A Christmas Carol with Kaiba

Christmas Suicide

There was no charm to Bakura's movement. One minute Seto was staring at the man petting his scythe, and the next he was facing a familiar, heavy metal door with a small observation window. His heart picked up a pace when he recognized the pale green lanolium floors and the orderlies walking around, visiting each cell one by one.

"Open it." said Bakura, as though the door were the wrappings to the most marvelous present. His mouth curved up till Seto knew that, if he smiled any wider, his mouth would reach his ears. "Go on."

Seto didn't like this.

"I don't take orders from anyone."

Bakura rolled his eyes, but his malicious, Joker smile didn't wane. "Oh, such a spoil sport."

And before Seto could respond, Bakura jabbed him in the stomach with the end of his scythe. He stumbled through the door and onto the floor. He felt his head hit something not quite soft and cursed. Then he flinched back when he realized nothing was suppose to touch him when he was like this. He was a ghost or something, he was---

A small, slender body hung from the ceiling. They had designed these rooms so suicides wouldn't be possible, seeing that those in psychiatric wards had the highest tendencies to do just that. But, of course, Yugi could solve any puzzle, conquer any obstacle, obtain any goal.

Seto couldn't stop staring. Yugi was somehow older, so he couldn't have died the same time Seto had. He looked as though he had reached thirty, maybe. But Seto couldn't be sure, because he couldn't stand looking at that face. A small child inside him screamed that if he looked, something within him would break, something within his mind would be hurt.

Bakura's cackling filled the room, bouncing off of the cushioned walls and the ceiling where Yugi's makeshift rope knotted through.

"Funny, how all these things seemed to happen around Christmas, isn't it?"

"Why are you showing me this?" Seto croaked.

"You can't fathom how satisfying it is for me to see the Priest who frustrated all my desires being undone by something as a stupid Christian holiday where everyone get's drunk on raw eggs and spends too much money."

"This isn't my fault." Seto said, this time his voice more steady. "I didn't make Yugi do this, I'm not going to be the reason I die so early, this is not my fault!"

Bakura just laughed and laughed.

Seto slapped his hands over his ears and clenched his eyes shut. "Shut up!"

"Oh, poor little priest. Open your eyes. Just one last thing. One last thing and then it will be over."

Bakura sounded almost gentle, and longing to be back in his own shoes, back in his own time far away from these horrible images, he opened his eyes to find himself on the grass of a cemetery. Only a few feet away was Mr. Whitaker and his five children. The family was subdued, sitting around and watching as one of the little girls arranged poinsettias on the tombstone. Seto didn't have to ask. He knew exactly what happened.

"Why are you showing me this?" he asked again. "This has nothing to do with me! Aren't you suppose to be giving me some speech about why Christmas of the future is so important?"

Bakura's bared teeth were oh so white. "Again, I'm Egyptian, fool. What care I for your ridiculous holiday? I only took the job to watch you suffer."