Chapter 25

CiCi had hated her brother since the moment he'd been born. He was the reason her parents had left. He was the reason no one in her family truly understood her. Because he was the favourite, when he should have been a scorned outcast. And yet, as she sat there and watched him sleep, she couldn't help but smile in sad adoration down at him. Maybe it was just the grief of all the tears she'd shed getting to her. Maybe she was just too exhausted to care anymore, but as she gently stroked the white locks back from his face she couldn't help but feel her first sisterly feelings towards him.

'Is he okay?' The male voice which sounded from behind her was concerned and gentle.

'He's a Hateling,' she half turned to see the two shadowy figures lurking in the room she and her brother had been given for the night, 'why should I care?'

'Don't be like that CiCi,' a female voice sadly chided, 'he's your brother.'

'He's the reason my parents left,' she lowered her gaze, 'I can't forgive him for that.'

'Your parents didn't leave because of him CiCi.'

'Then why did you leave?' Her glared back up towards them.

For a few moments her question was met by a stunned silence. Then the two figures pulled themselves into the dim light of the room, revealing in full the white of their hair and milky blue of their eyes.

'We left because we could no longer hide being like this,' her mother lowered her head, 'I couldn't stand it, but I didn't… I didn't want my shame becoming your shame.'

'What do you mean?'

'Maybe it was some... motherly instinct, but I... I didn't want you to be ashamed of what you are.'

'So you left to protect me?'

'And your brother,' she nodded emphatically.

'It still wasn't right,' she shook her head, her over worked eyes filling with tears once again, 'you shouldn't have left. Mummy I needed you to be there. I don't care what you were feeling, you should have been there. You should have raised me. You should have raised me and… and my brother.'

'I know.'

'Why did you come back?'

'To find out your brother's name,' her father's voice was almost mute. 'We weren't ready to fully return yet, but we wanted to… have more of a role in your lives, even if you never got to see us. But before we could do that, we needed to know your brother's name.'

'Why?'

'Because...' he visibly hesitated, 'because we didn't get to name him,' there was something about the way he said it which made CiCi wonder if that was really the reason.

'Ulk Seto was the one who named him,' she sulkily folded her arms. 'Just like Ulk Seto was the one who raised him and took care of him and loved him; which is more than either of you ever did.'

'I know,' an almost forced look of sympathy appeared on his face, 'but we want to change that now.'

'How? By sending cards on our birthdays?'

'No, by taking care of you. By becoming you parents, really becoming your parents.'

'You can't do that,' her whole body was filled with anger. 'You can't leave for five years and come back and do that. That's not fair!'

'CiCi we are your parents.'

'No,' she shook her head, 'Ulk Seto and Ulk Tristan are my parents. They've raised me for longer than you ever have and, besides me and Tay, they're the only family my brother knows.'

'But Seto and Tristan are…'

'They're not dead,' the volume of her voice and the certainty of her words were enough to half startle her, 'they're not dead, they're not dead, they're not dead! They will wake up. They will take care of us. And you never will. They are my parents.'

'CiCi…'

'No,' she bit back the tears which brimmed below the surface, 'no, don't try to convince me that we need you, because we don't. We need Ulk Seto and Ulk Tristan. Our parents. Me and my brother's.'

'What… what's going on?' Behind her Damon began to stir. 'CiCi, he squeaked fearfully, after he spotted their visitors.

'Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you,' she assured him, those strange sisterly feelings she'd been having making her protective.

She felt his chubby little hands cling onto her top and, for the first time in his entire existence, she realised he wasn't the one she hated.

'Leave now,' her eyes shot every inch of hurt, pain and anger in her parents' direction. 'Leave right now. I never want to see either of you again. I HATE YOU!'

'CiCi…' her mother looked hurt.

'Didn't you hear me? I said leave.'

'But…'

'No, no buts. You're not welcome here. And as soon as Ulk Seto and Ulk Tristan wake up I'm asking them to adopt us. They're better parents than you could ever be and I'd choose them over you any day. In fact, I think I just did,' her hands balled into fists. 'Now leave.'

Her parents exchanged glances and for a moment it looked as if they were going to refuse her order. Then her mother lowered her gaze and gave an almost too emphatic sigh.

'If that's what you truly want then we will leave forever. But… but only if your uncles wake up.'

'What do you mean?'

'She means that we'll back off for now,' her father met her gaze, 'but if my brother and Tristan don't wake up, it doesn't matter what you think, you will be raised by us.'

'You know, my brother can be quite entertaining,' Crovell laughed loudly, as he appeared behind Lus. 'I mean, I suspected he would be, but… that was some show.'

'What are you talking about?' He stared at him in confusion.

'I thought I told you to stop asking questions.'

'I… I just…' he stammered. 'You… you started the conversation, I… I thought…'

'Well you thought right,' a wild grin spread across his face, 'Arados is in love with Taylor.'

'What?'

'My brother is in love with the Kaiba.'

'No… no way.'

'Oh, yes way,' he laughed again, 'and it gets better,' he leant in towards Lus in order to breathe the words into his ear, 'Taylor's in love with Drake.'

'N-no.'

'Mm,' he smirked, 'told you it was entertaining; I can practically see you drool as you lap this up. But I haven't even got to the best bit yet,' he smirked, 'did you realise I was a reverse empath?'

'It had crossed my mind,' Lus averted his gaze, 'how else would you be able to make me fit like that.'

'Right,' he laughed again, 'you are smarter than I give you credit for.'

'So are you going to tell me what you used your reverse empathy for?'

'To bring out all that lovely chaotic rage my baby brother contains and direct it at Taylor.'

'Wh-what?' Lus felt a shock of fear move through him.

'Oh don't worry, he'll live, but... neither one of them will ever forget this,' he turned his attention towards the monitor. 'So, did they manage to figure out the lilies were from you little Moto?'

Still reeling in shock from the previous conversation it took Lus a few moments to even manage choked sounds, never mind attempt a reply. During that time Crovell shifted his gaze back towards him; the look on his face terrifyingly amused.

'You do remember your job here is simply to keep them alive, right?' Crovell's eyes locked with his. 'Them being in there, being who they are, the chances they'll cause some catastrophic glitch is high. And we both know what will happen if they do. Poor Taylor, attacked by one friend, made an orphan by the other; doesn't bare thinking about, does it?'

'I... I just thought... I mean...'

'You just thought if they knew it was a game they would find a way to escape, right?' Crovell wagged a finger at him. 'But I don't want them to escape. Not yet anyway and not because of some stupid little clue you gave them. So be a good boy and stop messing with the program. Your only job is to keep them alive, got it?'

'Yeah,' Lus lowered his gaze, 'I got it.'