A/N: I keep making new stories, I know, but I've had this idea for MONTHS and I had to get opinions on it. I got the idea from listening to the song "Handlebars" by Flobots, haha. Tell me what you think please!

Also, read the summary in here too for more information.

Summary: AU. Gozaburo Kaiba had been the relentless dictator of Japan for years. He had trained Seto to be his successor, but the latter became power hungry and assassinated his step father. Two years later, Mokuba has the shock of his life when he discovers his brother's cruel ways. He teams up with the reclusive rebel, the King of Games, in order to save Japan from Seto's corrupt regime.

A Brotherhood Divided

Tick-tock.

The sound was deafening. All he heard anymore was the constant clicking of the clock as the hands moved over the face.

Tick-tock.

Life was at a standstill for young Mokuba Kaiba. His own house was a prison. He had memorized every inch of his room from the small chips on his wooden door to the small spaces in the corners that the painters had missed with blue.

Tick-tock.

Mokuba clenched his fists. He often dreamed of playing and laughing with the other children outside of his prison, but his older brother wouldn't permit him to leave. He always said that it was for Mokuba's own good, that the world was a dangerous place. As much as Mokuba looked up to and loved Seto Kaiba, he refused to believe that the world was filled with dangerous, evil individuals. He knew that there were many good people out there, he had seen them himself before Gozaburo had come along.

Mokuba dug his fingernails into his palms. He hated it when he thought of Gozaburo. He was an evil bastard of a step father that had torn Seto apart. Seto tried to be strong, but Mokuba could see that he was damaged, broken. Seto had been kind and care-free as a child, but when Gozaburo took them in, he became cold and unreachable. The very thought brought tears to Mokuba's eyes, but he fought them off as best as he could.

Tick-tock.

A slow creaking noise told Mokuba that he was no longer alone. Mokuba sighed sadly. As much as he hated being alone, he hated being alone with Seto even more. It was too painful.

"Mokuba."

Mokuba shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Seto's voice was soft and gentle, but he could hear the exhaustion and weariness underneath.

Seto slowly approached him. He placed his hands on Mokuba's shoulders, causing the latter to jump slightly at the contact. Hot breath disturbed a few strands of Mokuba's long raven hair as Seto let out a deep sigh. Something was obviously troubling him, but Mokuba was afraid to ask.

"What's wrong?" Mokuba choked out, staring blankly at the clock in front of him.

"A very important military facility was infiltrated. Several of my best scientists were found screaming and flailing while trying to claw out their own eyes." Seto's grip tightened on Mokuba's shoulders. "They're on their way to a mental hospital as we speak."

Mokuba blinked and turned to look at Seto curiously. "The King of Games?"

Seto gritted his teeth and nodded. "I believe so, yes. That seems to be his own special brand of warfare…driving people insane."

Mokuba turned back to the clock and stared. He was always intrigued when the King of Games struck. Strange stories always followed, and normally at least one person would be found acting like a schizophrenic. He had gotten his name supposedly because he always played a game with his victims before they lost their minds. Mokuba frowned and scratched at his hair. The King of Games and his followers were determined to bring Seto down…but why? Mokuba knew that his brother had a cold exterior…but he was a good person. Seto always tried to be the best brother he could to Mokuba.

Gozaburo had been a ferocious dictator capable of genocide, imprisonment without the writ of habeas corpus and other atrocities. That's why Seto had taken him out. That's why Seto had taken control. Seto was a just leader.

Seto leaned his forehead on the top of Mokuba's head, snapping the latter out of his thoughts. "I hate keeping you in here."

Mokuba swallowed against the lump in his throat. "Then let me out."

Seto sighed again. "I can't do that. There are a lot of…" He lifted his head and released Mokuba's shoulders. He stood tall once more. "There are some people who don't like me or my family. In case you've forgotten, you fall into that category. We've been through this. I wish I could let you live a normal, happy life, Mokuba but…but it's dangerous out there. What about the King of Games? What if you were out there on your own? I would not be able to live with myself if he attacked you…and made you…"

Mokuba smiled slightly. "Insane?" he asked, a slight laugh in his voice.

Seto shook his head and smiled as well. "It's not funny."

Mokuba said nothing for a short time. There was something on the tip of his tongue that he wished to say, but he was afraid of how his brother would react.

"Why don't you quit?"

Seto froze. After all the time that Seto had been the ruler of Japan, never once had Mokuba suggested quitting. He had always tried to convince Seto to let him out or to take a break when things got tough, but quitting?

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Quitting is out of the question," he muttered coldly.

Mokuba's shoulders slumped over. He hated it when Seto had that tone of voice. He hated it when Seto shut down around him. It was the reason why being alone with him was so difficult. Mokuba always seemed to say the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry, Seto…I just wish we could both be happy."

Seto crossed his arms. "And what makes you think I'm not? I have everything every man only dreams of! I have an entire nation under my command! I can do whatever I please! Why would I give that up?"

Mokuba frowned as he felt a sharp pang in his chest. Seto's harsh tone hurt, but it was his words that caught Mokuba's attention.

"You can do whatever you want huh? You think you're better than everyone else?"

Mokuba had thought those words, but he hadn't spoken them. The person that did had a female voice.

Both Mokuba and Seto whirled around to see a young blonde girl standing in the doorway, obvious anger and hatred written all over her face. Mokuba straightened up at the sight of her, a smile lighting up his face.

"Rebecca!" he cried out happily. Rebecca Hawkins had been a child prodigy, and had used her genius to study medicine. Not many knew her well enough to call her anything besides Dr. Hawkins, but she and Mokuba had become extremely close. They were both the same age: 15.

Seto groaned. "Please, Dr. Hawkins, spare me for once. I'm hardly in the mood for your negative views of me."

Rebecca walked into the room and stood next to Mokuba. "Perhaps if you didn't do everything in your power to earn them, I wouldn't have to speak them aloud."

Seto's eyes narrowed dangerously as he eyed her. "If you weren't Mokuba's friend, I'd-"

"You'd what, Seto? Go ahead, I'm listening. So is Mokuba, by the way."

Seto's eyes darted to Mokuba. He was appalled at himself for slipping up. He really hadn't gotten enough sleep lately. He was normally as sharp as a knife, but lately things hadn't been going his way. He couldn't get a wink of sleep. He had the King of Games and his followers to worry about and the United Nations at his back. He didn't have the time.

"Forget it."

Seto shot her one last, deadly glare before turning on his heel and swiftly exiting the room. Rebecca sighed and fell into a chair near Mokuba's desk.

"Talking to him drains the energy out of me," she mumbled. She looked over at Mokuba, who seemed to be very upset.

"I don't understand. Why do you hate him? What would he do to you if you weren't my friend?" Mokuba sighed and laid his head on his desk. "Why can't we just be happy…?"

Rebecca gave him a sympathetic look and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Mokuba, your brother and I just have very different views on things…deep down I know he's a good person, but your stepfather…he really messed Seto up."

Mokuba sighed again. "You didn't answer my second question."

Rebecca frowned. She didn't want to tell Mokuba the truth. If she did, he would be crushed. Mokuba wouldn't be able to deal with the information. The truth was, Seto was not a just ruler. Not in the slightest, and those who spoke against him disappeared. Everyone except for her and the King of Games, that is. Her friendship with Mokuba protected her, and the King of Games was slippier than ice.

Mokuba wouldn't be able to accept it. He wouldn't understand. Rebecca felt like she was on the verge of tears as she pitied him. She had told the truth, she did know that Seto had been a good person at one point. She knew that there was still good in him deep down, but it was hard to get past the cold, deadly dictator that he had become. The only person that did on a regular basis was Mokuba.

Rebecca smiled sadly. "You know how we get when we argue, Moki. We're all talk; we don't mean half of the things we say."

Mokuba lifted his head up slightly and let it drop back to the desk with a thud. "I wish you wouldn't."

"I know, and I wish that too. We just…we both get under each other's skin. It's difficult to get past that," Rebecca said, almost mournfully. She slid her hand into Mokuba's and squeezed it tightly. "The only thing we can both agree on is how amazing you are."

Mokuba blushed and intertwined his fingers with hers. "At least I have you and Seto…but I wish I could see the world. I wish I could go outside again."

Rebecca beamed at him. "You will one day. One day you will rule Japan, and everyone will rejoice."

On the other side of that very city, an old man was dragged from his home by military officers. He shouted insults at them left and right, causing them to reprimand them with a nightstick. A young boy, around the age of 16, dashed out of the house after them, only to be restrained by a female officer. He cried out to the old man in disdain, tears streaming down his face.

The officers threw the old man into the back of their car. The female officer pushed the boy away, causing him to fall on his back as she ran to join the others. She entered the car and she drove away, leaving the young boy to fend for himself.

He wept profusely, unable to contain his sadness. He didn't care anymore. He had lost all of his family.

Concealed in some bushes, a pair of crimson eyes studied the boy.

"I hate that…that son of a…" the boy pulled his knees up to his chin and rested his forehead on them. "Does God hate me? Does he like to watch me suffer?" The small teen looked up at the sky defiantly. "Well, do you? You let him take my parents, my grandfather, and my…" The boy choked out another sob, unable to finish his accusation. "I'm all alone now."

He heard a rustle in the bushes next to him. He jerked his head in that direction to get a good look, but he saw nothing. He sighed sadly, just as a warm hand slid onto his shoulder.

"You're never alone, Yugi Mutou."

Yugi jumped. He was on his feet now, a good distance from where he had been sitting. He whirled around fearfully, only to see the last person he ever expected to meet again.

"I've always been here, waiting and watching."

Yugi gawked at the older man, his heart jumping into his throat. He couldn't bring himself to speak, his mouth moved but words never formed. He merely stared at the ghost, the man that wasn't supposed to be alive, unsure of what to do. He began to shake as he went into shock. His face turned unnaturally pale.

The man's crimson eyes widened at his reaction. He jumped up from the stairs he had been sitting on and stepped toward Yugi just in time to catch him as he fainted. The man picked him up and carefully guided him back into the house. He placed Yugi on the couch in the living room and brushed the boy's lightning like bangs out of his face. He smiled as elated tears pricked his eyes.

"At last, we can be reunited, my brother. No one will ever harm you again."

Yugi smiled slightly in his sleep as if he had heard his brother's comforting words. The man chuckled gleefully as he admired his younger sibling.

For the first time in years, Yami Mutou was happy.