A/N: thanks for the reviews guys! (:

i think the big question after this chapter is more of, what the heck is Caroline scheming? o.O

and will Seto who decided to finally come to his senses go after Tea?

hopefully i'll be able to figure these out by the end of this entire story! :D

but for now, without further ado,

Chapter 38!

hope you guys enjoy this one!

love, fika1603

"All passengers, please switch off your mobile phones or set it to airplane mode. This flight will be taking off in a few minutes. Thank you for your cooperation."

Yugi was starting to panic. Why weren't the laxatives working? Being squashed between her and an ever-nosy Joey only made it harder for him to even dream about sneaking an urgent SMS to Mischa, much more call her. He contemplated excusing himself to the airplane's toilets, but as far as he could tell, they were all occupied by passengers who had a sudden, genuine need to use the facilities. So for now, he was stuck where he was, under orders by the pilot and the patrolling air stewardesses to switch off his mobile phone immediately.

He snuck a quick glance at Tea. She was looking out of the airplane window, possibly lost in thought at the prospect of starting a new life in the States. Joey, meanwhile, was too obsessed with keeping his eyes on Tristan and his sister, who were seated behind them. To be honest, initially, the trip was supposed to be made by Tea alone. However, somewhere along the way, Tristan and Joey figured that it would be a great opportunity for them to go on a much-delayed post-high school graduation trip, even if that meant they would end up broke for the next three years. Luckily, Tea's parents mistook their ultimate plan as a cover to ensure that their daughter reached the States safely, and gladly sponsored part of their expenses.

It should be safe enough for now, Yugi surmised, taking out his mobile phone carefully and typing a hurried SMS to Mischa: Hey, your laxatives don't seem to be working. We're already on the plane. Taking off in a few minutes. [What do I do?]

Too late. Joey seemed to have caught sight of Yugi fiddling with his phone. Grinning, he leaned closer. "Yo Yug, why don't you just confess to us that you have a girlfriend hidden somewhere?"

Yugi looked appalled, as he waved his hands frantically in denial. He turned to Tea for support, but she seemed amused by Joey's teasing, and was giving him a knowing look. By the time he glanced back at Joey, even Tristan and Serenity had peered over his seat to dig out the truth from him.

"Come on, Yugi, spill!" Tristan egged him on excitedly.

"No, no, no!" Yugi insisted. He wondered how red his face was. "I was just switching off my phone!"

"Liar!" Joey crowed gleefully. "You were typing something. I saw it!" He reached out to grab Yugi's phone, but his friend protectively clutched it closer to him. "Aw come on, Yug! Let us see! Who's the lucky girl?"

"It's nobody," Yugi insisted, stuffing his mobile phone into his shirt, making it impossible for anyone of his friends to grab hold of it. "Guys! Really! I was just switching it off!"

"Bluff bluff bluff!" Joey continued to tease him. Yugi's effort to safeguard his phone seemed to have no effect on him, as he started to grope Yugi's shirt to hunt for it, leaving his ticklish friend yelping.

Fortunately for Yugi, an air stewardess who was making her rounds walked past, and kindly reminded his friends to buckle up since the plane would be taking off any second. Gruffly, they obliged, but not before issuing a playful threat to Yugi to surrender his phone to them the moment they landed. Yugi laughed nervously as he agreed. With his phone effectively turned off and hidden in his shirt by now, Mischa was really on her own.

XO XO XO XO

Mischa flailed after her employer as he burst through the doors at the airport, occasionally breaking into a run just to catch up with him. Once the car had pulled up at the airport entrance, Seto had leapt out without waiting for Roland to fully stop the car, leaving Mischa behind to run after him on her own. People who instantly recognized the KaibaCorp CEO hastily made way for him; others he managed by seamlessly weaving in and out of the crowd. Mischa meanwhile had lost count how many times she had to utter "Excuse me" in a variety of tone ranging from sweet and polite to blunt and annoyed.

By the time she caught up with him, Seto was already at the ticket counter, brazenly ignoring the queue and heading straight to interrogate the officer at the counter. Even as she stood beside listening to her employer – on a suppressed rage level dangerously hitting boiling point – she winced despite his ominously calm tone in addressing the officer.

"I ask you again," Seto repeated his question, less patient this time round. "I want the passenger list of every flight that is taking off to New York today."

"And I repeat myself, sir," the stern female officer seemed unperturbed by his threatening voice. "I cannot issue the passenger list freely. It's against the procedures."

"Don't bother, Mr Kaiba," Mischa interjected miserably, holding up her handphone. "Yugi managed to SMS me. We're too late. They've left."

"What?" Seto turned to her, almost in disbelief. He read the SMS on her handphone screen and swore quietly.

Mischa bit her lip. "What do we do, sir?"

Seto said nothing as he took the time to think. Even if he jumped on the next outbound plane, it would be pointless. Although he knew New York like the back of his hand, it would still be impossible to search for her in every crook and cranny within a day. No, it would be better to take a step back, and wait for her to settle down in a permanent residence during the course of her stay there.

Moving away from the ticket counter, where some of the passengers were already muttering insults directed towards him, Seto took out his handphone and made a long-distance call. He checked his watch as he waited to be connected to the other side. No doubt his staff would grouse, and probably hurl some insult at him once he ended the call, but who cares? There was a reason they were paid.

After a rather long wait, a groggy voice came on the other end, "Hello?"

"Good morning to you over there, Charlie," Seto eased into English as he greeted his American staff. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Suddenly Charlie sounded awake and alert. "Good morning, sir! No, don't worry about disturbing me. Is anything the matter, Mr Kaiba?"

"I need you to get someone to head down to the JFK as soon as possible and monitor every incoming flight from Japan," Seto ordered sharply. "In particular, keep an eye out for several passengers: Tea Gardner and Yugi Mutou. Get Vanessa to forward you their photos. After that, I need you to track where they're residing. Get back to me as soon as you have information."

Charlie responded with another energetic affirmation, and Seto ended the call. He turned around to see Mischa squinting at him in suspicion. Carefully avoiding her glance, he muttered, "What?" even as he turned on his heels to head back to his car.

Mischa pursed her lips as she shook her head. Typical of him to even set spies on his own girlfriend, Mischa thought sardonically, getting back into the backseat with him.

"Tanaka Academy," was the last thing Seto said, before leaving behind a contemplative silence to accompany him and Mischa throughout the entire journey to their destination.

XO XO XO XO

Wearily, Caroline dragged herself into the threshold of her mansion, ignoring the polite greetings of her butler. She started up the stairs to her room, but changed her mind. Instead, she headed quietly for the lounge, just past the living room. As she laid herself on the couch, she removed and dropped her jewelry on the coffee table with a soft clang.

Without much comment, her butler dutifully lit the fireplace for her. Afterwards, he headed towards the small bar nearby and poured her a glass of water, which he carefully set beside her on the coffee table. "Please, Miss Lobo," he gestured towards the drink.

Caroline mumbled something that sounded like a thank you and quickly dismissed him. Her butler bowed deeply before excusing himself, leaving his mistress in the bubble of her own misery. Once her butler's footsteps were out of earshot, Caroline burst into tears. Even if it was true that Seto had seen through her entire plan to lock him in marriage, and then lock KaibaCorp out of the infocomm market, the humiliating way he had outwitted her was just too much for her to bear. She should have sensed something was amiss when he came in with such stony features and arrogantly demanded her to sign all those papers as a pre-requisite to get married. If what Seto said was true, and the courts would be able to validate the papers by the end of next week, not only would she be officially recognized as his former wife in a marriage lasting barely an hour, but she would also have rescinded her hold on her own son.

I don't even know what I've signed, she thought in frustration through tears. I don't even know if I've unknowingly handed over Seth completely to him. Seth… my own Seth…

Suddenly she felt a soft fluttery touch on her cheek. Caroline opened her eyes slowly, and leaning over her face, his own features contorted with worry, was her son. Seth's eyes looked searchingly at her face, as if pretending to understand the reason behind his mother's tears. Noting how her son's eyes were so reminiscent of Seto, Caroline only cried more.

"Mummy, don't cry," Seth whispered, leaning in to hug his mother. "I'm here."

Too reminiscent of his father. Despite Seth's confident assurance, Caroline's tears barely stopped flowing as she held her son tightly. It took her a long time, but now Caroline finally understood: all she needed was her son. She had been the one to raise him, look after him. All these lonely years, he had been the one to be her pillar. It didn't matter whether Seto entered their lives or didn't. In fact, now that she thought about it, coming back to Domino City with Seth in the hope of bringing the family full circle with Seto was completely unnecessary. For four years, she was happy to live alone with Seth. And she was more than fine at being rejected outwardly by Seto at those social events they happened to end up at together. She should have realized that for someone like Seto Kaiba, she was the last person he would miss or even think about.

If he could treat Tea that way, what more myself, she thought darkly. Her mind suddenly raced to the documents she had signed earlier. Her eyes darkened slightly. No way in hell is he going to take away my son.

She pulled herself away from her son, and placed both hands on either side of his head, peering into his eyes to make sure that he would understand whatever she was about to say. "Seth, listen to me," she started firmly. "Do whatever I tell you. No questions asked, okay?"

The blonde boy nodded.

"Good. Now I want you to…"

XO XO XO XO

A sharp knock came on the door. Mokuba frowned as he got up from the hostel's bed. He opened the door slightly, peered up to see the hostel's resident manager and asked nervously as he wondered which school rule he had broken now, "Yes?"

"Mokuba, there's someone to see you," the resident manager said, automatically alleviating one fear drumming inside Mokuba and bringing forth another source of anxiety.

"W-who?"

"Mokuba."

Mokuba's eyes widened. He would recognize that voice anywhere. He peered behind the resident manager and acknowledged his visitor, "Big Brother?"

The resident manager politely excused himself, leaving the two Kaiba brothers facing each other. Mokuba took a while to study his brother's features; he was surprisingly well-dressed for the day, without a single trace of any ostentatious trenchcoat. Despite himself, Mokuba could not help but smile as he commented, "That's a pleasant change. If you dress like this everyday…"

"It's a hassle," Seto responded glumly. "The shirt creases very easily."

"You'd rather wear one of those trenchcoats of yours?" Mokuba asked incredulously, making a face.

"At least it feels normal," his brother answered softly. He stared at his brother for a few seconds, with that indiscernible look in his eyes. "How have you been, Mokuba?"

The younger Kaiba shrugged. "Good, I guess. The hostels here have pretty much everything."

Seto glanced around at his brother's dorm, as if to ascertain the truth. Mokuba was right. Judging from the well-made built in closet, adjoining desk, bed and even a couch, complete with air-conditioning, it was more than a comfortable place to stay in.

Seeing the approving look on his brother's face, Mokuba beamed. "Told you," he said smugly.

"The rent must be ludicrous."

"I manage," Mokuba answered cheerfully. But his false cheer quickly faded as he asked his brother reluctantly, "How's Caroline?"

"Divorced," Seto's answer was short and emotionless. At his brother's confused look, he elicited a small smirk. "Apparently my brother threatened to take off to the States on his own."

Mokuba blushed. "It was Mischa's idea," he mumbled.

"Who else would it be," Seto snorted.

"So… you're not mad at me?"

Seto chuckled, and shook his head. "Why should I be? It should be the other way round." Seto regarded his brother with as much seriousness and affection that he could muster in his tired state. "I hope you forgive me, Mokuba."

"What about Seth?" Mokuba asked defensively.

His brother appeared pensive momentarily. "He's my son, but before everything, you're my brother," Seto finished softly. "I've sworn that I'll never leave you, Mokuba. I have no intention to break my promise to our parents."

Mokuba bit his lip. Parents. For a long time, Seto had been his single parent figure (ignoring Gozaburo of course); he had almost forgotten that once upon a time he and his brother too had proper parents to call their own. Even if Mokuba cracked his brain, he probably won't be able to dredge the memory of their biological parents to surface. All along, he had assumed that Seto had possibly forgotten about their past. Hearing him mention their parents was more than enough to surprise Mokuba. He probably didn't know his brother as much as he thought he did.

By the time he woke up from his stupor, he noticed that his brother was already walking about in the room, no doubt making renewed mental comments about the state of his dorm room. Bed too small for Mokuba, who was used to a four-poster for years. Fitted shelves too short to stow away all of Mokuba's toys. No adjoining bathroom. Oh the horror. Mokuba could not help but smile wryly as he imagined the comments flitting around in his brother's mind.

"So how is it, Mokuba?" Seto asked out of the blue.

"Huh?"

Seto shifted his gaze away from the heavy drapes that hung from the windows of the room to turn to face his brother. "What would you like to do?" he asked again. "I… I won't force you to come back with me, if you're much happier staying here." He gesticulated vaguely with his hands towards the scenery outside the window, where several of the students in Tanaka Academy were out playing soccer in the field nearby. "I mean, you're with peers your age here. People you have much more in common with." He gave his brother a wry smile. "I'm a terribly boring person when I'm not in my dueling mood, I know."

Mokuba barely knew how to react to that. On one hand, his brother was right; he already had friends his age he didn't mind hanging out with here at Tanaka. On the other hand, if he were to stay here, that would mean his brother would be left all alone, in the mansion and in the company. Even though Seto never showed it, and even though most of the time he acted as if he really would be happier being left on his own, Mokuba could tell that deep down his brother would probably feel much lonelier if he did not have Mokuba by his side. Before Seth and Tea entered his life, he only had Mokuba. Even after they entered his life, at the way things were going, Seto still really only had Mokuba.

His brother seemed to read what played on in his mind. Seto placed a reassuring hand on Mokuba's small shoulders and spoke quietly, "Don't worry about me. Do what you want."

Mokuba bit his lip again, and averted his gaze downwards. He did not have the heart to say it.

Seto, who had been observing his brother since just now, gave a small, sudden chuckle that caused Mokuba to look up. The younger Kaiba became even more confused when his brother reached out to touch the top of his head gently.

"I'll settle the term payment for the hostel," Seto promised him, still keeping his hand on the top of his brother's head. "Whenever you feel like coming home, just tell me."

Seto kept his hand where it was for a few more seconds, before reluctantly removing it and let it hang by his side. Mokuba barely knew what to say, and again his brother seemed to understand him even without saying a thing, for Seto ruffled his brother's hair playfully and gently for the last time before he headed out of the dorm.

XO XO XO XO

"Welcome back, Mr Kaiba."

Seto glanced up wearily, slightly startled by the greeting. Upon seeing Nana opening the door for him, he tried his best to give a slight smile. She held out her hands to receive his jacket and briefcase. Seto handed them over graciously, breathing a thank you as he did so.

"Bad day, sir?"

Her employer snorted, but it sounded like a despondent, resigned sigh more than anything else. He stood in the middle of the threshold, glancing about at the grand structures of the mansion's interior. Whether it was true he was miserable, or he was just thoughtful at that moment, knowing her employer's frigid attitude, it was hard to tell. Deigning not to probe him further behind the reason for his distress, she informed him kindly that she could send for a drink or a light snack for him, if he liked.

"No, thank you, Nana," Seto answered distractedly. "I'd prefer to be alone for the time being." His eyes landed on his jacket and briefcase in her hands. "Actually, it's okay." He held out his hand. "I'll bring those up myself."

Nana seemed confused, but said nothing as she handed back his jacket and briefcase to him. He glanced towards the corridor that led to the dining room, contemplated for a while before telling her that there would be no need for dinner.

"Save it for another day when I feel like eating," he told her as he turned to head upstairs to his room.

Seto barely waited to hear her reply as he traipsed as calmly as he could up the stairs towards the corridor that acted as the main passageway for the mansion's east wing. He walked past his study, several guest bedrooms, until finally he paused outside Mokuba's room. His eyes flicked to his bedroom, which was located not too far off at the end of the hallway, then back to his brother's room. He hadn't slept proper for nearly three days – he would very much like to be able to do so today. Without hesitation he pushed open the door to Mokuba's bedroom and stepped inside.

As he lay down on his brother's bed, Seto realized vaguely that he had been in his brother's room not too long ago. It had been in the exact same condition: the blue eyes white dragon stuffed toy on his brother's bed, games that his brother had collected over the years on the shelves. On the bedside table, in a glass casing, was Mokuba's Duel Monsters deck. Seto slowly took them out from the glass casing, and browsed through his brother's cards. The game itself had been the strongest evident of what they went through together. It was with those cards that Seto got to where he was, and it was with those cards that Mokuba had supported him effortlessly all these while. In short, they had grew up with those cards.

Seto elicited a rather bitter smile as he re-thought of the prospect of growing up. While he had been too caught up in a whirlwind romance with Tea, and then forcing himself to catch up with the prospect that he was a father to a five-year-old, he had forgotten about the most important process that Mokuba was going through: adolescence. The growing up years. For a split second, Seto felt like a middle-aged man having to contend with the difficulties and headaches that came along with the process.

No wonder schools organize seminars for parents on how to handle their kids, he thought sardonically, recalling all those time Domino High conducted such events. He sighed. I probably should have gone.

He picked up the blue eyes white dragon stuffed toy and stared at it. With Mokuba having decided to stay on at the Tanaka Academy hostel, that left him with practically nobody except his employees in the gigantic mansion he called home. Tea had already left him for the States, and Seto knew he deserved it for everything that he had not done for her. Seth too, was comfortable at home with Caroline.

Seto pressed his eyes shut, willing the impending acknowledgement of loneliness to go away. Tomorrow would be a new day. He would survive.