Author's Note: An accompanying piece to 'Deconstructing Seto Kaiba'. Another one-shot but a Seto PoV this time. Haven't guessed who am I pairing up yet? The timeline and names that I used here is the same as the other one-shot so I hope that you also read that one out. I got the limerick idea (which is the opening ditty) from a book that I have read. Shorter than a regular poem anyway.
Disclaimer: Again, Yu-Gi-Oh! is the original work of Kazuki Takahashi. Only this fanfiction is mine.
Sense and SerenityThere was once a boy named Seto,
Whom they have labeled as a mean-o,
Sneer at my brother, 'You dog!'
Harass our friend, 'Poor Yug!'
Though in truth he is his brother's hero.
You don't know me at all, my girl.
No, 'my girl' doesn't mean that she is a girlfriend or something. It's just a figure of speech, that's all. Never mind that, moving on.
What crap; this piece of garbage or 'limerick' that she wrote. I don't even consider this as a proper form of poem, for goodness' sake. That kid needs some more quality education, if you ask me. But with having that dog, Joey, for a brother, I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out just like him. Though she got the 'you dog' part right, I am still outraged with the whole bit.
Who does she thinks she is? Why, how long have she been here anyway? A few days? A couple of weeks? And she had the gall to act like she have known me (or at least about me) for a longer time. No one, absolutely no one, has ever done that to me and came out unscathed. We shall see.
'Done reading, big brother? Can we get down to business already?'
Drat, Mokuba caught me reading this again. I looked up to see the mischievous grin on that kid's face. No sir, he will not leave this episode alone. He looked like one of those damned paparazzi who just have gotten the greatest scoop of their career.
Better turn my mind on the task at hand or I will get another teasing from Mokuba. At the same time, I need to think on some counterattack to stop his teasing of me and the Wheeler girl. That thought is so horrifying that it makes my skin crawl. What was her name again? Serenity? Too tame for my own good.
'Earth to big brother. Please attend to little brother now, girlfriend later.'
It ticks me off that Mokuba knows me so well that he reads my mind like a book.
'Enough already and she is not my girlfriend!'
I didn't mean to shout at my brother like that; else he will become afraid of me too. I looked back at him to see that he is trying so hard to supress his mirth, and this finally elicited a smile from me. I can't help it, he is incorrigible.
I haven't realized that I was so tensed up about our situation until this moment. And this is thanks to Mokuba. He is the only one that I need, then, now and always. Suddenly, my little brother hugged me so tight and his body started to shiver, a reminder that he is still quite young to endure all of this. I hugged him back and promised myself that I will do everything, everything in my power to keep that smile on his face. To let him live the life that he wants, and accept all the choices that he will make.
I was that close to end everything at this moment. The Kaiba name doesn't deserve to go on. But if not for this name, then who knows where me and my brother would have ended up right now. Much as it hurts my pride to admit it, I was thankful that the old geezer stuck to his promise and adopted us together.
'Though in truth he is his brother's hero.'
Stay out of my thoughts, Wheeler.
Admit it, you are intrigued by her, Seto.
And who the hell are you, my conscience? I thought I don't have any.
Dream on, moneybags. You just don't have the guts to acknowledge my presence. I am right here all the time.
Creepy, now you sound like that dog, Joey.
Great. Now she got me to start talking with myself. I guess I'm going crazy. Thank God I finished all that needs to be set up before I totally lose my mind. Back to the problem at hand.
'Time to go, little brother.'
I reached out my hand to him, which he so trustingly grasped in his. That is right, Mokuba. This hand will always be here to protect you, so you need not be afraid anymore.
Hurriedly, we ran to the corporate jet, ready to take us away from this place. Away from all the bad memories we have suffered here. Covertly, I peeked at the note again. Later, I will throw it away, so that it will just be a part of my past, something else to leave behind. Serenity Wheeler, no, just too soft and timid for my taste.
'You must admit, she does look pretty, even if she's a bit of a crybaby.'
Again! This kid really amazes me. Hell, why do I even contemplate about her when there is a very remote possibility that I will see her again. The foreign land beckons us, a good time to plan ahead for our future. I'm sure that Kaiba Land will be a hit there, no need to think about her. Okay, I just said to focus ahead, moron.
'Seto, we will come back to Domino City again, right? I have new friends there now, and you have__'
'Mokuba, I'm sure that you will make new friends to where we are going.' Cut off his musings quickly to stop that line of thought.
'Please?'
Ah, there it is, the killer appeal. That and big, teary-brown eyes are a deadly combination. Just one glance from those eyes and I am plain putty in his hands. And he knows it. Really, I think I have pampered him for so long that he doesn't listen to my warnings anymore.
We have come abreast of the ship where Yugi and the others were flying in. I try to tell myself not to bother looking for her, absolutely nothing will come out of it, but I just can't help myself. Now where the heck is she?
There is Yugi, and the dice kid. There goes the dog, and yes, there she is sitting behind her brother. Her brown eyes looked into mine; maybe she sensed that I was looking at her. Hmmm, interesting.
Okay, I admit it, I am intrigued. Well, maybe Mokuba and I will come back to Domino City so he can join up with his friends again. Right, deny it until the end. Oh, what the heck. At least there will be skirmishes with the dog, I mean the brother, to add to the enjoyment of getting to know her. Man, I sound like a girl in the first blushes of love.
'What is your answer, big brother?'
'We shall see, Mokuba. We shall see.'
Thanks to: Princess Kara of YuGiOh and vendred13, first reviewers of my 'Deconstructing Seto Kaiba' ficcie. I hope you will also like this one.