Kaibaman 10: Kaibaman is born

“Well…well…Check Mate!” a twelve-year old boy declared.
“Huh?! Not again!” a six-year old boy said.
The twelve-year-old boy smiled a proud smile. His icy-blue eyes were shining with pride. His little brother, that was his opponent, looked so different from him! He had black, sparkling eyes and his hair was not brown or nicely fixed, but tame less black hair like a small bush!
“You always win Nii-sama!”
“Ah, don’t worry Mokie! You will win next time!” little Seto smiled.
The little boy pouted a little.
“Liar!” he said playfully
“What? What did you call me?” Seto said with a playful smirk on his face.
He grabbed his little brother and started tickling him. The room got full of laughter!
“Seto…Mokuba…” They heard a soft voice and they turned around
A beautiful brunette woman was smiling there.
“Mommy!” Mokuba exclaimed.
“Mokuba are you giving to your brother a proper day?”
“Uh-Huh!”
“Someone’s has his birthday today am I not right?”
“Yes! Nii-sama has his birthday!”
Seto stood up and smiled. The woman hugged him and kissed his forehead.
“Happy birthday sweetheart.”
“Thanks mom!”
“You have become twelve years old today!”
“Will dad be here tonight?”
“Of course! He wouldn’t miss this for anything!”

At night the four-member family was in the living room. Ichiro Kaiba had finally taken that day off the company just for his son’s twelfth birthday! Seto blew at the candles and he switched them off at once. The three of them were clapping their hands smiling to him.
“Happy Birthday sweetheart!” Reiko said.
“Happy Birthday son!” Ichiro said as well.
Reiko gave him a box and little Seto opened it eagerly to see what was in it
“Wow!” he said, “Duel Monsters cards! All of them that I wanted! The rare ones I was missing! Thanks!”
Mokuba was blushing like a small cherry when he approached him with something in his hands. It looked like a card too but it was a piece of paper.
“And…this is…from me…” he said shyly giving it to him. “Happy Birthday…Nii-sama…”
Seto took it and looked at it. It was a small drawing…a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
“Wow…Mokie… You drew a Blue Eyes for me…” he said.
“Y-yeah… k-kind of… You don’t like it?”
“Of course I do! Thanks Mokie! One day! One day I’ll have a real one too!”
Mokuba smiled and nodded his head. Their parents were smiling…

Later on the two brothers were playing in their room when Mokuba left the room for a little while… Suddenly the door opened to reveal a really scared and worried Reiko!
“Mom? What is it?” Seto stood up.
She just looked around with her eyes full of panic and fear.
“Where is your brother?!”
“Huh…? He…he left. Why what’s happening?”
“Quickly! We don’t have a second to lose!”
Before he had the chance to ask, his mother grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room… The same fast she was when she pushed him in a big wardrobe.
“Mom? What is it? What’s going on?”
“Sh! You must remain here hidden! Do not come out at any cost! You hear me? I am going to find your brother! You stay here!”
“But Mom…”
However Reiko had already closed the door. He then heard his mother screaming and more people in the house. They were unknown to him! What did they want? Why were they there?
“No! Please spare the child!” he heard his mother.
He couldn’t resist and opened the door slightly. He saw Reiko holding little Mokuba in her arms and two men dressed in black, their faces covered with black hoods, were pointing guns at them.
“Where is he! Where!” one of them demanded.
Mokuba was whimpering, diamond tears in his eyes…
“Speak woman! Where is he!”
She just held the little boy closer.
“Ugh! Enough with that!” the other man said.
And then…he pulled the trigger! A loud sound was heard…and his mother looked with her eyes widened…blood was running from a hole in her head…another gunshot…this time in her chest… Blood…blood… She fell on the floor. Seto gasped!
“Mommy!” little Mokuba screamed
His tears seemed like needles that were getting stabbed in Seto’s heart
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”
“Oh! Shut up little brat!”
The man grabbed Mokuba’s hair pulling him up from his mother’s corpse. Mokuba screamed and his crying increased! The man stuck the gun on his temple.
“Speak up! Where is he! Where is he!”
Mokuba, though, kept crying…crying… Then another gunshot…and the crying stopped…it stopped right away… Seto’s eyes widen in shock!
“Ts! The brat didn’t know! Burn the place! Burn it all! He will burn with it!”
The other three nodded.
“Stop!” he hared his father’s voice.
He saw Ichiro at the door holding a pistol…but his hands were shaking.
“Stop it! Not him too! He is just a child!”
He was furious but also…tears were running from his eyes… Seto was frozen…in fear…the room was stinking from the metallic smell of blood…
“I won’t let you do thi-…” his voice was drowned in his throat when a bullet came through his scull from behind and got out of his forehead.
His eyes had widened…in a last scream that never came out…
“Why…big bro…” he didn’t have the chance to whisper the whole sentence…
He fell on the floor…the pistol fell from his hand… Another man, the one who had shot him, got in.
“What are you waiting for! Burn the place!”
One of them poured petrol and another threw a lighter. Monstrous flames came out…burning everything…swallowing everything…the left the room…
“NO!” Seto screamed as if he barely woke up!
He ran to his brother and took him in his arms. His hot tears falling on his small, dead face…
“Mokie! Mokie! Answer me! Mokie! Mom! Dad! Someone! SOMEONE!”
Suddenly he heard behind him another “click” and froze.
“So there you are!”
Seto was sure that his time had come when another gunshot was heard…and the assassin fell on the floor…dead… Panting…gasping…crying he turned his head…and saw an old man…he was tall and he had a moustache…he was holding a pistol too, the one that had saved his life, but his eyes were looking at him sympathetically. Fire as all around…the house was burning down all around them…Seto was feeling like being in the heart of Hell…
“My boy...” the elder man said gently, “I am sorry…I am sorry I was late…”
Seto held his brother’s body tighter…as if protecting the last treasure in the world.
“Don’t be afraid…my name is Arthur Hawkins and I was a close friend of your father’s…these people were trained assassins… Unfortunately…your uncle, Gozaburo sent them…”
Seto’s heart seemed to beat one last time…but it felt as if it had just got turned into stone! They were gone…they were all gone.
“But…why…?” he croaked out
“He wanted your parents’ company…that’s why he needed to eliminate you all! He’ll come for you again, my boy. You must hide away from here till you are ready to claim what is yours again…from now on…you’ll be dead for them…come…”
He stretched out a hand for him to take it…but he didn’t want to let go of Mokuba!
“I…I can’t leave them here…I want to…give them a funeral…we must get them out…”
“We don’t have time now, Seto…please…I promise that they will have a right funeral! I promise you…but now we must hurry…”
Seto looked up at him…then down at Mokuba in his arms… The last thing he knew was that his hand…moved as if on its own…and grabbed Arthur’s. Both of them walked out of the burning house… Seto looked behind one last time…his home that was on fire…the only home he had ever lived in…and in it…it was the only family he had…and he had to leave them back… He and Arthur were walking away in the night…only the sirens of the firefighters were heard behind them… Inside Seto was only silence…

He didn’t even remember how it happened but the next thing he knew was that he was in an airplane…and then he was in another country…in China…and then he and Arthur got through that big country…up to beautiful mountains…and soon they left the vehicle and they were walking up to some rock stairs…all around him he could see only nature… He didn’t ask a single question! As if he didn’t care what would happen to him anymore! All he could think was…his uncle! The man that sent assassins to kill them all! But he had failed! He was still there! And he would get his revenge!
“I am taking you to a man to take care of you” Arthur said as if he had red his thoughts, “Your father had met him only once. Near him you will learn how to protect yourself. A long struggle is expecting you when you come back…a struggle named life. If you come back ‘from the dead’ your uncle might seek for your harm. Therefore you need to be prepared.”
Seto didn’t say a thing… Soon they arrived to something that resembled Chinese palace or monastery… All around it he could see only nature…and it was a rather impressive sight…he had to admit that… Arthur Hawkins walked and Seto followed. Then he saw a man…sitting on a yoga position on a column. Arthur bowed his head once to him even though the old man had his back turned to them.
“Master Shi-fu I brought him like I promised to his father.”
The old man named Shi-fu moved slowly and calmly and turned around. Seto could see his face now. He seemed really old and his face was shaven with an exception the small Chinese hair-like moustache and the hair-like beard on his chin. His head was bald too. He was wearing simple clothes as if he was a friar. He examined Seto with his piercing, slit, black eyes of his.
“Is this the boy you were talking about?” he asked calmly.
Seto was surprised. He was speaking very well Japanese even though he was Chinese.
“Yes. His parents were killed. He must find shelter here and I know that he needs to be trained.”
Shi-fu looked at Seto.
“Do you honestly desire to learn my art? Are you willing to become a warrior…? A warrior that delivers justice to those who need it?”
Seto’s eyes widened. Justice! It was the thing he wanted! Justice! Revenge! He nodded his head with his eyes narrowed.
“Then I’ll train you, young man…I will teach you the way to become stronger…”
Arthur touched Seto’s back friendly.
“Now my child I must go but I’ll be coming back frequently. During your training with Master Shi-fu I’ll be teaching you, mathematics, statistics, economics and many others that you’ll need.”
He smiled.
“I was originally an archaeologist but I have learnt those things from your father…and now is your turn to take that knowledge and use it wisely…”
He soon was walking down the stairs again…walking away… Seto drew a deep breath. He was twelve years old…the day of his birthday he lost his family, his home and his identity…however…he would get back anything he could! He had decided!
“Come now my son…you need rest…we are starting tomorrow…” Shi-fu said.
He took Seto’s suitcase with one hand and with the other pushed Seto’s back softly gesturing for him to be heading inside… Seto followed his lead…
Oh, yes…He would get stronger…