Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Kaiba’s Christmas Carol ❯ Chapter 3: Kaiba is Haunted ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3: Kaiba is Haunted

 

Kaiba sat at his desk alone, typing away at his computer, as he emailed his lawyers, making all the preparations for tomorrow's meetings.

 

As he did, there was a light rap at the door.

 

“Come in.” he said gruffly, barely acknowledging anything but the laptop in front of him.

 

Mokuba cautiously entered, and stood at the other side of the desk, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

 

Trying to be patient, Kaiba finally stopped work completely and turned to his brother, asking, “What is it?”

 

“Well.....it's just....are you sure you can't come tomorrow to Yugi's

Christmas party? It would be fun, and it's at night so it shouldn't get in the way of your meeting......”

 

“Mokuba.....” Kaiba said, trying to keep from getting frustrated at the same questions. “You know my answer.”

 

“But, Seto.....”

 

“Why are you pushing this issue? It's the same thing every year.” Kaiba stated.

 

“I know that! That's why I'm pushing it! Before, we never really had anywhere to go, anyway. But, this year you have a chance to have fun and be with friends, and.....”

 

Kaiba cut him off, stating, “First of all....I don't believe in friendship.

Secondly.....unless it's business, I don't find any pleasure in `mingling', especially with the nerd squad.”

 

“But......”

 

“You should be happy about this change.” Kaiba added. “You finally get to throw all the Christmas cheer you want to whoever you want. And still you're not happy.”

 

Mokuba lowered his head. “But, it's just not the same without you.”

 

Kaiba sighed, and tiredly brushed his hair back from his face. “You need to understand.....the situation you're trying to throw me into would not allow me to enjoy myself. I don't like the holidays. Being alone during this time of year is my enjoyment.”

 

“But, why?” Mokuba said.

 

“It just is.” he said, turning back to his laptop. “Besides.....going to school has been pushing me behind in some of my work. This will allow me to catch up. By focusing on work during the holidays, it'll allow us to maximize profit values on our products.”

 

“I thought we were already doing good.” Mokuba said.

 

Kaiba replied, “We can do better.”

 

Mokuba sighed, and nodded his head, knowing there was simply no reasoning with him. “Yes, Seto.”

 

“Good.....now go to sleep. It's late.” he said.

 

Mokuba sadly went to the door, adding, “Just don't stay up too late.” And left, heading to bed.

 

Staying up late was what Kaiba wanted to do.....but Mokuba was right. He should go to bed at a reasonable time to be well rested and prepared for tomorrow's meeting.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 

Night had fallen, and Kaiba was laying in bed asleep........his alarm set to get up on Christmas to go to work. As he slept, a ghostly figure appeared in his room. `Setoooo......Setoooo.......' “Get up, boy!”

 

Kaiba's eyes shot open, and looked up to see of all people, Gozaburo Kaiba standing there in chains near his bed side. Kaiba blinked a couple times at the ghostly figure of his stepfather near his bed. Then with a tired groan, he reached for his nightstand, pulling out a bottle of hard liquor and some sleeping pills.

 

“Goddamn nightmares.” he grumbled, planning on getting the nightmares of his stepfather from his head the quickest way he could. Such a vision was no surprise to him, since one way or another; his stepfather had always haunted his mind. The only difference was......he was normally not in chains.

 

“You can't drink me away, Seto!” Gozaburo snapped. “I thought I brought you up stronger than that, you worthless excuse for a.....agh!!” As Gozaburo started trying to lecture him, more chains were formed on Gozaburo, weighing him down even more. “I - I mean.......you have to change your ways, Seto!

You have to stop being heartless, and care more.”

 

Kaiba had already drunk down his pills when Gozaburo began to tell him how worthless he was. But as the event unfolded on watching Gozaburo suffer, and his attempt to be nice.....Kaiba paused, staring at him. An instant later, Kaiba practically spit out his drink in laughter. “I don't know what's in this stuff......but it's not bad.” he chuckled a bit, picking up the pill jar to look over its ingredients.

 

“This has nothing to do with those pills you're using, Seto! Listen to me......if you continue the path you're taking, you're going to end up just like me!” Gozaburo snapped.

 

Kaiba looked back over at him, tossing the pill jar carelessly back into the drawer. Then giving a smirk, he muttered, “Well, that's interesting......and all this time I thought that's what you wanted was for me to be you. So, old man....I guess you succeeded.”

 

“Huh.....good. Then soon enough `you'll' suffer the same.....agh!!” Again, more chains were suddenly piled on top of Gozaburo, as he spit out, “Wait! Wait! I mean.....you don't want to end up like this! You have to stop now, before it's too late! Don't you see what's happening to me? I didn't care about anything and look at me, now. I am living my eternal death bound in these damn chains! How the hell do these spirits expect me to even walk in these blasted things! I can't even have a cigar!”

 

Kaiba plopped back down on his pillow, feeling the dreariness from the pills, as he mumbled, “Yer boring me, old man......go away and let me sleep.”

 

“Your pills won't let you escape from this night, Seto. You will be haunted by three ghosts!” Gozaburo stated.

 

“So, I have two more annoyances?” Kaiba tiredly asked.

 

“What? No......you have three ghosts, three! You got that?” Gozaburo snapped.

 

Groggily, Kaiba glared back at Gozaburo, saying, “Aren't you a ghost? So, that would mean I have two more. In case you have forgotten in your death, and chains, and lack of smoking...... 3 - 1 = 2.”

 

“Grrrrr......fine! Then 4 ghosts, satisfied, 4 ghosts will haunt you? Either way, there are three more on the way, and they're going to show you what a moron you've been. Which is probably the only thing I agree with them about. Agghh!!”

 

Again more chains got thrown on top. Gozaburo dug through them, peeling his face back out from the top of them, as he snapped at some unforeseen force, “Stop this! I did my part......we had a deal! Now, get rid of these damn things covering me! You hear me? Wait....what are you doing?? Nooooo!!!”

Gozaburo then faded away, without one small piece of chain relieving the weight off of him.

 

But, Kaiba didn't notice. During the time Gozaburo was fighting with some other spiritual force that could not be seen, the mix of alcohol and drugs in Kaiba's system knocked him out and he collapsed onto the bed, practically unconscious.

 

Yet, somehow......Kaiba woke up later.

 

“Seto Kaiba.....” a ghostly female voice called out.

 

Kaiba awakened, and sat up from bed, feeling oddly awake. His door was opened and light was shining through it. Angrily, he got up....assuming one of the help carelessly left a light on that woke him, and stormed over to the door to yell at whoever dared commit such a sinful act in his house, in the middle of the night.

 

At the doorway, Kaiba instantly froze. Through the door he no longer saw a hallway that was normally outside of it. Instead, it was one big-lighted room, filled with flowers, and fairies, and Christmas decorations, and cutesy Duel Monsters fluttering about.

 

On a big thrown, a woman all dressed up in some renaissance gown smiled over to him, saying, “Welcome, Seto! I am the ghost of Christmas Past.”