AN: It's still September. And I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. enjoy!


Mokuba hopped out of the limo and made his way into the Kaiba Corp building. The receptionist leapt to her feet when she some the CEO's younger brother heading for the elevator and rushed around the desk to kneel in front of him.

"Mokuba! What on earth happened to you!?" she gasped in a motherly tone, taking his face in her hands and examining his newly acquired black eye. The young Kaiba sighed, gripping his backpack straps as she took in the damage. On top of the black eye, his junior high school uniform was missing half a sleeve, the collar was torn, and he was covered in filth from head to toe.

"I don't want to talk about it," he muttered, trying to walk past her. She frowned and stood up, following him.

"Moki-"

"I don't want to talk about it!" the twelve year old said firmly, pushing the elevator button repeatedly, harder than necessary. A soft whimper had the receptionist beside him, calling over her shoulder for one of the security guards to cover her station.

The elevator ride was silent, but the receptionist knew what was coming. At the top floor, she parted with Mokuba to get a first aid kit while the young Kaiba went into his brother's office.

Seto was on the phone and typing rapidly on his computer when Mokuba entered. He glanced up at his brother and then did a double take, getting to his feet.

"Mokuba!?" Snarling, he shouted into the receiver "I'll call you back tonight with the details." Without waiting for confirmation, he slammed the phone down and went to Mokuba's side, surveying the damage.

"Who did this to you?" Seto asked, his voice implying that he would be seeking swift retribution.

Mokuba, who had until this moment been somewhat composed, latched onto his older brother, crying into his shoulder. The CEO scrowled for a moment before lifting his younger brother and carrying him to the couch. The receptionist entered with the first aid kit, an icepack, and a soda. As she tended to his wounds, the boy sniffled and leaned against Seto.

"Some guys were saying I was spoiled because I live in a mansion and ride in a limo," Mokuba finally said, hiccuping a bit. "So they...they beat me up after school." He looked up at Seto with his stormy-gray eyes. "And then they laughed at me when the limo driver came and shooed them off! They said that...that I was soft! They started calling me marshmallow!"

"Give me their names," Seto growled. "I'll-"

"But that won't stop it!" Mokuba shouted, cutting his brother off. "Then they'll just pick on me because I had to go crying to you!" He flopped back, holding the icepack in place, tears streaming down his face.

"Then I'll have you pulled out of the school immediately and have you home schooled," Seto said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mokuba thought about this and then looked up at his brother with his good eye. "But I like school. I don't want to stop going just because of a couple of bullies..." he whined a bit and sighed. "I don't know what to do, big brother."

Seto sighed, covering his face with one hand and trying to think of a solution, but only one came to mind.

One he didn't really care for.

"Judo." Seto closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Mokuba blinked up at his brother. "Really?"

"If only so you can protect yourself," 'since you won't let me protect you,' Seto added silently to himself. "I'll see about getting you into a class tomorrow."

Mokuba couldn't help the smile that followed. "I don't know if I'll be as good as you are Seto, but maybe it'll help. Thank you!"

Seto nodded and moved back to his desk while the receptionist finished and packed up the first aid kit.

"Thank you, Ms. Ahakura."

"It's no trouble, Mr. Kaiba. If you need anything else, please let me know." the receptionist smiled, bowing slightly to him before she left.

Mokuba curled up on the couch instead of starting on his homework, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels. While Seto was normally strict about his brother's schoolwork, he didn't push the issue. Instead, he began minimizing the browser windows to get at his desktop and sighed at the face that grinned goofily back at him. It was his guilty pleasure. Something that he could look at when he was angry or annoyed with work and needed a little pick-me-up. It was the one thing his money couldn't buy.

With a sigh, the CEO turned his attention back to his work.


Jounouchi drew in a deep breath as he finally entered his apartment. There was a small, triumphant smirk as he saw his father was passed out in his favorite chair. As quietly as possible he closed the door behind him and crept to his room, closing and locking that door as well. He navigated through the mess to his desk and pulled out his school books.

There was only one desire in the blond's heart and that was to graduate from high school. His grades weren't great, he was barely passing math and English, but at least Japanese and science were going well enough. He didn't know how he would fare when it came time for college entrance exams, but at least in finishing high school he could find a job and move out.

Jou looked at a picture of his sister, Shizuka, as he opened his math book. He didn't keep pictures of his mother around. After the divorce, a part of him had blamed her every time his father had come after him in anger. For every blow he took from the larger man when he was drunk. Somewhere in his heart he knew she didn't know what her former husband would do to his own son, but she had to have known he was abusive. Had to have known that her son wouldn't be raised by a loving, caring parent who would guide him to becoming a responsible adult.

And she had abandoned him with that beast, only rescuing Shizuka.

He'd often wondered if she had loved him at all. If she had even worried about him after the last bags were packed and she had left without so much as a backwards glance. Shizuka didn't indicate this whenever they talked, but then he didn't ask. Didn't want to know the truth.

Beside the picture of his sister, Jounouchi kept another picture. It was a newspaper clipping he had found of the other person who motivated him to at least finish high school. Even in black and white, those blue eyes were piercing and cold and seemed to glare at Jounouchi. He could almost hear Seto's voice in his head, dripping with venom.

"Mutt."

Jounouchi was determined to prove the CEO wrong. Though he knew the other teen would never see him as anything more than some stray dog. Would never feel for him the feelings Jou had stuffed into the darkest recesses of his mind.

"I hate you," he told the picture.

During the last tournament, Jounouchi had been surprised that Seto had approached him and asked him to be his partner in the 2 vs 2 portion of the tournament. The blond had gone to great lengths to make his deck fully compatible with Seto's, which he had memorized from all the duels he had watched the CEO in.

They had even won! Together they had bested the combined, immeasurable abilities of Yugi and Atem. Yes, it had been a close match, but it was because they worked together as seamlessly as their opponents that victory was finally won.

And in the end, Seto had said nothing in gratitude for the blond's effort. In fact, they had an argument almost immediately after, leaving Jounouchi feeling empty.

In his desk drawer, under lock and key, was another picture. One he couldn't bare to look but equally couldn't throw away. It was taken after their victory and before the fight. It was the closest Jounouchi had gotten to the icy Seto, the blue eyed teen even daring to smile as they posed for their victory photograph.

"I hate you," he growled at the black and white Seto again before burying himself into his work.

But for all his self convincing, he knew he didn't mean it.


AN: That's it for his chapter. I couldn't think of anything else to write :p