AN: Loosely (key word-loosely) based on the myth of Eros and Psyche and the
movie 'You've got Mail'. Basically, a simple AU, though. It's pretty much
explained, but a couple of things are a little shady. Seto is 17 and a
senior in high school. Ryou (who is more like Bakura, personality-wise,
though he does have Ryou moments) is 22 and Mokuba is only 12. Ryou was
friends with Seto at the orphanage in Japan until he was adopted and they
kept in touch (you know the odd e-card at Christmas and what not). Seto
and Mokuba both speak fluent Japanese (though Seto's is a bit better than
Mokuba's) and so does Ryou. No one else in the story will speak Japanese,
as they are all Americans. Seto will also appear out of character for a
bit but that's because he's only dealing with Mokuba, his 'parents' and
Ryou. I think that covers most of it, except that this chapter takes place
in early July, just after Seto and Mokuba have returned from their annual
three-week trip to Japan. Okay. Any questions I will be more than happy
to answer, but you have to ask. ^_^
AN 2: All the chapters in this story will be song titles (even is the song has nothing to do with the chapter, the title, at the very least, will). At the end of every chapter I'll put the band that performs the song, for those of you who might be curious.
Chapter 1: Leaving Home Ain't Easy
As the plane from LA to New York City took off a dark haired child pressed his face against the window and peered out into the dark clouds. It wasn't his first plane trip but he loved watching the cars and houses on the ground get really small and finally disappear, almost as much as he loved the tugging sensation he got in his stomach as the plane took off. Glancing at his older brother, who was sitting next to him, he tried to mimic his posture. The older boy was slouching in his seat and was quietly chewing gum to ease the pressure on his ears.
After a minute, the younger boy let out a sigh; he was bored! His foster parents were sitting a few rows ahead of them quietly discussing what they would need to do once they had moved into their new apartment in the city and his brother was trying to sleep. Mokuba didn't want to move to New York. He rather liked LA in fact, but his adopted father's company, KaibaCorp, had decided to move it's head quarters to New York. This meant that their father had to move, dragging the rest of the family with him. Mokuba's adopted mother didn't mind so much as she worked as a translator for KaibaCorp and New York had hundreds of people who spoke French and Spanish which meant that she could practice all day long.
"Are you nervous, Seto?" He asked his older brother.
"Not really, Mokuba." Seto sighed, not bothering to open his eyes.
"Why not?"
"I'm to tired to care." Seto replied truthfully. "Besides, it doesn't matter anyway. We're already going there and there's nothing we can do. Why bother?"
"Ah." Mokuba nodded. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Mokuba spoke again. "Are you excited about seeing Ryou again?"
"What?" Seto asked, his eyes springing open. Ryou had been Seto's best friend at the orphanage until Ryou had been adopted. They had kept in touch with a few phone calls and the odd e-mail, but they hadn't seen each other in at least seven years. While Seto knew that Ryou was old enough to be considered a legal adult, and spoke perfect English and had probably moved out of his foster parents home by now, he was still surprised that Ryou might be in New York.
"Oh yea. I forgot to tell you." Mokuba laughed guiltily. "A few hours after you had called Ryou to tell him we were moving to New York City, and that we'd have a change of phone number, he returned the call to tell you that he was already living in NYC and would come over to see you in a couple of days."
"He lives there?!" Seto gasped. "He never told me!"
"Well, honestly Seto. You two were never big on telling each other important things like that. He probably figured that since you always call him on his cell phone or e-mail him that his address wasn't very important."
"Humph." Seto grumbled, closing his eyes again. "Anything else you'd like to mention?"
"I'm cold. Can I wear you trench coat?"
"You're already wearing that horrible red and orange sweater you love so much. Why do you need my coat?"
"I'm cold!" Mokuba whined.
"Fine. Fine!" Seto growled giving his brother his coat. "Just shut up!"
"Arigatou, niisan." Mokuba smiled as he wrapped the coat around his shoulder.
"We're not in Japan anymore, Mokuba." Seto whispered harshly. "Talk in English."
"Sorry." Mokuba blushed. Seto frowned; he knew he had hurt Mokuba more than he had meant to. After their parents had died in a car crash shortly after Mokuba's birth, the two brothers had been sent to a foster home until they had been adopted three years later by an American couple. Seto had been nine than and Mokuba had only been four, but they had been sent to live with the couple in LA. Being the only blood family the little boy had ever known, Mokuba had always idolized his older brother, so Seto knew the slightly angry words must have cut deep.
But Seto also knew that speaking Japanese would single them out. He was an American, damnit; he spoke English, had an American passport and even wore American clothes. He didn't need the prejudice that others would feel towards him if he spoke his first language. But his foster parents didn't feel that way at all. In fact, Mr. and Ms. Kaiba sent Seto and Mokuba to Japan ever year to 'keep in touch with their roots'. As a result, the brothers spoke Japanese fluently and Mokuba, being younger and more trusting and naive, occasionally slipped up especially when they had just returned from their annual trip.
Letting out a deep sigh, Seto rolled his eyes and ruffled Mokuba's hair. After all, it wasn't really Mokuba's fault. He didn't seem to feel the same way Seto did about their current situation.
"It's all right." Seto reassured his brother. "Just remember next time."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm so tired." Seto groaned as he looked around the apartment. He'd just spent half the day unpacking his few books and clothes and putting them away. He frowned unhappily.
'I must really be getting spoiled. A few years ago, sharing a room with only Mokuba would have seemed wonderfully. Now I want my own room?' Seto shook his head at his own greed. He wandered around the new apartment. His parents had changed the large office on the second floor into their own bedroom and bathroom and Mokuba and Seto had taken the master bedroom on the first floor. There was a kitchen and another bathroom. A living room and of course a small library. Oh and there was a third room on the second floor that had become the laundry room. Seto let out a sigh and flopped down onto the sofa where Mokuba was already channel surfing.
"Anything good?"
"Not really, since I can't download any movies till our Internet connection is up. But there's a soap opera on the Spanish channel." Mokuba offered.
"Bugger that." Seto muttered, as the phone rang and he leaned over to pick it up. 'English may not be my first language,' he thought with a grin. 'But I sure have picked it well.'
"Hello?"
"Mr. Kaiba? This is reception. A young man says he wishes to see a Seto Kaiba."
"Does he have a name?" Seto asked with a yawn.
"He say's you know him as Ryou."
"Ryou?" Seto gasped sitting up straight. "Uh, no, don't send him up. Tell him I'll meet him down there."
Hanging up the phone, Seto grabbed his trench coat and hurried to slip on his shoes. Yelling over his shoulder that he'd be back before dinner, Seto pulled on his coat and waited for the elevator doors to open. Walking into the elevator, he pressed the button for the ground floor and waited patiently. Finally, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open to show Ryou standing there, wearing a leather jacket, a white shirt and tight-ish jeans. He'd grown his naturally white hair longer and streaked parts of it silver. Ryou smiled broadly and began to speak in rapid Japanese, while draping his arm over Seto's shoulder. Blushing slightly, Seto lowered his gaze and quickly dragged the still chattering Ryou out of the building.
"Listen, Ryou. I don't speak Japanese any more." Seto hissed once they were out of sight.
"Nani?!" Ryou gasped, before quickly changing to English. Ryou reached over and felt his friends' forehead. "Have they changed you into an American idiot so quickly?"
"That's not it." Seto growled. "I can talk it but I just don't. I really don't need the strange looks. I get enough when people find out I'm from Japan or when they find out I'm adopted or that I'm a boarder-line genius or that my father owns KaibaCorp, or when......."
"Oi!" Ryou laughed. "You're so uptight! Jeez man. You seriously need to relax."
"And how do you propose I do that?" Seto asked suspiciously. Even at the orphanage Ryou had been know for his wild sense of fun and relaxation which often got it's participants into a lot of trouble.
"Tonight, I'm going to a club I go to a lot. You should come with me."
"It may have escaped you attention, but I'm too young."
"This is New York! Money can get you anything you want if you know where to look. Besides, I'll get you in free as long as you promise to stay off the booze, cause I don't feel like dragging your sorry, drunken ass home, and explaining that bit to your parents. Uh, I also think a change of clothes is in order."
Arigatou, niisan - Thank you, older brother Nani?! - What?! Oi! - Hey!
AN3: The title is a song by Queen.
AN 2: All the chapters in this story will be song titles (even is the song has nothing to do with the chapter, the title, at the very least, will). At the end of every chapter I'll put the band that performs the song, for those of you who might be curious.
Chapter 1: Leaving Home Ain't Easy
As the plane from LA to New York City took off a dark haired child pressed his face against the window and peered out into the dark clouds. It wasn't his first plane trip but he loved watching the cars and houses on the ground get really small and finally disappear, almost as much as he loved the tugging sensation he got in his stomach as the plane took off. Glancing at his older brother, who was sitting next to him, he tried to mimic his posture. The older boy was slouching in his seat and was quietly chewing gum to ease the pressure on his ears.
After a minute, the younger boy let out a sigh; he was bored! His foster parents were sitting a few rows ahead of them quietly discussing what they would need to do once they had moved into their new apartment in the city and his brother was trying to sleep. Mokuba didn't want to move to New York. He rather liked LA in fact, but his adopted father's company, KaibaCorp, had decided to move it's head quarters to New York. This meant that their father had to move, dragging the rest of the family with him. Mokuba's adopted mother didn't mind so much as she worked as a translator for KaibaCorp and New York had hundreds of people who spoke French and Spanish which meant that she could practice all day long.
"Are you nervous, Seto?" He asked his older brother.
"Not really, Mokuba." Seto sighed, not bothering to open his eyes.
"Why not?"
"I'm to tired to care." Seto replied truthfully. "Besides, it doesn't matter anyway. We're already going there and there's nothing we can do. Why bother?"
"Ah." Mokuba nodded. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Mokuba spoke again. "Are you excited about seeing Ryou again?"
"What?" Seto asked, his eyes springing open. Ryou had been Seto's best friend at the orphanage until Ryou had been adopted. They had kept in touch with a few phone calls and the odd e-mail, but they hadn't seen each other in at least seven years. While Seto knew that Ryou was old enough to be considered a legal adult, and spoke perfect English and had probably moved out of his foster parents home by now, he was still surprised that Ryou might be in New York.
"Oh yea. I forgot to tell you." Mokuba laughed guiltily. "A few hours after you had called Ryou to tell him we were moving to New York City, and that we'd have a change of phone number, he returned the call to tell you that he was already living in NYC and would come over to see you in a couple of days."
"He lives there?!" Seto gasped. "He never told me!"
"Well, honestly Seto. You two were never big on telling each other important things like that. He probably figured that since you always call him on his cell phone or e-mail him that his address wasn't very important."
"Humph." Seto grumbled, closing his eyes again. "Anything else you'd like to mention?"
"I'm cold. Can I wear you trench coat?"
"You're already wearing that horrible red and orange sweater you love so much. Why do you need my coat?"
"I'm cold!" Mokuba whined.
"Fine. Fine!" Seto growled giving his brother his coat. "Just shut up!"
"Arigatou, niisan." Mokuba smiled as he wrapped the coat around his shoulder.
"We're not in Japan anymore, Mokuba." Seto whispered harshly. "Talk in English."
"Sorry." Mokuba blushed. Seto frowned; he knew he had hurt Mokuba more than he had meant to. After their parents had died in a car crash shortly after Mokuba's birth, the two brothers had been sent to a foster home until they had been adopted three years later by an American couple. Seto had been nine than and Mokuba had only been four, but they had been sent to live with the couple in LA. Being the only blood family the little boy had ever known, Mokuba had always idolized his older brother, so Seto knew the slightly angry words must have cut deep.
But Seto also knew that speaking Japanese would single them out. He was an American, damnit; he spoke English, had an American passport and even wore American clothes. He didn't need the prejudice that others would feel towards him if he spoke his first language. But his foster parents didn't feel that way at all. In fact, Mr. and Ms. Kaiba sent Seto and Mokuba to Japan ever year to 'keep in touch with their roots'. As a result, the brothers spoke Japanese fluently and Mokuba, being younger and more trusting and naive, occasionally slipped up especially when they had just returned from their annual trip.
Letting out a deep sigh, Seto rolled his eyes and ruffled Mokuba's hair. After all, it wasn't really Mokuba's fault. He didn't seem to feel the same way Seto did about their current situation.
"It's all right." Seto reassured his brother. "Just remember next time."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm so tired." Seto groaned as he looked around the apartment. He'd just spent half the day unpacking his few books and clothes and putting them away. He frowned unhappily.
'I must really be getting spoiled. A few years ago, sharing a room with only Mokuba would have seemed wonderfully. Now I want my own room?' Seto shook his head at his own greed. He wandered around the new apartment. His parents had changed the large office on the second floor into their own bedroom and bathroom and Mokuba and Seto had taken the master bedroom on the first floor. There was a kitchen and another bathroom. A living room and of course a small library. Oh and there was a third room on the second floor that had become the laundry room. Seto let out a sigh and flopped down onto the sofa where Mokuba was already channel surfing.
"Anything good?"
"Not really, since I can't download any movies till our Internet connection is up. But there's a soap opera on the Spanish channel." Mokuba offered.
"Bugger that." Seto muttered, as the phone rang and he leaned over to pick it up. 'English may not be my first language,' he thought with a grin. 'But I sure have picked it well.'
"Hello?"
"Mr. Kaiba? This is reception. A young man says he wishes to see a Seto Kaiba."
"Does he have a name?" Seto asked with a yawn.
"He say's you know him as Ryou."
"Ryou?" Seto gasped sitting up straight. "Uh, no, don't send him up. Tell him I'll meet him down there."
Hanging up the phone, Seto grabbed his trench coat and hurried to slip on his shoes. Yelling over his shoulder that he'd be back before dinner, Seto pulled on his coat and waited for the elevator doors to open. Walking into the elevator, he pressed the button for the ground floor and waited patiently. Finally, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open to show Ryou standing there, wearing a leather jacket, a white shirt and tight-ish jeans. He'd grown his naturally white hair longer and streaked parts of it silver. Ryou smiled broadly and began to speak in rapid Japanese, while draping his arm over Seto's shoulder. Blushing slightly, Seto lowered his gaze and quickly dragged the still chattering Ryou out of the building.
"Listen, Ryou. I don't speak Japanese any more." Seto hissed once they were out of sight.
"Nani?!" Ryou gasped, before quickly changing to English. Ryou reached over and felt his friends' forehead. "Have they changed you into an American idiot so quickly?"
"That's not it." Seto growled. "I can talk it but I just don't. I really don't need the strange looks. I get enough when people find out I'm from Japan or when they find out I'm adopted or that I'm a boarder-line genius or that my father owns KaibaCorp, or when......."
"Oi!" Ryou laughed. "You're so uptight! Jeez man. You seriously need to relax."
"And how do you propose I do that?" Seto asked suspiciously. Even at the orphanage Ryou had been know for his wild sense of fun and relaxation which often got it's participants into a lot of trouble.
"Tonight, I'm going to a club I go to a lot. You should come with me."
"It may have escaped you attention, but I'm too young."
"This is New York! Money can get you anything you want if you know where to look. Besides, I'll get you in free as long as you promise to stay off the booze, cause I don't feel like dragging your sorry, drunken ass home, and explaining that bit to your parents. Uh, I also think a change of clothes is in order."
Arigatou, niisan - Thank you, older brother Nani?! - What?! Oi! - Hey!
AN3: The title is a song by Queen.
