Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ If I Never Was ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Title: If I Never Was

 

Chapter: 1/?

 

Author: Madyamisam

 

Rating: PG-13

 

Wish maker: Seto

 

Beta: Daisey

 

Spoilers: References to characters from the Noah's Arc and KC Grand Prix saga.

 

Disclaimer: Madyamisam does not own Yu-Gi-Oh and she is very sad that she doesn't so don't be mean to her by going as far as putting a law suit on her for copyright infringement. For the character of Hatori I named him after Fruits Basket's Hatori Sohma but other than that the character is mine. ALL MINE!!!

 

Summary: What would life be like without any responsibilities? To be able to live freely from the restraints of your duties and become ordinary? What would life be like… if there never was, Seto Kaiba?

 

A/N: Since this is an AU, Seto and Jou are OOC but necessarily so because the wish had made it that way, :P so there.

 

---

 

The Ichigawa home was a fairly large place to house a family of three, yet it was modest enough to maintain the warm atmosphere that many of the large mansions seemed to lack. That day, it had been alive with life as a young man in his late twenties paced back and forth, searching frantically about his large living room.

 

Hatori Ichigawa was late for work, and it was not helping that he could not find his car keys ~anywhere~. Acutely aware of the minutes ticking by, he brushed back his long brown mane and closed his grey eyes, trying to remember where he had last put the damn things. He opened his eyes again when a jangle caught his attention. His eldest son stood in the doorway with a huge grin on his face, waving the precious keys in the air. The bright brilliance of the boy's blue eyes seemed to twinkle just like his beloved wife's had done before she'd passed away three years ago. Breathing a sigh of relief that he was not going to be as late as he thought, he smiled gratefully.

 

“Thank you Se-cha-” he was cut off when the eight year old teasingly tucked the keys behind his back and giggled, stepping away from the man. Hatori made a face, somewhere between a pout and a scowl. “Seto…” he warned, only to be answered with a squeal as the small boy made a run for it. “COME BACK HERE!!!” he shouted as he gave chase, tripping himself on a rug in the process. This added to the delight to the younger brunet who had raced upstairs to hide. The smallest member of the Ichigawa family squealed and ran after him to join in the game, however, because of his short and stubby baby legs, Mokuba was still rather awkward on the steps. Scooping the toddler into his arms, Hatori leapt up the stairs as he searched for his more quick and elusive son. Plopping Mokuba back down at the top of the steps, Hatori searched the bedrooms and quickly caught onto the slight snigger coming from under the bed. With an all-knowing smirk he reached under and relentlessly tickled the little figure beneath it. Seto screamed with laughter, and the older brunet chuckled as he brought the tickling session came to an end. “Now, give me the keys”

 

“NO!” Seto yelled defiantly. Still grinning madly, he kept them tightly in his fist, only to be met with another torturing bout of the elder Ichigawa's fingers.

 

“You little scamp,” Hatori growled playfully. But, despite his own amusement playtime had to come to an end. “Seto, seriously, stop messing about now. I really need to get to work,” he explained. The young boy pouted, but he finally relinquished the man's keys. Hatori smiled. “Good boy. Now, come on downstairs to see your babysitter,” he whispered, planting a kiss on his son's head and taking him by the hand.

 

“I'll take good care of them Ichigawa-san,” the babysitter said, bowing low as was the custom in the Japanese household before plucking the younger of the two brothers into her arms.

 

“Thank you, Aiko. Well Se-chan, Moku-chan, Ja ne,” he quipped, jogging toward his car.

 

“TOU-SAN!” Seto shouted, waving as the car backed out of the driveway. “COME HOME SOOON!!!” Hatori left with a smile on his face, driving to work, and never suspecting that that day would mark a drastic change in his son's life.

 

---

 

The various lines weaved up and down between the numbers and decimals as Kaiba pinched the bridge of his nose. Frustrated with what he could see from them, he scowled at the offending screen and began to type up the counter measures to tackle the problem that was Kaiba Corp. All in all, it was a simple problem to solve. However, he seemed to lack the motivation to get it done. He sighed as he stared petulantly at his bedroom door, half expecting Mokuba to come bounding in. But, his kid brother had gone out, and Kaiba had dismissed all the servants for the night- with the exception of his best security guards, who stood outside the estate. Seto usually wasn't bothered by the silence, but today, it held an oppressive air to it, stirring deeply hidden emotions inside of him. It unnerved him, for he'd believed that he'd had all such emotions repressed long ago. It was all because of what had happened the day before.

 

It had started out just like any other normal school day, with the exception that the students were busy organising for the next annual Culture Festival. Seto had never had much interest in such events, and had never contributed to any of the preparations. And, the few times he'd been pressured to do so, Kaiba Corp had always made a good excuse for anything he hadn't wanted to be a part of. No one really bothered him, which was how he liked it. For whatever reason, Seto had declined to take the limo from school, deciding instead to walk to Kaiba Corp. That mistake had been the first on the path that had led him to his sombre mood. He had been walking in the park when he'd heard a familiar cackle that had sent cold shivers down his spine. Rather than walk right on past, he had decided to investigate- his second mistake of the day. The `geek patrol', as he had had named it, was sitting around one of the trees, apparently enjoying a picnic of junk food from the nearby Burger World restaurant. He sneered in disgust when the blond stuffed a whole, king-sized burger down his throat. It nearly choked the mutt, and Kaiba hadn't been able to help but think that that would have been a sight to see. However, his slightly twisted amusement had been short lived, for Yugi had spotted him lingering just on the outskirts of their vision.

 

“Hey Kaiba!” he'd chirped, waving ecstatically. “Do you want to come and join us?” the blond had paused, the straw of his drink hovering near his lips. Kaiba had merely rolled his eyes, looking ahead to where he'd been going.

 

“I have better things to do than hang around with a midget, his pet, a shark head and a ditz,” he'd retorted coolly, smirking as he'd noticed the blood boil on the blond's face.

 

“Relax Jounouchi, just breathe,” Anzu had whispered, trying to calm the blond down. Kaiba had been surprised when, for once, the blond had obeyed the girl and turned his back on him. Intrigued for the first time, he'd been about to probe Jou's odd behaviour some more, when said blond stood up and excused himself from the group before walking away in the other direction.

 

“See you tomorrow Jounouchi-kun,” Yugi had chirped as the blond bid farewell with a wave, his bag slung upon his shoulders. It was weird that the blond had left so early; he always spent copious amounts of time with his friends, so what was the special occasion for going home? Seto had mulled over that query in his head and, his curiosity getting the better of him, he'd made a detour around the group so as to follow the blond- his third mistake. He'd trailed Jounouchi for a couple of blocks when the blond had stopped at one of the apartment complexes. Although it was a council house, it had looked like a fairly clean place. However, Jou had hesitated at the staircase just as a man had pulled up onto one of the driveways and gotten out of his vehicle, his eyes weary and a sombre expression on his face.

 

“Tou-san, welcome home,” Jou had greeted, making the elder Jounouchi sigh. “How was the interview?” Hajime Jounouchi had sighed again, the familiar mop of blond hair casting a shadow over his eyes. His son had given an understanding smile as he'd moved to console his father for failing to get the job. Jou had managed to keep the two out of the red for a while with a combination of two jobs and balancing his work with school. It was a huge strain on the teen, but knowing that his father was trying made it bearable, if only just a little. Hajime had shaken silently as his son had drawn closer. “Hey, it's cool. I can still manage the finances for a little wh-”

 

“MMMHAA!!!! I GOT THE JOB!!!” the man had roared, his sombre expression instantly changing into one of joy as he'd grabbed his son in a huge bear hug and swung him about. At first the teen had been speechless, but then the huge grin that Seto was used to seeing had appeared on his face.

 

“OH MY GOD!!! DON'T DO THAT TO ME!!” he'd screamed back despite his happiness for his father. Father and son had ended up dancing on the street for a few minutes before the elder Jounouchi had hurried back to his car.

 

“This, my boy, calls for a celebration.” Instantly, Jou had faltered, his face blanching in dread.

 

“It's not alcohol is it?” the teen had murmured. Hajime had become serious, his aged eyes deep with understanding, guilt and determination. Facing his son, he'd pointed towards his own face.

 

“Look at me…” Jou had obeyed, staring at his father intently. “I promise you… I will ~not~ go there… ever… again. I'm making a new start. You understand?” Jou had nodded, his faith in his father restored as Hajime had reached for the package in his car. Jou had smiled with relief when he'd realised what it was. His father had then started singing to the theme of `I Feel Pretty': “SUKI~YAKI… SUKI~YAKI… SUKI~YAKI WE'RE HAVING TO~NIGHT!!!”

 

“OI!!” Jounouchi had tried to scowl in spite of the feeling of jubilation as his father had locked the car and pulled his son up to the apartment. “DON'T GO BUYING EXPENSIVE STUFF LIKE THAT!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVEN'T BEEN PAID YET!!!” Despite his protest, they'd laughed all the way up the stairs.

 

When it had been quiet once more, Seto had emerged from the shadow in a corner as a tight ache had surfaced in his chest. “Sukiyaki huh?” he'd muttered dully. He'd stared longingly at the building where Jou and his father were enjoying their success, an old, familiar loneliness seeming to well up inside of him. If he'd strained his ears he could hear the singing and laughter within the complex and, despite the Jounouchi household's evident poverty, he'd known that they were happy. His fist had clenched as suddenly he'd felt the injustice of it all- his life, his achievements. What had it all really come to? Shaking his head, Seto had tried to forget what he'd seen and had left for work. However, by the time he'd reached the front door of the huge sky scraper, he'd come to the conclusion that he couldn't bare to stand another minute in it. He'd informed his secretary, Maki, that he'd be working at home, and had asked her to cancel any meetings he'd had that day. Thankfully, Maki, being the diligent and reliable employee that she was, had obeyed without any further question, quickly and calmly dealing with the situation and standing her ground for her employer against any of the disgruntled businessmen that he'd been scheduled to meet that day. That taken care of, Seto had once again declined for a limo and had walked home.

 

Absently, the brunet fingered the key to a drawer that he kept locked. Opening it, he looked at the framed picture, wiping away the dust as the face of his real father, not Gozaboro Kaiba- the insane monster that had adopted him- appeared. His father had been as honest as they came and Seto felt saddened that he could only vaguely remember him. The man in the picture stared back at him with a huge grin on his face, holding his brother, who had been about two at the time, in one arm whilst the other rested on the shoulder of his younger self. `I wonder… would he have come back if I hadn't… that day' Seto felt the already overwhelming loneliness intensify ten-fold, and he growled as he slammed the photo face down on the desk and switched off his computer. Knowing that he could not do any more work, he decided to have an early night, heading straight to his bathroom for a shower. He waited impatiently as the spray from the showerhead became hot, and he winced when the water burned his skin. Slowly, the burning began to ease, and he washed vigorously before getting out. Wiping away the condensation, he saw that the heat of the shower had caused his usual pale face to develop a pink hue in his cheeks. But, what shocked him was the horrible redness in his eyes and the trail of tears running down his face. `I'm not crying… I can't be crying,' he denied, his thoughts running wild as he tried to come up with an explanation. Thinking of none except that he had succumbed to his own emotions, he roared furiously, picking up a bottle and throwing it at the mirror, smashing it in the process. He stormed out of the bathroom, throwing the silk covers over himself only to listen to his uncontrollable sobs. He hated it. He hated not being under control; he hated losing himself like this. “Why? Why am I acting this way… all because of that… that idiot and his father?” he wiped away the tears angrily as he willed himself to stop crying. Slowly, as he finally started to calm down, the strands of his childhood memories started to connect together as he remembered the last time he had cried this hard.

 

---

 

Seto knew that he was just a child like all the other people said he was, but he hated it when being a child constituted being stupid. He knew both what had happened, and what could happen to his father, and he'd hoped that it wouldn't come to this as he stood at the door of the ward. His brother was sitting beside where he stood, swinging his stubby legs back and forth on the fairly high chair whilst clinging to his brother's shirt due to the strange smelling place he was forced to be in. The nurse opened the door and nodded at the elder boy, a look of pity evident in her eyes as she guided them inside. The figure before him was unrecognisable amidst the beeping monitors and tubing running in and out of the bed. He hated it. He was disgusted with it yet, somewhere beneath the bandages he could recognise that the figure lying there was indeed his father.

 

“Papa?” Mokuba uttered, pulling away from his brother, and awkwardly pulling himself onto the chair beside the bed. A childish chuckle escaped the three-year-old's lips. “Wakey, wakey! Papa!” he called, nudging the prone man. The smile faltered when Hatori didn't respond. He resorted to his brother for help. “Nii-san! Papa won't wake up…” when the elder boy didn't move, Mokuba pouted and continued trying to wake his father. “PAPA! PAPA! PAPA! PAPA! PAPA! PA-”

 

“MOKUBA!” Seto choked, frightening the younger boy. The young brunet swallowed as he gathered himself. “T-Tou-san… is really, ~really~ tired. W-Why don't we… let him sleep a little longer?” Mokuba whined his protest but quieted down as Seto sat with him. A few hours passed with nothing more but the steady beep of the heart monitor, and soon, Mokuba had fallen asleep. Seto stared at his father's still figure, wondering why something so horrible could happen to such a good person. He leaned over the chair, careful not to knock his brother to the floor, and touched the bandaged arm.

 

“Tou-san… I was right, wasn't I? You're just tired, right? You'll wake up soon, and we can go home, right?” Getting no confirmation from the still man, the tears started to well up in his eyes. He shook the bandaged arm, hoping to get a response. A grin, a sound or even a twitch of a finger would do. “Please… Tou-san… please wake up… I… I'm scared… Tou-san. Wake up. I… I… I-I promise I won't mess about anymore. I won't run away with the keys and make you late for work. Please Tou-san…” he choked as one tear fell after another. He became frantic when the regular beeps of the machine became one continuous sound, and the bumps on the heart monitor became flat. “Tou-san? Tou-san!? TOU-SAN!” he all but screamed as tears ran in rivulets down his face. His scream woke his brother and both cried hard along side each other. Their wails carried on even as the nurses picked them both up and took them out of the room whilst the doctors tried hard to resuscitate their father. “TOU-SAAAAAN!!!!” Seto screamed, reaching out towards Hatori as the ward hospital closed.

 

---

 

Kaiba tightened his fist around his sheets as the cries of his younger self echoed in his mind. He growled as he tried to will the painful memories away and think about tomorrow. Sitting up, he switched on his bedside lamp, shivering slightly as the cold air hit his bare chest. He stared at the table where he had last placed the photo. Rising from the bed, he picked it up again, gazing upon the happy family pictured there. Seto had blurred memories of his mother; she had died soon after Mokuba was born. But, he could remember how hard his father had worked to compensate for that loss. Looking back, Seto found it remarkable how his father had been able to keep smiling like he had, how he'd managed to balance his work and still spend time with sons. It was something that he, Seto Kaiba, had never managed to do. Ever since the adoption, he had never been able to spend as much time with his brother as Mokuba wanted. Then he realised that all of his work, his achievements, and his goals suddenly seemed like nothing compared to Hatori's accomplishments. Back when he and Mokuba had been in the orphanage, Seto had believed that money was the answer for happiness. That had been why he'd tricked Gozaboro Kaiba into adopting them. For Seto, it hadn't mattered how far he had gone or how many obstacles he had overcome. Each success had been easily forgotten, and he'd quickly moved on to the next problem to get another fix. But now, it was the simple things that Hatori had done, like risking being five minutes late for work just to play chase with him that seemed to stand out in his memories and bring a smile to his face. What saddened Seto even more was that Mokuba seemed to have forgotten his real father. It was understandable in a way; he had only been three when Hatori died, after all. Laying back down on the large bed, another tear fell from Seto's eyes. “If I could, I'd trade everything I've ever done, everything I've ever achieved to have it back as it used to be,” he whispered to the picture as the pillow caught the droplets from his eyes. “I wish I'd never won that chess game with that man. I wish you were still here. I… I wish I was never Seto Kaiba…” one final tear fell from his eyes as, finally, the exhaustion claimed him and he slept. It seemed like just a few minutes when he woke up again, his eyes still heavy with sleep. He groaned, sensing someone beside his bed wince. He sat up in alarm in case someone had broken into the mansion.

 

“Eh heh… Sorry… Se-chan,” Hatori chuckled lightly. “I was just checking up on you.”

 

“T-Tou-san?” Seto spluttered. It couldn't be… But it was. His father. A few grey hairs and wrinkles had appeared with age, but it was him.

 

“SHH!” Hatori placed a finger on his lips for silence. “You don't want to wake your brother up,” Without another thought, Seto grabbed his father in an embrace, catching the older man by surprise. “What was that for?”

 

“Uh… nothing…” Seto responded, recoiling back. “W-welcome home.”

 

“Hmm…” Hatori raised an incredulous eyebrow, and then scoffed. “Weirdo…” he said, chuckling. “Go back to sleep now. You've got school tomorrow, haven't you?”

 

“Uh… um… yeah… g-goodnight…” Seto stuttered, burying his face back under the pillow whilst his father continued to snigger at his odd behaviour. Seto took a deep breath as the thoughts of that life of being a CEO ran through his head. “Boy… that was one depressing dream,” Seto murmured as he drifted to sleep again.