Chapter 9: The Truth

Mokuba had a sick feeling in his stomach Wednesday when Fugata picked him up from school. It wasn't from being physically ill, but of knowing that in just under an hour Roland would be headed over to his school to speak with Mrs. Elkridge. It wasn't exactly the fact that his teacher would inform Roland of his slipping grades. That much was obvious. He was more frightened of what Roland would say to her…about Seto, about anything, really. Mokuba forgot to tell Roland what he told Mrs. Elkridge about Seto when he was dropped off at school that morning. There was a good chance his cover would be blown. That fear put his stomach into knots.

Wednesday was one of Roland's heavy administrative days, even moreso now, doubling his duties in security with handling some of Seto Kaiba's executive workload, and so when Mokuba arrived at Kaiba Corp, he wouldn't even see his temporary guardian until he was heading for the elevator.

Mokuba was sitting in his new workspace. The room had been cleaned up and scrubbed down to remove any trace of the dust and dirt that it stored for the last several years. It was still void of any real furniture, apart from a few large beanbag chairs that Mokuba brought from home, and a small side-table that was originally stored in the room under a sheet. It would later leave once the real furniture arrived, but for now, it would suffice. Mokuba's backpack was leaning against his bean chair, as he was finishing up the remaining homework for the day.

He was brought out of his concentration by the knocking on the doorframe. "Mr. Mokuba." It was Roland.

"Yes?"

"I'll be heading off to the conference now. I brought your tablet," he said, placing Mokuba's portable computer on the side table. "It finished charging. Also, these catalogs arrived for you, sir. For your office."

Mokuba took the books and nodded. "Thanks, Roland. Are you coming back here after school? Or is Fugata going to drive me home?"

"I don't imagine this meeting taking very long, sir." Roland replied. "I will return here, and finish my admin. duties with the remaining time."

"Okay. Well, bye, Roland. Good luck." Mokuba waved him off as he turned back to his homework. Though, the longer time went on, the harder it was becoming for Mokuba to concentrate. Frustrated, he tossed his homework aside and pulled over some of the catalogs Roland brought.

Then there was a knock at the doorframe.

"Mokuba?"

The boy glanced to the doorway and his eyes widened. "Yugi! Hi! Uh, C'mon in!"

"Thanks." Yugi smiled and happened to glance at the wall just outside the door. There was a piece of paper taped to the wall. Yugi plucked it off and showed it to him. 'Mokuba's lair!'?"

Mokuba laughed, a bit embarrassed. "I don't have a name plaque on the wall yet, so the secretary made me one."

Yugi smirked and placed it back on the wall where he found it, then came inside the room. "What is all this?" He asked, sitting down in an empty bean bag chair.

"This?" Mokuba asked. "This is my lair! Well…office. Well…it will be, once it's finished." Mokuba stammered.

"You get an office? That's cool!" Yugi smiled, but it was forced. He wasn't exactly sure how to go about getting information from Mokuba, so he waited. Maybe conversation would naturally give him the opening he needed.

"Yeah." Mokuba shrugged. "Seto's is so….stiff. And besides, I'm gonna be VP proper one day, it's about time I find my own space. At least this way, I don't have to cling to my brother after school while I do my homework here." Mokuba tried to keep his voice and composure as natural as possible. Then, an idea struck. "Say, wanna help me design this place?"

"Huh?" Yugi asked.

Mokuba smiled and pointed to the catalog in his lap. "I'm trying to plan out the room. I mean look around, Yugi. There's nothing in here. It's not like these bean bag chairs are going to be permanent fixtures. I'm gonna need more professional stuff eventually. Besides, I doubt the Board or any serious employee would want to sit in these….or on the floor."

"I suppose you're right."

Mokuba handed Yugi another catalog. Perhaps this was just the distraction he needed.

"So, what kind of motif are you going for?" Yugi asked as he flipped through the pages. "Is there a color scheme you want?"

"Yeah, not the greyish green ick that Seto has in his." Mokuba said. "Maybe some blue? Or tan…"

Yugi nodded. "Neutrals could work in your favor. They won't clash with most other colors, and gives you more options for styling." He glanced up at the floor-to-ceiling windows. "Thinking about curtains?"

Mokuba laughed. "Nah. Curtains seem so….so…" he twirled his hands, thinking of the right word. "…girly?"

That made Yugi laugh harder.

"Although, now that I think of it…maybe some sort of shade! Like…a sheer one to keep the direct sun out! This room faces west, and we're so high up that there's no way to block out some of the light."

"Ah, I bet that would look cool." Yugi said. He turned another page. "Wow…this stuff looks so stiff….or just plain weird. Did Pablo Picasso design this furniture?" He showed his companion the page in question and they both broke out into giggles.

Once Mokuba calmed down, he looked at Yugi, curious. "I forgot to ask before, but what brings you up here? If you're looking for my brother, he's still in America."

No he's not. Yugi sighed. "I wanted to see you actually. It's been a while since we all hung out at the game shop. I thought perhaps we rubbed you the wrong way or something during our last game day. I know Joey has a hard time filtering out his mouth…"

"What? No! it hasn't been you guys at all. I mean, I miss you and Joey and Tristan. I've just been really, really busy. Between school and this," he gestured to the room, "I haven't got a lot of free time."

Yugi nodded, and asked, "Are you still filling in for Kaiba?"

Mokuba nodded.

Well, this might just be it. Ok Yugi, it's now or never. He took a deep breath. The next line of questions were going to be difficult, since it was highly doubtful Mokuba would just give up his façade and tell the truth. "How is Kaiba, anyway? Have you heard from him recently?" He asked with as much innocent curiosity as he could muster.

Mokuba blinked, then shrugged. "Seto is fine. He's just as busy as me, if not busier. He called the other day to see how school was going." Ok, Mokuba. Keep your cool…there's no reason to panic. Yugi's just being friendly. It's natural for him to ask about Seto…I mean, who isn't at this point?

"What's he doing in America? Is he working on another theme park?"

Mokuba shook his head. "Nah, he's in New York, or at least that's where he said he was. We just opened another set of offices there."

"Ah, that's great! I should tell Téa! You know, she's in New York studying dance. Maybe she can pop in and visit."

"NO!" Mokuba said too fast." Oh crap. Red alert, Mokie. RED ALERT! Think, think, think! Yugi looked at him, surprised by the sudden outburst. "I mean…well, you know my brother, and how he feels about your friends." Mokuba paused, trying to make up something convincing on the fly. "I'd hate for her to fight her way to Seto's door only to get an earful of his grouchiness."

She's already tried, kiddo. Yugi feigned an understanding nod. "Perhaps you're right. I mean, you're his brother, you know him best."

Mokuba rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. Under the skin, he was a nervous wreck, and could have been sweating bullets. "Yeah, I suppose that's right."

Yugi went on, closing the magazine as he spoke. "And I imagine the two of you are so close, you'd do anything to keep him from getting distracted…"

Mokuba blinked. "Yugi?"

"…you might even go as far as lie for him, right Mokuba?"

Mokuba swallowed and looked at Yugi. He didn't answer.

Yugi took a deep breath and pushed himself out of the bean bag chair. He paced about and fidgeted his hands before turning back to Mokuba. "Please don't lie to me anymore, Mokuba." He continued, softer. "I know that Kaiba's not really in America."

Roland signed in at the main office to Mokuba's school. They gave him an odd look when he said he was there for the parent-teacher conference with Mrs. Elkridge, representing Mokuba. To the secretaries, he looked more like a secret agent from Men in Black than a guardian. Nonetheless, he was given a map of the school and verbal instructions how to get to the classroom in question.

The classroom door was open, and Roland knocked twice on the doorframe to get the instructor's attention. She was sitting at her desk grading assignments. Either she had free time before their session, or her last conference let out early. Regardless, it worked in Roland's favor. The sooner this conference began, the sooner he could get back to Kaiba Corp.

Mrs. Elkridge looked up from the assignment and smiled. "Hello." She stood and gestured for him to enter. "Welcome. Have a seat. Let's see…" she peeked at her planner. "You're here representing Mokuba Kaiba, yes?"

Roland nodded and took a seat near her desk. She grabbed a student folder and joined him, sitting at the desk across from him. She wondered why he didn't remove his dark glasses, but in the end, decided not to ask.

"Mokuba has informed me that his brother was unable to attend this session. I appreciate you coming in his place." She opened the folder. Much of Mokuba's classwork was piled inside.

"Of course, Ma'am."

"May I ask, what is your relation to Mokuba? Mr…" she glanced down at the permission form that he had signed days ago. "…Mr. Thompson?"

Roland reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out his KC identification badge for her to see. "I am Mr. Kaiba's senior advisor and his security chief."

"I assume, Mr. Kaiba being Seto Kaiba?" she asked. Roland nodded.

"And what about Mokuba?"

"Mr. Mokuba has been placed into my care while his brother is away on business." Roland said, folding his hands on the student desk. "I've taken care of him before, for many years in fact, while Kaiba Corp was being run by Mr. Gozaburo Kaiba. I can assure you, he is in good hands, Mrs. Elkridge."

She nodded slowly, and tapped her fingers idly on the desk. "What is home-life like? I suppose, what is his schedule when he leaves school for the day?"

Roland leaned back in his chair. "On average, I, or another member of my security, picks him up from school and takes him back to Kaiba Corp where he waits for me to finish my day. It's usually between 5:00 and 6:30 that I take him home for the day."

"What does he do at the office?"

"Sometimes, homework. Other times, he tries to fill in for Mr. Kaiba. Mr. Mokuba is the company's honorary vice president."

"I see…" She said, and pulled out some papers from the folder. "And have you been an active participant in Mokuba's schoolwork?"

"No, I haven't. Not unless he came to me for help. Mr. Mokuba always seemed self-sufficient when it came to his studies."

"Have you noticed any changes in his behavior recently?" she asked.

Roland stopped to think for a moment. "Only a bit moodier, that I can tell. Then again, aren't most normal twelve-year-olds?" Roland cleared his throat. "Let me guess. His performance in class in unsatisfactory."

Mrs. Elkridge shook her head slightly. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. He is still passing the class, according to the grading standard." She laid out the latest reading quizzes and collected assignments for him to flip through. "From the beginning of the year, Mokuba Kaiba has been an exemplary student. Almost all 'A's, a few 'B+' here and there. But look at this, Mr. Thompson. For the last few weeks, his grades overall have been slipping. The last two reading comprehension quizzes, he's barely made a 'C'. And much of his homework has been either rushed to completion, or not completed at all."

Roland examined Mokuba's work and shook his head slowly, in disapproval. "If Mr. Kaiba were here, he would not allow such shoddy work to be turned in." He sighed. "He takes Mr. Mokuba's education very seriously. This…" he gestured to the top quiz, "Is not the quality work befitting a Kaiba."

"I'm concerned for him. It can't just be my class that his grades and overall performance are slipping. It could be in all his subjects, and that will negatively affect his class standings. What can be done to help him?"

"I will talk with him," Roland answered, "And get to the root of this issue. With luck, this problem can be easily resolved." He said, but knew better. A pep talk and more time devoted to his studies would naturally make Mokuba's grades rise again, but Roland knew that if the boy's moodiness was related to Seto's disappearance, then the only permanent solution would be to bring Seto Kaiba back. But…without being able to contact him, or track where he even was; it was just short of impossible.

"And what of his brother? Will he be told about this?"

"Mr. Kaiba will be informed. This situation will be resolved."

Mokuba gulped. He wasn't sure if he even had any color left in his face. "Wha…?"

Yugi sighed, and knelt in front of Mokuba's bean bag chair. "I remember when you first told me that Kaiba was overseas. It happened to come up during a video chat with my friends. She took a visit to the New York offices, and they said he wasn't there. The California offices said the same thing when she called." Yugi paused. "Mokuba…what's going on?"

Mokuba shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't at all prepared for this line of conversation. What would he say to Yugi? How would Yugi react? Mokuba felt scared. In the past, Yugi has always been understanding and compassionate. But, telling Yugi would mean Joey and Tristan would eventually learn the truth, too. And the two of them were always quicker to judge Seto than anyone.

"Seto…isn't here."

"…yes, I know. Where is he?"

"I…I don't know." Mokuba said, quietly. He found it difficult to say the words. Saying it, would mean finally admitting it to himself, and that was something he refused to do. "He's…gone."

"Mokuba, you're not making much sense." Yugi said. "You're telling me he just left without telling you where he was going?"

Mokuba shook his head. "NO…I mean…I know where he went, but…ARG…this is too hard to explain."

Yugi frowned. How could something as simple as Kaiba going somewhere be so complicated? "OK. He went somewhere. Is he looking for something?" No response from Mokuba.

"Someone?"

Mokuba nodded ever so slightly.

"Who?"

"The Pharaoh."

That was it. The truth was out. Mokuba exhaled the deep breath he had been holding inside.

Yugi blinked, and his voice waivered slightly. He shook his head, trying to make sense of what Mokuba just said. "Atem?"

Mokuba nodded. "His time on the space station? He was obsessed with the Pharaoh…again." Mokuba's voice almost sounded pleading. "You know my brother, Yugi… you know how he obsessed over that stupid rematch."

"But…how? Atem is gone…."

This was getting to be more emotional than Mokuba wanted. He was a Kaiba, and no Kaiba ever cried in front of others. Heck, Kaiba's never cried period. With a sniffle, Mokuba rubbed his sleeve against his nose. "Seto took that weird cube that Diva used back at the exhibition. He obsessed over trying to make it work. And he ripped apart one of his virtual pods to do it." There wasn't a point to hiding any of the details anymore. "Once his pod was finished, he took off…. He barely even said goodbye to me…."

Yugi bit his lip and placed a comforting hand on Mokuba's shoulder. He wasn't exactly sure what to say. Anything he could come up with sounded…..wrong. 'Don't worry, Mokuba. Of course Kaiba love you. I'm sure he didn't mean to leave so abruptly'; or, 'Hey, don't sweat it. He knows what he's doing'. He couldn't say that…after all. He wasn't even there when Kaiba left.

"Mokuba…" it was all he could manage to say.

"He…he was only supposed to be gone a day…maybe two." Mokuba cried. "It's been weeks, Yugi!"

"Why didn't you tell us something was wrong? We could have helped you…"

"You honestly expected me to tell you that my brother blasted off into outer space just to play a card game with a ghost? Get real, Yugi! If the press finds out, our reputation will plummet. AGAIN!" Mokuba sniffled again. "I'm sorry I lied to you…really. I just didn't know how to tell you the truth. I was…afraid…."

"Afraid?"

Mokuba nodded. "I didn't want you all judging me…or him…I couldn't….I can't take that…not on top of everything else." Mokuba decided not to tell Yugi about being the new 'official' head of Kaiba Corp. He didn't want to overload Yugi, and he himself was feeling too emotional.

Yugi pulled Mokuba into a hug. He expected the kid to push out of it, but instead, he just stayed there, leaning against Yugi's shoulder. "Hey, never be afraid to talk to me, or Joey or Tristan." He paused. "Actually…scratch that. Never be afraid to come and talk to me, or Grandpa. We would never judge you…or Kaiba. I mean, think of everything we've been through over the years. You're never alone, and you'll never be alone, ok?'

Mokuba nodded and sighed. He knew Yugi meant well, and it was true. He would always have Yugi's ear. But having Yugi or his grandpa for support wasn't the same as his big brother. And that thought made him feel even more alone than ever.