Summary:

Two boys were killed on the same day, by the same force...until, five years later, one bound to a promise, one bound to revenge, they try to kill their one adversary-Seto Kaiba. But will this friend of Noah's conscience get in the way? No OCs...

Ohayo, minna-san...

Kami-sama...sorry I took so long to update. We have standardized testing, and my teachers seem to be cramming everything before school ends because of Passover. There's been a bit of conflict about Noa (h)'s eyes and name. I'm just sticking with blue because I have people telling me their grey, green, grey-green, red, blue-green... sorry if that's any discrepancy. I know that his name is spelled without an 'h' by I always find myself calling him "Nway" without it. -_- Sorry about that if it disturbs anyone...I might edit it if you guys tell me too.  Here's another  chapter, then...

Thanks to reviewers Echo, Trickster Princess, Taito-kisses, Blue Lagoon Loon, HikariChang, Indigo Tantarian, Prism Eclipser, and Malik Fan. 

Disclaimer: Standard. You all know the procedure.

***

Shizuka bit her lip as she shuffled towards the car, looking up at the sky as she slid into it. The blue heavens seemed to mold themselves into a face.

A familiar face, framed by messy blond hair and shining amber eyes.

They seemed to wink at her.

They seemed to...mock her.

Shizuka sighed. It was on days like these; calm, serene days like these that she always thought of Jou. He had saved her life, he had comforted her before he ever saved her life, he had been...Jou. And what did she do for her brother? Cuddle with him as he protected her from the world.

That was it. Cuddle. Big help she was.

"Mom?" she said abruptly as they stopped at a red light. "Hmm?" Shizuka shifted. "Why did...why didn't..." She couldn't bring herself to it. She was such...such a coward, so unlike her impulsive, brave brother. Her heart ached as she whispered softly, "Never mind."

I'm sorry, Jou. I can't even bring you up in a conversation anymore without something holding me back. I'm sorry I can't even honor your memory...     

***

Sixth form. Sixth day. Sixth...six pieces of homework already. Jou hoped Noah didn't expect him to actually complete the Japanese dictation, the fifty question math worksheet, and everything else that he hadn't bothered to keep track of.

The only thing he was intent on right now was seeing Shizuka.

And he hadn't seen her at all; in all the six days of school that had passed. Now it was Wednesday, the teachers were after his skin, and 'Mokuba Kaiba' was utterly failing every one of his classes. 

Not that Seto Kaiba had noticed. Kaiba was so busy with his company, that he expected his precocious brother to finish his schoolwork without a problem.

Not that that was wrong; considering the real Mokuba Kaiba was rather smart anyway. But really...Seto wasn't acting like Jou thought he should.

If Jounouchi Katsuya was alive and living, he'd probably be as indignant about the Kaibas' money as much as his inattention to his sibling on an ordinary day.

But he and Noah had studied them for five years; he and Noah had slaved for every detail about them…and if Jounouchi Katsuya hadn't known about Seto's dark past, he would've complained about the boy's arrogance to no end already. 

But Jou wasn't worried about that right now. He was worried about schoolwork. He was worried about the suspicious glances Kaiba sent at him sometimes, when Jou started to forget he was Mokuba. He was worried about...those blue eyes.

***

            Jou strode down the hallway in Mokuba's body, trying to look as much like the eleven year old boy as possible. It wasn't easy-Mokuba always had this blank look about, and had a struggling pressure to be like his older brother. He was always standing tall, with mimicked or real pride, Jou didn't know. Of course, he had cracked up a few times when he saw the wild haired boy frown at his short height.

But now, he didn't like to feel so...tiny. A vertically challenged boy walking amongst thirteen year olds and teachers whose eyes were as sharp as hawks wasn't something that Jou was used to playing. Noah had complained about his cockiness now and then, but Jou had never really paid attention.

Now, it was anything but cockiness. Now, it was nervous Jounouchi Katsuya trying to copy every normal and diminutive thing about Mokuba. He just hoped he wouldn't get angry and go completely ballistic and get involved in fistfights, which wasn't anything like Mokuba Kaiba.

Well, that wasn't much like Jounouchi Katsuya either.

But a person could activate that burning rush of feeling like venomous poison flowing through his veins, venomous poison that made Jou prone to any reaction

Her name was Shizuka.

***

            Jou walked along the corridor, absorbed in just trying to remember which class Mokuba had next. Suddenly, a sound made his ears perk up. A sound that remembered so well, remembered every night since he had died, remembered every day before he had died. A voice.

            "Please, Yukio, just go away..." 'Mokuba' turned around slowly at the voice, and his eyes made contact with the figure of an eighth grade girl who was trying to shove away somebody next to her. For a moment, he rejoiced inside at the sight of her-her ruddy chestnut locks, her flawless face, her autumn brown eyes...And then it faded to anger.

            What the boy Yukio was doing made Jou see red. What did Noah call it? Sexual harassment.

And nobody's doing anything about it.

 In that moment, he forgot everything-how he was in an eleven year old's body, how the person in front of his little sister was burly and much taller, and that the consequences would be crucial. He forgot everything Noah had told him about self-control, of meditation, of focusing your anger to wield it the way you wanted it to. Instead, it flamed all over his body; flamed so hard he couldn't stop it even if he had tried.

Emitting a low growl, Jou pushed past a crowd of seventh graders, and planted himself in front of Shizuka, who was taller than him by at least half a foot in Mokuba's body. He lifted his fists, and snarled through gritted teeth, "Leave."  

***

The first thing Shizuka saw was a mop of wild black hair suddenly appearing before her, and the second thing was the shocked look in Yukio's eyes.

The third thing she saw was the shock fade to anger.

Incredulous as she was, Shizuka felt much more concerned about the boy in front of her's health. "Look...whoever you are," she whispered furtively, turning the boy around to face her. "Leave. Hurry up, before he hurts-" She stopped as her eyes widened.

The glint in the boy's eyes reminded her so much of Jou. Reminded her so much of Jounouchi Katsuya that she almost threw her arms around the nameless boy and hug him to no end. Almost.

"Who are you?" she asked, hushed. But the boy had already turned around, protectively (and not to mention stubbornly) setting himself in front of Shizuka. Yukio's face curled into a sneer. "Well, if isn't rich kid Kaiba." Shizuka froze for a moment. Kaiba...Kaiba...where have I heard that name before? The boy growled low in his throat, his fists clenched. She couldn't just let him... "Yukio," she pleaded, "Just let him go. He didn't do anything wrong..."

This is for you, Jou...

"Yukio, just leave him alone. He's only a kid. And his brother...his brother would be after your skin if you laid a finger on him."

Yes, Kaiba! Seto Kaiba!

Yukio stopped momentarily as he contemplated the notion. As he did so, Shizuka bent down and said hurriedly, "Look...Kaiba. Hurry up and run before he-" She didn't get to finish as the frenzied, crazy short boy from nowhere leapt forward and tackled Yukio to the ground.

***

            "You love your brother, don't you?" asked Noah carelessly, wiping off a piece of invisible lint from his shirt. Mokuba nodded soundlessly.

"Nika...how are you going to help me get back into my body? What's going to happen?"

Noah pretended to contemplate. This was like a game-a game and an avengement that was planned out from the beginning to the end.

Of course, he was bound to win it.

Mokuba, Mokuba...so full of naiveté. You don't realize how important a role you play in this game...you're like the jail card that your brother's hand is hovering over right now.   

He glanced over at the boy, and something suddenly came over him. A memory...

The boy was sitting, eyes downcast as he stared at the fancy marble floor. He stared at it like Noah had often done so before Jou had arrived.

Jou...Jou. Over the past few years, Noah had tried to be indifferent to the strange feeling that fluttered in his heart, the strange feeling as he savored the view of those cheerful amber eyes and the overconfident look as Jou ran his hand through his hair, proclaiming, "This is in the bag!"

And now...when this was all over, Jou would be his.

Noah floated off of his chair, gazing down at the nearly translucent form of Mokuba. He lifted the boy's chin up and smiled.

A sadistic smile, but a reassuring one.

"You'll know soon enough."

Yes, you shall...perhaps much sooner than you would want to know.