Roland waltzed into the room as if he had been waiting outside for a signal. Without a word, he picked up his unconscious boss and left, indicating for the two former spirits to follow him to a back elevator, which lead to a back door where Kaiba's limo was parked. Roland gently eased the lanky teenager into the back seat, stepping aside to let Yami and Bakura enter before shutting the door. He slid into the driver's seat, putting on his shades before pulling out, weaving through traffic to bring his boss and guests to the Kaiba Mansion.
Yami watched the scenery go by, looking over at Bakura with raised eyebrows. "Do I want to know what is going on here?" Bakura just grinned, pulling out his knife and licking it, ignoring the former monarch while he eyed Kaiba.
Sighing to himself, Yami leaned forward, tapping on the glass divider and waiting. It slid down, revealing both of Kaiba's bodyguards, Fuguta turning and raising an eyebrow at him. "Would somebody care to explain to me what is going on?" The two men shared a glance, neither speaking. Yami threw his hands up in the air, wincing as they smacked into the ceiling. He turned and sat back down, pouting to himself while Bakura just laughed.
XXXXXX
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, and as the boys at the Moto house woke up, they couldn't help but wonder at the cruel irony of a beautiful day after what they had been through. Joey was up first, slightly surprised that he hadn't been woken up by Mokuba's screams. The raven-haired boy looked peaceful enough, jammed up against the wall wrapped in his blankets. Joey stretched, feeling his back crack as he attempted to move it. Not wanting to wake up his roommate, he tiptoed out, creeping downstairs to start breakfast.
Grandpa came downstairs shortly after, stretching and yawning himself. "Good morning Joseph. I hope you slept ok."
"I actually did get a little sleep last night Gramps thanks. More importantly, I think Mokuba did too. He looked pretty comfortable when I left the room this morning." Joey smiled, looking into the fridge to see what he could cook.
"Joseph, we need to talk about what is going to happen next." Grandpa said, settling down on a barstool, folding his hands and placing them on the counter.
"I know Gramps, but I'm just not ready to deal with this right now." Joey said softly, looking down at the eggs in his hands.
"I understand that, but there are things that will be happening quickly, and we need to prepare for them. First, Anna is going to court tomorrow about temporary custody. They believe that Kaiba is unable to deal with Mokuba's issues, and they want him removed as Mokuba's guardian." Joey winced, knowing that was coming.
"Second, we need to figure out how to get Mokuba's stuff out of the mansion. You know Kaiba's security better than anyone, is there someone we can trust to take care of this?"
"I'll contact Roland, he can help us out. We can go pack a few things while Kaiba's at work or something so hopefully there will be no issues."
Grandpa watched the blond for a minute, not wanting to bring up his final point. "Have you given any more thought to what we discussed before Joseph?"
Joey didn't answer, concentrating on cutting up the peppers and onions for an omelet. Grandpa waiting, not wanting to back down on this issue. The kitchen was silent except for the sounds of breakfast making until Yugi walked into the room, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"Have either one of you seen Yami?" He asked, smiling at his Grandpa before sitting down next to him.
"Nah Yug', come to think of it, I haven't seen him since last night." Joey said, relieved for the interruption.
Yugi frowned, looking down at his phone. "Ryou texted me… he said Bakura wasn't home last night when he got back, and he's not there now…. He wanted to know if we saw him, I told him no."
"Great, just what we need, two crazy spirits on the loose… cause things aren't bad enough around here right now." Joey complained, scraping the omelet out of the pan and handing it off to Grandpa. The old man smiled, digging into his breakfast happily.
"I wonder where they could be?" Yugi muttered to himself, texting Ryou back.
XXXXXX
The Pharaoh and the Tomb Robber woke up to the sounds of phones going off all around them. Yami opened his eyes first, attempting to get up only to find himself blocked by a pile of white hair in his lap. He couldn't help but laugh, causing Bakura to wake up with a start, jumping up so quick that he almost smacked Yami right in the face.
"What's so funny Pharaoh?"
"Just never realized how snuggly you are Bakura, you're like a big, fluffy bunny." Yami teased, tensing slightly as Bakura went for his knife, only to come up short.
Yami laughed again, getting up himself. "I take it we fell asleep last night during our vigil." He said, pointing at the bed where Kaiba was still knocked out. "So what do we do now?"
"This." Bakura said, walking over to the brunet and slapping him across the face. Kaiba's eyes snapped opened, and he growled, staring at the two men in his room as if he would murder them with his own two hands.
"Bakura! Did you really have to hit him like that?" Yami yelled, glaring at him.
"Nope, but it sure was fun." Bakura smiled settling down on the bed next to Kaiba. The brunet glared, attempting to sit up only to find he was chained to the bed. "Now, now, Kaiba, just calm down. Getting upset is not going to help you right now."
Kaiba continued to glared, refusing to give in to whatever game Yami and Bakura were attempting to play with his mind. Bakura grinned even more, leaning down to stare at the brunet menacingly.
"All right Bakura, that's enough. Get off him now." Yami said, pulling the other man back.
"What's the matter Pharaoh? I'm just having a little bit of fun with him." Bakura said, pouting.
"This is not helping right now, so why don't you tell me the plan so we can get this moving?" Yami said, not releasing his hold on Bakura.
"Fine. Get somebody in here to get him dressed, and I'll explain what we are doing." The white-haired former spirit muttered, crossing his arms and huffing.
Yami pulled both of them off the bed, yanking Bakura towards the door. He opened it, looking to see that Fuguta was sitting in a chair across the hall. He motioned the taller man in, pulling Bakura out of the room and glaring at him. "So?"
Bakura shrugged, shaking Yami's hand off his shirt. "Mokuba's therapist is coming to talk to Kaiba along with his case worker. They're going to recommend that the courts give custody of Mokuba to Yugi's grandfather pending a hearing. They're going to argue that Kaiba is incompetent due to his work issues, and that he doesn't have the time to deal with Mokuba's needs."
"That's going to kill him." Yami whispered, turning and looking at the door.
"I know." Bakura said, shaking his head. "He has to deal with it though. That's why we are here, for support."
Yami sighed, looking over at Bakura. "You know, there was a time where the last thing you would do would be help someone."
"Yea, well, that was part of the deal I made to get back over here remember? Sin atonement, I hurt Mokuba and Kaiba, so now I have to help them. Yippee for me." Bakura said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"So what is our plan then Bakura?" Yami asked him, arching an eyebrow.
"Just be here. He's losing his brother, his stray ran away… we need to be ready for whatever the backlash is."
"Joey is not a dog Bakura."
"Really? From the way Kaiba's been wearing those turtle-neck sweaters, I'd say he bites like one."
Yami shook his head at Bakura, looking over at the opening door as Kaiba and Fuguta appeared. "Your presence is requested in the dining room gentlemen, if you would follow me." Fuguta said to them, leading his employer down the stairs, the two former spirits trailing behind him.
XXXXXX
Yugi almost jumped out of his skin when Roland came up behind them and greeted the group, crossing his arms and leaning casually against the counter. "I forgot you were here last night Roland. How was the couch?" He asked, placing a hand over his heart and trying to calm down.
The body guard frown, unconsciously rolling his shoulders to relieve some of the ache. "I didn't sleep much, I was up most of the night coordinating with the staff at the mansion. I'll be heading out there shortly to help with Mr. Kaiba, he has a meeting planned at 10." He turned back to Yugi, attempting to smile at the boy to calm him. "Bakura and Yami wanted me to let you know they are at the house. They helped me transport Mr. Kaiba home, and are going to assist us with the meeting."
"I should have figured that's where they went." Yugi muttered, nodding at Roland. "Thank you for letting me know, I'll tell Ryou."
"Hey Yug, you wanna go get Mokuba? I don't want him freaking out that none of us are here when he decides to wake up." Joey asked as he handed Roland a plate. "I'll have his breakfast ready in a minute."
Yugi nodded, walking quietly up the stairs and knocking on the guest bedroom door. Opening it gently, he saw Mokuba, fully awake and staring out the window. "How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting next to the younger boy on the bed.
"It's so weird waking up here… I'm not used to being crammed into a room with someone anymore, feels like I'm back at the orphanage." Mokuba admitted, hugging his knees to his chest.
"I get that. You have a lot of space to rattle around in at the mansion."
"Yea I do, but at the same time… I never really felt safe there. All the bad memories, the bad things that happened there… I wish Seto would sell it, but he doesn't want to admit he can't live there either." Mokuba said, sighing.
Yugi hummed to himself, leaning back against the wall. "Hey Mokuba, I know it's been awhile, but I'm sorry we weren't able to save you from Pegasus. We should have kept more of an eye on you during that duel and stopped Kemo from capturing you. I was so worried about saving Grandpa, that I didn't see how bad things were for you and your brother."
Mokuba was silent, not knowing how to answer. Finally Yugi patted him on the arm awkwardly, sliding off the bed. "Joey's making breakfast, then we have to get ready for school. It's just going to be you and Grandpa today, he thought you might like helping out at the store." Mokuba nodded, following Yugi out of the room and shutting the door behind him.
XXXXXX
Bakura leaned back into his chair, looking over at Yami before staring at the wall in front of him. Kaiba had taken the news about his brother surprisingly mellow, signing all of the paperwork placed in front of him without so much as a complaint.
Once the paperwork was done, Anna collected it and placed it into her briefcase. "Now Mr. Kaiba, I understand that this is a difficult time for you and your brother. We are trying to keep this under wraps as much as possible because we are concerned about the stress a media circus would have on your brother. Since you have no objections to our course of action, a court date is not needed at this time. I will work out a schedule with Roland for us to meet and go from there. Is that satisfactory for you?" Kaiba nodded, tapping his fingers on the table.
"Now, Dr. Green is free and able to help you with the mandating counseling sessions. If you would rather go with another psychologist, they must be approved before they will count towards your total. If you have any questions, please feel free to call. Mr. Moto is willing to work with you to schedule your visitation with your brother within reason, but if there is any issues please let me know." Kaiba nodded again, still tapping.
Anna sighed to herself, gathering her things and standing. "Mr. Kaiba, please remember that we are all here to help you and your brother. The more you cooperate, the better off both of you will be. Now, if you will excuse me, I have another appointment." She nodded at the two boys next to Kaiba before leaving the room with Fuguta quietly.
Dr. Green watched Kaiba for a few minutes, noticing how tense the young man was. "I have some time right now Mr. Kaiba if you would like to have your first session here."
"What I would like is to go back to my office. I have wasted half a day already, and I am already behind because of this nonsense." Kaiba told him stiffly, standing up himself. "My secretary will contact you by the end of the day tomorrow to schedule an appointment- I trust with what I pay you that you will be willing accommodate me."
Dr. Green nodded. "Just as long as it doesn't interfere with my other patients, I will be happy too. I look forward to your call Mr. Kaiba." He said, standing up and holding out his hand, which Kaiba ignored, turning on his heel and walking out of the room.
Yami sighed, shaking his head. Dr. Green studied him for a minute, a question dancing on his lips. Finally he decided to just go for it. "So, which one of you two is the Pharaoh, and which one is the Tomb Robber?"
XXXXXX
Mokuba picked up a box for Yugi's grandpa, amazed at how heavy it was. "I didn't know cards weighed so much." He commented, and Grandpa laughed.
"My boy, you'd be surprised how much weight can be in one small box. Just depends on who is packing. Now, how about I show you how to check in this shipment? Yugi used to do that for me when he was your age, he always liked being able to see the new stuff first!"
Mokuba nodded, following the older man's instructions. It was almost like Christmas, cutting into each box and pulling out a wide assortment of games and toys. "I didn't realize that you carried so much stuff here Mr. Moto. I though you just did Duel Monsters."
Grandpa winked at him and smiled. "I know that this might seem strange to you, but people do play other games sometimes Mokuba." They both laughed at that, thinking back through the years where Duel Monsters had been everything to them. The phone rang then, and he picked up, indicating with his finger for Mokuba to be quiet.
"Hello, Game Shop… oh hello Anna how did it go…. Ok yes he is fine…. No I haven't heard from them yet… yes I will call you if I do…. He is…. Alright…. Are you sure…. Ok I will talk to him…. Yes thank you Anna goodbye." Grandpa hung up the phone, sighing before turning to Mokuba.
"That was Anna, she just left your brother and everything went fine. He agreed to let you stay here for a bit, so that's taken care of." Mokuba nodded in relief.
"She also said that she spoke to an associate of Pegasus's, who had agreed to come in for an interview. He asked for a chance to speak to you, but he is leaving it entirely up to you if he does." Mokuba shook his head, backing away with his hands up in the air.
"I'm not ready for that Mr. Moto. Don't let him see me please."
"Of course not Mokuba, he won't get near you unless you're ok with it I promise." Grandpa said, wrapping his arms around the trembling teen.