A longer chapter this time. Enjoy it, but remember, I own nothing.
My thoughts were heavy as I woke up that morning. Though I had been CEO for less than a year, I allowed myself a day off. Mokuba was off school for the summer, so I allowed myself the leisure of having today off with him, even though every fiber of my overworked brain was screaming at me not to. It was, after all, my baby brother's tenth birthday.
A knock at the door knocked me out of my reverie. It opened, and a mop of ebony hair appeared, tousled from sleep. Shutting the door behind him, my brother made his way over to me and climbed into my bed.
"Good morning," I said, failing at any attempt to smooth his hair as he wrapped his arms around me.
"I thought I would come see you before you went to work," he said in a small voice that tore at my heartstrings. Ever since his summer vacation had started, I had left him home alone while I went to work at Kaiba Corp, but not today.
"I'm not going to work today," I said, allowing a smile to play with my mouth when his face lit up faster than a light bulb.
"Really?!" he asked, his blue-grey eyes shining.
"Yes, really," I said, ruffling his hair, undoing all the work I had put into fixing it, "Happy Birthday. What do you want for breakfast?"
"Waffles!" he said with no hesitation.
"All right. Let's go downstairs."
I waited until he had scrambled to the floor before I flipped the blankets to the side and swung my feet over the edge of the bed. Standing up, I followed him out of the room and downstairs, for once not caring that I was still in my pajamas.
After breakfast, I left Mokuba to put the dishes in the dishwasher while I nipped back upstairs to grab something very special. Well, two things, really. Only one of them was wrapped in gaudy, brightly colored paper though. I grabbed the other, placed it around my own neck and flipped it open. I picture of Mokuba, taken five years ago, looked back at me. One of the few to survive Gozaburo's wrath.
Forcing my thoughts away from our late stepfather, I tucked the locket under my shirt and made my way back downstairs. I found Mokuba waiting patiently at the table for my return. He looked up at me and smiled brightly. I grinned back and slid his present across the table, aware of the cool metal resting against my own chest.
"Happy Birthday," I said, watching him tear at the wrapping paper in a way only a child can. But then I realized he wasn't going to be a child for much longer. That thought had been sitting in my subconscious for the past few days, but I had suppressed them, not wanting to believe it. Only to have it slapped in my face now.
"Wow!"
His voice cut through my thoughts and I came back to reality in time to see him pull his own locket out of the box by the string so it swung in front of his face.
"Open it," I prompted, squatting down next to him and allowing my hand to wander up and finger my own card-shaped gift through my shirt.
He did as told, and his eyes widened. A picture of me, playing chess, stared back at him. He merely stared back, not knowing what to say. I pulled my locket out and held it next to his, flipping it open. Two halves of the same picture showed from the two accessories. Until he dropped his to wrap his arms around me, tears leaking from his eyes.
"Thank you, Seto," he whispered into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and held him closer than I had done in a long time.
"You're welcome, Mokuba," I said, placing a soft kiss on his soft tresses, "but these are more than just lockets."
"What do you mean?" he said, pulling back to look at me.
"I mean they're a promise," I said, placing, my hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye, "A promise that I won't ever let anything happen to you or anyone hurt you the way… he did."
Tears were rolling down his face and he broke free of my grasp, only to hug me tightly again. I returned the gesture, holding him tightly to me. My little brother. The only reason I put myself through all I did. The only reason I'm still sane. My only family.
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