Syaoran

Chapter 6-Mokuba

I wasn't at the game shop the night when the stranger appeared, but Seto did tell me about it. Syaoran changed after that. He no longer played with me, no longer showed me what he could do with his magic. He just sits silent, barely eating, as if contemplating on what he should do.

Sometimes I beg him and he tells me a story, a story about the past, a girl named Meiling, for example, a dear cousin of his as well as his girlfriend. I shuddered at the thought and Syaoran wouldn't reply. He told of how they had trained together, of how Meiling had always given him support. Sometimes he would tell of a story of one of the card captures, the Twin Card, for example, where Sakura had suggested Syaoran and Meiling work together. Or perhaps the Time Card, where every time Sakura uses her Fly card everyone relives the same day over again. Sometimes he would tell of the Change card, first there was a card and they are trying to capture, which would be interrupted by lunch time. And then there gradually grew more to the story, until there was a stuffed animal in Syaoran's body and a Syaoran in a stuffed animal. Which gradually grew to how Syaoran nearly was eaten by a cat, and how Kero had decided to ride in Syaoran's bookbag having ' missed him so long'. Then there would be times when Syaoran would not tell the setting, but realizes that he had more power than he imagined, and saw the past, every single one of them, and nearly went mad. There would be times when he revived a dying soul before it died, without realizing it. The glaring contests with Touya Kinomoto.

Sometimes I catch him practicing his moves outside in the garden. Mostly it would be with a sword, his favorite. Sometimes it wouldn't be with anything. Other times it would be some kind of pole or long stick that came out of nowhere, and he spun it like a helicopter. There were times when he had a whip, and it goes whish! Whish! On and on. It was very cool. Then there were times when the yard was empty, save for a wet ground where Syaoran once was. He would be inside the mansion, and when I find him he would be asleep on big brother's lap. And my brother would tell me to keep quiet and I would, leaving them alone.

But it was not the same. It was like Jou had said. The past follows if you run, and that was exactly what happened. Syaoran realized we were in danger and tried to slowly leave us. Yet he didn't really want to.



The night Anzu was talking about was the night when Syaoran actually did leave. Had escaped from Seto's grips, in fact. Syaoran had came to us with nothing and tried to leave with nothing. Seto wouldn't have that. I remember that night very well.

" Syaoran, where are you going?" Seto asked, holding Syaoran's wrists very firmly.
" Let go of me Kaiba." Syaoran replied coldly.
" Not until you tell me where you're going."
" Where do you think? Out!" Syaoran yanked his arm, but Seto didn't let go.

For a minute I began to stand up, but Seto warned me with a glare he never used with me before, but I knew it was not directed at me. I sat back down.

" You're not going out, as you call it, Syaoran, because I have a feeling that out isn't exactly just that." Seto's voice was hard and strict.

Syaoran responded with a high somersault over Seto's head, which made him let go of Syaoran in surprise. Then Syaoran darted out the door before we could even blink. Syaoran was fast!

" Mokuba, you stay here." My brother ordered, and I desperately wanted to go out with him, I really did. But what could I do? Seto ran out into the night, chasing Syaoran, who was, as I had said, very fast.

I did not see what happened for myself but Ryou had told me. Syaoran had ran on and on, until Yami Bakura had stepped in his way and caught him in his arms. Syaoran had cried out, not in fear but in frustration. Seto had caught up to both of them and both had tried to calm Syaoran down, who began crying.

Then my big brother told Syaoran what we had all wanted to tell him. That he didn't have to be scared. That he didn't have to be alone. Because now we are all here for him. We are his friends. And no matter what dangers there are, we're sticking with him. So he can run. But we'll always be running behind him.

And the thing was, it was true.



That night Seto took Syaoran home and I remember he looked like...I don't know. Just totally not right. And Seto led both of us to the dining room, and there Seto began to toss any food into Syaoran's bowl of rice just as he does with me. Pork, bits of salmon, sometimes he even wipes the wasabi onto the salmon and then dips it in soy sauce before even letting Syaoran have it. Syaoran for once ate everything hungrily, and I saw that he was trembling the whole way. Seto told me to go to my room and up I did go.

I guess Syaoran's just this type of person. Always thinking of others without seeming to. When I climbed into bed I heard Seto's voice talking with Syaoran and Syaoran sobbing. Did Syaoran know how much he means to me? To all of us? I mean, Syaoran's like my second brother. And Seto cares for him too. Yugi and Yami-why would they try to teach him the Heart of the Cards if Syaoran kept on saying he no longer can use it? And Jou and Honda-they always take Syaoran to the arcades even after that night when the stranger came. Anzu and Mai took him out shopping, the girlish things that they do. And Ryou also tried to take care of him. Because Syaoran was his savior.



The next day I woke with Syaoran shaking me awake.
" Come on Mokuba. We're going out with Jou today." He said.

I yawned, then remembered the other night. " Daijoubu, Syaoran-kun?"
" Hai." Syaoran left the room.

I quickly dressed and went downstairs. Seto was nowhere to be seen.
" Gone already?" I whined.
" He does have a company to run." Syaoran grumbled as he gave me some toast. " Let me see, the Do Jonis dropped eleven points, the Nazi dake dropped..." And it was seemed as if nothing had happened the other night.

" Still in bad shape." Syaoran put down the newspaper, and I received a brief image of how Seto must have looked like before I even woke up. Perhaps sitting with a newspaper drinking a cup of coffee, contemplating on stocks?

" He stresses himself too much." Syaoran didn't eat.
" Aren't you going to have any?" I asked.
" Iie. I'm not hungry."
" You were last night."
" Running takes up energy." Syaoran answered uncomfortably.

I decided to stop. " Why did you want to leave us?"

Syaoran stopped. He looked at me for a minute.
" Mokuba..."
" Syaoran, onegai, just tell me. Did we do something wrong? Did we hurt you or something?"
" Iie, iie," Syaoran began to tremble. " It's not that Mokuba."
" Don't you care about us anymore?"

I was a child then, eight years old, with very small brains and very not up to date view on current events. I knew I was giving him some trouble. I just didn't know how much. And I was so caught up with my own feelings of frustration that I didn't care what he felt.

" Mokuba..." Syaoran sighed and sat down again, looking at me pleadingly. " I'm so sorry, I didn't know it made you feel that way..." Syaoran lowered his eyes, and that was the first time I saw this side of him, sensitive and vulnerable. " It's just that I didn't want them to hurt you. Any of you. I thought I could just run away." Syaoran smiled. " I can run but I can't hide. I only wanted to lead them away from you. I didn't want to put you all in danger. I care about you Mokuba, all of you. I care about you a lot." Syaoran wiped a tear from his eye. " Take one word of advice from me, Mokuba." He smiled at me. " Never run and never hide. Problems tend to follow and haunt. Running only makes it worse." Syaoran got up.
" Come on Mokuba. We have to go now."

So that was why Seto told Syaoran that no matter what happened we will all stick together as good friends do. That he didn't have to be afraid. Because we are strong as a whole. With Yami, Akira, Ryou and Yugi, Seto and everyone else, we are strong. We are all friends, taking part in the same thing that was thrown to us.

As for why Yami Bakura had helped Syaoran it would be told by Akira. After a while.