Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Altered Destinies ❯ Chapter 2: The Memories of a Shattered Heart (Part 1) ( Chapter 2 )

This is my first attempt at a Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction so please be kind in your reviews, if you review. I might not have many of the characters in character. On another note I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh and never will. I don't know whom it is that owns Yu-Gi-Oh and besides giving these unknown parties credit for making such a kickass manga/anime, I don't really care. Also, I don't have any money right now so, no one can benefit at all when it comes to suing me.

I came up with this idea when I read a couple of stories that I have read on fanfiction.net. One was recently taken off for some reason but it had been a good story. The other focused on the series if Yugi had been born a girl. I decided to take my shot at this kind of story but using Seto Kaiba. I will only mention this once so pay attention:

/Backslash/ - a conversation between a person and their spirit. i.e.: Yugi to Yami and vice versa.

//Double Backslash// - the person is thinking.

~some words~ - mysterious voice. (Only for this chapter)

-Altered Destinies, Chapter 2-

"Unnnhhh ohhhhh," Seto opened her eyes, pain engulfing her body. "What happened?" Images flashed in front of the girl's cerulean eyes.

-Flashback-

"Kaiba," a boy with multicolored hair said with a finger pointing at her after a bright flash of light from Exodia's attack died down. A symbol of an eye, similar to the one glowing on a rather large pendant hanging off his neck, appeared on his head. "You played a game of darkness without realizing it, but for the sake those that you have hurt in your petty quest for revenge, I won't let you go without punishment. Accept your penalty. Penalty Game: Empuzzlement of the Heart." A white light engulf Seto before darkness swallowed her, leaving her to fall back in her seat with a blank look on her now dull grayish-blue eyes.

-End Flashback-

"Okay," Seto said, shaking her head clear of the memory. "That explains what happened, but where am I?" Seto got a good look at her whereabouts. Blackness surrounded the girl wherever she looked, but that wasn't what got her attention. Shards of various shapes and sizes were scattered all across the floor. //What are these?//

"Come on big sister," a child-like male voice called out from no. "It has been a week since your defeat in front of the nation. You have to get up from your coma."

"Coma?" Seto questioned. "So I am trapped inside my own body. Maybe I deserve this fate Mokuba. It rids everyone, including you of troublesome old me."

"Your sister will wake up soon," another boy's voice. "She has the strength to do so. Once she pieces back all the pieces of her shattered heart back together."

"Yugi," the girl was surprised. What was he doing with his brother after all that has happened at Death-T. The images of two Yugis flashed in her mind. One had round eyes and exuded an aura of innocence, well the type of innocence that a 15 to 16 year old boy could possibly have. The other boy was taller and had a powerful aura of confidence. "I knew I wasn't imagining things after our first encounter, there are two Yugi's in that one body. Now, what does he mean by my shattered heart." Seto thought for a moment before realizing what Yugi had meant. "The pieces on the floor. How is this possible? Just who is this other Yugi in which he has the ability to shatter a person's consciousness like that? The big questions are how do I piece my heart together and should I even bother? Just why did this have to happen?" As if to answer his question, a vision flashed before his eyes.

-Flashback-

A young boy of about five years of age with brown hair and blue eyes was sitting at a wooden table reading a book. The room was quiet until a metallic click sound of a lock unlocking tore his attention away from the book. "Tousan and Kaasan are home from the hospital," the boy said to no one in particular as the door to the apartment opened, revealing a man and woman in there 30's. The man had the same brown hair as the boy, and dark brown eyes. The lady had long black hair with the same blue eyes as the kid. She also had something wrapped in a blanket in her arms. "Kaasan," the boy ran up to his mother, "Is this the new baby?" The boy said look at the face inside the blanket.

"Yes it is Seto," the lady said with a smile.

"Meet your new brother," the guy said. "We've named him Mokuba and we are sure that you would be a good big brother to him."

"But it would be a lie and you know it," Seto said disappointingly. "I'm not even a real boy. Just someone you dressed up as a boy to please your desires." Seto said raising her voice.

"Let's not get into this Seto right now," the father said. "Mokuba is still asleep and it would be very rude to wake him up now would." Seto stomped off to her room in a slight fit. The scene shifts to nighttime that day. Mokuba was sleeping in a cradle in the living room near the parent's bedroom. The door to Seto's room creaked and the brown-haired girl tiptoed out to the cradle. Seto stared at Mokuba with a scowl.

"Mokuba," Seto whispered in a slight scowl. "I blame you for all this. Because of you, I'm still stuck doing their wishes. If you had been born a girl like me, maybe they would see what they have been doing to me is wrong. I can't even be myself because of you and the worst part is that I have started accepting what they expect of me. You will never get the chance to know your real older sibling." Seto stare at Mokuba's innocent looking face and sighed in slight defeat, "Ahh, who am I kidding. My parents would still convince me that being a boy would have the better results and in some cases, their right. Even if I could be a real girl now, it is too late. All the friends I've made at school would hate me." Tears welled up in Seto's eyes. "Just why did my parents have to be so old fashion in their beliefs. Just for on-," a slight pressure her finger disrupted her thoughts. Seto saw that her hand had drifted between the bars of the newborn's cradle and that Mokuba had unconsciously grabbed a hold of his big sister's fingers. Seto's hard features softened at the sight. "I can't stay mad at you. So small, sweet and innocent, and there are many people who treat you poorly. I will do anything to make sure you are safe and happy, even at the cost of a normal, happy life for me, but I promise that I will reveal to you my secret some day." Mokuba's tiny hand slipped from her finger and Seto slowly walked back to her room. The whole scene started to fade away.

-End Flashback-

Seto had a faraway look in her eyes as the scene disappeared around her and became the familiar darkness that had surrounded her before. "What's going on here?" She asked confused at what just happened. "Why did I now have that vision of my past and now of all times? I don't want to see my past so how do I get out of this. I guess I better gather those pieces to my heart now. The task would be much easier to accomplish with everything in place." The brunette set off on the task of gathering all the fragments on the floor. Little did Seto know that the fragments had a faint glow ever since the scene of the memory. Seto accomplished her task. "How the hell am I going to do this?" Seto asked to herself staring at the large pile. "There has to be at least 10,000 different pieces and the puzzle, as a whole, seems to be in 3-D. To make things worse, the pieces have undefined edges so it is impossible to know what goes where. This is far more advance than any other puzzle I've encountered." Seto went about the task of piecing her heart back together. Seto found out that she had to do was get the correct pieces at the correct connection point and they fused together. Seto continued on with this newfound knowledge, but she was going at an extremely slow rate. Given enough time, Seto found herself stuck. "There is no way I'll ever get this done at this rate."

~You can see it, but you haven't seen it.~ A strange voice sounded throughout the darkness. Seto looked around for the source of the voice but couldn't find it.

"I must be losing it," Seto said. "There is no one here but me." Seto then noticed a rippling effect as the scene around him started to shift.

-Flashback-

It has been two years since Mokuba's birth and Seto was reading a book at the table when door to the apartment opened up and Seto's mother entered with a couple of bags in her hands. Seto ran up to greet her mother who went out shopping. She hadn't been in saying what she was shopping for, but Seto could tell by the bags that it wasn't for groceries. "Kaasan, what did you get while you were out."

"Well what I got isn't of much use as of right now," the mother said reaching into one of the department store. She pulled out a strange garment that seemed to be kept together by a string.

"What is it?" Seto asked with a confused frown on her face. Her mother couldn't help but smile at her child's antics.

"It is a corset dear," Seto's mom (I'll just call her Asako) said. "It is a garment for girls meant to go under one's clothes. The main purpose of one is to give a girl a more defined shape like lift her breasts and narrow her waist. This one and the others are custom design for you to push your breasts in. They won't be of use until you reach adolescence and develop a more feminine figure."

"Why bother disguising me as a boy if I end up looking like a girl anyways," Seto asked with a slight anger in her voice. Her parents are robbing her of a chance to be a normal girl. She spent seven years dressing and acting like a boy in both private and public to now find out that she would end up looking female in the end and only have that taken away from by a piece of underclothing design to hide her female traits. She saw no point to this whole mess at all.

"Oh, you silly 'boy'," Seto scowled at being called a boy. "You know perfectly well that you can't take over your father's shop with thoughts like that. You being a girl, come on now. You know full well that girls don't like the mangas you like to read, the animes you like to watch, and not to mention some of the games that you like to play. Not only that, but they wouldn't be able to keep the "friends" that you have because of your smarts and your male appearance."

"I am sick and tired of you guys thinking like that," Seto nearly yelled out. "You are so behind the times with your overly strict thoughts of tradition to not notice the changes that happen all around. If you are so concerned about the proper heir that you want being your first-born son, why not have Mokuba run the shop then. He is your oldest son and I emphasize son."

"I will not have you talk to me like that," Asako scolded Seto. "I am your Kaasan and along with your Tousan, we know what is best for you. Now go to your room and don't come back out until you settle down." Seto ran into her room crying. Why couldn't her parents understand her? Nighttime fell and Seto still hadn't come out of her room.

"Dumb girl. Get out of our sights." Insults flew at Seto as well as spit wads, erasers, pens, pencils and other small erasures. Seto saw many faces that she recognized as her schoolmates around her staring at her with hate and malice. "You freak." Seto was stunned to find many of her friends have joined in the activities against her. "Go play with your dollies as a good girl should you freak of nature."

"Why are you doing this?" Seto asked, tears flowing out her eyes. "You're my friends."

"Look," one of Seto's friends laughed. "The little freak is crying. Not so high and mighty now girl." The rest laughed at Seto's anguish. "We your friends because you were smart guy, but now that we see your true freakish, girlish nature, freak, you mean nothing to us."

Seto woke up in a cold sweat. It was midnight. //What a terrible dream?// She thought. //Could Kaasan be right about knowing what is best? Is this really the best for me? I have many friends at school, but could that be the only reason why I am so popular. Because I look like a boy to them. I could feel the emotional hurt from that dream as if it actually happened. Kaasan and Tousan have always been by my side giving me helpful advice. Maybe I shouldn't be so mean to them. They are doing only what they think is right. I don't know anymore.// Seto shook her head clear. //They are doing what is right. Who am I to complain when they have given me life somehow. They are more experienced in life then I am. Not only that, but can I really trust myself after that nightmare. I believe that they are my friends, but if I revealed myself to them, would they still be.// A loud rumble disrupted Seto's thoughts. She stood up on shaky legs and walked to her bedroom's door. Entering the living room, Seto saw her mother watching her room from a chair in the living room. Deciding to get this done first, Seto walked up to her mother who was staring at her. "Kaasan, I'm sorry for the way that I have acted earlier today." Seto said in defeat. "I've realized that you were right. You and Tousan do know what is best for me and I shouldn't complain like I have."

Asako could only stare in shock. She had no idea that Seto would look so lost when they broke her of the idea of being their daughter. Tear fell down her face as she looked at her defeated daughter. "I'm so sorry Seto," she sobbed as she went to her knees to hug her daughter. "If I had known you were going to look this lost when you accepted our beliefs, we wouldn't have forced our ways onto you." Seto could only stare as Asako held her to her mother's bosom.

"Don't apologize Kaasan," Seto said. "I shouldn't have fought with you in the first place. You were only looking out for my well being along with Tousan."

"I have an idea Seto," Asako said. "Masahiko and I came up with this. We keep up with disguising you as a boy and if some one is able to see through it, you can give up this facade and be a real girl. But only if someone outside the family and in public figures it out. You also can't intentionally give out clues. Promise me that."

"I promise Kaasan," Seto said with a smile. A chance to be the girl that she is, although a small chance, but a chance nonetheless. Asako went to the kitchen to fix her daughter a snack as it has been many hours since Seto ate. The scene once again fades away.

-End Flashback-

Seto blinked as the blackness surrounds her once again. "I remember that day. My parents got me those corsets to continue with disguising me as I went through puberty and developed. It wasn't so bad at first, but then it got harder to move around and breathe in the last couple of months at a slow, gradual pace. Eventually I would of had to find some way to kill myself off and come back with a new identity. I've also vowed never to be that weak again. I went on with that plan to not reveal my true gender until someone outside of the family could see through the facade. I hated myself for giving in eventually, but how did Yugi know." Seto thought out loud before return to the task she had at hand. She noticed that it was slightly easier piecing the pieces of her heart together. Pondering this she noticed that the pieces had a more defined edge so it became just a little more obvious on what pieces go where. It was then that she remembered the voice. "Of course, the heart that Yugi mention of represents my feelings and my memories. The solution to figuring this out is in the memories I've locked deep into my consciousness. Is it really worth this. I mean who would be glad for me when I wake up besides Mokuba and I've betrayed his trust by forcing him to experience the Death Simulation Chamber." Once again, the scenery around her shifted to another moment in her past.

-Flashback-

DING DONG. "I'm coming, I'm coming," Seto yelled out as the doorbell rang. She was now 10 years of age. Following her parents advice she looked through the peephole to see what looks like a police officer standing outside. Opening the door a crack, she asked, "Can I help you officer?"

"Are you the offspring of a Ohkura Masahiko and Ohkura Asako," the officer asked and Seto replied with a yes and opened the door. "About two hours ago, an automobile accident occurred. After surveying the damage we found four people. Two who survived and two who didn't."

"S- s- so what are you trying to say," Seto asked with a twinge of worry. The officer was going to regret having to say this to one so young. He noticed Mokuba hiding around a corner in the highway.

"I am afraid to say this, but your parents are dead," the officer rested a hand on Seto's shoulder as Seto began to cry. "I need to know this son. Do you have any relatives that we can contact?" Seto shook her head no. "It is such a shame to be the bearer of even more bad news, but according to eyewitness accounts, your parents were the ones at fault for the accident and the survivors are filing charges for their injuries. We are going to have to take you two," the officer said pointing to Seto and Mokuba, "to an orphanage. I will give you time to pack up your clothes and some toys. I'll be waiting for you."

"Seto," Mokuba called out to his 'brother.' "What is wrong?"

"Our parents were in an accident Nee-chan," Seto answered. "They didn't survive and the ones who did will be taking claim over this place and the store after the lawsuit. We'll have to go to an orphanage soon. Get some clothes and toys from your room and meet me at the front door of the store." Seto went to the bathroom first to get some necessary items. "According to Kaasan, I'll be needing these eventually." Seto gathered two suit cases and two bags and got the corsets that her parents got her three years ago. After that, the brunette gathered all the clothing that she needed, followed by her games and a couple of her favorite manga. When she was done, she left her room and saw her brother come out of his. "Here, put your toys in this bag." Mokuba did as instructed and the two left the apartment. Seto picked up a few packs of cards for the new game out in America, Magic and Wizards.

"I see that you two are ready, but I have a little more bad news," the officer said. "I was just told that the orphanage here is full and that the nearest one with any room is all the way in Domino City, two hours from here. I will drop you off at the train and an officer there will pick you up." The officer opened the back door of his car and the two kids entered. The officer entered the car and started it up. Seto and Mokuba watched, with tears in their eyes, the place they've called home start to disappear in the distance.

-To Be Continued-

I just randomly picked a last name for Seto and Mokuba's biological family. In the next chapter Seto is still working on piecing her heart back together while going over the memories of the orphanage. As for the use of the punishment game that Dark Yugi (Yami) used on Kaiba, if you have seen the names of the penalty games he used on others, they seem to fit the punishment itself. For one example, the name of Ushio's penalty was Greed and all he could see after that was money. Seto's heart was shattered and he, or in this story, she had to piece it back together like a puzzle. I have ready Alecto Perdita's fic "Gifted," so please don't think that I took the idea from that. It might have some influence, but the idea is more derived what I have said. Mind Crush seems like it would kill a person to me.