press against his free side, and small arms encircle him. "Seto… are you okay? Please be okay…" There was so much worry and caring in Mokuba's voice.

Seto shifted his hand to encircle him. "It's alright, Mokuba. I'll be fine."

"You aren't just saying that?" Mokuba's voice was small.

"No." Seto straightened up and smiled down at the boy. At both of them. "I think I actually will be fine." He felt Yami's lips move against his neck as he smiled. A second later, Yami disappeared.

A voice came over the intercom. "Mr. Kaiba? We're here."

Kaiba got out of the car and went up to his office, Mokuba following. Employees flinched at the grin on his face, but Mokuba was happy. `And it serves the idiots right to be scared. Guilty consciences, anyone? Helping the Big-5 overthrow the guy who pays you? You better run.'

He shut the door, and as he contacted him to ask, Yami reappeared. -Anything I can help you with?-

"Aloud, please. Mokuba can't hear us when we use the link, and it's rude to talk behind people's backs."

"Alright. Well? Is there anything?"

"Yes, actually. Since you can read so fast, go through those papers and pass me anything I need to look at or sign."

Yami had sorted through the several inch thick stack in the time it took Kaiba to get his laptop booted up and logged into the system. Not like that was that short a time. The password system was complex, since as system manager he could do pretty much anything he liked to Kaiba-Corp's computers. It wouldn't do for some hacker to break in. Still…

"How can you read so fast?"

Yami shrugged. "I don't know. I just can."

"Well, if you were pharaoh, you might have had paperwork. That might explain it." Kaiba shrugged and turned back to his computer.

"Pharaoh?" Mokuba broke in.

"I may have been one. I don't actually know anything before Yugi solved the puzzle, but I seem to have a lot of skills… and none of them with anything modern."

"Cool!" Mokuba watched Yami get up from where he was stretched out on the floor. "Whatcha doing?"

"Protective spells." Yami said distractedly, examining the doors and windows, opening the doors to the side rooms and exploring. "I already did the mansion, while I was there alone yesterday…"

"Magic? Cool!" Mokuba trotted along behind. Seto listened with half an ear, curious. "Can you teach me? Can you teach me to fly?"

"Yes, but my magic is Shadow Magic, which is rather dangerous… I'd need a lot of time to show you how to handle the power safely before you could do anything. And I'd need to supervise your first few spells very closely. There's a fatal level of risk involved. You could quite easily die. I doubt your brother would approve." After giving everything a once-over, Yami returned to the door they had come in by and began to trace signs over it while muttering. Gold and grey light swirled where his hands passed.

Seto watched, fascinated. It was so pretty, and… familiar? Next was an upside-down V with a small circle over it… How did he know that?

Yami tensed, then finished up very quickly. -Someone's coming.-He said and disappeared. Just then the door flung open and in marched the Big-5.

Seto's eyes narrowed. `Not knocking or letting my secretary ask if I wanted them to come in? Why are they so confident?' "Ah, gentlemen. I see you're back from your `vacations.' How were they?" He said, standing up.

"Mr. Kaiba… you know we weren't on vacations. We were only saying we were so we could avoid working with Mr. Pegasus to take over this company. With yourself and your brother held captive, we had no choice but to appear to go along with his demands. We're so glad you're safe!"

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba! We're so sorry, Mokuba, if we'd known Pegasus intended to snatch you we would have beefed up security. We were so surprised when that goon came into the room with you! We had to play along or else you might have been injured."

"Oh, please!" Mokuba burst out before Kaiba's raised hand stopped him.

"And I'm sure you gentlemen have evidence to back up your claims?"

"We've kept up all your projects, especially the Virtual World! Do you wish to examine it?" The personnel manager said with a smile.

"Alright. Let's go." Kaiba walked out the door and everyone followed him.

Mokuba came up to him and held his hand. "Big brother… are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Trust me, Mokuba." Kaiba whispered back. No way these goons would be able to beat him. He'd stick his head into the lion's mouth and find out what their plans were, then kick their asses right out the door. He could feel Yami laughing in his mind.

--Confident, aren't we?--

Kaiba smiled. Yami seemed alive, like he had been when they had dueled. Challenge seemed to do that to him. He thrived on it. ---Yes, I am. If you ask nicely, I'll let you help even. Well?---

A mental smirk. If Yami had fangs, they'd be showing. --Oh, yesss. This should be fun. Fools.- A chilling laugh. If Kaiba didn't know Yami was on his side… --I love games, don't you? The element of risk… remember I said even weaklings were worth playing?--

---I duel, of course I love games. The thrill of the hunt…--- He could smile too. Too bad the fools were behind. He'd love to see the looks on their faces at the look on his face. But it'd be too over the top to burst out in maniacal laughter. `Darn. Oh well. I'll get to see the looks on their faces when they lose to a kid. That ought to be almost as good. Ah. We're here.'

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Can you spot where I got the sign from? And no, this isn't going to be a crossover. I might do one eventually, though. And I'm going to Catalina for a week, so I might be late with the next update. Sorry!

Queen of Fire and Chaos: I am going to have a little more of him in this story… if you like him, look at the second chapter of Light in the Darkness, and all of Deny thy Father. They're about him.

Hihana: It's actually going to be easy. You'll see why.

Innocent: No, I love Yugi, but the fact that he's an innocent means he sees things in black and white. Killing is Wrong, therefore Yami is Evil. And Kaiba finally getting a good relationship does not mean he has suddenly developed people skills. I am limiting my ooc-ness to that reasonable from the events.

LadySaturnGirl: At Fort Knox, you don't have to worry about being eaten by dragons.

SilverWing147: Comeuppance?

Sasameyuki: Word.

Silvershadowfire: Hi!

Lucidscreamer: Thanks!

Kawaii Chibi Yami: Innocent, not weak.

Amber Eyes: It's kinda part of the story… I hate those fics too. Don't worry, it'll be over soon.

Koishii No Tenshi1: Poor thing!

Y-n-Y: o.O

Chibi Pharaoh Yami: He won't!

Pharaoh Atemu's Angel: Here you go!