My 2nd Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic. Hope you all enjoy!
The popcorn had started popping in the microwave. At first, just one or two at a time, then popping a bunch in just a few seconds. As he listened to the pops to make sure his popcorn didn't burn, Mokuba stood up on a kitchen step-stool to grab the bag of red licorice in the cupboard. Climbing down, he could hear the pops slowing down, going back to two or three at a time. The boy waited a few more seconds before pressing 'Stop'.
After pouring the popcorn into a bowl, Mokuba grabbed both his snacks and walked down the long hallway to what he always called 'the TV room'. Kaiba was already sitting down on the couch, with their cat Kuma sleeping at the far end of the couch. "Go ahead and start it, Seto," Mokuba told him as he sat down, careful not to drop anything.
Kaiba nodded and pressed a button on the remote, closing the disc drive and starting the movie. Mokuba held the bowl in front of his brother. Even though Kaiba never took more than a few pieces of popcorn, Mokuba still liked to offer. As usual, Kaiba silently took a couple pieces and then Mokuba sat the bowl on the couch so he could get a piece of licorice.
Movie Nights were a small tradition for the two brothers. Even though it was hard for Kaiba to get a day off, it was easier to take a night off. It would mean extra work in the morning, but Kaiba never told Mokuba that. 'He doesn't need to know,' he thought. Besides, he needed to spend some time with his little brother, and movie nights were one of the easiest ways. So, every couple months, the Kaiba brothers would set up a night, Mokuba would pick the movie, and they would spend the night together. It wasn't much, but they enjoyed it nevertheless.
'At least, I think he enjoys it,' Mokuba thought as he chewed on the thick, red candy. Being as wealthy as they were, Mokuba could pick virtually any movie out there, even the ones that just left movie theaters. There was no limit on what he could pick. It was Mokuba's choice. Even scary movies were allowed, since Mokuba knew none of it was real and it was all special effects.
But at the same time, Mokuba felt like there was a limit. 'I want Seto to enjoy the movie too'. That was the thought that always ran through his mind whenever he picked out a movie. He didn't want his brother to get bored or think he was a baby based on the movie he picked. But, it seemed like no matter what Mokuba picked, Kaiba never really had a reaction to it. He would watch the movie quietly, never really having a reaction to it. When the movie ended, and Mokuba would ask his brother if he enjoyed it, Kaiba would nod and then tell him to get ready for bed.
'I wonder what kind of movies Seto likes,' Mokuba thought, looking at his big brother. He suddenly got an idea. 'I know! I'll just get Seto to pick the movie next time!' His brother was sure to pick something they would both enjoy.
So, the two brothers continued watching the movie, with only Mokuba laughing or making comments or having any other reaction to it. In the end, the protaganist defeated the new villain, got the pretty girl, and became a hero to everyone in the city. Mokuba knew he would ('What kind of movie would have a sad ending?'), but the ending still made him smile.
"So Seto, what did you think?" Mokuba asked, "Pretty cool, huh?"
Kaiba just nodded. "Don't forget to brush your teeth before bed," he told Mokuba as he picked up the empty bowl and discarded wrapper. The younger Kaiba brother silently sighed.
"I won't. Goodnight, Seto." As he walked to his bedroom, Mokuba felt more determined than ever.
'On the next movie night, it'll be the best one ever! You'll see, Seto.'
()()()()()()()()
"Come on, Seto!"
"Mokuba, there are plenty of movies in there, there's no need to rush." Kaiba still wasn't sure why Mokuba wanted to get their movie at a rental store. They had a wide variety of films at home, and any film they didn't have could be easily bought. So why rent one?"
As soon as they were both in the store, Mokuba turned to his brother. "Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we watch two movies tonight instead of one, you could pick the first one and I-"
"Mokuba, tomorrow's Monday." Mokuba blinked, and Kaiba mentally rolled his eyes. "You have school tomorrow, which means we can only watch one movie."
Mokuba pouted slightly, but instantly cheered up. "Well, why don't you look around anyway," he told his big brother, "Maybe the one you pick out will be better than mine." Not giving his brother a chance to argue, Mokuba quickly ran off, going into a random aisle.
After a few minutes, Mokuba found his brother again, but didn't make himself known. Instead, he followed Kaiba and hoped his brother would pick a movie he liked or thought looked interesting.
He followed Kaiba past new releases, as well as 'Action' and 'Comedy'. Mokuba watched as his brother glanced at the documentary section, and the drama section, but Kaiba never picked up a single dvd and didn't spend more than a couple seconds looking at each one.
Mokuba was starting to feel a bit frustrated. 'Maybe he just needs some help deciding,' Mokuba thought as he left his brother and went to search on his own. 'Now, what movies would Seto like?'
It was hard picking a movie out, because Mokuba had already picked a movie from nearly every genre for previous movie nights. But one movie caught his attention. "Les Miserables?" he read, "Oh wait, I've heard about this. It's that musical that got a bunch of awards. Does Seto like musicals?" He could never see his brother admitting to liking them, but that didn't mean he couldn't like musicals. Plus, judging by the cover, it looked like a really grown up film, no kiddie stuff there. Feeling hopeful, Mokuba grabbed a copy of the film and quickly found his brother.
"Hey big brother," Mokuba greeted, holding up the movie, "I found this. Would you want to watch it?"
Kaiba took the dvd and looked it over. "I've seen this before." Mokuba gave him a confused look, so Kaiba explained. "Not this version, but the story. Last year when I went to America to make a deal with a company in New York City, the president of the company invited me to see the stage version. I didn't really care for it, but I suppose it was decent. Do you want this one?"
Mokuba hope fell flat on its face. "No, not really."
"Well, go put it back and find something else," Kaiba told him, giving back the dvd. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Kaiba wasn't interested in any of the movies there, and was only there because of Mokuba.
"Actually, I think I'm ready to go home, Seto." Kaiba looked slightly surprised, but didn't argue. The two brothers silently put the dvd back in its place and left the store. Getting into the limo, Seto told the driver to head back to their home.
Looking at his little brother, Kaiba noticed how depressed Mokuba looked. He was looking at the floor of the car, and he hadn't said a word since they left the store. "Mokuba, what's wrong?" Kaiba asked him, although in tone it sounded more like a statement than a question.
Mokuba looked at his brother, and then back at the floor. "I was hoping you would pick out the movie this time, Seto." When Kaiba didn't reply, Mokuba continued anyway. "Whenever I pick the movie, I always feel like you're not enjoying it as much as I do. So, I wanted you to pick the movie this time so we would both have fun watching." He looked back up at his brother. "Do you even have a favorite movie?"
"Mokuba," Kaiba started to say, "I didn't have time to watch movies while growing up, nor do I have the time now. Besides, I enjoy books more than I enjoy movies. So, no, I don't have a favorite film."
"Oh," was all Mokuba could really say, "Okay."
"You can still pick out a movie to watch tonight," Kaiba told him, his tone a little softer now.
"Okay," Mokuba said again. All the excitement of movie night had disappeared for him, knowing that his big brother didn't even enjoy it. 'I guess I'm just taking away time for Seto to do what he actually likes.' Suddenly, he felt like more of a burden than a brother.
The two brothers were silent the rest of the way home.
()()()()()()()
Around 7:30 PM, Mokuba managed to drag himself out of his room and head to the kitchen. The pops of the popcorn sounded muffled, and when he took a bite of his licorice, it didn't seem nearly as tasty. "Maybe I'll just tell Seto to pick something on tv to watch," Mokuba said to himself as he poured the popcorn into a bowl.
Walking into the TV room, Mokuba saw his brother sitting in the exact same spot he always did while Kuma was laying on the floor playing with one of his toys. But one thing caught his eye: In Kaiba's hand was a dvd case. "Seto?" Mokuba asked, "What's that?"
Kaiba was quiet for a moment. "I thought about your question, Mokuba, and I think there is one movie I enjoyed." He held up the disc. On the cover, Mokuba could see drawings of a sleeping princess, a prince, three fairies, and a dragon. Judging by the drawing style, it looked like it came from America. The title was written in gold painted letters.
"Sleeping Beauty?" Mokuba asked.
Kaiba nodded, still looking at the movie. "I haven't seen this movie in years, the last time I watched it I was five."
"...You mean, when Mom and Dad were still alive?" Kaiba didn't say anything, but nodded.
"I'm not sure how well it holds up, but..." Kaiba looked at Mokuba, a small smile on his face, "I thought maybe you would want to give it a try anyway."
Mokuba smiled. "Yeah! Sure!" Kaiba put the disc in the dvd player, took his usual couple pieces of popcorn, and started the movie.
After the opening credits, the two brothers watched as the film opened up to a party at a medieval castle. The princess had just been born, and everyone in the kingdom was invited. Even three fairies arrived. While he didn't say anything out loud, Mokuba couldn't help but feel a bit confused. 'So far, it isn't very interesting,' he though, 'I wonder why Seto liked it so much when he was little?'
Suddenly, just as the blue fairy Merriweather was about to give the baby princess her gift, there was a crash and a burst of green flames appeared in the middle of the grand room. "Whoa!" Mokuba said, not expecting that.
Another fairy had arrived, a dark and evil one named Maleficent. She had green skin, sharp eyes, horns and a long black purple cloak. "She'd make a good duel monster," Mokuba commented. Kaiba smirked at the comment, but told Mokuba to keep watching.
Once Maleficent cursed the princess to die on her sixteenth birthday, Merriweather gave the princess her own gift. The princess would only go into a deep sleep, and would only be awakened by true love's kiss.
The film continued, and Mokuba found himself enjoying it. He laughed at the fairies attempts to do simple things like sew a dress or make a cake. When Princess Aurora started singing in the forest, he heard his brother groan.
"I forgot about this song," Kaiba said.
"At least she's a good singer," replied Mokuba. Although, when the Prince joined in, Mokuba had to groan himself. "Maybe we can just fastforward through all the romantic stuff."
"If you do, you might miss something and then you won't know what's going on," Kaiba pointed out.
"Fine, we'll watch the rest of these," Mokuba said slightly pouting. Although, when he noticed Kaiba take a few more pieces of popcorn, he smiled to himself.
The romantic parts thankfully (at least to Mokuba) didn't last too long. The film continued, and Aurora learned that she was secretly a princess and had to go marry a prince. Because of this, Maleficent was able to hypnotize the princess into pricking her finger and triggering the curse. The whole scene was creepy to Mokuba, but that just made it even better.
Mokuba never once looked away from the screen, curious to see where the movie would go next and not wanting to miss a single scene. As he watched, Mokuba didn't notice Kaiba looking at him, smiling slightly.
It was true, the movie was a bit harder for Kaiba to watch now, there were definitely some cheesy parts. But, when he looked at Mokuba, he made Kaiba remember how he felt the first time he watched the movie. All of his brother's reactions almost perfectly mirrored his when he was five years old. Something about that just made him smile, just a little.
After the fairies had traveled all across the kingdom and put everyone else to sleep, they flew off to rescue the Prince. Giving him a sword and shield, the fairies helped Prince Phillip defeat all of Maleficent's minions. But Mokuba knew the battle wasn't over yet, not by a long shot.
"What is she going to do now?" Mokuba wondered out loud, "It's magic against magic, she can't win."
"Just watch, little brother," Kaiba told him. Mokuba quickly looked back at the screen, just in time to see Maleficent launch her final attack.
"Now shall you deal with me, O Prince," Maleficent shouted, "and all the powers of Hell!" With that, she began transforming into a giant, black and purple dragon.
"Whoa!" Mokuba shouted in surprise. He couldn't believe it. "She can transform herself!"
"You know, this movie was made in 1959," Kaiba stated, "even with the old technology they had back then, the animation in this scene is still pretty impressive even today."
Mokuba gave his brother a look. "What, the dragon's pretty impressive too." The two brothers chuckled a little and then went back to watching the film. It took a few tries, but the power of good was able to conquer evil. Phillip threw the sword into Dragon Maleficent's heart, and the evil fairy fell off the cliff and bursted into flames.
Not even a sappy kiss between the prince and princess could wipe the smile off Mokuba's face. The movie ended with the royal couple returning to Aurora's castle, and dancing together with the song from the forest scene playing in the background. Before it ended, Mokuba glanced over at his brother, and was happy to see that his big brother was actually smiling along with him at the end of a movie.
"So, was it as good as you remembered, Seto?" Mokuba asked Kaiba when the credits started to roll.
Kaiba paused for a moment. "I suppose so," he replied with a small smile.
Mokuba smiled back. "Good, then we both enjoyed the movie this time." Kaiba didn't say anything, but he did ruffle Mokuba's hair a little, making his brother giggle.
"Alright, go get ready for bed." "Kay!" Mokuba picked up Kuma and started heading towards the doorway while Kaiba picked up his brother's empty bowl and licorice wrapper. As his brother left the room, Kaiba could hear Mokuba humming a song. It was the song from the movie. Even when Mokuba left the room, Kaiba could still hear it.
'I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream...'
Kaiba scowled. "I really hope that song doesn't get stuck in my head." Mokuba must've heard him because he heard laughing down the hall. Kaiba smiled, chuckling a little himself.
Annoying song or not, to both brothers, movie night had been a success.
Thanks for reading. I hope I kept Kaiba and Mokuba in-character enough (like I said, it's only my second YGO oneshot, so I'm still not completely sure if I'm writing them correctly). Anyway, please review and have a nice day!