Melting the Snow Chapter 6: The Other Side, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Melting the Snow

Okay, I'm back with yet another chapter of your favorite fanfiction!

Before I begin, I have a concern I'd like to address. I recently got a review, and all it was was a flippin' little smiley face thing!!!! What the hell?! If your going to leave a review, make it an actual review, not just some stupid little face, or something just saying 'update soon.' At least say your opinion about the story if your going to leave a review!!! God!!!!

Another thing I'd like to talk about is colors. In my story, most of the things in Kaiba's life are blue and white. I mean seriously, has anyone ever seen him wear anything but his blue coat or his white coat during the series (not including his past life)? So no complaints, because the colors will change later on, so just bear with me for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its original characters, but Ari, Kenta, and this plot are mine, so don't steal them.

Anyway, back to the story.

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Chapter 6

Mokuba and Kenta were having the time of their lives. They had started out the night in the large game room of the Kaiba mansion. It had a pinball machine, air hockey, and many more. Then, when it started getting late, they went to hang out in Mokuba's bedroom. There was a giant walk in closet, and several bins of toys, games, and movies. They had occupied themselves by playing Duel Monsters for a while, and then went on to watch a few movies while they relaxed on Mokuba's rather large bed. It had a large canopy overhead, and the bedposts were carved in the shape of heads of Blue Eyes White Dragons, curved downward gracefully, as if to watch over the bed's occupant as they slept. Sprawled on top of the red comforter, with pillows to match, they talked almost non-stop as the movie played. Kenta hadn't had this much fun in years. It reminded him of the nights that he, Ari, and their parents would just sit around, playing games, laughing with joy.

Finally, the movie stopped, and Mokuba turned off the T.V. "So, Kenta," he said as he propped himself up on his elbows, "I know it's kind of a touchy subject, but, um..." He struggled to find the right words. "What actually happened to your parents? I mean, you told me they died, but, how did it happen? Did they get some fatal disease or something?"

Kenta's eyes filled with sadness. He had never told anyone what he and Ari had seen that day. When the police had done their investigation, it was Ari who had told them what they had discovered, and she had barely been able to get through it all without breaking down completely.

"I...I...," Kenta couldn't quite get the words out. "I can't...I can't tell you. It's too hard. I just can't, Mokuba!" He was beginning to panic.

"Kenta, it's okay! You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to! The last thing I wanted to do was make you upset while you're here!"

Kenta shook his head. "I know. I know you didn't want to get me all upset. It's just-" He gulped down the lump that was rising in his throat. "-It's really hard to talk about is all." He paused for a minute, sifting through his distressed mind. "I can tell you one thing. My parents...they didn't just die, they...they were murdered." Kenta could no longer keep the tears from streaming down his face, though they streamed in silence.

Mokuba was realing from this confession. He had never imagined that someone had actually killed his friend's parents. He knew that Kenta must have been having trouble getting through each day with such an enormous burden weighing on his mind. But somehow, he always managed to smile every day, even at the smallest things. Feeling tears welling up in his own eyes, he shook his head to clear them away. Sitting up, he scooted forward and embraced Kenta tightly.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, feeling Kenta's body shake with supressed sobs. "I'm so sorry."

Unbeknownst to both boys, Seto had also heard the conversation. He had been coming down the hall to check on them, but paused when he heard Mokuba ask Kenta about his parents. He had been just as shocked as Mokuba, if not more. When he heard Mokuba start trying to calm Kenta back down, he decided it was best that he leave them both alone. He walked silently back down the endless white hallway to his room. Shedding his long white coat, he dropped onto his bed, which, except for the dark blue color of its sheets, was not unlike Mokuba's in that it also had the Blue Eyes heads carved at the end of its posts. He set his arm across his eyes, blocking out the light from the overhead fan.

He briefly remembered the conversation he had had with Ari earlier that day, how she had faltered before saying her and Kenta's parents had died. He, just like Mokuba, had figured that they had gotten sick and passed away, but he never even considered that someone might have murdered them. How could both of them carry such a burden? Even though he and Mokuba's real parents had died, they had both been younger than Kenta had been, so the full force of it didn't hit them.

Groaning, Seto sat up. He couldn't go to bed wearing the same clothes he had been wearing all day. He walked over to his dresser which, despite the intricacy of the bed, and even the computer desk next to it, was actually quite plain. Kaiba tugged off his clothes, tossing them into his hamper, and put on a comfortable pair of sweatpants, leaving his chest bare.

He laid back down, crossing his arms behind his head, and let his thoughts lull him to sleep.

Seto was called into the office early the next morning. He took the time to slip a brief not under Mokuba's door, telling him to make sure and call Ari to give her directions to pick up Kenta later that day, and then raced off.

Ari stood at the gates of the Kaiba mansion, gaping in awe at its enormous size. She had seen some nice houses before, but this one blew them all out of the water. The collossal size of the building only added to the beauty of the surrounding grounds. There were vast amounts of flowers and shrubs around the base of it, and there was a beautiful fountain right in front of the door. Even after she had been standing there for several minutes, the initial shock had still not worn off. She just stood there, staring, her jaw hanging open.

Finally, she worked up the nerve to press the intercom call button. A few minuted later, a voice replied through the speaker.

"May I help you?"

Ari cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm here to pick up my little brother. He spent the night with Mokuba."

"Ah, yes," the voice replied. "Please, come in."

The metal gates swung open and Ari walked in tentatively, feeling like she was trespassing. She felt so plain, so out of place, surrounded by so much beauty. She crossed to the giant oak doors, and before she could knock, they swung open. An old man with grey hair and a mustache was holding the door open, bowing.

"You must be Miss Ari," the man said, standing up. "I am Roland, the butler. If you will wait for a moment, I will fetch Master Kenta." With that said, he walked away and up the stairs.

Ari was left alone in the large front hall, finally giving her a chance to look around. She stared in awe at the large chandelier, adorned with beautifully crafted glass diamonds, casting its light throughout the room, even into the darkest corners. A thin blue carpet conformed to both sets of stairs that led up to the second story of the mansion. In front of the section of bare wall between the two staircases, sat a table with a giant flower arrangement. The bright splash of reds, blues, and yellows contrasted so much to the white and blue of the walls and floor, that one's eye could not help but be drawn to it. As Ari walked closer, she noticed a small framed picture sitting on the table as well. She picked it up, and smiled as she looked at it. It was a picture of Seto and Mokuba as little kids. Mokuba was holding onto his brother's shoulders, reaching for a butterfly that was just past his arm's length. Seto, suprisingly, was smiling as well, trying to maintain his balance as Mokuba practically tackled him. Ari's gaze softened. It was as if she was seeing an alternate version of herself and Kenta when they were younger as well.

Suddenly, the sound of running feet and laughter carried down to her from the upstairs hallway. She turned to see Kenta and Mokuba running down the stairs towards her. As they reached the bottom, they bent over double, trying to catch their breaths while still laughing. It was surprising they didn't turn blue from lack of oxygen. Seeing the two boys in such an impossible situation, Ari couldn't help but laugh, too.

"So kiddo," she walked the rest of the way over to Kenta, still chuckling, "I take it you two had a good time!"

Kenta was able to pause his laughter long enough to get a lungful of air. "We had an AWESOME time!" he nearly yelled. "We did all kinds of stuff, and stayed up almost ALL night!" His smile practically circled all the way around his head. Mokuba stood next to him, an equally large smile on his face as well.

"Thanks for letting Kenta stay over!" the young Kaiba said. "I haven't had that much fun in a long time!"

Ari smiled back at him. "Well, thank you for inviting him. I can tell he had just as much fun as you did." She turned to her younger brother. "Ready to go home, shorty?"

Kenta sighed. "Yeah, I guess so," he said resignedly, hoisting his bag onto his shoulder. "Thanks again, Mokuba! I'll see you at school, okay?"

"Alright, see you then."

Ari and Kenta walked out the door and back through the gate. They turned around and waved to Mokuba, who was still standing on the front porch, waving back.

"So, what all did you two do?" Ari asked her younger brother.

"Well, first we hung out in the game room. It was huge and had all these totally awesome games! Then, we went up to Mokuba's room, and he taught me how to play Duel Monsters, and he said he's gonna get me my own deck so we can play when we have free time at school! And then we stayed up all night watching movies! It was the best!"

Ari was a little overwhelmed by Kenta's quick outburst. This had to have been the first time in a long time she had seen Kenta this happy, and it warmed her heart.

"Well, I'm glad you had so much fun," she said, chuckling. "So, think you'll be able to handle living in our little old boring house after that?"

Kenta smiled up at her. "Of course I can," he replied with a firm tone, "As long as you're with me, sis!"

Ari felt tears well up in her eyes, but she shook her head to clear them from her eyes. She threw an arm around his shoulders, and hugged him to her side as they walked down the street towards their little house.

Okay, I can absolutely not wait to write the next chapter. I've had it planned out since I got the idea for this fic, and once it's all done, this story is really gonna start picking up some speed, and getting really good! fangirl squeal

Anyway, remember to review, and don't just leave some stupid little face or something!