Rebirth
by Ceresi
Rating: R
WARNING: There are spoilers for the HP books in here. I know, it's crazy. Also, slash, and one racy little R scene. ALSO. This is still, for all intents and purposes, a rough draft. I've had it betaed and edited it several times myself, but I'm working on a sequal, and some changes might be necessary.
Author's Note: I really am an idiot.
So, there were supposed to be two chapters in the last update, but I, for some reason, skipped the third chapter and posted the fourth chapter twice.
-_-
To make up for it, I've posted the third chapter and the fifth and sixth chapters all at once. Hopefully everything will still show up right and I won't lose any of my (rarepreciousfew) reviews.
So sorry to you all. *hits self repeatedly*
Want more notes? See Chapter One.
***
Seto looked up when he realized that Mokuba was sitting in the chair across of his desk. He had his knees pulled up, head tilted back with a lazy, sleepy expression. His hair -- shorter than it had ever been -- tumbled around his face. "Yes, Mokuba?"
Mokuba straightened and looked at him. His mouth was a firm, unhappy line. "I'm sorry."
Seto blinked. "For what?"
"For coming home late," Mokuba said. He looked down. "I know I said I wouldn't break curfew anymore. I broke my promise -- and I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you."
"Promise me that you'll be careful then," Seto said quietly, concerned. Had Mokuba heard about the attack that morning somehow? He'd bribed the news stations and papers to keep it out, and Mokuba had no way of seeing the bandages wrapped around his middle . . . he couldn't have.
"I promise."
It was that simple. Seto narrowed his eyes, trying to understand, but he had the distinct impression that this wasn't something he could help with.
Mokuba left quietly, casting another look at his brother as the door shut. Something was obviously wrong.
Seto sat in uncomfortable silence, and then picked up the phone.
~
"I can't believe you're grounded for two months."
"He'll let up." Wary, Mokuba stuck his head out of the linen closet and searched the hallway. After his first grounding at thirteen, he 'lost' his cell phone so that if ever grounded again, he at least wouldn't be so alone. He sort of figured that Seto knew what he'd done (someone was paying the bill), but let him do it. The phone was probably tapped.
It was the sort of chess-match thinking that the two of them had gotten used to. Seto was a master duelist, after all. He had to spar mentally with someone, and those idiots at the office were about as challenging as white bread.
"You sure about that? What if he catches you right now?"
"Why would he come up to the fifth floor? It's completely deserted."
"Why would you go up to the fifth floor, then? He'll wonder why you're up there when you go missing."
"That's why it's perfect," Mokuba said happily. "He'll never search for me here, he's much more likely to check outside first. And then I'll see him through the window!"
"Insane," Daisuke said weakly. He'd heard about the Kaiba dueling wit, but had yet to witness it for himself. "That's crazy, Mokuba."
"It's fun."
Daisuke laughed. "You'd say so, wouldn't you?" There was a brief lapse in the conversation. "So, um, anything up?"
Mokuba sighed. "Daisuke, I'm grounded. Absolutely nothing is up."
"That's, ah, not what I --"
"I think Seto's looking for me," Mokuba lied quickly. If the phone was tapped . . . "I'll talk to you later?"
Daisuke sounded concerned and alarmed. "Yeah, all right. You okay, Mokuba?"
The question made him pause. He wasn't sure how to answer. Of course, Seto asked him the question every now and then, but things were mostly left unspoken between them. Sometimes his friends asked, and Yugi did have a way that made him really want to answer, but . . . .
"Yeah," he said, voice sounding funny. "I'm all right."
"Okay." Silence. "So, you'd better go, huh?"
Mokuba felt bad for lying. "Yeah. I'll talk to you."
"Bye."
~
"He's acting strange."
"Of course," Joey said, sounding amused. "You weren't strange when you were fifteen."
"I was a very normal fifteen-year-old."
"You were anti-social and headin' your own corporation, Seto. You don't get much stranger than that." His voice gentled. "Besides, you were lookin' after Mokuba then, too."
Coldly, Seto asked, "And by that you mean?"
Joey sighed. "You don't have much perspective," he said. "Make some time for 'im and let 'im talk. He'll probably tell ya himself, or you'll figure it out."
Seto grunted noncommittally.
Joey continued. "Mokuba's probably just got a girlfriend."
"Boyfriend," Seto corrected absently.
"Huh." There was a rustle as Joey adjusted the phone. His ear was probably falling asleep. "Guess it is hereditary."
"Shut it, Wheeler."
"Bitch, bitch, bitch."
Seto snorted. "I think I liked you more before you went to college."
"You just don't like that I'm smarter'n you are."
"Dream on, puppy."
"Hey!" Even after almost six years, he was still sensitive to the nickname. "Pull your punches, Kaiba."
"Who's the bitch now?"
Joey laughed, yawned. "You doin' all right without me to look after ya, Seto?"
"Like I need a flea-bitten mutt like you to look after me," Seto muttered, perhaps a touch bitter. His comfortable leather desk chair suddenly felt very confining.
"Hey now." Joey saw right through him. "No need to be nasty."
"Sure there is."
"I can fly out there whenever you need me," Joey murmured sleepily. "Ya know that, right? Just a phone call away."
Seto's throat caught. Joey was much better at this sort of thing than he was. Maybe it came with overly-dependent and affectionate younger sisters. Or with puppy-dog personalities.
"Yeah," Seto said quietly. "I know."
"Term'll be over in three days. I'll be on the first flight out of here, you know it."
The relief was so good it almost hurt, so good it felt like a punch in the gut. Seto couldn't wait. He closed his eyes and felt some of the tension bleed from him. "I know."
"And Mokuba's gonna be all right." Joey sounded amused. "Never thought I'd catch ya playin' the mother hen, Kaiba. It's interestin', I'll give you that."
"Wheeler, I'm warning you."
"I gotcha, more teasing, on the way." As Seto glowered -- Joey could probably hear him, even with an ocean between them -- Joey added quickly, "I do have to go. I love you."
Seto opened his mouth to reply, but Joey had already hung up. He always did that. Of course, the easiest way to beat him at his little game was to say it first. So far, he was losing.
