Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter 2: Night
@@@ Joey and I turned away from the door and went back down the sidewalk. I hadn't really expected to talk to Kiaba.
"I didn't know Kiaba hired kids." Joey was saying.
"That wasn't an employee." I corrected Joey. "That was Mokuba, Kiaba's brother."
"Oops." Joey shrugged. "That kid didn't seem very friendly, all the same. Maybe living with Kiaba has killed any nice-ness in the guy."
"Maybe it was the fact that he knew Kiaba wouldn't like to be disturbed. He said Kiaba was working on a project."
"Project, smroject. I bet Kiaba was sleeping."
"Now?" I asked. "Seems kinda early."
"Whatever you say, Yug." Joey shrugged. I sighed and let Joey lead the way back home. @@@
Kiaba scrawled down the answers to his homework papers and glanced at his watch. He walked, slowly and quietly up the stairs and opened the door to Mokuba's room. It was late, but Kiaba wanted to make sure Mokuba was getting the right amount of sleep. When he was satisfied that Mokuba was sleeping, Kiaba crept to the bathroom closet and popped a few tablets. He went back to his room and reviewed the day. The trip to the ice cream store had been cut short by a message from the company. He had had to drop Mokuba at the house all alone and go back to his office. He had glanced in the rearview mirror and the look on Mokuba's face almost broke his heart.
'Nice job, Kiaba.' He thought to himself, as the drugs took effect and his thoughts became slurred and tired. 'You try to make it up to him and only hurt him more. VERY smooth. You're a worthless brother. Mokuba doesn't need you.'
~~~TWO WEEKS LATER~~~
***I started to walk around the corner when I pulled back. Seto was getting glass of milk again. Every night for the past two weeks Seto had been taking a lot of medication. I wasn't sure what they were because he always put them back on the top shelf where I couldn't reach them. Every day the amount of pills he took was increasing. ///He also wasn't driving me to school, any more. /// I reminded myself. I was beginning to get rather worried, but I never let on to him, or to anyone else, that I knew. I watched Seto put the milk back and hid behind a chair. He stumbled past me and went to his room. I went to the counter and noticed that he hadn't put the pills away this time. I grabbed the bottle and read the container.
"Aspirin." I read. I turned to the back like Seto had told me to find out the correct dosage. Seto was taking more than double the bottle suggested! I grabbed the bottle and ran to the bathroom. I poured the aspirin into the toilet and flushed. When I was satisfied they were gone, I threw away the container and went back to sleep. ***
"Mr. Kiaba." The man said, his false smile wearing thin. "We are aware that you have been constantly late for the past two weeks."
"Yes, sir." Kiaba nodded, fiddling with the sunglasses he was wearing. "I am aware of the fact. But you see, my car is rather old and."
"Seto Kiaba, you are the CEO of a rich company. Buy yourself a new car or we shall be forced to fail you." The man growled, showing Kiaba to the door. The door slammed in Kiaba's face but he didn't flinch. He sneered and stuck out his tongue at the door. He knew it was childish but it made him feel better. He stormed away from office, not noticing the confused Yugi who was watching him.
@@@I'm not sure why, but I follow Kiaba. Something is wrong; I can feel it. He goes into the bathroom and starts looking around for something in his case. After spending a few minutes without finding anything, he mutters something about 'the kitchen counter'.
[What is he talking about?] I wonder. [He isn't making any sense!]
He turns to leave and sees me. I try to pretend like I just came in, but he isn't fooled. He pulls his sunglasses down and gives me a withering glare before turning to leave. I don't tell anyone what happened until after school. I'm walking to my house with Joey, when I let it slip that I say Kiaba.
"So?" Joey asked. I sigh. Joey never gets things unless they're spelled out for him. Fortunately after that he gets the picture.
"He was looking for something, in the bathroom. You do things in the bathroom you don't want other people to know about. He's also been missing school and I heard the principal tell him that is he is close to failing. Something is wrong." I sigh, explaining it to Joey.
"No kidding! He's a rich, obnoxious, spoiled brat. What's not wrong with him?"
"It's something more than that." I whisper, turning in the direction of Kiaba's house. [I shouldn't say house.] I correct myself. [Mansion is more correct. But then again, where do you expect a rich CEO to live?]
We reached the mansion and went up the walk. Joey knocked on the door and again Kiaba's brother opened it.
"You again?" the boy asked.
"May we please speak to Seto now?" I asked, as Joey and I were allowed in. The kid motioned for us to wait and he went in the direction of the kitchen. We heard some voices and a couple clanking of pots and pans. Then there was silence. Mokuba came back into the room with Kiaba following him. Kiaba took one look at us and sent Mokuba to his room.
"Big brother?" Mokuba asked.
"It's alright. Why don't you play that new computer game I designed for your birthday?" Kiaba suggested. The kid's face brightened and he ran upstairs. Kiaba motioned for Joey and I to sit on the couch while he found a chair to sit in.
"What do you want?" Kiaba asked.
"Yug wants to know what's wrong with you." Joey supplied in his 'Hey, I'm just here for the ride' voice.
"There is nothing wrong with me." Kiaba said shortly.
"Then why are you always late? Why are you in danger of failing?" I asked.
"You have no business messing in this." Kiaba told us standing up. We stood with him. "Now get out. Think what you will, but if you try and separate Mokuba and I, I will kill you."
Joey took a step towards the door, clearly frightened by the fire in Kiaba's eyes. I sighed and pulled out a piece of paper.
"In case you need to reach me." I explained writing my address and phone number down on the paper. Kiaba took it and crumpled it up, his eyes never leaving my face.
"Go." He told us. We went. @@@
### 'How dare he!' I fume as I get my shaving kit out. 'He thinks he knows what's good for me!'
I put the cream on my face and lift the razor. As much as I hate shaving I hate having a beard. Fortunately, the hair on my chin grows very slowly and I only have to shave every once and a while. I move to begin shaving and drop the razor. I stifle a shout of pain as the razor bites at my fingers. 'That hurts!' I scream at myself. 'What am I saying? I deserve pain! Yugi was right! I don't deserve Mokuba! I can't even get to school on time! How can I be expected to take care of him?'
I look at the razor and slowly bring it closer to left wrist. I push my hand back and expose the inner arm. I take the razor and make a neat, long, gash in the arm. It stings like crazy but I continue. I begin to slash harder, making them crooked and smearing blood all over. The blood is on the bathroom tiles and on the walls. I stop, gasping for breath. The pain is unbearable! I move for the closet and pull the door open. I reach up and search for the bottle of aspirin. It isn't there. The pain is getting to me and it's harder to breath. I stumble and fall backwards, my head slamming against the closed door. It opens and I fall onto my back. The door slams against the wall and my head against the floor. I try to keep my eyes open but they're too tired. I look up and see Mokuba's shocked face before passing into darkness. ###
Chapter 2: Night
@@@ Joey and I turned away from the door and went back down the sidewalk. I hadn't really expected to talk to Kiaba.
"I didn't know Kiaba hired kids." Joey was saying.
"That wasn't an employee." I corrected Joey. "That was Mokuba, Kiaba's brother."
"Oops." Joey shrugged. "That kid didn't seem very friendly, all the same. Maybe living with Kiaba has killed any nice-ness in the guy."
"Maybe it was the fact that he knew Kiaba wouldn't like to be disturbed. He said Kiaba was working on a project."
"Project, smroject. I bet Kiaba was sleeping."
"Now?" I asked. "Seems kinda early."
"Whatever you say, Yug." Joey shrugged. I sighed and let Joey lead the way back home. @@@
Kiaba scrawled down the answers to his homework papers and glanced at his watch. He walked, slowly and quietly up the stairs and opened the door to Mokuba's room. It was late, but Kiaba wanted to make sure Mokuba was getting the right amount of sleep. When he was satisfied that Mokuba was sleeping, Kiaba crept to the bathroom closet and popped a few tablets. He went back to his room and reviewed the day. The trip to the ice cream store had been cut short by a message from the company. He had had to drop Mokuba at the house all alone and go back to his office. He had glanced in the rearview mirror and the look on Mokuba's face almost broke his heart.
'Nice job, Kiaba.' He thought to himself, as the drugs took effect and his thoughts became slurred and tired. 'You try to make it up to him and only hurt him more. VERY smooth. You're a worthless brother. Mokuba doesn't need you.'
~~~TWO WEEKS LATER~~~
***I started to walk around the corner when I pulled back. Seto was getting glass of milk again. Every night for the past two weeks Seto had been taking a lot of medication. I wasn't sure what they were because he always put them back on the top shelf where I couldn't reach them. Every day the amount of pills he took was increasing. ///He also wasn't driving me to school, any more. /// I reminded myself. I was beginning to get rather worried, but I never let on to him, or to anyone else, that I knew. I watched Seto put the milk back and hid behind a chair. He stumbled past me and went to his room. I went to the counter and noticed that he hadn't put the pills away this time. I grabbed the bottle and read the container.
"Aspirin." I read. I turned to the back like Seto had told me to find out the correct dosage. Seto was taking more than double the bottle suggested! I grabbed the bottle and ran to the bathroom. I poured the aspirin into the toilet and flushed. When I was satisfied they were gone, I threw away the container and went back to sleep. ***
"Mr. Kiaba." The man said, his false smile wearing thin. "We are aware that you have been constantly late for the past two weeks."
"Yes, sir." Kiaba nodded, fiddling with the sunglasses he was wearing. "I am aware of the fact. But you see, my car is rather old and."
"Seto Kiaba, you are the CEO of a rich company. Buy yourself a new car or we shall be forced to fail you." The man growled, showing Kiaba to the door. The door slammed in Kiaba's face but he didn't flinch. He sneered and stuck out his tongue at the door. He knew it was childish but it made him feel better. He stormed away from office, not noticing the confused Yugi who was watching him.
@@@I'm not sure why, but I follow Kiaba. Something is wrong; I can feel it. He goes into the bathroom and starts looking around for something in his case. After spending a few minutes without finding anything, he mutters something about 'the kitchen counter'.
[What is he talking about?] I wonder. [He isn't making any sense!]
He turns to leave and sees me. I try to pretend like I just came in, but he isn't fooled. He pulls his sunglasses down and gives me a withering glare before turning to leave. I don't tell anyone what happened until after school. I'm walking to my house with Joey, when I let it slip that I say Kiaba.
"So?" Joey asked. I sigh. Joey never gets things unless they're spelled out for him. Fortunately after that he gets the picture.
"He was looking for something, in the bathroom. You do things in the bathroom you don't want other people to know about. He's also been missing school and I heard the principal tell him that is he is close to failing. Something is wrong." I sigh, explaining it to Joey.
"No kidding! He's a rich, obnoxious, spoiled brat. What's not wrong with him?"
"It's something more than that." I whisper, turning in the direction of Kiaba's house. [I shouldn't say house.] I correct myself. [Mansion is more correct. But then again, where do you expect a rich CEO to live?]
We reached the mansion and went up the walk. Joey knocked on the door and again Kiaba's brother opened it.
"You again?" the boy asked.
"May we please speak to Seto now?" I asked, as Joey and I were allowed in. The kid motioned for us to wait and he went in the direction of the kitchen. We heard some voices and a couple clanking of pots and pans. Then there was silence. Mokuba came back into the room with Kiaba following him. Kiaba took one look at us and sent Mokuba to his room.
"Big brother?" Mokuba asked.
"It's alright. Why don't you play that new computer game I designed for your birthday?" Kiaba suggested. The kid's face brightened and he ran upstairs. Kiaba motioned for Joey and I to sit on the couch while he found a chair to sit in.
"What do you want?" Kiaba asked.
"Yug wants to know what's wrong with you." Joey supplied in his 'Hey, I'm just here for the ride' voice.
"There is nothing wrong with me." Kiaba said shortly.
"Then why are you always late? Why are you in danger of failing?" I asked.
"You have no business messing in this." Kiaba told us standing up. We stood with him. "Now get out. Think what you will, but if you try and separate Mokuba and I, I will kill you."
Joey took a step towards the door, clearly frightened by the fire in Kiaba's eyes. I sighed and pulled out a piece of paper.
"In case you need to reach me." I explained writing my address and phone number down on the paper. Kiaba took it and crumpled it up, his eyes never leaving my face.
"Go." He told us. We went. @@@
### 'How dare he!' I fume as I get my shaving kit out. 'He thinks he knows what's good for me!'
I put the cream on my face and lift the razor. As much as I hate shaving I hate having a beard. Fortunately, the hair on my chin grows very slowly and I only have to shave every once and a while. I move to begin shaving and drop the razor. I stifle a shout of pain as the razor bites at my fingers. 'That hurts!' I scream at myself. 'What am I saying? I deserve pain! Yugi was right! I don't deserve Mokuba! I can't even get to school on time! How can I be expected to take care of him?'
I look at the razor and slowly bring it closer to left wrist. I push my hand back and expose the inner arm. I take the razor and make a neat, long, gash in the arm. It stings like crazy but I continue. I begin to slash harder, making them crooked and smearing blood all over. The blood is on the bathroom tiles and on the walls. I stop, gasping for breath. The pain is unbearable! I move for the closet and pull the door open. I reach up and search for the bottle of aspirin. It isn't there. The pain is getting to me and it's harder to breath. I stumble and fall backwards, my head slamming against the closed door. It opens and I fall onto my back. The door slams against the wall and my head against the floor. I try to keep my eyes open but they're too tired. I look up and see Mokuba's shocked face before passing into darkness. ###
