AN: Yea, the millennium eye... I mean, Mokuba. Yes, Mokuba is making
another appearance in my story. I do believe I'm having fun! *Laughs
Maniacally * BIG thanks to everyone who reviewed. That would be...
*Clears throat... gun fire is heard (Sorry it's a old Monty Python skit.
If you've heard the one about Ann Elk, you'll get it.) Anyway, pulls out
long list of reviewers *
Lynderia
Blue-Kool-Aid
Sunfalling
Black Magician Girl
Little Red Dragon
Tara-hime
Lady Light
Millenia
And all the other anonymous reviewers who didn't give me a name, or did but
didn't bother to log in. Ta!
Hurts XIII
"Bastards! What a load of Baka's." I muttered as I stalked down the hall to Mokuba's room. I relaxed my shoulders and mentally steeled myself before entering Mokuba's room. The room was exactly as I remembered it, except that there were fewer wires, there was now new pulley system near the bed, and Mokuba was gone. I look around for my brother and was surprised to realize that he must be out.
"Brother?" A voice asked from behind me.
"Mokuba?" I asked, turning around. Out of habit, my eyes traveled to the area level to my waist, and found Mokuba's face. He was smiling at me, so I smiled back. "How are you feeling?"
"Alright." Mokuba nodded, leading the way into his room. "The day after I woak up, I was on so many pain killers and other drugs, I could have flown home. But what about you? I was informed that you were hurt as well. They had to take away my chair so that I wouldn't sneak off to look for you."
"I'm fine." I shrugged. "My shoulder hurts a bit, but with some physical therapy, I should be all right. Have you spoken to the doctors about renovations the house will need?"
"It's been brought up." Mokuba shrugged. I could tell he was embarrassed and trying to avoid the subject. "Some of the things we talked about are necessary, but others we don't need."
"Write me a list." I nodded. "Even if you don't think we'll need it, write it down. If it makes it easier for you, I'm gonna get it done. It's my fault, Mokuba. Besides, it's not like we're short of money."
"I know, Seto." Mokuba sighed, reaching for the rail on his bed. I pulled it down and helped him into the bed. He nodded his thanks and I pushed his wheelchair a bit to the left, but kept it where he could still reach it. "Seto?"
"Hum?" I asked, already knowing he was going to change the subject.
"Where's Tea?"
"I don't know." I replied stiffly. "I don't particularly care, either."
"What do you mean?" Mokuba asked, looking at me intently. "Are you angry at her? Why?"
"Don't worry about it, Mokuba." I sighed. "It's not important."
"And why is that? Why isn't it important?" Mokuba asked, glaring at me. "Don't think you can just lie to me on this one. I'm not a child, Seto."
"Well, you should be." I shot back. Mokuba frowned at me and I let out a small sigh. "Look, you're just eleven. You shouldn't be worrying about me."
"Well if you didn't do stupid things then I wouldn't have to!" Mokuba told me. "I've got eyes. I know what's going on! Probably better than both of you!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"Oh come on!" Mokuba groaned, rolling his eyes. "When you dueled Yami on Pegasus's castle, she saved you life. She saved your life again when she stopped Joey from killing you."
"Wait a second!" I gasped. "How did you know about that?!"
"I told you! I know what's going on. I saw the blood and bruises on you when you came to see me. I asked Tea about that yesterday. Hey, did one of the nurses clean you up?"
"I cleaned myself, thank you very much." I mumbled. Mokuba shrugged and continued.
"Anyway, so she stops Joey from killing you when you can't think straight enough to save yourself! Then you go and take a bullet for her! Hello! This is THE most inevitable romance I've ever seen!"
"Romance?!" I asked, startled. "What the hell gave you an idea like that?"
"Denial." Mokuba nodded wisely. "So you're already in the first stage. A bit ahead of schedule, but I hadn't counted on having to tell you. We all know that next your going to start coming up with reasons why I'm nuts. I say that stage two will start about the time you get to the door. Then comes the 'so what' stage. That's when you start think that it might not be so bad. Then you'll tell yourself all the reasons that it can't or wouldn't work. After that something happens. You stop her from getting hit by a bus; she stops you from jumping off a cliff, something like that. You'll confess your love, and I'm planning the wedding for June. What do you think? Or how 'bout a nice autumn wedding?"
I gapped at him. 'It's the painkillers. They're screwing with his mind!'
"No more romance movies for you." I finally managed to say.
"Wow!" Mokuba smiled. "Stage two already!"
Will you stop that?!" I yelled. "Whatever gave you the idea that I even like her?! I hate her and her friends."
"Well, I thought that should be apparent. It's the archetypal 'enemy falls for enemy' romance. Did you sleep through writing class or something? Probably, you never sleep at home. Here's what happens. Boy meets girl. Boy hates girl and vice-versa. Adventures pursue and boy/girl fall in love with each other though they don't want to. Everyone is surprised and shocked but happy for the new couple. They live happily ever after. It's so traditional."
"Just because those drugs are screwing with your mind, doesn't mean they can screw with mine." I muttered. "I'll see you later. Perhaps you'll see sense by then."
I ruffled his hair and walked to the door. About to close the door behind me, I heard him mutter something.
"What?" I asked, sticking my head into the room.
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Mokuba replied.
"You sure?" I asked. "I could have sworn I heard something about stage three."
"No, can't say I did." Mokuba shrugged. I looked at him doubtfully, but decided to let it pass.
"Well, alright. If you say so." I sighed and Mokuba nodded. I rolled my eyes and closed the door.
'I must be more tired than I thought! Hearing things?' I reasoned as I walked down the hall. 'Ah, well. Nothing a little nap can't fix.'
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I sat in my bed and waited for Seto's footsteps to fade away.
"Whew!" I sighed, leaning back. "That was close."
I smiled as I considered what could have happened if Seto had actually heard my comment. He would have hit the roof! Then again, 'I give him till the end of the hall to hit stage three' probably hadn't been the wisest think to say when he was within earshot. Then again, brother was ALWAYS within earshot.
Hurts XIII
"Bastards! What a load of Baka's." I muttered as I stalked down the hall to Mokuba's room. I relaxed my shoulders and mentally steeled myself before entering Mokuba's room. The room was exactly as I remembered it, except that there were fewer wires, there was now new pulley system near the bed, and Mokuba was gone. I look around for my brother and was surprised to realize that he must be out.
"Brother?" A voice asked from behind me.
"Mokuba?" I asked, turning around. Out of habit, my eyes traveled to the area level to my waist, and found Mokuba's face. He was smiling at me, so I smiled back. "How are you feeling?"
"Alright." Mokuba nodded, leading the way into his room. "The day after I woak up, I was on so many pain killers and other drugs, I could have flown home. But what about you? I was informed that you were hurt as well. They had to take away my chair so that I wouldn't sneak off to look for you."
"I'm fine." I shrugged. "My shoulder hurts a bit, but with some physical therapy, I should be all right. Have you spoken to the doctors about renovations the house will need?"
"It's been brought up." Mokuba shrugged. I could tell he was embarrassed and trying to avoid the subject. "Some of the things we talked about are necessary, but others we don't need."
"Write me a list." I nodded. "Even if you don't think we'll need it, write it down. If it makes it easier for you, I'm gonna get it done. It's my fault, Mokuba. Besides, it's not like we're short of money."
"I know, Seto." Mokuba sighed, reaching for the rail on his bed. I pulled it down and helped him into the bed. He nodded his thanks and I pushed his wheelchair a bit to the left, but kept it where he could still reach it. "Seto?"
"Hum?" I asked, already knowing he was going to change the subject.
"Where's Tea?"
"I don't know." I replied stiffly. "I don't particularly care, either."
"What do you mean?" Mokuba asked, looking at me intently. "Are you angry at her? Why?"
"Don't worry about it, Mokuba." I sighed. "It's not important."
"And why is that? Why isn't it important?" Mokuba asked, glaring at me. "Don't think you can just lie to me on this one. I'm not a child, Seto."
"Well, you should be." I shot back. Mokuba frowned at me and I let out a small sigh. "Look, you're just eleven. You shouldn't be worrying about me."
"Well if you didn't do stupid things then I wouldn't have to!" Mokuba told me. "I've got eyes. I know what's going on! Probably better than both of you!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"Oh come on!" Mokuba groaned, rolling his eyes. "When you dueled Yami on Pegasus's castle, she saved you life. She saved your life again when she stopped Joey from killing you."
"Wait a second!" I gasped. "How did you know about that?!"
"I told you! I know what's going on. I saw the blood and bruises on you when you came to see me. I asked Tea about that yesterday. Hey, did one of the nurses clean you up?"
"I cleaned myself, thank you very much." I mumbled. Mokuba shrugged and continued.
"Anyway, so she stops Joey from killing you when you can't think straight enough to save yourself! Then you go and take a bullet for her! Hello! This is THE most inevitable romance I've ever seen!"
"Romance?!" I asked, startled. "What the hell gave you an idea like that?"
"Denial." Mokuba nodded wisely. "So you're already in the first stage. A bit ahead of schedule, but I hadn't counted on having to tell you. We all know that next your going to start coming up with reasons why I'm nuts. I say that stage two will start about the time you get to the door. Then comes the 'so what' stage. That's when you start think that it might not be so bad. Then you'll tell yourself all the reasons that it can't or wouldn't work. After that something happens. You stop her from getting hit by a bus; she stops you from jumping off a cliff, something like that. You'll confess your love, and I'm planning the wedding for June. What do you think? Or how 'bout a nice autumn wedding?"
I gapped at him. 'It's the painkillers. They're screwing with his mind!'
"No more romance movies for you." I finally managed to say.
"Wow!" Mokuba smiled. "Stage two already!"
Will you stop that?!" I yelled. "Whatever gave you the idea that I even like her?! I hate her and her friends."
"Well, I thought that should be apparent. It's the archetypal 'enemy falls for enemy' romance. Did you sleep through writing class or something? Probably, you never sleep at home. Here's what happens. Boy meets girl. Boy hates girl and vice-versa. Adventures pursue and boy/girl fall in love with each other though they don't want to. Everyone is surprised and shocked but happy for the new couple. They live happily ever after. It's so traditional."
"Just because those drugs are screwing with your mind, doesn't mean they can screw with mine." I muttered. "I'll see you later. Perhaps you'll see sense by then."
I ruffled his hair and walked to the door. About to close the door behind me, I heard him mutter something.
"What?" I asked, sticking my head into the room.
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Mokuba replied.
"You sure?" I asked. "I could have sworn I heard something about stage three."
"No, can't say I did." Mokuba shrugged. I looked at him doubtfully, but decided to let it pass.
"Well, alright. If you say so." I sighed and Mokuba nodded. I rolled my eyes and closed the door.
'I must be more tired than I thought! Hearing things?' I reasoned as I walked down the hall. 'Ah, well. Nothing a little nap can't fix.'
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I sat in my bed and waited for Seto's footsteps to fade away.
"Whew!" I sighed, leaning back. "That was close."
I smiled as I considered what could have happened if Seto had actually heard my comment. He would have hit the roof! Then again, 'I give him till the end of the hall to hit stage three' probably hadn't been the wisest think to say when he was within earshot. Then again, brother was ALWAYS within earshot.