AmePiper: Thank you very much, you've been really kind to me. You make me feel like I'm actually writing a good story here or something . I've never been a fan of fight scenes ether, I love brother fluff too much! o But all shall be explained in this chapter Enjoy.
fierypheonixgirl119: Thanks so much, I hope this was a fast enough review for ya Enjoy the chapter.
Kari Izumi: I'm glade my fic could be of use to you. Yeah, it seems not a lot of people liked that part with Mokuba and the drugs. See, but Mokuba didn't actually do drugs, he was kinda just being used to hand them off to other drug dealers and such for Suzuki, cause Suzuki was all "RAWR! I'M GONNA KILL KELLY!" and Mokuba wasn't down with that. So he didn't actually do drugs, he was just kinda forced into transporting them. Anyways, thanks for the review, enjoy.
Chapter 10
The room was all white. That's the most I can remember of the time when I was waiting in the lobby in my father's lap, waiting for the news of the newborn baby. Mommy had been very sick lately, and hadn't been home. I use to go visit her every other day with Daddy. Daddy was always sad after Mommy got sick, and would cry at night thinking of her.
"Daddy, what's wrong with Mommy?" I asked, looking up at my father with curious eyes. "Nothing, she's just a lil sick. She'll be back home real soon." He use to promise me. My innocence had blinded me from the truth of the situation. Mommy hadn't been just sick, she had been dying. I hadn't learned of this till that fateful day I sat in my father's lap, waiting for the nurse to come in and tell us we could visit Mommy and the baby.
A doctor ran into the lobby, gasping for breath. "You need to come quick, we're losing her." He announced. My father quickly jumped to his feet with my small body clutched to his chest. The doctor lead us to her room with a quick pace, leaving me confused and worried. I didn't know what was going on, but I could feel that something bad was about to happen. Something that would change my life forever.
"Sakura!" My father called out to my mother, quickly running to her side. I stood beside him, staring at my mother. "Riku, please take care of my children…"
"Don't say that Sakura, please don't say that. We'll raise them together." He held her hand tightly, and gave it a soft kiss. "I'm afraid… there's not much time left for me in this world…"
"No… Sakura, don't say that…"
"I need to speak to my son… one last time…" With tears already running down his face, he got up and stepped to the side. I walked over and stood beside my mother, staring into her eyes. My eyes began to well up as well with tears, understanding what was happening to her. "Seto, my strong boy. Can you make… one last promise to your mother?"
"Of course Momma, anything." I managed to choke out, tears beginning to stream down my face. "I want you to watch over your younger brother, Mokuba…" With shaking arms, she slowly handed me a little baby. I stared at the baby, then I stared at my mother. "But Momma, I can't…"
"Please Seto… do it… for me…" she said in a quiet voice, her voice started to sound weaker and weaker every time she spoke. "I want you to watch over your brother… to protect him… no matter what."
"No matter what?" I asked, barely able to speak, I was so overcome by sadness. "No matter what…" And with those few words, her eyes slowly closed, and her body went limp.
-5 years later-
"Nii-sama! Nii-sama! Look!" a young 5 year old Mokuba bounded into the room, and ran to my side, lifting a piece a paper up to my face. "Look what I made!" He said happily, smiling with the achievement he had created. I picked it up and observed it, "That's great, Mokuba. Good job." Mokuba grinned, "Thanks Nii-sama, I worked really hard on it."
"It shows, I'm really proud of you." I ruffled his mess of hair and gave him a smile, "The birthday boy is becoming so big, one day I'm gonna wake up and you'll be all grown up with friends, and a job, and a girlfriend and you won't need me anymore." Mokuba gasped, "That's crazy Nii-sama! I'll always need you! I'll never ever grow up, I'll always be your baby brother!" Mokuba exclaimed, pulling me into quick hug. "Sides, girls are gross!" Mokuba made a disgusted face and stuck out his tongue. "That's right, so you better not leave me for a girlfriend."
"No way!" Mokuba shook his head in agreement as my smile only grew bigger. I feared the idea of Mokuba ever growing up and leaving me, but I had always tried to overcome it and ignore it. I had more important things to worry about.
"BOYS!" we heard out father yell from downstairs. "YOU GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT! I'M WARNING YOU!" I stared at Mokuba as he stared at me. "Dad's been drinking again…" I said in a quiet voice. Mokuba clutched my arm, "Nii-sama, I'm scared."
"Don't worry, I'll protect you." I said, putting on a brave face. He smiled, feeling better about it now. "I SAID THIS INSTANT! DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!"
"Coming Dad!" I called back, walking swiftly out of the room and down stairs with Mokuba trailing behind me close by. Dad was lying on the couch, food and beer bottles scattered everywhere in the living room. He held a full one in his hand, taking a big gulp of it before slowly managing to sit himself upright. "Mokuba… your tha birthday boy… right?" he said, burping at the end of his sentence.
"Y-Yes sir…" Mokuba said quietly, hiding behind me. "Come're… I need ta tell ya somethin." Mokuba shivered and held onto the back of my shirt. "No…" he whispered softly. Dad stared at the both of us, I could tell he was beginning to get angry again. "I SAID GET YER ASS OVER HERE!" He yelled, his voice echoing through the whole house. Mokuba slowly removed himself from behind me, shivering with fear, and taking a step forward. "No Mokuba!" I said, grabbing his arm, "It's too dangerous, he might hurt you."
"YOU SHUT THA FUCK UP, KID!" Dad yelled, throwing a bowl of chips at me. I quickly blocked it with my arms. "No! You're not touching Mokuba!" I yelled, stepping in front of Mokuba."
"Don't mess wit me boy, I'm gonna hurt you if you don't step aside."
"Nii-sama!" I looked behind me and looked at Mokuba, "I don't want you getting hurt, Nii-sama. I'll just go."
"Mokuba, I'm not letting you."
"STEP ASIDE, KID! OR YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!" Mokuba pushed me away and ran over to Dad. "Yes Dad?" He asked nervously, staring up at him. "Mokuba… come sit here…" he patted the seat beside him. Mokuba quickly hopped into the chair, hoping to keep from displeasing him once again. "Mokuba, did I ever tell ya why yer mother is dead?"
"No…" I whispered to myself. I couldn't let Dad tell him about how Mom died, not on his birthday, not when he was this young. "No… not really. You said she was on a vacation…"
"Well, she's DEAD. And you know whose fault that is?"
"Dad, don't you dare tell Mokuba." Dad stared at me, seeing me as no threat obviously. "Tell me what?"
"That your mother…"
"SHUT UP!"
"Dammit boy, you be quiet!" He attempted to throw a bottle at my head, but missed by a lot. "Your mother is dead"
"Stop it!"
"Because of you."
"NO!" I yelled, hoping that my pleas would stop him from saying anymore. "Because of me? What do you mean…?"
"She's dead and it's all YOUR FAULT. You killed her!" I quickly grabbed Mokuba's arm and dragged him out of the room and up the stairs. Mokuba's legs gave out on him, and he collapsed to the floor in tears. "Nii-sama… is-is that true?" I stared at him. What was I suppose to say?"
"Mokuba… it wasn't your fault. But… Mom did die… from giving birth to you."
-Present Time-
Seto sat in his dark office in silence. He couldn't believe it. It was Mokuba's birthday, and he had done everything but restore Mokuba's bond with him. Instead, he had hit him. Against his own promise he had made so many years ago, he had hurt his little brother for the first time in his life. How could he even face Mokuba after doing that? How could he even talk to him?
Seto sighed, there was no use. Mokuba said with his owns words that he would be leaving once his birthday had come and gone and now here it was. It pained Seto to think it, but he knew there was absolutely no way he could win. No way he could restore all that was lost after all those years.
Seto put his face in his hands. What had he done? This was obviously his fault. Mokuba wouldn't hate him that much if it wasn't his own fault. What had he been doing all those years? Working while the one person most precious to him was hanging with the wrong crowd and getting involved with drugs? Where had he gone wrong? When exactly did his old self become self absorbed and obsessed with work and slowly letting Mokuba out of his grip?
He heard the door to the mansion open and close shut. Seto knew it must've been Mokuba, because no one else remained in the house. Seto slowly got up and straightened out his clothes. It was time to say goodbye.
Seto walked out of his room and looked around. It seemed Mokuba had already disappeared from the living room. He heard some noises coming from Mokuba's room. Seto slowly walked over to there and looked inside. He saw Mokuba digging through the stuff under his bed, throwing out the old papers with dust flying everywhere. "Mokuba."
Mokuba stopped and turned around. "Oh, it's you." Seto could only nodded. He reached into his pocket and held out a small card locket. "Would you be looking for this?" Seto asked. Mokuba just stared at him, then snatched it from his hands. "How did you find it?"
"I was looking through you're stuff under your bed. That's when I found the flier for the battle of the bands thing."
"Oh…" There was a long awkward silence between the 2. The events of last night were still alive in their memories, but both were too afraid to speak of it. It had been a dark night. The room fell silent with painful memories of the day before. And it was Seto who finally stepped up to plate.
"Mokuba, I know you're leaving, and you'll probably never come back, or ever even want to come back. I know you're all grown up now and I know… I know I can't make up for all those years I missed out." Seto began doing something he hadn't done since his mother's death. He started to cry. He put his hand into his pocket and took out one small item. It was a framed picture of Mokuba and Seto as little kids. Before the orphanage, before Gozaburo, before the corruption, before all the pain they had to endure as children.
"Mokuba, you may be 18, you may have grown up, and you may be leaving to live on your own, but you will always be my little brother. Always. And I will always love you and protect you. No matter what."
Now Mokuba's face was covered in tears as they brothers stood together crying. "No matter what?" Mokuba asking, crying even more with the few words he had said.
"No matter what." Mokuba fell into my arms, wrapping me in a tight hug, crying his heart out. It had been a long time since they had actually hugged or clung to one another. But Seto smiled, tears still flowing from his eyes, happy that he finally had his little brother again.
"Happy 18th Birthday, Mokuba."
A/N: Awwww, soooooo cute! So it looks like Seto and Mokuba still do love each other till the bitter end. But wait, this isn't the last chapter! No way! The Seto and Mokuba problem might be solves, but Mokuba has a girlfriend he needs to deal with. More to come very soon, please review!