Disclaimer: Nuh uh.  NO I WON'T SAY IT!  *cries into Roy's shoulder*

Roy: O.o Marth, help…

Marth: *laughs*

Roy: .

Seto: RW doesn't own YuGiOh.

Me: *cries harder*

Oy, people, I changed it back to Seto's POV again, I dunno why.  And there's a tiny bit of cussing on Seto's part, but he really can't help it.  He's going through a tough situation, and he really can't help cursing. Well, would you act perfectly polite if your deceased enemy came back from the dead?  Sorry 'bout the lecture, it's just that in some of my other fics I got lectured about one or two mild swears like 'damn' and 'hell' that appeared once or twice in the chapter. Hence the PG-13 rating or PG.  It really bugged me, so please don't lecture me T.T

Last thing: Violence in this chapter.  *glomps Seto* POOR SETO-KUN!

Seto: I can't breathe…o.o *chokes*

~*~*~

My eyes snap open.  In front of me stands a tall, well built man who looks about sixty.  He has short, graying hair and a thick moustache.  His eyes are boring into mine.  Those eyes…No…It can't be him…He's dead, I saw him die…It can't be…

"Gozaburo?"

"Yes, Seto.  It's your dear old dad."

I quickly wipe the shock off my face, settling it into a neutral mask.

"You were never my father, Gozaburo.  And I have two questions for you: How the hell did you survive?  Why did you come back?" I snap, trying to keep the surprise out of my voice.  I spare a glance at Yugi.  He looks utterly lost.

Gozaburo chuckles.  "Never you mind how I came back, boy.  The issue is why I came back.  And, Seto, you know why I came back…to spend more quality time with my son," he says, putting an eerie emphasis on 'quality time'.

I back away slightly, but Gozaburo drapes an arm around my shoulders.  "So, boy, let's go somewhere where we can…catch up."  He starts to lead me away from the cafeteria, but I duck out of his grasp and stumble backwards.  After regaining my balance, I glare at my 'father'.

"Kaiba?  What's going on?"  Yugi asks, eyes wide.

"Yugi, you need to get out of here.  Take your friends and Mokuba with you, and get far away from here.  Now, go," I mutter, not turning to look at him.

"But, Kaiba-"

"Now. Get out of here." 

Gozaburo advances on me slowly.  "Seto, I tried to be nice, but you've obviously forgotten your training.  Maybe this will refresh your memory, son?"  He backhands me harshly, and I stagger back.  I throw a punch at him, but he catches it and twists my wrist painfully.  I grunt in pain, using my other hand to make a ruthless chop at Gozaburo's wrist.  He lets go of my hand, but suddenly I double over in pain as Gozaburo's foot hits my side and digs into the flesh painfully.  Yugi covers his mouth with one hand, and starts to run towards me, but I glare at him and look pointedly at the cafeteria. 

Yugi backs away, horrified, and runs into the cafeteria.  Gozaburo suddenly grabs my collar.

"So, boy, will you be nice now and come chat with me?"

I grit my teeth.  "No way in hell."  Gozaburo chuckles cruelly and grabs my neck.  He starts to squeeze.

I flail and kick, but it doesn't help in the slightest.  My arms are windmilling around, trying to aim for Gozaburo's face.  My vision is going a bit blurry.  "So, Seto, how do your last moments feel?"

Suddenly something barrels into Gozaburo, knocking him over.  He releases his hold on me for a second, and I roll out of the way and leap to my feet.  Gozaburo lets out a low roar and charges at me, but I leap out of the way.

He suddenly wheels around and hurtles towards me again.  I kick him in the stomach, but he pays no attention and seizes my arm, twisting it cruelly.  I hear a painful crack in my arm as the deranged man drags me away.  I struggle furiously.  Looking at the cafeteria, I see three people running after me.  Joey, Tristan, and Serenity.  One of them must have knocked into Gozaburo.  I'll have to thank them later, but for now all I can do is warn them.

"Stay away!" I yell.  They've almost reached me.  "Stop, stay away!"

Joey cups his hands around his mouth.  "Kaiba, we're coming!  We'll save you from that freak!"

"STOP!  HE'S DANGEROUS! STOP WHERE YOU ARE!" I bellow, and the three stop in their tracks.  Suddenly Gozaburo's grip on me tightens, and I start to struggle even more frantically.  I twist around.  "Where are you taking me?" I demand.

"Why, Seto, to my favorite exhibit…the sharks!" Gozaburo growls.  With dread filling me, I see the enormous outdoor shark pool that Domino City is famous for.

Gozaburo lets out a mighty roar and shoves me towards the edge.  I try to regain my balance, but suddenly I'm hanging on to the edge of the pool with one hand.  I glance up at Gozaburo.  His foot is poised above my hand.

"No, Gozaburo.  Stop!"

His boot slams onto my hand, and I scream in pain, trying not to let go.  Gozaburo's foot rises again…and he's suddenly shoved into the shark pool from behind, screaming wildly and flailing his arms.  As he falls, he catches me foot and tries to bring me down with him.  I hear a horrible crack as the sudden force breaks my leg.  I slam my foot against the wall, pain shooting through my leg, and Gozaburo lets go, still yelling in terror.  I hear the sickening splash as he hits the water, and the muffled shouts.  Splashing and screams echo through the pool.  Finally…they stop.  I close my eyes in relief and exhaustion as someone takes my hand and hauls me onto firm ground.

"Whoa, good going, Serenity."

"Yeah, pushing that guy into the pool was brilliant!"

"…it's not funny or brilliant.  Look what that man did to Seto!"

"My god, what happened and how did it all start?"

"I have no clue…who was that freak trying to kill him, anyways?"

"Is he going to be okay, Joey?"

"I think so, Seren…whoa!  Look at those marks around his neck!"

"I think his arm is broken."

"And his leg.  It's at a funny angle."

"God, look at all that blood…"

"Stop it, Tristan, you're scaring Serenity."

 "Seto?  Seto!  Say something!"

I try to open my eyes, but they remain firmly closed.  "Where…is…Mokuba?"  I choke out.

"He's at the Game Shop with Yugi.  He's fine.  Who attacked you, Kaiba?  Why does he want you dead?"

Finally I force my eyes open, and struggle to sit up.  Breathing heavily, I slowly rise to my feet.  I walk over to the edge of the pool, and look down into it.  What?  There's no blood, signs of struggle, anything. 

"He's…not…dead."

"Kaiba," Joey says sharply.  "You shouldn't be walking yet, on that leg of yours."  I turn to glare at him, but pain shoots through my leg and I crumple to the ground. 

Tristan and Joey each take one of my arms and help me up.  I glare at nothing in particular, my pride reduced.

"I'm…fine."

"No you're not," Serenity says firmly.  I try to glower at her, but my eyes suddenly fall closed.  I try to open them again, but I find myself slipping into darkness.

"Hey!  What's wrong with him?"

"He's unconscious, I think.  Poor guy."

"I hope Seto will be okay…"

Everything goes black.

~**~

When I come to, I'm hurting all over.  The first thing I see is the ground.  Then I realize I'm upside down.  This can only mean…

"Put me down."

"Hey, Seto, you're awake!" Serenity cries.  Ignoring the pounding pain in my head, I manage another demand to be put down.  Firefighter carries generally don't do wonders for a headache.

"Chill, Kaiba.  We're almost at Yugi's game shop.  After we get there, we're gonna call the hospital."  I recognize Tristan's voice, and scowl to myself.  How mortifying!  As I continue to glare at the pavement as if my humiliating situation was its own fault, Tristan sighs.  I'm suddenly flipped over, and standing on my own feet.  Joey and Tristan each have a firm grip on my arm.  I nod gratefully, and stagger along painfully.  Serenity hovers nearby, glancing at me worriedly.  It's kind of strange, having someone concerned about me.  Mokuba's constantly worried about my abnormal sleeping habits—well, nocturnal inclination—and the small amount of food I eat; but he knows me very well and loves me even though I'm an obnoxious, antisocial creep.

I figure that while I'm awake, I might as well ask what happened, since I don't have a very clear idea of it myself.

"Who pushed Gozaburo into the shark pool?" I ask.  Joey and Tristan exchange glances, and I figure it's one of them.

"Well…" Tristan starts nervously.  "If Goziboro…Gozaboru…Gozaburo is that freaky dude who was trying to kill you…"

"She did it."  Joey blurted, turning red and gesturing towards Serenity.  I turn my head towards her.

"Thank you." I say very gravely. 

Serenity nods, blushing slightly.  "So…" she starts quietly.  "Who is that Gozaburo person?"

I close my eyes, exhaling tiredly.  "My adoptive father.  I killed him, or so I thought."  I don't see their reactions, but I can hear the startled gasps. 

I open my eyes again, glaring at the ground again.  If looks could kill, that poor, innocent pavement would be melting right about now. 

"You killed him?" Joey asks incredulously.

"Yes, we were mortal enemies.  He wanted KaibaCorp to be a weapons company, I wanted it to be a gaming company.  I won the battle, and I thought I'd won the war.  But he survived, and I don't know how.  Understandably, he survived for one purpose: to kill me."  I state dully.

Absorbed in my thoughts, I trip on a crack in the pavement.  Pain shoots through my whole body, and I accidentally let out a yelp.  I fall to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Sorry, Kaiba, I didn't mean to let go…are you okay?  Kaiba?"

My eyelids flutter with exhaustion.  The last thing I see is three worried faces hovering above me, their expressions identical: concerned, caring, upset.

One thought crosses my mind before blackness overtakes me…Is this what it's like to have friends?

~*~*~

A/N:  Woah.  Freaky, sad, angsty…I had no idea I could write that stuff.  I know, it's terrible, be nice to me…*cries* I suck at this whole angst thing.  R&R!  Bye!