-- Help Them. --
{No, seriously. @ayayalahale This is essentially my retelling of the beginning of the series, incorporating Season 0′s aspects and… Yeah just, uhmm. Enjoy, I guess. I’m just gonna.. lie down now-}
It was all over the city. Every paper, every radio station, every news outlet; everywhere was buzzing with word that Seto Kaiba had ascended to his late step-father’s throne. In only a matter of months the thirteen-year-old magnate had torn down every weapons factory and testing facility the company previously owned, and upon their ashes new factories were built in order to mass-produce games, toys, and electronics for children and adults alike; leaving his peers, employees, and associates as a loss for words. Though they knew the boy was ambitious, no one was aware of just how seriously he would take his position. Just like his step-father before him, he ruled that company with an iron fist - like a King, with little tolerance for slowness and lazy work.
Rumor quickly spread that Seto had become exactly what his father was. Media articles were shared on a number of social media sites, though the subject itself was never up for debate – Seto wouldn’t allow it. Every public event, every interview, designed to make him look exactly the way he wanted the public to see him. The cool tone of his voice and practiced smile were enough to fool most, but to Kaiba Corp.’s employees - and especially Mokuba - this serene facade was far from the truth. Some employees had taken to calling him “The little dictator” behind his back, though strangely enough, after a few familiar faces ended up on MISSING posters, the name-calling ceased, and production within the main KC branch had never been better. It became clear to anyone who knew or dealt with Seto on a regular basis that he had become, for lack of a better term, a tyrant, resorting even to using his little brother of only eight years to do his bidding.
Mokuba noticed soon after Gozaburo’s death that something within Seto was very wrong. He soon came to fear his brother so much, however, that he was at first forced to pretend nothing had changed.
He’s still my brother. He’s just a little different now, that’s all. Maybe he’s just stressed out, tired…
And he “needed” as much of Mokuba’s help as he could get!
Little did Mokuba realize, though, that he, too, was changing for the worse.
As time went on, a year had finally passed. The brothers came to be known as the King and Prince of Domino City – they had already owned a fourth of the city, and staying true to the Kaiba Way, Seto sought to conquer it all. However, he could not do it alone. This meant conscripting Mokuba to the task of locating something for him; something very important. Mokuba, seeking only to please the King, his nii-sama, and gain even an ounce of his approval, was more than happy to oblige.
“ — I’ll come back with it this afternoon, nii-sama. Just you watch!”
“Don’t disappoint me, Mokuba. You would do well to remember what happens when I’m disappointed.”
The boy’s head dropped respectfully. Seto had never been “disappointed” with Mokuba - not to the full extent. But Mokuba had seen the full extent.
“Yes, nii-sama. I promise I won’t let you down.”
A sentence he struggled not to stutter.
He always left his brother looking over his shoulder, wishing he might say goodbye – but it never did happen. Not anymore.
Though mokuba hadn’t lived up to his “this afternoon!” pledge - which Seto expected anyway - it was a week later the boy finally came back with results, although completely empty-handed, meaning his hands were completely devoid of the object he was looking for.
“ — Nii-sama!” Mokuba cried excitedly, bounding toward him with his backpack strung around his right arm.
“Nii-sama, be proud of me! I found it. I found the Blue-Eyes, just like you said!”
Without a moment’s hesitation Seto stood from his desk, taking a good hard look at his brother below him.
“And? Where is it?”
Anger was apparent in the way his tone shifted. Mokuka gulped, continuing with a stammer he knew Seto couldn’t stand.
“D-don’t be mad, n-nii-sama,” the boy pleaded.
“I don’t have it with me, but I know who does..!”
His confidence picked back up as he began rummaging through his backpack, pulling out a sheet of paper he had tucked away. It was a small file, briefing the identity of a high school student named Yugi Motou. After taking the page from Mokuba, Seto quickly studied the details, a small smirk creeping onto his face.
“Well done, little brother. This may be the best thing you’ve ever done.”
With his statement came a smile from the younger brother; a genuine smile with tears to match. If he hadn’t been so mindful respectful of Seto’s personal space, he would have hugged him and not let go. Now was not the time, however – Seto had a plan brewing in that head of his, and if Mokuba were to interrupt the flow of ideas, he would have hell to pay.
The very next day – on a Monday, no less – at the Domino City high school, none other than Seto Kaiba himself had arrived, limousine and all, clad in the school’s very blue uniform. Truthfully, Seto had tested out of a prestigious university two years before, but as he informed the school (and, naturally, the media), he “Wanted a real high school experience” to “help him connect with Domino’s youth”, as if he himself weren’t fourteen years old at the time. Regardless, this fact excited both the school’s faculty and its students – mostly the female students. But this wasn’t what he was there for. At 8 o’clock sharp, class began. The teacher introduced Seto to his small portion of the student body, Seto himself stating additionally that he was ecstatic to be there, claiming he hoped to make friends during the time he stayed. With a curt bow he left the front of the class, taking an available seat – one he reserved for himself – in a middle row to the back of the classroom, coincidentally near his target.
Class came to a close an hour and a half later, leaving students yawning and stretching before making their way to the next period. Seto fully intended on confronting Yugi before he left the room, but he had missed his chance by only a few seconds. It seemed the boy had friends.
“This may prove troublesome – No matter. I will find a way around it.”
Rest assured, he would. Seto was adamant about having Yugi’s exact schedule, so there was physically no way he could miss another opportunity. One way or another he would speak with him; even if it took following him all day long. Luckily enough for Seto, this did not come to pass. It was at noon, lunchtime, that he finally got his next chance. Yugi and one other blond were playing a mock-game of Duel Monsters in the back of the lunchroom. Taking no time at all to seize this opportunity, Seto calmly walked over, and interrupted the flow of gameplay.
“—Duel Monsters, eh? I play, you know. World Champion.” He stated, his tone coolly upbeat. The taller blond was the one to respond first, much to Seto’s annoyance.
“Hey, wait a minute – is that seriously you? The Seto Kaiba? I mean, I thought you looked like him, but yaknow, I just-“
“Fantastic,” Seto replied all-too quickly, if only to get him to shut up for a few seconds. The blond was suddenly offended, and easily ignored.
He inquired to Yugi once more.
“I see you’re about to win.”
Seto had looked down at Yugi’s hand after scanning the duel field. The blond’s emotions quickly switched again, now looking to Kaiba with complete disdain. So, what? Was his conversation not good enough or somethin’? And just how was he so sure Yugi was about to win? It was in that instant that he began to wonder what made Seto feel so off, but the game caught more of his interest than that did. Insistent on proving Kaiba wrong, he played a card he was sure would grant him victory – but luck was not on his side that day.
“Ah, Jonouchi,” Yugi responded, feeling guilty about leading his friend on, “He wasn’t wrong.”
He proceeded to play the one card in his hand that sealed his victory, and while Jonouchi steamed over another agonizing defeat, Yugi continued on with Seto.
“So, you’re him then? I’ve seen you in all of my classes today. Pretty cool we got the same schedule, huh?”
“In the flesh,” he shrugged, ignoring the other half of his inquiry, “but I’m more interested in you. I’ve heard you’re the best player in this school, Yugi Motou. Your reputation precedes you.”
A lie.
“I’m not here to play, however.”
With one swift movement, Seto swung his briefcase up and over, setting it down on top of a nearby table, proceeding to open the case, showcasing its contents to a growing crowd.
“I’m looking for something very specific, Yugi. It’s an extremely valuable, rare card, and as trade, I will give you the contents of this case for it, no questions asked.”
The boy’s eyes had never widened so much. In fact, the whole crowd’s eyes never had. Seto’s vast collection had everyone pushing and shoving to see it, though they dared not get too close. Some students did speak up instead, insisting Yugi take them already. As great an offer that sounded, though…
“—This is more than generous of you, Kaiba, but it really depends on the card. I can’t just give my possessions away like that. They mean something to me.”
The crowd groaned, Jonouchi had asked if Kaiba wouldn’t mind giving it to him instead, and Seto’s eye twitched, his plastic smile and nice-guy façade ready to crumble. If this had been anyone else – anyone at all – Seto would have had them beaten. There was too much at stake here, however. The beating would have to come later.
He kept his cool.
“I understand,” he eventually said in a sigh, closing the briefcase gingerly.
“In that case, would you mind simply showing it to me after school? I’m looking for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon; I hear it’s one of the most powerful cards in the game. I’m… Simply curious to see what it looks like up close.”
Yugi blinked, pondered, and then nodded.
“I’ll… See what I can do.”
“Perfect.”
Seto left that day feeling quite confident, though he hadn’t expected what might happen next. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jonouchi finally let Yugi in on his suspicions. He would have done so earlier, but with that guy’s reputation, he didn’t want to take any chances.
“Yug. You know I trust ya – and I hope you trust me, too, because there’s somethin’ off about that Kaiba, and I don’t think showin’ him that card is a good idea. He’s a World Champion, remember? What would he even need a card like that for?”
Yugi thought for a moment, his brows furrowed.
“Well, he seemed to have quite the collection. Maybe he was looking to complete it.”
“Tch – Yugi. I might not be the best at this game, but I’m not an idiot. I keep up with the circuits. He already has three of the four that exist. Yug, if you have it, buddy, I would keep that thing locked up tight.”
Exactly a week passed before Seto heard word from Yugi. During that time Seto’s patience had worn thin. He had backed off quite a bit in school, only staying for half a day due to “urgent business”, and hadn’t shared a word with him since Monday. Needless to say, he was not happy, as evidenced by his treatment of Mokuba. During aggravating periods such as these, he tended to succumb to a deeply-rooted anger he’d never been able to let go of, and always took it out on the nearest thing – that thing, nine times out of ten, being his brother.
“Don’t tell me you were wrong about this.” He stated, his arms crossed as he glanced at Mokuba from across the room. The boy’s posture tensed, his arms and legs close together submissively.
“N-no, n-n-n-nii-sama!” He stuttered.
“Spit. It. Out.”
“I swear, that’s what I heard! My friends—“
“Your friends are nothing but a group of little thugs who have no idea what they’re doing! Who did they hear this from, anyway, huh? Some squirrel on the street? Please.”
Mokuba bit his lip, clasping his hands together in an attempt not to cry.
“Here come the tears,” Seto mocked, his expression becoming more and more disgusted.
“If you’re going to cry, then do it somewhere else. It’s annoying, and I don’t want to hear it.”
Dutifully Mokuba nodded, silently, wiping his eyes before turning to leave the room. He debated for what felt like forever whether or not he should try to apologize, but he never got the chance. The phone rang, and as always, Seto was quick to answer.
“What?”
“There’s a… Miss Hale on line two. She’s been calling all day on and off. We’ve blocked one of her numbers already, but she keeps calling back. I’ve told her I can’t put it through without your say-so, but she insists she knows you. She threatened to come here herself if I didn’t put her through.”
Damn, damn, damn. She must have heard the news.
Mokuba, from a few feet away, only barely overheard the voice on the other end.
Hale. Miss Hale. Where did he remember that name..?
Seto knew. He knew full well. He was tempted to tell his receptionist to keep blocking her calls, but with one extremely brave movement, Mokuba ran over and swiped the phone from his brother.
“Skyler! Put her through!”
{Proceeds to sing “fuck this shit i’m out” while squiggling away into the dark recesses of my mind}