(Author's note: Forgive me if this all seems so rushed...I'll go back and
edit the lot when I have the time. Thanks for reading! ^^)
CHAPTER 1: UNEXPLAINED BEHAVIOUR
"Anzu!" Jounouchi called as he ran up to his friend in the halls. "Anzu!!" Anzu turned away from her locker and faced her sonorous friend. "What is it, Jounouchi?" She asked in an annoyed tone. "Anzu, did Yugi...tell you...what was...in the box?" Jounouchi wheezed as he caught his breath. Anzu shook her head. "I had to leave for school early to get some tutoring for that upcoming History exam, so I couldn't walk with him to school." Her face showed concern for the situation. "What...what was in that box?" "I'll fill her in on that," Yugi told Jounouchi as he and Honda caught up to the duo. Anzu faced Yugi. "Yugi, what's going on?" Yugi held the box out to Anzu. "Perhaps you should look inside." Anzu placed her books in the locker so she would be able to hold the box. She removed it from Yugi's hands, and held it to her chest for additional support. Her right hand removed the top of the box. She gasped at the sight she saw beneath the lid; so surprised that the box began to fall from from her hold. Jounouchi and Honda dived, ready to catch it, but Anzu managed to retain her hold. "I-I don't believe this," Anzu stated as she looked through the cards, "These are Kaiba's best cards. Why did he give them to you?" Yugi folded his arms. "I'm not even sure. The box included a note, but it did not really explain anything, other than that Kaiba no longer had any need for his cards, and that he hoped I would get better use out of them." Jounouchi shut his eyes for a moment. "So you mean to tell me that one of the top duelists in the history of Duel Monsters is calling it quits? Duel Monsters was Kaiba's passion...why is he giving that up, too?" "The same way he gave up on college, I guess," Anzu replied. "He dropped out of college?" Yugi asked with a surprised tone in his voice.
"Yeah...it was the strangest damned thing," Honda answered. "Something is definitely wrong with Kaiba. Maybe we should intervene in the matter," Anzu suggested. "Whoa, no way," Jounouchi refused. "Kaiba isn't going to give us the time of day as to why he's doing the damned stupid things he's doing." Yugi raised a brow at Jounouchi's statement. "Do I detect actual concern for Kaiba from you, of all people?" Jounouchi folded his arms. "Look, I don't have much love for the guy, but I don't like what he's doing to himself so far; he forgoes his additional education, and now he's giving up the one hobby in the world that meant everything to him." "Aw, he's probably just preparing himself for the position as CEO of Kaiba Corp," Honda replied nonchalantly. "Maybe he realised that he wouldn't have time for Duel Monsters so he's leaving his best cards with Yugi. As for college, well Kaiba's rich. He's set for life regardless of additional education or not." "But that doesn't completely make sense," Yugi replied with a shake of his head. "Kaiba was always working hard on perfecting a system for playing Duel Monsters. I had even heard he had an entire room in his home dedicated to the game. It just doesn't seem right that he would give up on something he was so passionate about." "And what about Mokuba? He looks up to his brother so much," Anzu added. "I think you're right about an intervention," Yugi decided as he turned to face Anzu. "Kaiba is keeping too much to himself this time. I fear that it may be his undoing." "Hrmph. Well, count me out," Jounouchi replied coldly as he turned to walk away. "Kaiba's a big boy now. Let him take care of himself." Honda simply shrugged his shoulders, and followed Jounouchi. Anzu sighed as she handed the box back to Yugi. "I'll go have a talk with Mokuba after school." Yugi nodded as he tucked the box beneath his arm. "And I'll return these to Kaiba. Hopefully I can get an explanation from him."
Seto's eyelashes fluttered as his hand blocked the rays of the late afternoon sunlight from his view. He swung his legs over the bed, glancing at the nightside table to find a package of cigarettes and a Zippo lighter resting there. He reached first for the cigarettes, pulling out one of the cancer sticks and placing it between his soft lips. As he reached for the lighter he glanced over his shoulder, taking notice of his date from the previous night, entangled within the sheets of her bed. He sparked the cigarette to life, returned the lighter to its place on the nightside table, and reached for his black jeans. As he zipped them up, his azure eyes fell upon his cell phone. He wondered to himself if his younger brother had tried to reach him during the course of the night. #Shit#, he thought to himself. #I had turned it off because I didn't want any interruptions...# He took a long drag of the menthold cigarette, his eyes shut as he was in a moment of deep thought. His eyes opened again as he reached for his phone and turned it on. His lids lowered as he took another long drag and exhaled the smoke through his nose. He found that there was one messages in his voice mail; his face contorted in inner pain, for he knew who it was. He placed the phone to his ear as the first message played:
Seto, it's Mokuba. It's almost midnight, and you're not home yet. I needed you to help me out with my algebra homework. I managed to figure it out, but I wish you had at least left a note or something, letting me know you would be really late.
A pause.
You know, I never bothered to bring it up, because I just pretended that nothing was going on, but something has been up with you, big brother. You tell me everything; but lately you've been quiet, even around me. There's no reason why you should really hide anything from me. Anyway, I need to get to bed...please come home, Seto.
Seto slowly lowered the phone before it completely fell from his grip and softly landed on the rug. His other hand removed the cigarette from his lips and crushed it in the ashtray, instantaneously putting it out. His head sank and rested in the palm of his hand in self-loathing.
Jounouchi shut the door to the apartment as he carelessly tossed his bookbag aside. "Is that you, boy?" his father called from his bedroom. Jounouchi could hear the sounds of a television set on. #Big surprise...# "Yeah it's me, dad..." "You didn't finish your chores yesterday, boy!" he had called once more. "I had to do my homework!" Jounouchi opened a cabinet to search for some instant ramen. "Don't give me that bullshit! Your studies can wait. You take care of household matters first!" "Who's bullshitting who?" Jounouchi muttered to himself as he slammed the cabinets shut. "All right, fine! I'll finish up my chores today, Jesus..." "You get smart with me boy, and I'll beat the living hell out of your sorry ass." Jounouchi clenched his fists and bit his lip. "Sorry, sir." "Don't waste your time apologizin'. Now go get the goddamn groceries; I'm not gonna have that take-out shit again for the second night in a row." "Yes sir." Jounouchi grabbed an envelope that was taped to the refrigerator door. Inside was a shopping list (mostly made up of instant noodle lunches) and money. Jounouchi dipped his fingers in the envelope and removed some of the money, pocketing it for a later use. #The fucking drunkard won't know the difference...# "I'll be back!" Jounouchi called. He heard no response. "The hell with you too..." he muttered as he slammed the door shut.
Jounouchi stared at a rock his foot kept kicking with every other step he took. His eyes clearly displayed his pain, which was why he kept his head low. #God dammit, mom...why couldn't you have taken me with my sis? You knew that dad was a lousy, no-good drunkard...so why did you leave me with him?#
"Shit! It's just not fair!" Joey kicked at the rock with as much force as he could apply to it, sending the small stone airborn. It nearly hit someone, but the person had excellent reflexes and easily caught the stone. "You should be more careful where you kick stones, eh?" Jounouchi looked up and at a young man with long, shimmering silver-white hair. A weak smile formed on his face. "Oh man, sorry about that, Bakura. Long time no see, man." Bakura sighed, a sheepish smile on his face as he eyed his books. "College is a bigger time-consumer than I had first suspected." Jounouchi chuckled. "That's what you get for graduating early, man!" Bakura smiled. "Perhaps." He studied the ruffian's eyes. "Something is bothering you. I'm guessing it's your father?" Jounouchi nodded. "The old man is really getting on my last nerves. He thinks he can decide what I am gonna do for a living, and it's really causing my grades to suffer!" Bakura took a moment to think the situation over. "Although I'm not one to deceive intentionally, have you tried to get him to believe that you have a job, when instead you are really at a friend's house working on your studies?" Jounouchi raised a brow. "I haven't tried that yet. The old man wouldn't give a damn what I did with the money anyway...so long as I'm not bothering him, that's all he cares about. I think I'll give that a try...anything just to get me the hell out of there, you know?" "Well, you'll be eighteen soon enough...and this mess will be behind you." "I hope you're right about that, Bakura. I seriously do." Jounouchi sighed. "Hey, you wanna come with me to the store? I need someone to talk to, and it's been a while since I seen you and everything." Bakura checked his watch. "I don't have much studying to do tonight, so it couldn't hurt. Besides, you need someone positive for a while, no matter how short that time lasts...say, where is Honda, anyway?" "Oh, you didn't know? He has a part-time job now. He gives me some of his earnings so I can eat good, but usually I turn it down unless I really need it." "I see. If there was something I could do--" "Don't worry about it, Bakura. Just your being here is good enough for me." "Are you sure?" "Hey, I'm positive." "Very well, then." Bakura looked away for a moment. "How are Yugi and Anzu?" "Man, you should really see Yugi. He got a lot taller over the summer...you don't have to look down when you talk to him anymore! He's kinda looking like the other Yugi, and it seems the other girls in the school are starting to notice the changes, too! I'm kinda getting some competition there..." Jounouchi ran his hand through his dark blonde hair. A chuckle emitted from Bakura. "It really has been a while!" "Anzu is pretty much her same self, though right now it's her monthly 'Yami Anzu' phase, so I'm trying to avoid her at all costs." "I see. But they are all doing well, pretty much?" "Yeah, most definitely." Bakura remained silent for an instant. "What about Kaiba?" Jounouchi's eyes widened, but not because of the mention of the name. "Uh, why don't you ask the sumbitch yourself...he's right there." Bakura followed Jounouchi's pointing index finger, which lead directly to Seto, who stood in front of the duo. "So what brings you here, huh?" Jounouchi demanded. "Well I happened to hear my name, so naturally it got my attention," he replied coldly. "But I now see that it was not of any importance, considering it was merely a dog barking at me." He strided past the two, as they watched him walk away. #Isn't that the same outfit he wore yesterday?# Jounouchi thought with a look of suspicion on his face. Bakura folded his arms, leaning close to Jounouchi to whisper to him. "I see Kaiba is still the same." "On the surface, yeah," Jounouchi whispered back. Bakura's dark brown eyes met with Jounouchi's sienna eyes. "What do you mean by 'on the surface'?" Jounouchi leaned against a nearby building. "Some stuff's been up with the bastard as of late. Yesterday, he showed up to school to give Anzu a box to give to Yugi, and told us flat out that he dropped out of college." "Are you serious?!" "We were just as surprised as you were. Anyway, that box he gave us...it contained his best Duel Monsters cards, including all his Blue Eyes cards and maybe even his god card." Bakura dropped his books. "He's giving up on Duel Monsters?! Why would he do that?" "Beats me." Bakura slowly gathered his fallen books. "This is a very serious and very strange matter. Why would he give them to Yugi?" "I don't know. Maybe he considered him to be worthy enough to inherit them. But...I just can't believe that he be doing these things." Jounouchi closed his eyes. #There may be something else, too... # "Well, why didn't you speak to him as he passed us by a moment ago?" "Tch! He wouldn't give me the time of day. Besides, Yugi said he'd take care of the matter, anyway. I'll leave it to him." Bakura slowly nodded his head. "You seem very confident that he will be able to help Kaiba. I hope that you are right." Jounouchi only bit his lip as he looked downwards.
Mokuba slid down the bannister of the long staircase as he rushed to answer the door. He landed perfectly, then quickly looked around to make sure none of the servants were around to scold him for his reckless act. He smirked, unlocked the door, and opened it. He frowned with disappointment when he saw who stood before him. "Oh...hi Anzu." Anzu's smile faded. "Mokuba...is your brother home?" Mokuba shook his head as he leaned against the doorjamb. "He didn't come home last night. I tried to call him, but he never answered his phone. He probably turned it off...anyway, sorry to disappoint. I'll be seeing you--" Anzu interrupted. "Actually, I came by to check up on you. Is there anything you need? Anything at all?" Mokuba said nothing for a moment. "There's not really much you can do, though I appreciate both gesture and offer." "Well, you shouldn't be alone. Tell you what, you want to go to the game room and let out some frustration. It will be my treat," Anzu offered. #Besides, I have some frustration to let out of my own, anyway.# Mokuba shrugged his shoulders. "I already did my homework, so I've nothing else to do. Just let me write a note for Seto in case he comes home!" He ran inside, leaving Anzu standing in the doorway. She stuck her head inside the doorway, her view taking in the marble floors, fine art, and impressive architecture of what little she saw of the massive mansion. "All right, I'm ready!" Mokuba exclaimed. "I also let one of the servants know that I was heading out, and to let Seto know about my note, so there shouldn't be any reason to worry!" Anzu put on a fake smile. "Great. We shouldn't be out for much too long, anyway."
Seto hung up his phone rather angrily as he tucked it into his trench coat pocket. He had tried to contact his younger brother three times since he left the apartment where he had his one-night stand...but Mokuba wasn't picking up. #He must be getting back at me for completely blowing him off. I can't really blame him on this one, though. God, I'm such an ass-# "Seto Kaiba." Seto whirled around, his eyes widened with surprise at the person standing before him. "Yugi. I did not expect to be meeting with you today. If you've anything to say, make it fast." Yugi sighed. "I just came here to return this box." He held the box towards Seto. Seto glared at the box as if it were something of disgust to him. "I have no need for what is inside anymore. I told you that you can do what you want with them...you can sell them if you wish, you can keep them; I don't really care." "But I cannot accept these. Why are you so adamant to give these to me, anyway?" Seto folded his arms. "Come now, you know the reason." Yugi shook his head. "This is not like you, Kaiba. I know how much Duel Monsters mean to you." "MEANT, Yugi. It's all in the past now. I have to move on." "But why is that?" Seto clenched his teeth. "Look, I'm not at a fucking interrogation, am I? There's a reason for everything..." "But you have no reason, do you?" Yugi softly asked. Seto walked up to Yugi; the two were face to face. "Don't think you can just talk to me like I'm one of your little entourage, Yugi, because I have a newsflash for you: I sure as hell am not any friend of yours. We are on a happy medium, but don't you dare think that you can try to 'cheer me up' or give me some kind of righteous advice just because what you think I'm doing is self-destructive." Yugi shut his eyes for a moment. "Very well. I am sorry for having wasted your time. But I still refuse to accept these cards." He dropped the box at Seto's feet, and set out to the Game Shop. He glanced over his shoulder once more. "But be careful. Your actions may hurt more than yourself." He narrowed his eyes, then turned around and continued in his way. Seto shuddered. #he almost sounded like his darker half.# Seto closed his eyes, shaking his head as he took hold of the box. #Speaking of whom, Mokuba is going to be really pissed off with me when I get home...#
Anzu jumped and stepped on the flashing blue and pink panels of the Dance Dance Revolution Max 2 machine as she did her best to stay on beat to the song "Kakumei" on "standard" difficulty. Mokuba stood nearby, an impressed smile on his face as he watched Anzu stepping on the panels in succession as the arrows moved from the bottom of the screen to the top. When the song ended, Anzu leaned back on the rail, completely exhausted from playing four games in a row. Mokuba whistled. "Hey, I had no idea that you were so good at this game!" Anzu managed a smile. "I needed something to take my frustrations out on, other than Jounouchi for a change. It makes for a rather good workout, too. If you'd like to learn how to play, I could teach you." Mokuba chuckled. "Only if we start real easy!" Anzu chuckled with him. "Fair enough, then." She glanced at her watch. "Oh man, I hadn't realised how late we've been out. It's almost seven. I should get you home." Mokuba groaned. "Shoot. Maybe next time you can teach me, huh?" Anzu stepped down from the dancing platform. "We'll certainly do that next time!" Mokuba smirked as he and Anzu exited the game room."Who knows...maybe I'll even surpass you!" "Oh, is that so?" Anzu reached into her purse to pull out some change. "Give me a moment while I get some water...I need it really badly." "Considering the number of games you played on that particular difficulty, I wouldn't have tried to stop ya!" Mokuba grinned as Anzu received a bottle of cold water for her parched throat. As she drank its clear contents, Mokuba looked to the sky. Anzu noticed the sudden change of expression on Mokuba's face, but her eyes glanced away instantly so he would not notice her stare. #He must be worried about Seto...# "Mokuba, is everything all right?" Mokuba looked away from the sky, and at Anzu. He smiled. "Yeah...I'm just exhausted." He and Anzu began to walk. "That makes two of us," Anzu replied with a nod. "Aw, but it was worth it. I needed to get out of the house, anyway." "You know...if you're upset with Seto, you can talk to me about it. I never gossip, so it will be between just the two of us." Mokuba glanced at Anzu for a brief moment before looking down on the concrete path. His lips moved, though no words were heard. "Mokuba? If...if it's too personal, I understand. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to." Mokuba shook his head. "No, I should tell someone...if I keep it bottled up, I'd probably spaz out or something." His lips formed a weak smile. "Lately, I've been really worried about my brother. He hardly talks to me anymore. At first, I pretended not to notice that something was wrong with Seto, but now...well, it's really bothering me." Anzu's eyebrows knitted as she heard Mokuba's concerns. "Do you know how long your brother has been behaving this way?" Mokuba paused. "It all kinda started about a week before his eighteenth birthday, which was a few days ago." Anzu remained silent upon hearing the duration of Kaiba's sudden and unexplained behaviour. Mokuba's head sunk; some errant strands of his rather wild jet hair falling onto his face. "Do you know what's been up with Seto?" Anzu shook her head. "Me and the others have started to notice his strange behaviour ourselves." She paused, looking away. #Should I tell him that Seto dropped out of college and is no longer interested in Duel Monsters?# She looked over at Mokuba. "To tell you the truth, the reason I came to visit you was because I was concerned about your well-being during this apparent rough time." Mokuba raised his dark brows. "Really? Wow...I didn't expect you to be worried about me or anything. But I'm glad you stopped by anyway, especially considering he hadn't come home last night." Anzu turned to fave the younger of the Kaiba siblings. "You mentioned that earlier. Did he say where he was going?" Mokuba shrugged his shoulders. "All he told me was that he was going to your school to deliver something. But where do you suppose he went?" Anzu moaned with slight lamentation. "I really don't know, Mokuba." "Mokuba?" Upon hearing the familiar voice, Anzu and Mokuba looked to their right, and found Seto standing at a street corner. Naturally, Mokuba's face lit up with happiness upon seeing his elder brother, and he ran up to him. "Seto, there you are!" Seto smiled. "Hey there, little guy...sorry to have made you worry so--ow!"
Mokuba puched Seto in the arm, much to Anzu's surprise. "You big jerk!" Mokuba exclaimed. "You shoulda left a note telling me where you were! I would have had a much easier time with my homework too, had you been there! I thought you were just going to your old school?" Seto gave Mokuba an uneasy look. "Sorry about that. Something...came up at the company; I wasn't able to reach you. But hey, I promise I'll make it up to you." "You'd better, or else!" Mokuba grinned. Seto chuckled. "I hear you, I hear you." He glanced at Anzu, who simply watched the pair. "Say, why don't you go ahead and head on home. I'll be right with you, as soon as I thank Anzu for keeping you company." "Sure thing. Hey Anzu! Thanks for the fun time!" Mokuba waved at the young lady, then darted down the street towards his home. Seto slowly approached Anzu. "So," Anzu stated, not waiting for Seto to completely close the distance between them. "So what?" Seto asked. "I see you have the box back." Seto shot a sneer at the box, then soon reverted to his usual cool and indifferent demeanor. "Yes...I should have known better than to give it to Yugi. He was always somewhat modest." Anzu rested her hands on her hips. "So, does that mean you won't be retiring after all?" Seto frowned. "Don't jump to conclusions. Every decision I have made is final. I'll just have to find another way to get rid of the cards, is all."
"Oh, I see." Anzu took a moment to study Seto's rather disheveled clothing. "Is it me, or were you wearing those very same clothes yesterday?" "It's like I told Mokuba, something had come up in the company and I did not have the opportunity to return home." Anzu's lids were a trifle lower. "I...see. Well, you should return to your brother. He will need you." Seto nodded. "Yes, you are right. Thank you for keeping an eye on him. If there is any way I can compensate you--" "That will not be necessary," Anzu denied. #though, I wish you would tell me what's wrong...# "I simply did what I did because it is what I do. You and your brother have a safe walk home. Good night, Seto." She waved to him, and turned around, leaving Seto alone with his thoughts. Seto stared at Anzu as she briskly made her way home before the blanket of night completely covered the prefecture. Seto continued on his way, and stopped to look back at her. His lips were prepared to call her name, but instead he shook his head, mouthed "fuck it", and sped up to catch up to his younger brother.
CHAPTER 1: UNEXPLAINED BEHAVIOUR
"Anzu!" Jounouchi called as he ran up to his friend in the halls. "Anzu!!" Anzu turned away from her locker and faced her sonorous friend. "What is it, Jounouchi?" She asked in an annoyed tone. "Anzu, did Yugi...tell you...what was...in the box?" Jounouchi wheezed as he caught his breath. Anzu shook her head. "I had to leave for school early to get some tutoring for that upcoming History exam, so I couldn't walk with him to school." Her face showed concern for the situation. "What...what was in that box?" "I'll fill her in on that," Yugi told Jounouchi as he and Honda caught up to the duo. Anzu faced Yugi. "Yugi, what's going on?" Yugi held the box out to Anzu. "Perhaps you should look inside." Anzu placed her books in the locker so she would be able to hold the box. She removed it from Yugi's hands, and held it to her chest for additional support. Her right hand removed the top of the box. She gasped at the sight she saw beneath the lid; so surprised that the box began to fall from from her hold. Jounouchi and Honda dived, ready to catch it, but Anzu managed to retain her hold. "I-I don't believe this," Anzu stated as she looked through the cards, "These are Kaiba's best cards. Why did he give them to you?" Yugi folded his arms. "I'm not even sure. The box included a note, but it did not really explain anything, other than that Kaiba no longer had any need for his cards, and that he hoped I would get better use out of them." Jounouchi shut his eyes for a moment. "So you mean to tell me that one of the top duelists in the history of Duel Monsters is calling it quits? Duel Monsters was Kaiba's passion...why is he giving that up, too?" "The same way he gave up on college, I guess," Anzu replied. "He dropped out of college?" Yugi asked with a surprised tone in his voice.
"Yeah...it was the strangest damned thing," Honda answered. "Something is definitely wrong with Kaiba. Maybe we should intervene in the matter," Anzu suggested. "Whoa, no way," Jounouchi refused. "Kaiba isn't going to give us the time of day as to why he's doing the damned stupid things he's doing." Yugi raised a brow at Jounouchi's statement. "Do I detect actual concern for Kaiba from you, of all people?" Jounouchi folded his arms. "Look, I don't have much love for the guy, but I don't like what he's doing to himself so far; he forgoes his additional education, and now he's giving up the one hobby in the world that meant everything to him." "Aw, he's probably just preparing himself for the position as CEO of Kaiba Corp," Honda replied nonchalantly. "Maybe he realised that he wouldn't have time for Duel Monsters so he's leaving his best cards with Yugi. As for college, well Kaiba's rich. He's set for life regardless of additional education or not." "But that doesn't completely make sense," Yugi replied with a shake of his head. "Kaiba was always working hard on perfecting a system for playing Duel Monsters. I had even heard he had an entire room in his home dedicated to the game. It just doesn't seem right that he would give up on something he was so passionate about." "And what about Mokuba? He looks up to his brother so much," Anzu added. "I think you're right about an intervention," Yugi decided as he turned to face Anzu. "Kaiba is keeping too much to himself this time. I fear that it may be his undoing." "Hrmph. Well, count me out," Jounouchi replied coldly as he turned to walk away. "Kaiba's a big boy now. Let him take care of himself." Honda simply shrugged his shoulders, and followed Jounouchi. Anzu sighed as she handed the box back to Yugi. "I'll go have a talk with Mokuba after school." Yugi nodded as he tucked the box beneath his arm. "And I'll return these to Kaiba. Hopefully I can get an explanation from him."
Seto's eyelashes fluttered as his hand blocked the rays of the late afternoon sunlight from his view. He swung his legs over the bed, glancing at the nightside table to find a package of cigarettes and a Zippo lighter resting there. He reached first for the cigarettes, pulling out one of the cancer sticks and placing it between his soft lips. As he reached for the lighter he glanced over his shoulder, taking notice of his date from the previous night, entangled within the sheets of her bed. He sparked the cigarette to life, returned the lighter to its place on the nightside table, and reached for his black jeans. As he zipped them up, his azure eyes fell upon his cell phone. He wondered to himself if his younger brother had tried to reach him during the course of the night. #Shit#, he thought to himself. #I had turned it off because I didn't want any interruptions...# He took a long drag of the menthold cigarette, his eyes shut as he was in a moment of deep thought. His eyes opened again as he reached for his phone and turned it on. His lids lowered as he took another long drag and exhaled the smoke through his nose. He found that there was one messages in his voice mail; his face contorted in inner pain, for he knew who it was. He placed the phone to his ear as the first message played:
Seto, it's Mokuba. It's almost midnight, and you're not home yet. I needed you to help me out with my algebra homework. I managed to figure it out, but I wish you had at least left a note or something, letting me know you would be really late.
A pause.
You know, I never bothered to bring it up, because I just pretended that nothing was going on, but something has been up with you, big brother. You tell me everything; but lately you've been quiet, even around me. There's no reason why you should really hide anything from me. Anyway, I need to get to bed...please come home, Seto.
Seto slowly lowered the phone before it completely fell from his grip and softly landed on the rug. His other hand removed the cigarette from his lips and crushed it in the ashtray, instantaneously putting it out. His head sank and rested in the palm of his hand in self-loathing.
Jounouchi shut the door to the apartment as he carelessly tossed his bookbag aside. "Is that you, boy?" his father called from his bedroom. Jounouchi could hear the sounds of a television set on. #Big surprise...# "Yeah it's me, dad..." "You didn't finish your chores yesterday, boy!" he had called once more. "I had to do my homework!" Jounouchi opened a cabinet to search for some instant ramen. "Don't give me that bullshit! Your studies can wait. You take care of household matters first!" "Who's bullshitting who?" Jounouchi muttered to himself as he slammed the cabinets shut. "All right, fine! I'll finish up my chores today, Jesus..." "You get smart with me boy, and I'll beat the living hell out of your sorry ass." Jounouchi clenched his fists and bit his lip. "Sorry, sir." "Don't waste your time apologizin'. Now go get the goddamn groceries; I'm not gonna have that take-out shit again for the second night in a row." "Yes sir." Jounouchi grabbed an envelope that was taped to the refrigerator door. Inside was a shopping list (mostly made up of instant noodle lunches) and money. Jounouchi dipped his fingers in the envelope and removed some of the money, pocketing it for a later use. #The fucking drunkard won't know the difference...# "I'll be back!" Jounouchi called. He heard no response. "The hell with you too..." he muttered as he slammed the door shut.
Jounouchi stared at a rock his foot kept kicking with every other step he took. His eyes clearly displayed his pain, which was why he kept his head low. #God dammit, mom...why couldn't you have taken me with my sis? You knew that dad was a lousy, no-good drunkard...so why did you leave me with him?#
"Shit! It's just not fair!" Joey kicked at the rock with as much force as he could apply to it, sending the small stone airborn. It nearly hit someone, but the person had excellent reflexes and easily caught the stone. "You should be more careful where you kick stones, eh?" Jounouchi looked up and at a young man with long, shimmering silver-white hair. A weak smile formed on his face. "Oh man, sorry about that, Bakura. Long time no see, man." Bakura sighed, a sheepish smile on his face as he eyed his books. "College is a bigger time-consumer than I had first suspected." Jounouchi chuckled. "That's what you get for graduating early, man!" Bakura smiled. "Perhaps." He studied the ruffian's eyes. "Something is bothering you. I'm guessing it's your father?" Jounouchi nodded. "The old man is really getting on my last nerves. He thinks he can decide what I am gonna do for a living, and it's really causing my grades to suffer!" Bakura took a moment to think the situation over. "Although I'm not one to deceive intentionally, have you tried to get him to believe that you have a job, when instead you are really at a friend's house working on your studies?" Jounouchi raised a brow. "I haven't tried that yet. The old man wouldn't give a damn what I did with the money anyway...so long as I'm not bothering him, that's all he cares about. I think I'll give that a try...anything just to get me the hell out of there, you know?" "Well, you'll be eighteen soon enough...and this mess will be behind you." "I hope you're right about that, Bakura. I seriously do." Jounouchi sighed. "Hey, you wanna come with me to the store? I need someone to talk to, and it's been a while since I seen you and everything." Bakura checked his watch. "I don't have much studying to do tonight, so it couldn't hurt. Besides, you need someone positive for a while, no matter how short that time lasts...say, where is Honda, anyway?" "Oh, you didn't know? He has a part-time job now. He gives me some of his earnings so I can eat good, but usually I turn it down unless I really need it." "I see. If there was something I could do--" "Don't worry about it, Bakura. Just your being here is good enough for me." "Are you sure?" "Hey, I'm positive." "Very well, then." Bakura looked away for a moment. "How are Yugi and Anzu?" "Man, you should really see Yugi. He got a lot taller over the summer...you don't have to look down when you talk to him anymore! He's kinda looking like the other Yugi, and it seems the other girls in the school are starting to notice the changes, too! I'm kinda getting some competition there..." Jounouchi ran his hand through his dark blonde hair. A chuckle emitted from Bakura. "It really has been a while!" "Anzu is pretty much her same self, though right now it's her monthly 'Yami Anzu' phase, so I'm trying to avoid her at all costs." "I see. But they are all doing well, pretty much?" "Yeah, most definitely." Bakura remained silent for an instant. "What about Kaiba?" Jounouchi's eyes widened, but not because of the mention of the name. "Uh, why don't you ask the sumbitch yourself...he's right there." Bakura followed Jounouchi's pointing index finger, which lead directly to Seto, who stood in front of the duo. "So what brings you here, huh?" Jounouchi demanded. "Well I happened to hear my name, so naturally it got my attention," he replied coldly. "But I now see that it was not of any importance, considering it was merely a dog barking at me." He strided past the two, as they watched him walk away. #Isn't that the same outfit he wore yesterday?# Jounouchi thought with a look of suspicion on his face. Bakura folded his arms, leaning close to Jounouchi to whisper to him. "I see Kaiba is still the same." "On the surface, yeah," Jounouchi whispered back. Bakura's dark brown eyes met with Jounouchi's sienna eyes. "What do you mean by 'on the surface'?" Jounouchi leaned against a nearby building. "Some stuff's been up with the bastard as of late. Yesterday, he showed up to school to give Anzu a box to give to Yugi, and told us flat out that he dropped out of college." "Are you serious?!" "We were just as surprised as you were. Anyway, that box he gave us...it contained his best Duel Monsters cards, including all his Blue Eyes cards and maybe even his god card." Bakura dropped his books. "He's giving up on Duel Monsters?! Why would he do that?" "Beats me." Bakura slowly gathered his fallen books. "This is a very serious and very strange matter. Why would he give them to Yugi?" "I don't know. Maybe he considered him to be worthy enough to inherit them. But...I just can't believe that he be doing these things." Jounouchi closed his eyes. #There may be something else, too... # "Well, why didn't you speak to him as he passed us by a moment ago?" "Tch! He wouldn't give me the time of day. Besides, Yugi said he'd take care of the matter, anyway. I'll leave it to him." Bakura slowly nodded his head. "You seem very confident that he will be able to help Kaiba. I hope that you are right." Jounouchi only bit his lip as he looked downwards.
Mokuba slid down the bannister of the long staircase as he rushed to answer the door. He landed perfectly, then quickly looked around to make sure none of the servants were around to scold him for his reckless act. He smirked, unlocked the door, and opened it. He frowned with disappointment when he saw who stood before him. "Oh...hi Anzu." Anzu's smile faded. "Mokuba...is your brother home?" Mokuba shook his head as he leaned against the doorjamb. "He didn't come home last night. I tried to call him, but he never answered his phone. He probably turned it off...anyway, sorry to disappoint. I'll be seeing you--" Anzu interrupted. "Actually, I came by to check up on you. Is there anything you need? Anything at all?" Mokuba said nothing for a moment. "There's not really much you can do, though I appreciate both gesture and offer." "Well, you shouldn't be alone. Tell you what, you want to go to the game room and let out some frustration. It will be my treat," Anzu offered. #Besides, I have some frustration to let out of my own, anyway.# Mokuba shrugged his shoulders. "I already did my homework, so I've nothing else to do. Just let me write a note for Seto in case he comes home!" He ran inside, leaving Anzu standing in the doorway. She stuck her head inside the doorway, her view taking in the marble floors, fine art, and impressive architecture of what little she saw of the massive mansion. "All right, I'm ready!" Mokuba exclaimed. "I also let one of the servants know that I was heading out, and to let Seto know about my note, so there shouldn't be any reason to worry!" Anzu put on a fake smile. "Great. We shouldn't be out for much too long, anyway."
Seto hung up his phone rather angrily as he tucked it into his trench coat pocket. He had tried to contact his younger brother three times since he left the apartment where he had his one-night stand...but Mokuba wasn't picking up. #He must be getting back at me for completely blowing him off. I can't really blame him on this one, though. God, I'm such an ass-# "Seto Kaiba." Seto whirled around, his eyes widened with surprise at the person standing before him. "Yugi. I did not expect to be meeting with you today. If you've anything to say, make it fast." Yugi sighed. "I just came here to return this box." He held the box towards Seto. Seto glared at the box as if it were something of disgust to him. "I have no need for what is inside anymore. I told you that you can do what you want with them...you can sell them if you wish, you can keep them; I don't really care." "But I cannot accept these. Why are you so adamant to give these to me, anyway?" Seto folded his arms. "Come now, you know the reason." Yugi shook his head. "This is not like you, Kaiba. I know how much Duel Monsters mean to you." "MEANT, Yugi. It's all in the past now. I have to move on." "But why is that?" Seto clenched his teeth. "Look, I'm not at a fucking interrogation, am I? There's a reason for everything..." "But you have no reason, do you?" Yugi softly asked. Seto walked up to Yugi; the two were face to face. "Don't think you can just talk to me like I'm one of your little entourage, Yugi, because I have a newsflash for you: I sure as hell am not any friend of yours. We are on a happy medium, but don't you dare think that you can try to 'cheer me up' or give me some kind of righteous advice just because what you think I'm doing is self-destructive." Yugi shut his eyes for a moment. "Very well. I am sorry for having wasted your time. But I still refuse to accept these cards." He dropped the box at Seto's feet, and set out to the Game Shop. He glanced over his shoulder once more. "But be careful. Your actions may hurt more than yourself." He narrowed his eyes, then turned around and continued in his way. Seto shuddered. #he almost sounded like his darker half.# Seto closed his eyes, shaking his head as he took hold of the box. #Speaking of whom, Mokuba is going to be really pissed off with me when I get home...#
Anzu jumped and stepped on the flashing blue and pink panels of the Dance Dance Revolution Max 2 machine as she did her best to stay on beat to the song "Kakumei" on "standard" difficulty. Mokuba stood nearby, an impressed smile on his face as he watched Anzu stepping on the panels in succession as the arrows moved from the bottom of the screen to the top. When the song ended, Anzu leaned back on the rail, completely exhausted from playing four games in a row. Mokuba whistled. "Hey, I had no idea that you were so good at this game!" Anzu managed a smile. "I needed something to take my frustrations out on, other than Jounouchi for a change. It makes for a rather good workout, too. If you'd like to learn how to play, I could teach you." Mokuba chuckled. "Only if we start real easy!" Anzu chuckled with him. "Fair enough, then." She glanced at her watch. "Oh man, I hadn't realised how late we've been out. It's almost seven. I should get you home." Mokuba groaned. "Shoot. Maybe next time you can teach me, huh?" Anzu stepped down from the dancing platform. "We'll certainly do that next time!" Mokuba smirked as he and Anzu exited the game room."Who knows...maybe I'll even surpass you!" "Oh, is that so?" Anzu reached into her purse to pull out some change. "Give me a moment while I get some water...I need it really badly." "Considering the number of games you played on that particular difficulty, I wouldn't have tried to stop ya!" Mokuba grinned as Anzu received a bottle of cold water for her parched throat. As she drank its clear contents, Mokuba looked to the sky. Anzu noticed the sudden change of expression on Mokuba's face, but her eyes glanced away instantly so he would not notice her stare. #He must be worried about Seto...# "Mokuba, is everything all right?" Mokuba looked away from the sky, and at Anzu. He smiled. "Yeah...I'm just exhausted." He and Anzu began to walk. "That makes two of us," Anzu replied with a nod. "Aw, but it was worth it. I needed to get out of the house, anyway." "You know...if you're upset with Seto, you can talk to me about it. I never gossip, so it will be between just the two of us." Mokuba glanced at Anzu for a brief moment before looking down on the concrete path. His lips moved, though no words were heard. "Mokuba? If...if it's too personal, I understand. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to." Mokuba shook his head. "No, I should tell someone...if I keep it bottled up, I'd probably spaz out or something." His lips formed a weak smile. "Lately, I've been really worried about my brother. He hardly talks to me anymore. At first, I pretended not to notice that something was wrong with Seto, but now...well, it's really bothering me." Anzu's eyebrows knitted as she heard Mokuba's concerns. "Do you know how long your brother has been behaving this way?" Mokuba paused. "It all kinda started about a week before his eighteenth birthday, which was a few days ago." Anzu remained silent upon hearing the duration of Kaiba's sudden and unexplained behaviour. Mokuba's head sunk; some errant strands of his rather wild jet hair falling onto his face. "Do you know what's been up with Seto?" Anzu shook her head. "Me and the others have started to notice his strange behaviour ourselves." She paused, looking away. #Should I tell him that Seto dropped out of college and is no longer interested in Duel Monsters?# She looked over at Mokuba. "To tell you the truth, the reason I came to visit you was because I was concerned about your well-being during this apparent rough time." Mokuba raised his dark brows. "Really? Wow...I didn't expect you to be worried about me or anything. But I'm glad you stopped by anyway, especially considering he hadn't come home last night." Anzu turned to fave the younger of the Kaiba siblings. "You mentioned that earlier. Did he say where he was going?" Mokuba shrugged his shoulders. "All he told me was that he was going to your school to deliver something. But where do you suppose he went?" Anzu moaned with slight lamentation. "I really don't know, Mokuba." "Mokuba?" Upon hearing the familiar voice, Anzu and Mokuba looked to their right, and found Seto standing at a street corner. Naturally, Mokuba's face lit up with happiness upon seeing his elder brother, and he ran up to him. "Seto, there you are!" Seto smiled. "Hey there, little guy...sorry to have made you worry so--ow!"
Mokuba puched Seto in the arm, much to Anzu's surprise. "You big jerk!" Mokuba exclaimed. "You shoulda left a note telling me where you were! I would have had a much easier time with my homework too, had you been there! I thought you were just going to your old school?" Seto gave Mokuba an uneasy look. "Sorry about that. Something...came up at the company; I wasn't able to reach you. But hey, I promise I'll make it up to you." "You'd better, or else!" Mokuba grinned. Seto chuckled. "I hear you, I hear you." He glanced at Anzu, who simply watched the pair. "Say, why don't you go ahead and head on home. I'll be right with you, as soon as I thank Anzu for keeping you company." "Sure thing. Hey Anzu! Thanks for the fun time!" Mokuba waved at the young lady, then darted down the street towards his home. Seto slowly approached Anzu. "So," Anzu stated, not waiting for Seto to completely close the distance between them. "So what?" Seto asked. "I see you have the box back." Seto shot a sneer at the box, then soon reverted to his usual cool and indifferent demeanor. "Yes...I should have known better than to give it to Yugi. He was always somewhat modest." Anzu rested her hands on her hips. "So, does that mean you won't be retiring after all?" Seto frowned. "Don't jump to conclusions. Every decision I have made is final. I'll just have to find another way to get rid of the cards, is all."
"Oh, I see." Anzu took a moment to study Seto's rather disheveled clothing. "Is it me, or were you wearing those very same clothes yesterday?" "It's like I told Mokuba, something had come up in the company and I did not have the opportunity to return home." Anzu's lids were a trifle lower. "I...see. Well, you should return to your brother. He will need you." Seto nodded. "Yes, you are right. Thank you for keeping an eye on him. If there is any way I can compensate you--" "That will not be necessary," Anzu denied. #though, I wish you would tell me what's wrong...# "I simply did what I did because it is what I do. You and your brother have a safe walk home. Good night, Seto." She waved to him, and turned around, leaving Seto alone with his thoughts. Seto stared at Anzu as she briskly made her way home before the blanket of night completely covered the prefecture. Seto continued on his way, and stopped to look back at her. His lips were prepared to call her name, but instead he shook his head, mouthed "fuck it", and sped up to catch up to his younger brother.