Beautiful Goodbye
Prologue
Started: 9/12/04
Posted: 9/14/04
Author's Notes: In celebration of my 1st year anniversary of writing and joining I decided to debut this story, which, for the record, I do have entirely planned from beginning to end, a first for me.
This is yet another Seto/Téa fic, though I wouldn't exactly call it a romance. Not this one at least. Eh, by the first chapter(not the prologue) you'll understand what I mean. Yes, this is the prologue so it's a bit shorter, mostly a teaser, but enjoy anyway.
One thing you should know that you might not have:
Stradivarius violins are very expensive, unparalleled instruments created by Antonio Stradivari. They are highly sought-after and to have a real genuine one is extremely rare, since there have been many 'copies' made. There are only about 500 left in the world, so of course, if Seto Kaiba is going to have a violin, it would a be a genuine Stradivarius.
Thanks: Thanks go out to Azurite, who has beta-read this chapter for me! The help was very appreciated!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I don't think I need to stress that, but if I did, you'd see a lot more Seto Kaiba.
Dedication: This story is dedicated to all of my friends who I have come to meet in my emergence to the online world. This is so for you guys; you all rock.
Someone once said that it was best to forget the past, because those events do not matter in the grand scheme of life, and that if left alone, the past cannot hurt you. Yet, this same person clings to one story, one memory, like a breath in the wind. His reasoning? If I forget, then it will be lost, because there will be no one left to remember.
Now that reason is highly uncharacteristic of him, and if said aloud, he would be mocked. But that is exactly the reason he keeps it locked within the frozen chambers of his heart. He knows that the story will never be heard, and so no judgement can be placed. It's his and his alone, his beautiful goodbye.
"Stay out of trouble," came the deep, warning voice that could only belong to Seto Kaiba. Having enough on his hands with his company, Kaiba Corporation, the job of cleaning up after his brother's messes was not necessary.
"Hey, Seto, you know me," Mokuba responded, as if deeply hurt. The grin that broke from the restraints of Mokuba's face, however, only detracted from his dramatic performance.
"I do know you," Seto countered, setting his jaw firmly. It was common knowledge that Mokuba Kaiba would get himself into trouble somehow, harmless as the joke or gag may seem in the planning stages. He lacked the foresight that his brother possessed in order to see the repercussions of his actions, but Seto was always there to bail Mokuba out, so perhaps that wasn't exactly the case.
"I'll be good," Mokuba finally admitted, but Seto still had his doubts. "I will! I will! I promise!" He grabbed his things for class and headed to the door, quickly sliding in, "For today," before clicking the lock shut.
Seto sighed, running his fingers through his earthy-brown colored bangs until they fell through back over his forehead. "Sometimes I wonder..."
Now that Mokuba left, Seto needed to prepare for a long day of work. Having graduated high school, he spent even more time leading his company, taking a whole new offensive to the slew of papers and businessmen he dealt with daily. Without the obligation to attend morning classes, he worked late into the night, sometimes into the following morning's early hours. Not that this was unusual, but he didn't feel guilty about it now.
'It's for our future.' That was how he justified toiling in front of the plasma screen of his computer, never allowing himself rest or enjoyment. Work for the future and forget the past.
However, this day, the past caught up to him. It came in the form of a genuine Stradivarius violin that Seto discovered in the depths of his closet while he searched for a particular piece of clothing that he planned to wear that day. The instrument was inconspicuous enough, hiding at the top of the closet, but as if guided by Fate, who had a certain grudge against him, the violin fell from the heavens and made its mark on the CEO's head.
Eyes still blurred from the hit, Seto groped around for the offending item. His hands found the leather case and without even realizing what it was, he opened it to see what was inside. When he found out, his heart stopped, and for a moment in time, he could hear childish laughter drift in the air.
"Seto, will you be my friend?"
Seto carefully took the violin from its velveteen swathe, blue eyes reflecting against the glossy surface like a face in a mirror. Like a bounding child, his past caught up with him, and he soon found himself walking out from the closet, out of his house, and to the sanctity of his garden.
Tended by a hired gardener, the garden was filled with many different varieties of flowers, but what stood out the most were the roses. Not that Seto ever took the chance to notice them; no, Seto never did 'stop and smell the roses.' He was too busy, moving too fast, and deep down, where no one could reach, he regretted it.
So maybe that's why, instead of heading off to work, he stayed home that day, reaching out for the hand of the small child from long ago, and letting him tell the story that Seto clung to so dearly. The words floated in the Spring breeze like an old melody played for the first time in so many years...