This fic is for everyone who has ever wondered 'Why didn't anyone seem to want Mokuba?' You would think that anyone with half a brain would jump at the chance of adopting a child as sweet as him along with his 'genius' older brother. No one did though, until Gozaburo Kaiba came along. Why was that? This is my attempt at answering that question.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh
Brotherly Bonds
Chapter One: We Need To Talk
Seto Kaiba looked up at the digital clock in his office, which read 10:59. He then turned to stare at the computer screen in front of him, with the day's transcripts awaiting his approval.
He had started working on them after dinner nearly four hours ago, and he had made no progress since then.
Running his fingers though his long hair, he groaned. He'd chosen this work specifically, because he could practically do it in his sleep in a relatively short time. Not tonight, though. Tonight he had other, more important things on his mind.
Mokuba.
Every six months they went though the same routine; He took his brother to his appointment, had the tests done, got the results back a few hours later, and they went back to their lives. Not this time, though.
No, this time Mokubas' appointment had been pushed back from the morning to the afternoon by some incompetent receptionist.
This time his tests were the last ones in before the weekend started.
This time they would have to wait three days before they got the results!
Three days!
It felt like a lifetime!
He turned once more to his untouched work, gave up and sent a message off to his assistant, telling her to cancel all his weekend appointments, as well as those on Monday. He couldn't focus on his work right now, not with this on his mind. He was too emotional, too scared, and much too angry to think of anything else.
HOW DARE THEY!
Didn't they realize how long three days could be? What it's like to look your brother in the eyes and not know that everything is going to be okay? How it feels to know that you're the only one left who really cares about him?
Seto released a slow, deep breath at this last thought. It wasn't entirely true now; there were other people in his brothers' life that would certainly care about what was going on. It wasn't always like that though. Not when they first found out what was wrong, or for a long time after that.
Now, though, his brother had Yugi Moto and his other friends to go to if he needed to. He wondered if Mokie had told any of them about today, or what his appointment was for. Probably not, since he wasn't expecting to have to wait so long for the test results. Besides, this had all become so routine for both of them, he didn't think about it too much. He sighed.
He knew he shouldn't worry about it so much. After all, it had been almost nine years since the initial diagnosis, and barely eight since it was declared 'in remission'. Every time the tests came back good, he felt as if they'd crossed another hurdle, left another painful moment behind. His anger suddenly returned with a vengeance.
How dare they rob them of that!
How dare they take away that feeling of blessed relief they both felt away from them! It was as if the rug had been yanked out from under them both for the umpteenth time in their lives!
How dare they…
He shook his head, trying to bring himself back into focus. "Everything is going to be fine." He thought to himself. "This means nothing, just that I have to kick a few butts for that receptionists incompetence. This means nothing!" It would have been nice, he decided, if he could just convince himself of that.
It was amazing. After all this time, he could still be reduced to a frightened seven- year-old because of some stupid delay.
Suddenly, without warning, he remembered that first day when his father had explained it to him.
Leukemia.
How could one word be so terrifying?
When his father had first told him what it was, how it would affect all their lives, not just Mokuba, part of him had wanted to die. Why was this happening to his little brother, he'd thought. He didn't do anything bad, it wasn't fair! Then he did what he did best back then; He asked questions. With every question he asked his father gave an answer, or the promise of one later. It was nice, he remembered, comforting even, that his father had taken the time to do that. He was used to his endless questions by then, so it must have felt good to lapse into something almost normal.
Then he remembered something else.
Later that same night, his father had come into his room to check on him. He was still awake, too wound up to allow his inquisitive mind rest, but too tired to move from his bed.
His father watched him for awhile, then seemed to have made-up his mind about something in that moment. Gently, he'd gathered him in his arms, and carried him into his own room, placing him on the large bed. He then turned and left, only to return a few minutes later with a sleepy, but very much awake, Mokuba. He then carefully placed the drowsy toddler in next to Seto before climbing in himself.
After he'd made sure no one would fall out in the middle of the night, he'd looked them both in the eyes and spoke to them in a determined, yet tender voice.
"I want you both to know something. This changes nothing. I still love you both more than anything else. That will never change." He'd leaned over then, pulled them both close to him and kissed them each on the forehead before going to sleep.
Seto Kaiba stood where he was, stunned that anyone had ever loved him so much. He couldn't believe that he'd forgotten that night, or how safe he'd felt curled up next to his father. He closed his eyes and remembered more. How he had listened to the sound of his brothers rhythmic breathing for what felt like hours. How he'd finally dosed off himself listening to the sound of their fathers' heart beating in his chest.
It was so peaceful.
All he wanted right now was to feel that safe again, to not have this familiar, terrible fear returning.
To not have to face this alone.
He left his office and headed for his brothers' room. It was late, and he was probably asleep by now, but he should check anyway. Quietly opening the door, he looked inside.
There was his brother, wide-awake in his bed. Mokie sat up to look at him when he entered the room.
"I couldn't sleep." He confessed, looking down at his lap.
"That's okay. I just wanted to see how you were." He walked over to him, sat on the edge of the bed, and put his arms around him tightly.
After a few minutes had passed like this, Mokuba looked up at his brother, a question in his eyes.
"What is it?" Seto asked him.
Mokuba looked down for a moment before answering. "I know this is gonna sound kind of babyish, but…"
"What? What is it?" he asked.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?"
After a moment, Seto smiled at him. "Sure Kiddo, anything you want."
Mokuba looked relieved and was about to get up, when Seto scooped him up, and carried him effortlessly to his own room.
"Hey! I'm tired but I can still walk y'know!"
Seto smiled playfully down at his brother. "Oh, no you can't. Hospital policy. No unnecessary walking after Ten P.M."
Mokuba only scowled at him.
As he set him down on the soft bed in his room, Mokie looked up at him with what looked like another question.
"What, is something wrong?"
"Dad did this once, didn't he?"
Seto was amazed, yet again. "Yeah, he did that first night we found out. I'm a little surprised you remember, you were just barely over two years old."
Mokie nodded. "Yeah, I remember. You asked dad a whole bunch of questions, and the next thing I remember, he put both of us in bed with him later that night."
Seto leaned over to gently ruffle his brothers' hair, when Mokuba put up a hand to stop him. "What else happened?"
He blinked at him, not understanding. "What do you mean 'What else happened?'"
Mokuba sighed, looked up for a minute, then looking his brother dead in the eye, asked, "What happened after that night?"
Seto Kaiba was startled. This was not a question he'd expected, even though Mokuba had asked about their parents before. Even then though, they had mostly been about what kind of people they were, what they looked like, even once how their voices sounded.
"What brought this on? You've never really asked about it before."
Mokuba stared down at the blanket. "You know, every time someone asks me what kind of person you are, I always tell them that you're the best big brother anyone could ever ask for."
A smiled tugged at Seto's lips as Mokuba continued; now looking up at him. "You know, the best thing you ever did was stick by me, especially that first year when I was so sick."
"What was I supposed to do? Leave you when you needed me the most?"
Mokuba looked away for a moment before he went on. "Every six months we go through the same thing. It's no big deal, I probably don't have anything to worry about…"
"Go on."
He closed his eyes and sighed, then looked up again. "We never talk about it. That's what's brought this on. I mean" he continued quickly now "I understand why you don't like to talk about it, we were practically alone and no one really cared much what happened to us, but-"
"But what?" he'd stopped so abruptly, it was unnerving.
"But sometimes I need to talk to you about it." He finally said. "Not with my friends, not with some under-paid school councilor, you."
Seto didn't move, his mind frozen by this declaration. He'd always assumed that Mokuba didn't want to talk about that part of their lives anymore than he did. It was not a happy chapter, to say the least. Doctors with charts, Nurses with sympathetic looks, other families with sick children, late night hospital visits, chemo…
"Seto?"
He heard his name, and suddenly remembered where he was.
Mokuba was still looking at him, a little scared, but still determined.
"Please," he went on. "I need to talk about it. With you."
Seto stared at him for another moment, then pulled him into his arms.
"Alright." He quietly conceded. "If you really need to talk about it, then okay."
"Thank you." Mokuba quietly mumbled into his shirt.
Seto got up, went over to his dresser and pulled out some nightclothes to wear; just an old T-shirt and some sweats.
After he was changed up, he went over to his bed and climbed in alongside Mokie who was already under the covers.
Lying on his side, with his head propped up on one hand, he looked at his little brother, who had assumed a similar position.
"Okay," he started. "What do you want to talk about first?"
A.N.: Before I get any flames from people reminding me that there are people who will adopt a sick child just remember; something like that comes with a lot of responsibility, both financial and emotional. Not everyone wants that right from the start with an adopted child. This also casts a new light on the families who came to adopt Seto, but changed their minds when he refused to leave his brother behind.
Also, I apologize if anything I have written is being portrayed incorrectly. I have no wish to offend anyone with this story. I will gladly accept any suggestions or information that anyone thinks will be helpful to this fic. Corrections would be welcomed as well.
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