The accent may have mangled the words, but the meaning behind them brought more tears to his eyes as Mokuba shifted uncomfortably, and

hastily turned away. Joey flushed awkwardly, waved an apologetic hand. "Geeze, I'm sorry! I didn't mean ta make it worse, Mokuba..." his

voice trailed off when Mokuba balled his fists and shook his head, frantically. Joey mistook it for embarrassement, and could only

stammer out another attempt at an apology as Mokuba finally inhaled enough air to answer.

"Joey-" His voice was breathless and raw with the emotions that he could barely fight, or contain, yet again, as he gestured for Joey to sit

back down. Uneasily, Joey slid into the seat next to him, looking like he was ready to bolt. Mokuba swallowed hard, and for the first time,

gave Joey a small, pensive frown.

"Joey." His name was whispered as Mokuba raised a considering eyebrow. After a long stare of uncomfortable silence, Mokuba finally worked

up enough courage to ask what had been gnawing at him for a while. "Joey, can I ask you something? I don't mean to make this any more....

uncomfortable for either one of us, but since you're here, and I may not get the chance again.."

Joey warily shifted, sat back as he crossed his arms. "Ya can ask. Seems to me like this might be a bit personal." Mokuba nodded, grimly, as

he straightened up. He hid the smirk when he saw that he was tall enough now to look down his nose at Joey. Joey was tapping a finger against his

knee, clearly waiting for the odd turn in conversation as Mokuba glanced away, groping for the right words.

"Joey, I know that you and Seto had....your differences in the past." Joey snorted at that, but looked contrite at Mokuba's scowl.

"I never understood why it was so...difficult for both of you to get along."

Joey squinted at that, and slumped back with a shrug, and a long, weary sigh. Working the inside of his cheek between his teeth, he could only raise hands in another helpless gesture. "I...dunno." He ran a figiting hand through his blonde bangs, and let them curtain over his eyes, before he continued, haltingly.

"I ain't gonna say anything bad about your brother, Mokuba. 's nothing really to say. There wasn't exactly any one thing bad between us, not anything he or I did....it was just us. And it was that way for years, and I guess....by the time that we finally worked things out enough to be civil....there wasn't really any time left for us to get beyond that....sorry...."

Mokuba gave him a tired smirk. "So it was just a personality conflict, and not necessarily anything either one of you did?"

Joey hitched a shoulder in confirmation, as he tapped himself on the chest. "Actually......"

Italics are a memory sequence....sorry for the confusion, if there is any. The memory sequence is what Joey is telling Mokuba.

The boy's bathroom in Domino High was a tiled hell of shining linoleum, white toilets, leaking facets and stench. Seto despised using it, felt unclean even entering the metal door, but it was a necessity today, and would be an even bigger problem if not attended to. Hastily scanning the long row of stalls, and grateful to find them empty, he marched to the one secluded on the end and locked the door. He was ready to wash his hands and leave and grimaced at the unwelcome sound of sneakers squealing across the floor as a sizable group of boys ambled into the restroom. Seto's scowl deepened when he saw the group of shoes park in front of his stall door, and the carefree snipes of a small crowd at ease, and no intention of leaving. He was about to simply exit the stall when he heard the horrific sound of somebody being slammed into the brick wall flush from his door, and the agonized grunt of pain. His scowl crumbled when he saw a pair of jean covered legs slide over the tiles in a heap, and then another thud as somebody was hauled to their feet and hurled against the wall again.

Seto counted at least three pairs of feet as he sighed, wondering if it were more prudent to stay parked or open the door and potentially esculate the situation before him. He heard the whimpered words, "Please, don't," the harsh snickers peppering the small crowd, and then the dull thud again, another cry of pain.

Lip twisting in his teeth, Seto's bootheel sent the stall door swinging open with a sound like a gunshot as he strode out of the stall, and scowled at the clump of teen-agers in a mean, little ring, hunched over Yugi Moto. All of them gaped at Seto in disbelief, and Seto's eyes only narrowed as he tilted his head. He heard the biting, cruel chuckle as he glided over to the sink, raised an eyebrow, and turned over his shoulder.

"Maybe my mathamatics are a bit off, but since when does it take two of you to beat up a helpless runt?" His voice had slid to frigid ice as he slowly washed his hands, and glared.


"Move along, rich boy. It's not any of your concern." The sneer was chortled out, and met with another barking round of laughter. Seto only met them with a raised eyebrow, and a snarl.

"I beg to differ."

Yugi's eyes bulged, as he whimpered out Seto's name, with a plea, "Seto...it's not any of your concern, please, don't-"

Yugi's disgusting blathering was cut off when one of the boys swung at Seto with a snort. The burble of laughter was abruptly choked from him when Seto artfully dodged the fist, inhaled sharply. Seto grit his teeth, pivoted away. He seized two fistfuls of flesh and jacket collar of the one who tried to belt him, hoisted him high, and slammed him hard into the wall. Seto fought the wince as he felt the force of it reverberating through his arms.

The boy shuddered from the impact, eyes white and terrified as Seto only cocked his head to the side, and then grimaced and released his grip.

The boy slid to the floor, not too far from Yugi, and scrambled to his feet, with a panicked glance to his cronies. Seto only raised a challenging eyebrow, in silence as he stared them down. He turned to the boy's gaping companion. "I suggest you take your garbage and leave."

The boy eyed him with a sneer, but slunk away, kneeling to help his friend limp out of the bathroom, both of them glaring and hurling insults that Seto did not trouble himself to reply to.

Seto heard Yugi's soft voice stating his name in disbelief, and he turned to see the runt on the floor, books knocked eskew, and shaking. Seto scowled down at him, puzzled and clearly irritated as he relunctantly ground out, "They're gone, runt. It's safe. You can go."

Yugi gulped and nodded, as he drew in a shaking breath, and slowly stood up. "I can't believe that you...just did that."

Seto shook his head, scornfully as he shrugged. "I can't believe it either."

Yugi just dipped his head as he stooped to gather his things, and rearrange them back into his bag. "Thank you, Seto. Thank you so much."

Seto grunted at that. "Don't mention this...ever."

Both of them were startled when the door flew open and Joey Wheeler came storming in like a rampaging bull, fists balled, head down, glare fixed on Seto like a target. He took one look at Yugi, bloodied in a teary heap on the floor, then at Seto's raised hand and cocky smirk. He bellowed as he reached the wrong conclusion, and belted Seto flush in the mouth. He heard Yugi's shrill cry, Seto's hiss of pain, and saw Yugi rise from the floor,

small hands raised as he shielded Seto from any more blows, frantically waving his arms.

"Stop! Joey!!! Seto didn't do this!" The blond turned to Yugi, his jaw falling open in puzzlement. "Eh? Yug, what are you talking about?"

Yugi swallowed hard, and fought to make himself understood. "Joey...Seto didn't hit me. He-"

Yugi's words were cut off by Seto's sharp glare and a forbidding shake of his head. "I told you, runt, not to mention it."

Yugi squirmed under the unbearable weight of those icy eyes, and gulped. "But, Seto, why-"

Seto only shrugged, tiredly, as he continued to glare in silence. Yugi skittered backwards, and swallowed again, hastily throwing his books and whatnot into his bag. Flushed with embarrassement and confusion, he awkwardly rose. Joey did not see Seto's curled lip, or the sharp jerk of his head towards the door. Yugi only nodded, muttered another thank you, and bolted from the restroom, ignoring Joey's questions with a pleading shake of his head.

Joey was completely flummoxed as to what the hell was going on, and turned back to Seto, who was trembling with barely choked down anger, and

huffing with irritation.

"What the heck just happened, here, Seto? Ya didn't hit Yugi?"

There was only aggrivating silence as Seto just shook his head with a grimace and turned away. Joey barely heard Seto's snarl.

"No." It was spat out with rancor, as Seto straightened his trench coat with a harsher than necessary jerk. He stepped away from Joey, shaking his head.

It was never meant to go near as far as it did and the esculation of the cruelty was now falling down on him like an avalanche. Joey's smirk crumbled into miserable contemplation as Seto's searing eyes trailed upwards to meet his as he dabbed a distainful hand to his busted lip. Seto dangled his

bloodied knuckles before his narrowing eyes, sighed with disgust, and turned the facet on to wash it away. Joey noticed with rapidly surging guilt that Seto's shoulders were tremoring as he scrubbed his hands and face furiously, as if attempting to wash away the filth and the pain of what had just happened. Seto said nothing, just kept plunging hands into the water and rubbing his face until his hair was damp and his skin and eyes were scraped raw. After a long, measured breath, Seto turned the water off, slowly ripped paper towels down, and dabbed his face, and carefully dried his hands, all the while, his eyes locked with Joey's with that deep, baleful stare.

"Do you really think I'd be such a prick as to hit the runt, Wheeler?" The words were hissed out through his clenched teeth, and Joey could not stop the flinch as Seto's eyes slid up to his.

Joey could only shrug, put a shaking palm against the stall door, and stare back. " What the hell am I supposed to think, Kaiba? I come in here, he's laying on the floor, ya got your fist up-"

"I didn't hit Yugi." The words were as heavy as boulders that Seto could have hurled at him, as he rose, and shrugged the trench coat back over his shoulders. Seto gave him a disgusted look, as he shook his head, and strode out of the bathroom. He lingered in the doorway, turned back to stare down Joey one more time, as he whispered, "I woudn't hit him. Ever. Can't you see that?!"

Seto shoved the door open without a backwards glance, leaving Joey to gape after his retreating back.

It was sad, looking back. Aside from his condensending attitude, that cold, distancing snarl, and the general comtempt that Seto seemed to have for the world,....there was hardly anything that Joey could imagine, dredge up in memory, or even construct that would justify where his loathing for Seto came from. Yugi had spilled out the true account of what had happened that night, over chips and drinks as the two friends lounged in the small living room and attempted to study, with the tv blaring. Joey could only shake his head in disbelief, as Yugi recounted the incident with wide-eyed wonder, and Yami could only grunt and smirk with a knowing shake of his head.

Joey was left with floundering uncertainty that maybe the bastard he had constructed Seto to be in the largess of his own mind might not have been the reality of the man himself, and it bothered him immensely. Indeed, there was little evidence that the accusations regularly hurled at Seto as he glided through the halls and clutched his infernal suitcase that he even deserved the ire of the world. Seto Kaiba was accused of being a snob, considering himself too 'holy' to be bothered with the affairs of the unwashed masses. He was considered a rich prick for his enormous wealth, a vicious coniver for his perfect grades, and an all-around jerk for everything else.

And, yet....

Yugi spilled out the odd tale of Seto actually intervening on his behalf. Joey winced in regret when he remembered the vicious fist he had put in Seto's face, remembered that agonizing moment when Seto only glared at him with those empty eyes and waited for the world to fall down when he

struck back.

And Joey stood there in confusion when Seto didn't. There were other fragmented moments over the years....Mokuba and Yugi had become closer over time, and it was not too unusual for Mokuba to hang out at the Moto's residence. Everybody knew of the tormented past that both of the Kaibas had emerged from, from Gozaburo's plunge off the Kaiba tower, the deaths of their parents, and all the trappings of the ever-present money. Mokuba had emerged from what seemed to be either a fairytale, or a horror story, depending on the brother, with a glib, genuine warmth and a bright cheer that was unscathed from all he had been through. In brutal contrast to Mokuba's happiness, was Seto's ever present scowl, and indifference to all but his company and his brother. Joey had to wrap his head around the disconcerting thought that Seto probably bore the brunt of parenting duties since Gozaburo's death so long ago. Joey could not remember the last time that any of their fellow classmates had even bothered to grace Seto with any regard besides the typical high school scorn, and he could not remember any time at all he had even been polite to the distant Kaiba.

Seto seemed to prefer to be ignored, left alone, his life uncluttered by the teen-age angst and rites of passage like prom, and hanging out and friends. It was very sad, indeed.

"Truth be told, Mokuba, I think it was mostly one-sided. Sure, Seto and I weren't bosom buddies or nuthin' like that, but...I think we could have gotten along a lot better if I had just been less of a jerk and more of a man back then. I never could understand why da heck he didn't pound my face in after Yugi left that day. Never forgot it, either."

Joey hitched a shoulder in apology.