Brothers Of The Heart

Seto Kaiba has always been very protective of his younger brother, so how will he react to finding out that Mokuba was Harry Potter before Seto decided to "adopt" him? Will Dumbledore be able to convince either Seto or Mokuba that 'Harry Potter' needs to go to Hogwarts?

-WARNINGS-
There will be slash (boyxboy), child abuse, Dumbledore bashing (although he won't be evil so much as extremely manipulative, if only slightly well-meaning), possible Weasley/Hermione/Ministry bashing as well, though nothing is set in stone yet.

"Words" are in Japanese.

"Words" are in English.


Seto stared blankly at the book in front of him, his thoughts on the abandoned boy. He had been distracted for the past three days, and it was only getting harder for him to concentrate on anything else the longer he waited. Ayame's daily visits to the hospital, and her subsequent reports to Seto, did little to quell his anxiety, rather they fueled his need to see the boy with his own eyes. Her promises to take him to the hospital the first day that the boy was well enough to have visitors were the only thing keeping Seto from sneaking out and catching a bus.

So when Ayame appeared in the doorway, Seto noticed her almost immediately, putting his book down as he stared at her expectantly. She gave him a bemused smile as she nodded. Eyes alight with anticipation, Seto grabbed his coat and shoes and was waiting at the front door in moments, restraining himself from bouncing with impatience, the caretaker smiling as she followed him.

It was a short drive to the hospital, though it felt much longer to Seto, as did the walk through the building to the boy's room. His whole body seemed to be shivering in anticipation, though he held himself stiffly, refusing to act "childish". The children who tormented him on a daily basis acted childish, and he had no desire to emulate their behavior in any way. Though a small part of his mind wondered fearfully if his boy would be scared off by the mask as so many older children had.

Ayame paused in front of a door, her hand on the knob. "Seto." The boy stared at her unblinking, "I don't know why you're so interested in this boy, but I will not bring you back if you do anything to worsen his already fragile mental health. Understand?"

For a moment, Seto's eyes betrayed him as they widened in shock - it hurt that she thought he would do anything to harm the fragile boy he'd found - his boy. And then the moment passed as quickly as it had come, and he nodded.

Opening the door, the caretaker moved so that Seto could enter first. And he did so, though his pace was unusually slow as it seemed to dawn on him that this would be where any positive relationship he was to have with the small child would be made or broken.

"Go on! What happened to all that energy?" Fuji-san gave Seto a gentle push that nearly sent him tumbling to the floor. He gave her a cold glare as he caught himself which she returned with an apologetic smile. Frowning, Seto looked away, remembering why he didn't trust people in the first place.

Thankfully, though, she seemed to get that he would do this at his own pace, and merely took a seat just inside the door.

Seto approached the bed, only to stop as he neared the head, merely staring at the delicate face of the child. He couldn't bring himself to look at the clean white casts on both the boy's legs and his right arm or the tube that had been inserted into one of the veins in his arm. And then, the brilliant emerald eyes lifted from their downward gaze, effectively freezing the older boy in his steps.

It was all Seto could do to remember to breathe as he stared into the guarded orbs, the shadow of the boy's past haunting his wary gaze. And yet there was still a glimmer of childish curiosity peeking out from the shadows, a sight that made a part of him sigh in relief. This child was damaged, but not broken beyond repair. He could still have a childhood.

Taking another step brought him to the very edge of the bed, the child's eyes still fixed on him.

"Hey."

The child scrunched his face up in confusion, and Seto remembered that he had spoken English. "Hi."

The small face lit up, though his eyes remained shadowed, "...Hi."

"My name is Seto. What is your name?" Seto's voice was stilted, as he tried to make sure he was using the correct words, but the small boy understood.

"...Freak." Seto blinked, staring at the child. Surely he had heard wrong... or maybe it was a different word that he was thinking of. The child fidgeted under his scrutiny.

"I do not think Freak is a name. Who calls you that?"
Ayame glared at him, even as the child shivered, sensing his displeasure.

"Aunt 'Tun'a an' Unc'e Vern'n say I'm 'freak'... or 'boy'. It's not my name?"
The boy asked in a quivering voice, glancing up at Seto through his bangs.

Seto hesitated, he felt like he should offer comfort, but had no idea how to actually go about doing it. Tears threatened to fall from wide emerald eyes, even as Seto watched, frozen with indecision. When one wet droplet began to slide down a small cheek, Seto gave up on his 'logical' thought process, and just did what felt right.

He moved his hand to the delicate face, wiping the tear away as he jumped up to sit on the edge of the bed. He didn't dare move the injured boy, but settled for grabbing and stroking the unbroken hand. "No. It is not your name."

"I don' have a name?"

The forlorn tone was resigned, Seto nearly growled at the child's meek acceptance that he had no name. Before he even realised what he was doing, Seto acted on his feelings. "I can give you a name if you would like."

The curious tilt to the head was accompanied by a curious frown, "What name?"

It was an impulsive answer he gave, one he might have changed had he given it thought, but he looked over the tousled black hair and the shadows fading from brilliant green eyes, and there was nothing to think about. "Mokuba."

"Mow-koo-ba? Me?"

Seto's mother had chosen that name, one that would have belonged to Seto's baby brother, had she not died before he was born. And now Seto had given it to a boy he felt unnaturally close to. A boy who needed it more than Seto could imagine.

He smiled, "Yes. You like?"

"Mowkooba.... My name is Mowkooba." Seto couldn't help but grimace at the pronunciation as he nodded. The child's face was alight with wonder, warming Seto's heart, "I'm Mowkooba!" Then his eyes fell to the bed, as he stuttered out a quiet, "Thank you."

Looking away, Seto nearly blushed. The sincerity behind the thanks made him want to wrap himself around the dark-haired child and never let him go. And the strength of his still-growing attachment was beginning to scare him.

"Are... are you my friend?" The boy- Mokuba's voice was quiet, dashing out all of the words in a single breath.

"Friends?" Seto asked, wondering if he had heard wrong. When Mokuba nodded his head, Seto couldn't help his amazement. His mouth agape as he stared at the small boy, a small voice in the back of his mind wondering if this was how Mokuba had felt at getting a real name. "You want to be my friend?"

Mokuba nodded, the smile on his face warm and inviting. "I never had a friend before, but I like you."

"Sure- Of course. I like you too, Mokuba. I would like to be your friend." Returning the smile, Seto sent a grateful thought out to whatever fate or being had caused this small boy to wind up on that particular doorstep.

"What does 'sure' mean?" Mokuba's voice was cautious, the light in his eyes dimming as he tensed. Seto bristled, why was asking a question, especially one so logical as this, causing such a reaction in the small boy? Knowing that Mokuba might take it the wrong way, Seto shoved his anger to the back of his mind and answered the question.

"It means 'yes'." The light brightened as green eyes seemed to think that over.

"Not English? Is that why you talk funny?"

Stifling a snort, Seto grinned, "Yes. That is why I 'talk funny'. This is Japan. Most people speak Japanese. We learn English in school, but don't speak it all the time."

"Can I learn Ja- Jap'nese?"

"You say, Jap - an - ese."

"Jap - en - ese. Did I say it right?" Mokuba looked at him so eagerly that Seto couldn't help but compare him to a puppy begging for treats after performing a trick.

Chuckling, he nodded. "Close enough."

"Can I learn it?" And now the emerald orbs seemed to double in size, reaffirming the 'begging puppy' comparison.

Unable to say 'no' to the wide-eyed puppy eyes, Seto smiled again. "Sure."

"That means 'yes'! Right?"

Seto nodded, "We will start with 'me'. It means 'me'..."

Smiling, Mokuba repeated the word, first in Japanese and then again in English. The rest of the time flew by, as Seto enjoyed sharing what he knew and Mokuba soaked in everything he could, determined to understand this other language.

Before either boy realized it, visiting hours were over, Ayame calling Seto over as she stood to leave. "Come on Seto. It's time to leave."

"Can I come back tomorrow." Seto was reluctant to release his hold on the smaller boy's hand, even as Mokuba returned it with a fierce intensity.

"Perhaps. I don't see that it would hurt."

"What are you saying? Seto?" Mokuba was worried, the anxious longing in the older boy's voice was obvious, even if he couldn't understand the words.

"I have to leave." Tears welled up in Mokuba's eyes, and Seto was quick to continue, "Please do not cry. I will come back tomorrow, but now it is time for you to rest." Opening his mouth to protest that he didn't need rest, that he just needed Seto to stay, Mokuba didn't even get a sound out before Seto's finger rested on his lips. "You are injured. You need rest. I will come back."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"'kay. What's G'bye?"

"See you later."

"See you later, Seto." Mokuba spoke slowly, carefully repeating the words exactly as they had been said to him.

Smiling, Seto returned the words, "See you later, Mokuba." The proud smile he received glowed with an energy that seemed to draw him in, and his reluctance to leave grew stronger.

Dragging his feet, he walked as slowly as he could while still being considered 'in motion'. In the end, Ayame had to grab his arm and nearly drag him along behind her as the nurse watched with smiling eyes.


Good, Bad, Mediocre?

Am I going too fast?

Just a note for those who have asked about pairings: the main pairings will be boyxboy, but they will not be a large part of the story, nor will they even begin to come up until later in the story.

Thanks.