Contemplations in the Afterlife 13

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Genre: Romance, Angst

Description: Despite his love for Seto Kaiba, the Pharaoh Yami Yugi has decided to move on to the afterlife. Now, he feels regret for his decision, and prays for another chance for him and his beloved to be together.

Pairing: Seto Kaiba x Yami Yugi (Prideshipping)

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Contemplations in the Afterlife
by: scarlet wax petal

Click here to return to Chapter 12. Click here to see the Table of Contents.

When I had regained my consciousness, I found myself standing in what I could easily tell to be Kaiba's bedroom. The room was huge -- at least six times as big as the high school classroom where Yugi took his lessons -- with a four-poster bed wide enough to accommodate Yugi and all his friends, and plenty of space to spare. Though its huge size implied grandeur, I couldn't help but observe that it only emphasized how empty this room really was.

There were a few furnishings. On the walls were various certificates, the familiar "KC" logo appearing every once in a while, and a large oil painting of Kaiba's most powerful monster, the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, just across his bed -- perhaps, so he would be able to gaze at it before falling asleep. Furthermore, on an end table near the bed was a small framed picture of the much younger Kaiba brothers; I assumed Seto Kaiba to be ten years old when the picture was taken.

It was late evening, and dark; thankfully, I could see my surroundings despite the darkness. There was no one in the room, so Kaiba must have gone somewhere. Would he be back tonight? What if he was out of the country?

"I assure you, my Lord," came a calm honey-like voice from behind me, "we are in the right place. Please be patient; Seto Kaiba will be arriving soon."

I turned towards the voice. Oh yes, Isis was with me; I had almost forgotten. So Seto Kaiba would be arriving... That was pleasant to know. My eyes continued to tour the room as I waited. I then noticed a calendar, and the day was... October 25? Strange; I thought I had left the physical world sometime in November. And it was unlikely for Seto Kaiba, being the meticulous perfectionist that he is, to have a wrong date on his calendar. So it is really October 25? But I have been away for almost only a day!

"The time in this world and the time in the afterlife are different, my Lord," Isis remarked. "In the afterlife, the time span from when the sun rises to when it sets would have meant nearly a year passing in this world, while the time span from when the sun sets to when it rises again would have meant a whole day in this world. Therefore, for each day in the afterlife, about a year would have passed in this world."

"So I see," I mumbled in reply, trying to fully absorb what Isis had said.

"Furthermore," as she continued, "residents in the afterlife are oriented with time in the afterlife. Only those, such as I, who are often fully in contact with the physical world would be more oriented with time in this world. Which was why I had told you before that we have been preparing a feast for three thousand years, whereas it has been only over eight years for almost everyone else in the afterlife. And except for the prisoners in the dungeons, time doesn't have any bearing to those in the afterlife. Boredom doesn't exist. Pain doesn't exist. Except for those who are imperfect."

"Imperfect?"

"Those who have fragments still bound to this world."

"Like Seth?"

"Like Seth, yes, and a number of us, your priests. And you, as well, for part of your spirit is with your vessel. And with your beloved."

I was still contemplating Isis' words when light suddenly filled the room. I turned to the door. My eyes were promptly fixed upon a tall brown-haired young man, and my heart skipped a beat. Seto Kaiba.

Gods, he was still beautiful, almost like when I had last seen him, except about an inch taller now. But... he seemed to have slimmed down, and the once proud stance that he had often held was replaced by shoulders that threatened to droop. Those who hadn't known him well wouldn't have thought that something was wrong with him, for he now looked ordinary, like everyone else. Except Kaiba wasn't like everyone else. He had always held himself proudly above others, almost like a god. Now, he seemed human, mortal and vulnerable. I knew then, as he walked slowly and nearer -- his steps short and solemn, unlike the strong long strides that he was known to make -- that something was terribly wrong with him.

"Kaiba..." I murmured concernedly, as my hand reached to touch him.

It simply passed through, as if I didn't exist. I gasped, then suddenly realized I didn't have a body anymore. Kaiba didn't seem to notice. He walked through me; evidently, he wasn't aware of my presence. I simply went on with following him.

He settled on a chair in one corner and pressed something on the wall near him. A hidden door opened, revealing a large wooden shelf-and-table full of bottles of liquid. The labels read: Cognac. Brandy. Tequila. And many others that I couldn't remember. He took a huge bottle and poured himself a glass. The powerful scent reached my nose; unmistakably, it was strong liquor. He gulped the contents of the glass and, before I could react, poured himself another glass and promptly swallowed its contents. I could only watch in horror as he carelessly downed the liquor one glass after another.

"Stop this, Kaiba!" I demanded firmly, and tried to grab the bottle from him. But, again, my hand just passed through. For a moment there, I had forgotten: I was a spirit, and as a spirit, I didn't have the power to hold, nor to touch, nor to be seen or heard. As a spirit, I could only watch what occurs, unable to do anything about it, unable to help...

"Damn you... Yami... Yu... gi..." I heard him mumble, before he finally passed out on the table, spilling the contents of the glass in his hand. A realization suddenly hit me, tearing my heart to pieces.

Nothing is more painful than having to witness your beloved destroy himself because of you.

Chapter 13: The Challenge

Another day has finally ended. After four rounds of tennis in the mansion court, my brother was already tired; he doesn't have the same endurance that I have, apparently. When we both took a seat, he placed his head on my lap and immediately fell asleep. I gently stroked his hair and smiled, glad that he found comfort in my presence, and took the responsibility of carrying him to his room and tucking him in bed.

As promised, I didn't go to work that day, even if it was only nine in the evening and I was severely tempted to walk into my home office to do some paperwork. I spent an hour on the sofa in the living room, clueless about how I should spend the evening. Afterwards, I realized that I had forgotten to turn on the lights and that I had been sitting in the dark for a long time. Not that being in the dark bothered me, but I wouldn't want to be stumbling around in my own house. I reached for a nearby lamp and turned it on.

The first sight that caught my eyes was a sculpture. A marble figurine of Obelisk the Tormentor, which I had commissioned an artist to carve for me, days after the Battle City tournament.

Obelisk the Tormentor... Battle City... memories... Yami Yugi! I grasped my head with my hands and tried to pry the memories away. Memories of when we walked the roads of Battle City side by side. Memories of when we fought together atop a skyscraper, fighting for our lives. Memories of when we dueled against each other, power against power, god against god... Memories that would never happen again in the future.

For a moment, I was so angry that I wanted to take the figurine and hurl it to the wall and smash it into pieces, never mind how many thousands of dollars I had paid the artist for it, but... something had stopped me. Instead, I just grabbed a cushion and slammed it on the floor, then trudged my way upstairs to my bedroom. Unfortunately, unlike with my brother, sleep didn't seem to be coming to me; I hadn't even yawned the entire evening, I noticed. It seems like tonight, just like in the past nights, I would be spending time in my precious bar.

After a number of glasses of tequila (I haven't bothered to count), I felt my consciousness slip away rapidly. Shit, I must have had too much, I realized, for I was too intoxicated to stand up, let alone bring myself to bed where I could sleep without my brother noticing anything wrong the next morning. But the alcohol had really kicked hard tonight; aside from how much I had drunk was how little I had eaten, for I haven't ingested anything solid since noon, and I had only pretended to eat supper, for my brother's sake. I made a mental note to force myself awake once the alcohol had loosened its hold on me, so that it would appear I had been sleeping on my bed the entire evening. And then I succumbed to unconsciousness.

"Kaiba... Kaiba..." Something seemed to pull down my guts as I heard a familiar voice call my name. Oh no, it looks like I would be reliving his painful departure again, tonight. I braced myself for the replay of events. Nothing happened; all I could see was pitch black.

"Who's there?" I abruptly turned to look for the source of the voice. I didn't see anyone, didn't receive any reply. My uneasiness quickly turned to anger.

"Is that you again, Yami Yugi?" I demanded furiously. "Stop bothering me in my dreams, God damn it! Get the hell outta my mind and leave me be with my life!"

"I am here, Kaiba," came the voice, more tenderly now. My heart stopped for a moment. It was the proud voice that I had been wanting to throw from my memory. But it was also the same proud voice that I had been yearning to hear once again, all this time... I cringed in annoyance at the thought.

"Yami Yugi..." I uttered absentmindedly. I was now facing him. He looked the same. He is the same. His crimson eyes carried the same determination and bravery that I had always seen when he was fiercely in duel. The same eyes that I stared at when I was fighting to earn the most challenging victories against him. The same eyes that had challenged everything within me -- my pride, my fear, my lust for power and victory... perhaps even a bit of concern that drove me to save him and his useless friends a number of times. For he was my one true rival. My only obsession.

While Mokuba has been my cause to survive, Yami Yugi had been my will to live. And now, when I had long thought him gone as only a vexing spark in my brain, I was suddenly facing him. Again. In a dream, perhaps, but it was a different circumstance. Interesting... I yearned to learn more.

"Stop it with your nonsense, Kaiba," Yami Yugi remarked authoritatively, like he were my master. My teeth gritted at his tone.

"You have no fucking right to tell me what to do, Yami Yugi," I snarled. "I am not your slave, and you are not my Pharaoh."

Strangely, he smiled. I couldn't put a finger on what his smile meant. Was it an insult? A sign of amusement? Or a driving force to make my blood boil and challenge him to a fight?

"Good to have you back, Kaiba," he smarted. "I thought I had lost you moments ago."

"What the friggin' hell gave you that idea? I was never yours," I firmly said in reply.

He chuckled darkly. "Yeah... right," a sarcastic tone, I could tell. I resisted the urge to punch his lights out.

When I didn't respond, he continued, "You said you were never mine, Kaiba. So prove it. Prove that I do not hold your life in my hands." His voice had a hint of mocking that was definitely hard to miss. His eyes were trained on mine, unwavering and serious. Eerily still and stern, yet strangely inviting. I felt the thrill of battle run down my spine.

"Is that a challenge?" I yelled, lashing at the air with my arm.

"It is," he calmly replied.

My answer was immediate. "Then I take it!"

"You didn't even think twice," he said with a smirk. "What if you couldn't do it?"

"I never back down from a challenge. Nothing is impossible."

"That's good to hear." He then turned his back and started to walk away. I felt -- decided I had to stop him.

"Yami Yugi..."

He stopped, but didn't turn around. "What is it, Kaiba?"

What is it, Kaiba? I quickly groped my mind for an answer. "Why do you even bother?" I managed to say, almost immediately.

"Because--"

"And don't give me an 'I love you, Seto' and an 'I just know,' you son of a bitch," I blurted out, as I felt the anger rising in my throat at the memory. "Stop fucking around with me, and give me some goddamned good answers!"

I heard him chuckle. "Alright," he finally said, after some silence, "I will tell you. And you might as well take my word for it."

"Like I have any other choice," I smirked, as I crossed my arms. "But you better make sure that I would really believe you. Prove to me that what you said a year ago was true."

"Is that a challenge?"

"You bet."

"Then I take it!" he replied, almost echoing the tone that I had used a while back.

My eyes soon met his in a long and daring stare.

(to be continued)

Click here to proceed to Chapter 14. Click here to see the Table of Contents.