The maids and servants ran around as they busied themselves with getting things ready for the older Manjoume brothers arrival.

While they did that, Manjoume worked on making himself look presentable. If his appearance didn't look pristine then his brothers would be cross with him. As he looked himself in the mirror, he tried to calm himself. Manjoume took deep breaths as he made a checklist, going through it to make sure that he had done everything. He was on his best behavior and that was only because he did nothing but order Daichi around. It kept himself in check and it would for a while.

The doors opened and the sound made him jump. Along with the maids, Manjoume hurried to the door. He stood at the end of their double line and stood at attention. It felt like they had made a foreboding path straight to him and, for a moment, he felt like he had done something wrong.

"Welcome home, Masters," the maids greeted, the same way that they had greeted Manjoume earlier. This seemed more distant. The way they talked made it seem like they weren't themselves as if they were scared.

Manjoume swallowed around the lump in his throat. He squeezed his hands into fists to try and calm their shaking. If they were in a bad mood, he would have to prepare for the worse. So much could happen in such a short amount of time. No help would come for him, either. All Manjoume could do was to sit back and take what they had to give him.

His brothers trudged up to him, their shoulders back. Manjoume couldn't read their faces, so he couldn't tell what kind of mood they were in. Even if they were open about their feelings, Manjoume would only feel like they were snakes hidden in the grass. Snakes that were ready to lunge and sink their fangs into his ankles, filling his bloodstream with venom.

Sometimes the venom was a fist or whatever they had in their hands. Often, it was a vase they grabbed or a wine bottle. Manjoume had the scars to prove it.

"How was your day today, Jun?" Shoji asked. After all the years he had suffered abuse at his brothers' hands, Manjoume never knew what to call the look they always wore. Anger? Expectation? Disgust? Perhaps it was a mixture of emotions that Manjoume would never be able to figure out.

That was never a good sign.

Manjoume shrugged his shoulders. "It was normal. School was fine as well as the lessons within. Nothing to complain about yet."

"Had a guest over?" Shoji asked, his head tilted to the side. Chosaku stood silently beside him, letting his younger brother do all the work. It was when he got involved that Manjoume knew the news was worse. Between the two of them, Chosaku was always more brutal with his abuse.

Manjoume narrowed his eyes. "If you use the word loosely." He crossed his arms and took on a grin. "Some poor snob didn't know who he was messing with. I pulled a few strings and now he's my servant for a couple of days. He'll know his place when I'm done with him."

Was that the right answer? Manjoume would never know. All he could do at the moment was await for their reaction.

It felt like he waited for hours before Shoji raised his hand. Manjoume hated that he flinched, withdrawing into himself and squeezing his eyes shut. If he was going to be hit, it was always better to see it coming. Some old habits died hard, though. Sometimes it was easier to pretend that it wasn't happening.

"Good job." Shoji never praised him like that, patting his shoulder. "Keep it up and you'll be just like your big brothers."

Manjoume's eyes had flown open, but he didn't register his brothers leaving the foyer. He was too shocked at what happened. Why had it happened? Something was wrong and Manjoume could feel it in his bones. All the maids stared at him, just as surprised as he was over what they had seen. It was different and they knew that something wasn't right

Something screamed at Manjoume to get out of the house. It yelled in his mind, trying to wake up all his nerves and limbs to do it, to run and never return.

Manjoume didn't do anything, though. Fight or flight instincts came in and while every nerve in his body screamed "flight", he went with "fight." He wouldn't know until it was too if his choice was a good or bad.

He drifted up the stairs to his side of the house like he was a ghost. Manjoume felt apart from himself, watching himself move through the house from above. When Manjoume was in his room, he finally broke out of his trance.

He looked around his room, running his fingers through his hair as he stared at the posters of TV shows and bands. Manjoume carefully stepped over the video games and clothes that were scattered all over the floor. What he had Daichi take care of was only a bit of what he needed to have done. When he returned, Manjoume would have him do the rest.

A deep sigh left him as Manjoume moved closer to his bed. He fell on top of it like he was a bag of bricks. He was tired from yesterdays events and everything that happened today didn't help. It didn't matter that he physically didn't do anything. Dealing with his brothers took up most of his energy. Without meaning to, he crawled under his blankets and buried his face in the pillow. He was so warm and fell asleep instantly.

As Manjoume slept, he dreamed of times that had gone by.

A time when his mother and father were still alive.

His mother had carried him out to the backyard. The flowers and trees were fully in bloom and many of the animals had shed their winter coats. Swans had floated along the pond towards them, expecting the food they always brought.

She set him down and sat beside him. She had said something to Manjoume, but he couldn't catch what she was saying. All he felt was a wonderful feeling of bliss and serenity. They broke off pieces of bread and tossed it to the birds, watching as they dove under the water to quickly snatch it up.

Manjoume never wanted to leave this place. He was so happy and it was far better than what the future held for him. Looking back towards the house, he saw a man approaching them. The man wore a smile on his face and he held his coat in the crook of his arm. There was nothing but absolute love and adoration coming from him. Manjoume could never mistake that man for someone else.

"Papa!"

"Mr. Manjoume."

Manjoume jolted awake, sitting up in his bed. The maid who woke him stepped away from him, shocked by his sudden movement. He ran a hand down his face and looked at his alarm clock. It was 9:30. He had slept well past dinner time. It didn't matter, though—his brothers most likely wouldn't have waited for him to come down. They didn't care.

"I apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Manjoume," the maid muttered, bowing deeply to him. "I had seen that you skipped dinner and decided to check on you. Please forgive the intrusion."

He shook his head. "No. No, it's fine." Manjoume didn't want to ask, but he had to know. It didn't matter if he knew the answer already. "Where are my brothers...?"

"They went out not too long after coming home."

What?

Manjoume stared at her, giving her a confused look. It didn't sound like them to disappear so suddenly after coming home. If they felt that Manjoume wasn't doing a good job at whatever they gave him, they would use dinner as a chance to ridicule him. It seemed that he had pleased them earlier, but he still didn't understand how. It was nerve-wracking to think about.

"Shall I bring you up some dinner, Mr. Manjoume?" the maid asked.

Manjoume licked his lips. "No—no, thank you. I think I'll go back to sleep now."

"Very well, sir." The maid bowed and escorted herself from the room. Along the way, she picked up a few of his street clothes and took them with her.

Manjoume let out a long breath and laid back down. His heart was beating a mile a minute, but he willed himself to relax long enough to fall asleep. This time, he wouldn't sleep so heavily. If his brothers were going to pull him out of his slumber, he planned to expect it—as always.

He closed his eyes, hoping that no such thing would happen tonight.

"That slimy jerk. I'll take care of him tomorrow."

Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been on the phone for well over an hour now with Asuka. True to his word, he called her as soon as he could. There were questions in his head about Manjoume and his family, questions that he knew he couldn't ask his father. His father was locked in by oath to keep information about patients a secret. It didn't matter how much Daichi begged him, he couldn't hand over the information. They were in hot water as it was and they didn't need it to get any hotter.

"Asuka, don't," Daichi said with a sigh. "You're just going to make things worse."

"But this is blackmail!" Asuka's voice sounded shrill from the receiver. Daichi had to pull the phone away from his ear. "We can't let him do that to you, Daichi. I mean, what's his problem with you anyway? He acts like you ran over the family dog or something."

"I don't know, but I wish I knew," he muttered. "However, it seems to me it is more than just because I saw his little romp not too long ago."

Asuka hummed, thinking. "You've never met him before you came to our school, right?"

"I'm homeschooled, remember? If I hadn't started going to your school, I would have had no other chance to meet him." With his free hand, he powered his computer up. "I don't see how he would see me as a threat. I mean, he is as smart as me, after all."

"Man, this is going to bother me until I figure this out."

"When you do, you'll need to tell me. It might help my blood pressure."

"I will. So, I guess you won't be building your deck for a while, huh?"

Daichi had forgotten all about that. If Manjoume had never pulled his fiasco during lunch the other day, then he would have had his deck completed by now. Since he was now Manjoume's servant, he had no inkling of when he would be able to finish it. It was heartbreaking. "I suppose so..."

"Well, you're in luck!" Asuka said. There was a lilt to her voice that Dichi had never heard before. "I showed Judai the list of cards you need and he's bringing them over for me tomorrow. Shou's doing the same thing. Before you know it, you'll have your own deck and you'll be able to play with us."

He smiled. Daichi hadn't been in the school for more than a month and he's made such good friends. Even if his mother was constantly doting on him since the other day, he had been able to prove her wrong. At least his friends would be enough proof that he was doing well. "Thank you. If Manjoume doesn't need me on the weekends, we must get together and duel for a bit."

"You know it!"

A beeping sound filled his ear. Pulling his phone away, Daichi stared at the unknown number. "Give me a moment, Asuka."

"No problem."

Daichi switched between the calls. "Hello?"

"Misawa?"

That voice couldn't be forgotten in such a short amount of time. "Manjoume? Is that really you?"

"No, it's the tooth fairy. Of course! Who else would it be?"

Daichi rolled his eyes. He was starting to regret picking up the call. "Why are you calling me so late?"

Manjoume was quiet for some time. This wasn't the Manjoume that Daichi knew, the one who was always confident and didn't hesitate to rip into anyone who talked back to him. "Can... can you meet me somewhere?"

He looked out his window. There was no way he would be able to get out of the house without his mother asking questions. If he was going to see Manjoume, he would need to sneak out. That was something that Daichi had never done before. Right now, he could ignore Manjoume and let him do whatever he wanted to do tomorrow. ... But he couldn't. He wasn't that kind of person, especially after he learned about Manjoume's brothers.

"Sure. You know where I live, yes? I'll meet you at the corner."

"Okay. It won't take me long."

Daichi switched the call back to Asuka. He was climbing over his bed and to his window. "Asuka, I'm sorry, but I have to go. Something urgent came up."

"Is everything alright? It's not your mom, is it?" Asuka asked. She sounded so worried.

He looked out the window, finding the ivy trellis attached to the side of the house. It was still miraculously intact. Daichi had never taken a chance to climb it, or at least not at the age and weight he was now. The last time he tried was when he was a kid. If he remembered correctly, he only made it up one step before his father scooped him up and brought him back to the house. He was about five years old when that happened.

"Yes and no. I think I'll explain some other time. I'll try when we see each other at school." Daichi didn't tell her that he couldn't promise anything. Whatever happened between Manjoume and him could be deemed private, and he wouldn't be able to tell Asuka.

"Alright. Please be safe, Daichi."

Daichi thanked her and hung up. He shoved his phone into his pants pocket and stuck his head out the window. The ivy trellis worried him. He wondered if it was strong enough to hold his weight up. The weight of a child was much different from the weight of a full grown teenager. If he fell, it would alert his parents. There was most likely a hospital visit in Daichi's future as well if it happened.

He had to avoid that at all cost.

Taking a deep breath, Daichi climbed out of the window until he could place his foot on the trellis. Testing it helped determine that it was strong under his weight, but he couldn't go off that alone. It was, after all, only half his weight. And Daichi couldn't sit back and do nothing when he knew that Manjoume would be looking for him.

It was now or never.

Without looking at the ground, Daichi climbed down the lattice. He tried not to think about how many injuries he would sustain if he fell. Reaching the soft grass filled him with relief. The hard part was over, and he would soon encounter the next hardest part. Daichi sneaked past the house until he reached the front gate. It creaked as he opened it so he dared not close to again. He didn't want to alert his parents.

The neighborhood looked so different at night—peaceful and quiet. It was almost enough for him to start taking runs at night. Out here at this time, it felt like Daichi could clear his head better instead of early in the morning. It was certainly something that he would need to think about later.

Pushing his own thoughts aside, Daichi hurried to one end of the street. As he got there, Manjoume arrived, riding a sleek pink bicycle. It was unexpected. Daichi figured he would have arrived by car or something of that ilk. Seeing Manjoume on a bicycle was almost humorous.

"Hey," Manjoume greeted as he climbed off the bike. His dismount seemed a little awkward at first, but he regained his balance.

"Hey yourself," Daichi echoed. He looked Manjoume over, looking from his feet to the top of his head. There didn't seem to be any sign of injury or fight. Daichi could chalk it up to his nerves, but he could never be sure. "Is everything alright?

Manjoume's cheeks grew a dark color. He turned his gaze down the block, refusing to look at Daichi or say anything. Everything was quiet and Daichi didn't dare disturb it until Manjoume finally spoke again. "Can I spend some time with you? In your house?"

It threw Daichi for a loop worse than any rollercoaster at Kaiba Land. "W-what?"

Manjoume looked even more uncomfortable and he fidgeted under Daichi's gaze. The rubber that was wrapped around the bike's handlebars was already worn and he was making it worse. "It's hard to explain... I wouldn't know where to begin even if I could."

Daichi wasn't sure if it was a wise idea. If his luck was anything to go by, Manjoume could find something to blackmail him with. That was something that he didn't want, but it was hard to side with that rational part of his mind. After the state of the mansion when he left earlier today, he knew that Manjoume needed this. Whether or not he would find a way to harm Daichi, he couldn't send him away.

"Sure," Daichi answered. "We'll have to sneak in, though. My parents aren't aware that I'm out here at all."

Manjoume raised an eyebrow at him, but he didn't question it and simply followed Daichi back down the block.

The walk was a quiet one. The only sounds were coming from Manjoume's bike. Daichi wondered if this silence was a good or bad thing.

Reaching his home, Daichi ushered Manjoume to follow him through the gate. Manjoume left the bike leaning against the brick wall, making sure twice that it wouldn't all over. He followed Daichi as they went around the house until they reached his window. When he motioned for Manjoume to start climbing, he was given an incredulous look. Daichi really couldn't blame him. He was asking him to do something ridiculous.

"Please tell me you're joking. I can't climb that!" Manjoume whispered. It sounded like he was straining to keep his voice down.

"I don't know how else to help you then," Daichi whispered back. "I can't bring you into my house through the front door. It's the only other way to my room." At Manjoume's desperate look, Daichi sighed. "I'll be right behind you. Don't worry, I won't let you fall."

He didn't understand how Manjoume didn't find a shred of doubt on him. While he may have sounded sure of himself, Daichi also doubted his ability to catch him in time. It was only a worse case scenario. If they were careful, Daichi wouldn't need to worry about Manjoume falling. They could do this, or at least he hoped they could.

Manjoume hesitated, but he soon started to climb, taking one careful step after the other. Daichi followed after him once Manjoume was halfway to the window. He was relieved to see him climb into his room. Now Daichi didn't have to worry about him falling. That would be an interesting story to tell his parents. Daichi hoped he never had to.

He remained perched on the windowsill as Manjoume looked around his room. Right now, he was feeling a bit embarrassed by his choice of decor. He had hung up posters of the greatest mathematicians and scientists. They covered his walls and whatever empty space remained were written on. They were formula pieces he had decided to write when he couldn't sleep. Doing so helped calmed his mind easier than running ever had. His parents weren't fond of him doing it, but so long as Daichi painted over them when he was through, they let it slide.

Manjoume didn't mention anything about his room, though. He sat down in the computer chair and watched as Daichi moved to sit on the bed. "Thank you for having me."

"It's not a problem."

There was a burning sensation in his stomach. Daichi realized it was curiosity, ready to burn a hole through him until he finally spoke. A tiny voice in his head screamed at him to say something and ask Manjoume why he was here. Correction: it wanted to know if his brothers were the reason. Asking him could cause Manjoume to explode and snap at him. It would alert his parents and they wouldn't be fond of finding out that he was here.

Even if his parents weren't home, it would be unwise to anger him. Manjoume could make his upcoming days of being a servant absolute torture. Nothing would be off limits and he would make sure that Daichi was miserable throughout it all.

"So... this place is quaint..." Manjoume commented.

Daichi smiled. "Thank you. Although, it's nothing compared to your mansion."

Manjoume scoffed."Well, duh. It's a mansion after all."

He frowned. Why did he even say anything at all? Manjoume seemed interested at first, but he quickly changed his mind in a matter of seconds. Daichi knew that he should have expected it, but there was that flitter of hope. He wanted to keep believing that Manjoume could be kind to him for once.

Running a hand down his face, Daichi looked around the room. There had to be something to distract them, something that would fill the silence. If they tried to fill it with conversation, he feared that things would escalate and they would start shouting at each other. His eyes landed on the TV and he scrambled to grab the remote off his desk.

"Would you rather watch a show or something with me?" Daichi asked.

Manjoume stared at the small TV and narrowed his eyes at it. "Can you even see anything on something that small?"

Daichi refused to answer that. He knew that Manjoume was trying to agitate him into saying something he would regret. If he was wrong, he was wrong, but he couldn't take that chance.

Instead, he turned on the TV. What came on was an image involving a cartoon boy and his talking dog. They seemed to live in a world of candy and fantasy. Daichi didn't remember ever tuning in to this channel.

"I can change it if you want—"

"No, it's fine. I really don't care. It's better than hearing you speak."

Well, Daichi couldn't say that he expected any other response.

He set the remote down in a spot where Manjoume could grab it if he wanted to. While the show wasn't interesting to him, there were times when he chuckled. Manjoume didn't seem to laugh at all or show his enjoyment of for the show. He watched it in silence instead. It ended shortly after and switched to another cartoon.

The air between him and Manjoume felt tense. Daichi wasn't sure how much more he could take of it.

"Please tell me you have something else. Like, maybe Netflix or something like that?" Manjoume asked as he ran his hands down his face.

Daichi grimaced. "Uh, no... Sorry."

Manjoume groaned and leaned back in the chair. "It's so boring here."

"Then why did you come?"

Daichi hadn't meant for it to slip out. Once it did, though, it was impossible to take it back.

He shut his eyes and bit back a groan. Right now, paranoia was setting in. Daichi was worried about how Manjoume would react. He had mentioned something he said he wouldn't mention. It felt like an unspoken rule between them, but really, Daichi didn't want to deal with the argument that would follow.

Opening his eyes, Daichi watched as Manjoume stared up at the ceiling. He was silent for quite some time, gazing off into the distance as if he wasn't staring at a plain white ceiling.

Finally, Manjoume slumped over, resting his elbows on his knees. "I just... I don't want to go home right now..."

Instantly, Daichi thought about Manjoume's brothers. Were they cruel to him? It was the only reason Daichi could come up with that would make Manjoume want to leave the manor. From the state of him and his servants when Daichi left earlier, it could have been anything terrible. He could feel the tingling sensation to ask more questions and find out the truth. It continued to burn his stomach like acid, ready to eat away until a hole appeared on his skin and through his clothes.

But he fought the feeling back.

It wouldn't be proper for Daichi to ask these kinds of questions. Even though Manjoume wouldn't hesitate to be cruel to him, he couldn't return the favor. His mother had raised him better than that, and Daichi was going to continue it.

"Well, you are more than welcomed to stay here for as long as you need to," Daichi offered. He forced a smile on his face, hoping with all his heart that it didn't seem fake. After all, he meant what he said. He wanted Manjoume to know that he had a place to escape to when he needed it.

Manjoume stiffened and then relaxed. Daichi couldn't recall a time where he ever saw him relax like that. It was strange but different. In fact, just from seeing it once, Daichi knew that he enjoyed seeing Manjoume like this.

Suddenly, Manjoume stood up. He hurried to the window, placing his hands on the windowsill. His shoulders were stiff. The moment between them was gone.

"Thanks for the offer. I'm going to head home now," Manjoume said. His voice sounded tight as if he was trying to force the words out.

"Already?" Daichi questioned. He moved closer to him, gripping the edge of his bed. "You just got here, though."

"Yeah... But I think I wasted time here—both mine and yours."

"Then let me walk you out."

Manjoume laughed. Daichi never heard him laugh like this before. It sounded so earnest. He liked it. "Don't you mean climb me out? I'll be fine, don't worry. If I fall, I won't sue you or your family. This was my choice."

As careful as Daichi was when he first did it, Manjoume climbed out of the window and down the trellis. He reached the bottom after his slow descend and looked up at Daichi.

"See you tomorrow," Manjoume whispered as he walked away.

Daichi stood by the window and stared out it, waiting until he saw Manjoume ride down the street. He lingered for a few minutes. It was a precaution in case he came riding back after changing his mind before he got too far.

He never came back, though. That was enough of an answer for Daichi.

He closed his window and collapsed on his bed. Daichi wondered if letting Manjoume go was a good idea. What if he allowed him to return to something dangerous waiting for him at home? There was no one else to talk to about this. He was alone and he didn't want to worry his father about it. His father had enough on his plate as it was.

With a deep breath, he crawled under the covers and hoped. He hoped that Manjoume would be all right in the morning and not harmed.