A/N: This is a one-shot. Please don't ask for updates. And I know that technically they should be in Japan and technically all the names should be Japanese, but so what? It's English now!
Disclaimer: I own no Yugioh work. All I have is a nice wall scroll of Seto.
It happened so fast. Seto was just walking, Mokuba beside him. The younger boy was closer to the street. Night had recently fallen, and this was the time the two brothers liked to walk at. This walk was one of the few things that kept Mokuba feeling close to his 'nii-sama. A bright light shone around them from behind. It was different from the other headlights that had been shining before, somehow it was closer. Seto turned to see what caused this difference. Eyes opening wide, he grabbed Mokuba and threw him off the sidewalk onto the soft grass yard they were walking by.
Stunned, the child didn't understand what had occurred. Tumbling across the ground, sky became ground and ground became sky three times before he skidded to a stop. A sharp pain hit his back as something collided with him from behind. Mokuba lurched forward a little, feeling whatever it was leave a nice soon-to-be-purple bruise. He turned to face his brother, mad at being tossed five feet in the air and allowed to fall like that. What he saw behind him made his blood run cold.
A bright blue car had mounted the pavement behind him. Steam was billowing from a mangled engine. A light pole was lying on it's side. Inside, visible through the cracked windshield, the driver was slumped over the wheel. Blood was pouring out of a huge gash across his forehead. Standing slowly, placing a hand on his sore side, the ten year old boy walked to the window of the car. Scared out of his mind, gently he poked the man's neck. He did not move. A voice could be heard screaming something. Mokuba turned and saw someone yelling into their cell phone, probably calling for help. Several other cars had stopped to see what was going on, and every car that drove by slowed down to gaze at the wreckage.
"Just like people to by so fascinated with a crash scene." Mokuba spoke quietly. He had been intending to talk to Seto, but it was just then that he realized his brother was not there. A frightened look came into his eyes. "Seto? Seto??"
Scouring the area with his eyes, Mokuba's breath started to come short. Frantically he walked over the sidewalk, looking everywhere for his 'nii-sama. A woman, she had been with the man who had called on his cell phone, came over and put a hand on Mokuba's shoulder.
"Are you alright? My name is Tammy, and I saw the accident." she told him.
"Have you seen my brother? He was just walking with me a minute ago." Mokuba asked Tammy in a panic-stricken voice.
Tammy lowered her head. Without a word, she led Mokuba over to the side of the wrecked car. Mokuba gasped. Lying beside the smashed vehicle, covered in blood, was Seto. He seemed to be out cold, but their was a twisted look of pain on his face. Eyes shut tightly, Seto looked almost as if he were deep asleep. Blood was spilling out of a huge cut on his chest, and one of his ribs was actually sticking out. Feeling like he would swoon, Mokuba clapped his hands over his eyes and spun around so fast. He didn't want to see. Tears leaked out between his fingers. Silently Tammy put a hand on his shoulder again.
A few minutes later the ambulances arrived. There were three, one for each of the victims. Carefully they lifted Seto's dead-looking form onto a stretcher and took it away. The man in the car was put on one too, and they rolled off into a different ambulance. Two paramedics came up to Mokuba and tried to get him so sit on a third stretcher. But the kid had already run after the ambulance loading Seto in. He jumped into the back and sat down on a padded seat.
"Don't worry Seto. Everything is going to be okay." Mokuba glanced up at the paramedics working on Seto, adding, "I'm coming on this one."
One of the medics shook his head. "I'm sorry but only one patient per vehicle. You'll have to get in the other one."
"This is my brother! I'm not about to leave him like this!" Mokuba screeched. A female paramedic who had first come up to Mokuba walked up behind the kid now. She lifted the ten year old off of the seat, and out of the car.
"Go. I've got him under control." She restrained a squirming squealing Mokuba as the ambulance closed it's doors and drove off. Still carrying the boy, the woman walked over to a stretcher. She set Mokuba down, and spoke quite calmly to him. "My name is Sara. What's yours?"
Annoyed with the question, Mokuba answered it angrily, "It's Mokuba. Why can't I be with my brother??"
"Your brother is being taken to the hospital, which is where we're going. You have to ride in separate ambulances because there isn't enough room in one for two stretchers. Don't worry, you'll see him again soon. Who should I call to tell about the accident? Your parents will need to know. What is their number?"
Mokuba shook his head. "My parents are dead."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Well, then is there an aunt or a grandmother I could call and inform?"
"There is no one. No one but me and Seto."
"Oh I see." She paused for a moment. "Well then let's take a look at those bruises." She started to lift Mokuba's shirt.
"There is one person you could call." Mokuba stated suddenly. "He's not family, but he's a good friend of mine."
"Oh? What's his name and number?" Sara asked, checking over the purple spot on Mokuba's back.
"Yugi. His number is 234-4365." Mokuba tried hard not to wince as the paramedic moved her fingers over the aching bruises. Then she pulled his shirt down again, and squatted down. Removing Mokuba's shoe and sock on his left foot, she began to examine the oddly shaped bone. Only then did Mokuba realize his heel was twisted. He gritted his teeth again, thinking of what Seto would say if Mokuba cried out.
After a minute Sara stood up again. She was smiling, obviously trying to placate the scared little boy. She bent down and picked up his shoe. Tossing that to her partner in the van, she situated the stretcher so Mokuba was sitting up in it laying back against the pillows. Her male partner came over and joined her, and together the rolled Mokuba into the ambulance.
"I'm going to give you something to make you feel no pain. It might hurt a little, but you're a tough boy. I'm sure you can handle it." Sara said this as the ambulance started up. Unlike the man and Seto's vehicles, this one did not spring into life with ear-shattering sirens. Instead it grumbled along the streets, lights flashing across Mokuba's form as they shone from outside through the windshield. Sara picked up a hypodermic needle from a box, and tested it to see if the liquid inside flowed uninhibited. Next she positioned the tip over a vein in Mokuba's right arm, at the elbow joint. Glancing at is face, she pushed the sharp piece into the vein, and injected the medicine. Mokuba made a small sound of pain, but said nothing. Sara pushed the stopper all the way down, and took the needle out. "There. That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Mokuba shook his head. He watched her throw the needle into a bin. Sara smiled at the child. Her bright smile might have been infectious to anyone else. To Mokuba is was irritating. Watching the soothing lights flow over him as they passed street lights outside, Mokuba began to feel very tired. He suspected the drugs had made him drowsy. Either way he drifted off to sleep.
When his eyelids fluttered open several hours later, Mokuba was in a hospital room. The walls were white, the linens were white, the ceiling was white. A machine beeped smoothly beside the bed Mokuba now lay on. Sitting in a chair next to him was the spike-y haired youth he had come to see as a good friend. He was sleeping just then, and the younger boy wondered how long he had been there. The watch on Yugi's wrist said 7:00 am. Mokuba sighed.
The sigh woke Yugi. "Oh Mokuba! How are you feeling? I got the call and they told me to come down here right away. Joey, Tea, and Tristen are here too. I think they went to the cafeteria."
"Where's Seto?" Mokuba demanded. Yugi hesitated.
"Well they haven't told us anything about him since we got here. All the nurse said was that Seto was…wasn't with you." Yugi finished with an obvious lie. Mokuba narrowed his eyes in a way that made the older teen feel as if he were staring down Seto. "Well, no. They said he was in bad shape. In ICU I think."
It was lucky the others came in then. When Yugi turned around Mokuba had enough time to dry his eyes on the sheets. It didn't feel right to cry in front of anyone. That was what Seto had always taught him. Tea, who was holding a tray of food, took one look at Mokuba and lunged at him, throwing her arms around his neck. The other two boys dived to catch the food before it fell.
"Oh Mokuba! Are you alright? I was so worried when you didn't wake up last night, but then the doctors said you had been given morphine and that you'd probably be out for a few hours. How do you feel?" Tea squeaked all of this very fast into Mokuba's ear. She was hugging him so tight that he began to have trouble breathing. Tristen flashed a quick grin and pulled Tea off of the smaller boy.
"I'm fine, Tea. But…" Mokuba stared off into space for a moment. His brain couldn't organized his thoughts very well right now. Only one thing seemed to show up in his mind, and it echoed around bouncing off the empty space. Seto's condition.
"Hey Moka." Joey grinned, using the nickname they had contrived for their young friend, "You hungry? I'm sure they'll be bringing breakfast along anytime now. I could go check it out for you."
"No, that's all right, Joey. I'm not hungry." Mokuba sat up in bed, staring at the bright sun outside his window. Tea moved so she was behind him, and fixed the pillows for Mokuba to lean back against them without laying down. He did, feeling as though he were sinking into a cloud. Though he had leaned back, the ten year old still had a perfect view of the window. He kept staring at it with increasingly glassy eyes. Worried, the teens present in the room tried to bring about pleasant conversation.
"Hey, that new dueling show airs today. Wanna watch it Moka?" Tristen asked. He waited for an answer, but none came.
"Why don't we have our own duels? A mini tournament." Tea suggested, but Mokuba shot that one down to without a response.
"We could play some normal cards." Yugi recommended. Silence. A quick glance at Joey from the others told them they weren't getting any help from him. He was stuffing his face with chocolate bars and chips. "Geez, Joey. Save some for the rest of us!" Yugi attempted to grab a candy bar, but Joey growled and nearly bit Yugi's hand getting it back. Mokuba, who had been attracted by Yugi's first yell, laughed hard at this. Yugi, who was shaking his hand trying to get rid of the pain, couldn't help grinning that at least Moka was feeling better.
"Joey, you dog-boy! You can't eat Yugi." Mokuba said, laughing again. Joey glowered, but seemed reluctant to hit an injured child. Unballing his fists, Joey went back to eating, now mixing the melting chocolate with the potato chips. Tea made a sound like gagging as she moved to let Tristen dive for a chocolate-chip. Mokuba laughed so hard it seemed he wouldn't stop. But Yugi noticed that as the kid laughed, it was too prolonged, too loud, and too hearty. The giddy feeling that projected itself in Mokuba's laugh didn't show in his eyes, and the shortest of the teens realized the laugh was more of an act than anything else.
A woman dressed in white with a red symbol showing on her breast pocket entered the room. She took a chart that was attached to the end of Mokuba's bed off and flipped the page, reading. Her eyes flashing over the words, she nodded her head as if she understood what she read there. Something must have saddened her, because a few frown lines appeared on her forehead and she looked over the top of the chart at the bedridden child. She smiled kindly at him. Mokuba, smiling back, guessed that the chart stated that Seto was in the hospital too and the nurse felt sorry for him. Letting the pages fall back, she set the medical chart down on the bed and walked to the shelf on one side of the room. Taking down two bottles, she also took out another needle and filled it with the liquid in one of the bottles. She walked over to Mokuba with the second bottle and the shot. She smiled sweetly, reassuringly, at Mokuba.
"It's time for your medication, Mokuba." She paused, "I pronounced that correctly, right?" Mokuba nodded, his mind still on Seto. The nurse took a step closer to the bed, standing beside Yugi. "Well, Mokuba, are you ready for your shot?" She didn't wait for his answer. Instead she lifted the arm of the hospital gown Mokuba was wearing, and carefully gave him the injection. Mokuba closed his eyes and swallowed the groan he longed to utter. A moment later the needle was out again, and the nurse was throwing the used spike away. She grabbed a paper cup from a dispenser near the sink, and filled it with water. The white clad nurse handed the cup to Mokuba, along with a few pills out of the bottle. Mokuba placed the tablets on his tongue, and gulped down some water. It was cold with a distinct rust flavoring. Ignoring the taste, he swallowed the rest of the water, and handed the empty cup back to the nurse.
"If you need anything, just press the call button." She indicated the remote attached to the bed, smiled, and left. Joey, Tristen, and Tea, who had been hovering in the backward, approached the bed again. Tea lifted the plastic bag that hung on a stand beside the bed. A tube hooked at the bottom ran to Mokuba's arm, delivering more medicine to the boy. Yugi placed a hand over Mokuba's pale thin ones. Just then a hospital worker came in to serve Mokuba with his breakfast. He set a large plastic tray down on a little movable table and wheeled it over Mokuba's bed at stomach level. He smiled and left. Grumbling Mokuba lifted the top off the plate. Why did everyone keep smiling? Did they pity him? Mokuba didn't want pity or anything from these people, just his brother back. He stared down for a second at the food, scrambled eggs and pork sausage served alongside Jell-O, then he pushed the tray towards Joey and Tristen.
"Here. Eat." Mokuba advised them. Not needing to be told twice, Joey grabbed two of the four sausages and a handful of eggs. Tristen grabbed the rest and they both tucked in. Tea scowled disapprovingly.
"Mokuba, you need to eat something." She told him, concern showing obviously in her face. Mokuba saw it and couldn't stand letting anyone worry about him.
"I'll eat the Jell-o." he told her, picking up his spoon and digging into the green cube. Slowly he finished the small cube of Jell-o, so slow that Joey and Tristen were both done with their sausages and eggs before he finished. Disgusted, Tea made the boys go wash their hands.
"You're not very fair, Tea." Joey complained from the sink. "What about Mokuba?"
"Mokuba has a broken ankle!" Tea said in indignation. Mokuba reached down and felt his left foot, and knew it was swollen. The pain-killers kept him from feeling it though. Tea sighed, grabbing a napkin and wetting it in the sink.
"Hand please, Mokuba." she asked. Mokuba, a little confused, held out his hands for Tea to see. She rubbed the wet napkin across his hands a little, before throwing it away. She turned to Joey and Tristen. "Better?"
Mokuba and Yugi burst out laughing. Feeling at peace, though still extremely worried about Seto, Mokuba leaned back into his pillows. Sighing with content, he drifted off to sleep.
"This is bad. You sure, doctor?"
"Yes. He might not pull through the night."
"Is there anything we can do?"
"Pray for a miracle. That's about it."
The voices sounded jumbled. They made no sense, echoing in Mokuba's sleep-gorged ears. But the urgency and anxiety of the tones registered in his brain. Still, it took a while for the tired mind to process who the voices were and who they could possibly be talking about. Then Mokuba recognized a loud voice that was talking with a street accent. Joey. And they were talking about Seto! His eyes opened immediately.
The curtains were drawn across the window through which bright morning light had been streaming last time he had woken. The clock on the wall read 7:45, and judging by the street lamp glow on the curtains is was pm. Mokuba yawned a little. His hospital room was occupied by several people. Four of them, Yugi, Tea, Joey, and Tristen, were his friends. The last three people were unknown to Mokuba, though he guessed they were two doctors and a nurse by the clothes they wore. The group was talking gravely, standing at the end of the child's bed. Mokuba cleared his throat to show he was awake and listening. Turning towards him, the others gasped a little.
Tea broke down in tears, rushing to Mokuba's side and collapsing on his shoulder. Tristen grabbed her and moved her off of the sick boy. Yugi started to say something, but his throat got stuck and he couldn't. One of the doctors addressed Mokuba.
"Mokuba, I regret to inform you that I have bad news." He paused to take out a chart. Mokuba waited with baited breath. "Your brother, Seto, is dying. He isn't expected to live through the night."
The words shattered. Mokuba gasped and felt his breath catch in his chest. His heart seemed as if it had stopped. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, but he desperately tried to keep them in check. His whole body shook with suppressed sobs and horror. Too shocked to say anything, Mokuba just continued to stare openmouthed at the doctor who had given him the news, but not really seeing. His eyes had slipped out of focus, and swimming in front of them were images of Seto, memories he didn't even know he had. It was a long time before anyone said anything.
"Well…You may go see him if you like." the second doctor told Mokuba. Numbly Mokuba nodded his head. The doctor turned to Yugi and started to discuss the arrangements with him. Tea, still sobbing, moved out of Tristen's hands and sat at the foot of Mokuba's bed. She placed her hand over Mokuba's in an attempt to comfort him, but he barely noticed.
Yugi left the room for a bit and returned with a wheel chair. He wheeled it over to the bedside, and gestured to it, indicating that Mokuba should get in. It was a few moments before Mokuba could move at all. Tea stood silently and lifted Mokuba's thin form into the chair. Yugi pushed on the bar and took Mokuba out of the room. Joey, Tristen, and Tea followed.
They passed through a white hall, hung with pictures here and there to make it look more festive. Mokuba glanced at these pictures with a numb care. Going by many other rooms, the boy could see people of varying degrees of illness or injury laying in beds with white linen sheets like his own. They looked at him as he passed by, some smiling, some grimacing.
Then they walked through a pair of automatic doors into a section of the hospital divided off. The doors read ICU. Mokuba shivered. Here there was a greater attempt at cheery behavior. Many more colorful pictures, and decorated rooms. Yugi pushed the chair past rooms 177 through 183. He stopped at 184, glancing in.
"That's the room the driver is in." he muttered to Mokuba. The child couldn't help but glance inside. Laying on a white bed, his face covered with bandages and an oxygen mask, was the same man Mokuba had tried to wake after the crash. He seemed extremely pale, and his eyes were closed. A nurse stood beside him, taking his blood pressure.
"He was drunk." Tristen said shortly, also staring at the man. Mokuba felt his temper flare. This man had done this to them, had injured Seto and himself so greatly just because he wanted to relieve some hidden pains he had, or just to satisfy a crazed thirst. Any twinge of pity Mokuba had for this man evaporated fast. His young face became hard, his blue eyes narrowed.
"Let's go." Mokuba growled, unable to stand being near this man any longer. Yugi moved the chair down the hall again. They soon reached a door marked 194. Tristen pushed it open, Yugi pushed Mokuba in, and the other's walked behind him, the door closing swiftly behind them.
Mokuba gasped. Seto was lying on one of the white beds identical to every other in the hospital. This one had blood stains on the top sheets, and more on the side of the bed. A machine beeped slowly, showing the dying teen's heart rate. Three lines ran to different veins on Seto's arms, two bringing IV, another baring morphine. The soft movement of the respirator proved that the mask covering Seto's face was meant for breathing purposes. Seto himself was incredibly pale, more so than the driver had been. Both arms laying atop the sheets looked thin and frail. The shirt Seto wore was blood stained, and beneath it many bandages were visible. Though his eyes were closed as the others entered, he opened them at the sound of the door closing and Mokuba's gasp. He grinned weakly.
"Hey, Mokuba." His voice sounded weak, even more so since it was muffled by the respirator mask. Mokuba felt his eyes water just hearing his 'nii-sama's voice. He choked back the tears silently, and forced himself to look at Seto.
Seto shifted on the bed to get more comfortable. He made the smallest of whines of pain imaginable. In fact no one heard it other than Mokuba. Yugi, who seemed a little nervous, pushed Mokuba's wheel chair up next to the bed, near Seto's hand. Joey and Tristen took seats by the door. Tea burst into tears and ran from the room, muttering an apology as she ran. Yugi sat down quietly in a chair behind Mokuba.
"So…" Yugi began awkwardly. He glanced at the older teen lying in bed, "You feeling all right, Seto?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Seto spoke quietly. All present knew that he wouldn't have admitted he was hurting no matter what. "The morphine is doing it's work."
At that moment two kids opened the room, each only a few years older than Mokuba. They smiled.
"Can I have your autograph, Mr. Kaiba?" asked one boy. He held out a paper and pen. Seto nodded and glanced at Yugi. Getting the message, Yugi jumped up and grabbed the paper and pen. He brought them to Seto, who silently wrote his name on the paper twice, slowly and not too accurate.
"Hey you want my autograph too kids?" Joey asked grinning. He loved any form of admiration. Seto sneered.
"Like they'd want anything from a second-rate duelist like you, lap-dog." Seto said in barely more than a whisper. Joey glanced at him, but did not get angry. Seto, seeming a little disappointed, handed the paper back to Yugi, who in turn handed it back to the children. They grinned, tearing the paper in half and each taking one signature.
As they left, the second boy said, "It'll go up a lot in value after he dies." At these words, Tristen and Joey jumped up and chased the boys down the hall. The sound of cursing and punching could be heard. Yugi sighed and followed out of the room.
Mokuba watched them go, not wanting to see his brother this way. A sigh from Seto forced the ten year olds sight back to his brother. Seto had moved around in his bed so that now he was leaning back against the pillows, half sitting up. He was forcing the mask off his face, unhooking the hose bringing the oxygen to him and setting it aside. Mokuba whined a little, but did not raise further objections. Seto smiled again, and without the mask he looked almost normal.
"Mokuba, are you alright?" The teen asked quietly. It seemed to take him a lot of energy to speak. Mokuba nodded, smiling weakly too. He showed the cast on his ankle to his 'nii-sama.
"I sprained my ankle, and got this huge bruise on my back from the car bumper, but other than that I'm fine, Seto." Mokuba said in a hushed voice. Seto lifted an arm and put it on Mokuba's shoulder. He pulled his little brother closer to him, off the chair and on to the bed. Mokuba allowed himself to be lifted into Seto's arms, drawn into a one-armed hug. The boy wrapped his own small arms around his brother, and felt Seto's other arm squeezing his back. All the emotions he had been keeping bottled up since he had seen his brother beside the wrecked car suddenly burst forth from the small boy like a cork busting off a wine bottle. Tears that had shown in his eyes before now welled up so much they washed over his cheeks. Those dark eyes so much like deep rivers shone with a heartbreaking light. No longer did Mokuba try to hide the sobs he had held in.
A light drop fell on Mokuba's head, like a tiny drizzle of rain, and the ten year old knew Seto was crying too. He stared up into those blue eyes of his brother. Compared to Mokuba's river-like orbs, Seto's were most like a pure ocean. Never before had Mokuba seen them blurred with soft tears as they were now. He couldn't speak, and neither could Seto. They sat there for a long time, each clinging to the other so tight it would take a crowbar to pull them apart. Then finally, his voice choked, Seto spoke even quieter than before.
"Mokuba…I love you."
"I love you to Seto." Mokuba sobbed. Despite his brother's lessons in controlling your emotions, the small boy began to wail. Seto rubbed his back, trying to quiet him.
"Shh, Mokuba, shh…It's okay." The continual back rub, soon making him numb, and the quiet words soothed Mokuba. He eventually quieted down and fell asleep, nestled against his brother's warm body.
Mokuba woke up back in his own hospital bed. His wheel chair stood beside the bed, folded up. Yugi, Joey, and Tristen sat on chairs grouped in a circle near the door. Yugi had his head in his hands, Joey was leaned back against his chair glaring at the ceiling, and Tristen was staring unfeelingly at the wall. Tea sat on a chair next to the foot of the bed. She was hunched over, bawling loudly. Mokuba felt the sheets near her become wet. He didn't have to ask what had happened. The tears were dry from his face. He had cried all his tears with Seto.
Staring out the window of the plane, the boy saw Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Tristen waving their arms at him through the rain. Tea was sobbing, but smiling too. He smiled, though he knew they couldn't see them, and waved back. The craft started to move, and Mokuba leaned back in his seat. His seat belt was already buckled. His seat was in a comfortable but not dangerous position. A flight attendant came over and gave him a glass of cold milk. He settled in, headphones on, and listened to some soothing country music. Mokuba was on his way to his 2nd cousin's house in New York. They had been willing enough to take him in for a few months while everything settled down. Mokuba would not be attending the funeral.
The sky really did reflect his feelings then. It was cloudy and rainy, but the sun shone and the clouds were white. Birds were singing, but there was a air of impending death. One single dark cloud, oddly enough shaped like a tear, hung on the horizon that the plane soared to. The strangest mixture of weather, the strangest mixture of emotions.
Eyes closed, the ten year old could see his brother laying in his casket, cold and gray. And dead. The thought chilled him, and Mokuba opened his eyes. The back of the seat in front of him swirled and the colors formed another scene, this time from his memory.
The man that had hit them was sitting up in bed, taking medicine, getting better. Mokuba could feel his heart slam into his chest and stop. Life wasn't fair, and even though Seto had always said this Mokuba had never understood it until now. It truly wasn't fair. The man had sighted Mokuba, and turned to speak to him. He stuttered out a brief apology, seemingly aware that all the words in the world wouldn't help. Instead of even acknowledging him, Mokuba had turned away coldly, leaving his brother's murderer alone with his guilt. Mokuba came back to himself.
Sighing, he fell into the music. A song came on, one about brothers and love and loss.
Mokuba felt the tears begin to flow down his cheeks. Swiftly he wiped them away, but the music brought them back again and again. Instead of trying to hide the emotion, Mokuba reveled in it. Soon, it hurt less, like a blade being taken out of the wound. The wound remained. A wound that would never heal, a scar that only proved he was human.
AN: That's that. Fic fin. Sorry that it kinda got less on topic at the end. Hope you enjoyed it. R&R