"What ya working on, Big Brother?"
I smiled at the holographic raven-haired boy. "Just a few things for the office."
He rested a ghost hand on my shoulder. I felt a slight tingle, but nothing else. It was just from the lights focusing on that point on my body. "Noa thinks you work too hard, and frankly, I agree."
"You two have certainly formed a bond," I said, not looking up from the screen.
"You promised me a girl friend, you know."
"I know. I've been busy."
"With Honda?" Mokuba asked in a sing-song voice.
"It's just a few dates, Mokuba, I don't even know if he likes me as more than a passing...fancy."
"Noa says the aging programs are a bit off, he looks like an old man."
"I'll fix it," I muttered, clicking up a new window. I began rewriting the codes, fixing the math. "Remind him it's only a temp-program until I rework it and maybe he doesn't want to be plugged into it right now."
"We're both tired of looking like ten-year-olds, Seto."
"I said I'd get to it, didn't I? It's being tested on plants right now, so maybe he wouldn't want to age that fast."
"Aren't you a little snippy?" another voice asked as another light turned on. Noa stared at me, smirking. He didn't quite look like an older version of himself, but as a green-haired, violet-eyed me. Kaiba-sama had done a great job at matching our looks by age, but the only option I had for artificial computer aging was to use me as a template. That's why Mokuba mostly looked the same, as I had not found a better alternative.
"I'm tired of waiting, I've only been in here since...forever!"
"Well, your father was terrible at abstract thought now, wasn't he?" The only file I had found on artificial aging was a practical clone of himself.
I got up and pushed back my chair. "I'm taking a break, you can follow me, if you like."
I had equipped my whole house with holographic lights that were plugged into the computer. The computer had a basic representation of the home, so they could "walk" with me. Of course, they sometimes ended up halfway in and out of a table, which was a little weird.
It was a strange obsession I had created, right? Making my dead brothers as real as possible. But no one knew. I had managed to balance myself between them, Kaiba Corp., school, and, well, friends. Without feeling too tired and strained--most of the time.
I rubbed my temples. "Noa, do I have any phone messages?"
As Noa pulled up a graphic, Mokuba laughed. "Hoping HON-da called?"
Sighing, I opened the refrigerator. "Maybe," I said elusively, but my faint blush gave me away.
Noa nodded. "Yeah. He said he was coming over around eight, whether you wanted to go out or not."
"Okay, well, I have a few more hours."
"Seto," Mokuba said dryly. "It's 7:58."
"Shit." I slammed the fridge closed.
"Why won't you let him in?" Noa asked, peering up at me, putting on his little kid face.
I sighed. "It's a little freaky."
"So you'd rather be a hermit you talks to computer graphics of his dead brothers, one he never even knew in life?" Noa asked.
"I don't know how you two are so...at ease about this."
Mokuba shrugged. "I don't have to go to school."
"I'm used to it, Seto," Noa explained. "I've had seven long years to get to it."
"And it's not like I ever went outside much anyway."
"But I can't give you a hug," I said softly.
"You could if you ever stopped being a fucking pussy and went into the damn virtual world!" Noa burst out.
"You watch your fucking mouth, brat. If I could even trust you to not lock me up once I'm there."
Noa sniffed, indignant. "Why would I do that?"
"To piss me off," I spat as I clicked off the holograms. They could easily turn it back on, but this time they didn't, giving me my space.
Just then, the doorbell rang. I made my way to the end of the long hall and opened it. "Honda," I greeted him, nodding.
He took me by the hand and pulled me into a kiss. He slipped his arms around my neck and pushed his tongue inside my mouth. I fell back against the wall as he began exploring my body, touching places he had long since memorized.
I moaned, trying to get him to pull back. "Please, not he--"
"Not a hotel, Seto." He trailed kisses over my neck and upper chest. "Please don't make me feel like a calling maid."
"Then your house."
He stopped kissing me and trailing his hands over my touch-starved skin. "What wrong with yours?"
A light turned on and Mokuba stood there, watching.
I looked Honda in the eyes and said, "I have a lot of explaining to do."
"Then you better start."
~~~
Honda waved his hands around the room that held the computer. "All of this?"
"All of it."
Honda examined the room with his eyes from where he stood. He finally caught me gaze and shook his head. "Why are you so eccentric? God, I knew...KNEW getting involved with you was a stupid idea, but I wouldn't listen to myself. I wanted to believe that you were half way sane. So what do I get now? A necrophiliac boyfriend?!"
I jumped to my feet. "You take that back! Take that fucking back RIGHT NOW! I love my brother very much, but not in the sick way you seem to think!" I grabbed him and was about to ring his pencil neck out when he pushed me back, then grabbed me back in a kiss.
He leaned his forehead against my shoulder, as we were clutched onto each other desperately. "I can't handle this, Kaiba. It's just so hard...why can't you be normal?"
"I've never BEEN normal, Honda." I pushed him back and took him by the shoulders. "If you can't handle the way I am, I ask you to leave. Because I'm not about the change for anyone."
Honda heaved a large sigh and nodded. Off-handily, he commented, "Jounochi could handle you."
"Jounochi strives for the strange. Otogi thinks Jounochi wants repetition. Jounochi wants someone who he can feed off of, not be dominated by."
Honda crossed his arms, nodding. "Someone who compliments his personality."
"Someone who will support him no matter what."
"Then go get him, Kaiba. End all of this."
"There is no end, Honda. It never ends. The story, life. There's no such thing as happily ever after. The poor girl who becomes a princess never finds her prince charming. And good, innocent people die. This isn't a fantasy, it's life."
Honda threw his arm towards the computer. "This is fantasy. And you'd be happy enough to stay in it, right? You're right; good, innocent people die. And even you said that the poor boy becomes a prince." He backed me up against the wall, placing his hands on either side of me on the wall. "You are that prince. Spoiled, waiting for a prince charming you keep telling yourself doesn't exist. Who needs prince charming when there's the normal person who is made for you? And who cares if he isn't made for you? You're only sixteen. There are people who are forty and have never met their soul mate.
"But you think that gives you the right to close off from the world. Jounochi cares about you and would hold you in his arms as you refused to let go of your fantasy. I can't do that for you. I live in the real world. Your mind has been a nice, strange vacation, but I'm ready to go home. TALK to Jounochi. You two live in these little worlds that..." He heaved a large sigh. "It doesn't matter what I say, does it? You're set upon doing things in this little routine and ritual you've set up. Well, good for you, but I'm excusing myself out now." He lifted himself up. "Bye, Kaiba. I'll see you around," he said, leaving me standing there.
I sunk to a stooping position as I examined my life. As I fell to my knees, reality and reason slowly leaving me, I glanced around the room, begging things to go back to normal. I was having a mental break down because I couldn't handle it. So I screamed, letting all my frustrations out in my loud, shrill sob. And I begged nothingness to take me over. But I was left in reality, cold, vulnerable.
"I've had enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed, banging my fists against the floor.
A light came on, only it wasn't either of my brothers. I stared at the holographic blonde hair and brown eyes. "Don't do this to me, Noa," I whispered in a strangled voice.
My eyes flashed, then I reached for the large keyboard, slamming my fist on it. "Stop it! Stop it!" I screamed repeatedly until I passed out in exhaustion.
I woke up in the fantasy world. The minute my vision cleared, I ran to Mokuba, pulling him into a hug. I sobbed until there was nothing left in me...
I smiled at the holographic raven-haired boy. "Just a few things for the office."
He rested a ghost hand on my shoulder. I felt a slight tingle, but nothing else. It was just from the lights focusing on that point on my body. "Noa thinks you work too hard, and frankly, I agree."
"You two have certainly formed a bond," I said, not looking up from the screen.
"You promised me a girl friend, you know."
"I know. I've been busy."
"With Honda?" Mokuba asked in a sing-song voice.
"It's just a few dates, Mokuba, I don't even know if he likes me as more than a passing...fancy."
"Noa says the aging programs are a bit off, he looks like an old man."
"I'll fix it," I muttered, clicking up a new window. I began rewriting the codes, fixing the math. "Remind him it's only a temp-program until I rework it and maybe he doesn't want to be plugged into it right now."
"We're both tired of looking like ten-year-olds, Seto."
"I said I'd get to it, didn't I? It's being tested on plants right now, so maybe he wouldn't want to age that fast."
"Aren't you a little snippy?" another voice asked as another light turned on. Noa stared at me, smirking. He didn't quite look like an older version of himself, but as a green-haired, violet-eyed me. Kaiba-sama had done a great job at matching our looks by age, but the only option I had for artificial computer aging was to use me as a template. That's why Mokuba mostly looked the same, as I had not found a better alternative.
"I'm tired of waiting, I've only been in here since...forever!"
"Well, your father was terrible at abstract thought now, wasn't he?" The only file I had found on artificial aging was a practical clone of himself.
I got up and pushed back my chair. "I'm taking a break, you can follow me, if you like."
I had equipped my whole house with holographic lights that were plugged into the computer. The computer had a basic representation of the home, so they could "walk" with me. Of course, they sometimes ended up halfway in and out of a table, which was a little weird.
It was a strange obsession I had created, right? Making my dead brothers as real as possible. But no one knew. I had managed to balance myself between them, Kaiba Corp., school, and, well, friends. Without feeling too tired and strained--most of the time.
I rubbed my temples. "Noa, do I have any phone messages?"
As Noa pulled up a graphic, Mokuba laughed. "Hoping HON-da called?"
Sighing, I opened the refrigerator. "Maybe," I said elusively, but my faint blush gave me away.
Noa nodded. "Yeah. He said he was coming over around eight, whether you wanted to go out or not."
"Okay, well, I have a few more hours."
"Seto," Mokuba said dryly. "It's 7:58."
"Shit." I slammed the fridge closed.
"Why won't you let him in?" Noa asked, peering up at me, putting on his little kid face.
I sighed. "It's a little freaky."
"So you'd rather be a hermit you talks to computer graphics of his dead brothers, one he never even knew in life?" Noa asked.
"I don't know how you two are so...at ease about this."
Mokuba shrugged. "I don't have to go to school."
"I'm used to it, Seto," Noa explained. "I've had seven long years to get to it."
"And it's not like I ever went outside much anyway."
"But I can't give you a hug," I said softly.
"You could if you ever stopped being a fucking pussy and went into the damn virtual world!" Noa burst out.
"You watch your fucking mouth, brat. If I could even trust you to not lock me up once I'm there."
Noa sniffed, indignant. "Why would I do that?"
"To piss me off," I spat as I clicked off the holograms. They could easily turn it back on, but this time they didn't, giving me my space.
Just then, the doorbell rang. I made my way to the end of the long hall and opened it. "Honda," I greeted him, nodding.
He took me by the hand and pulled me into a kiss. He slipped his arms around my neck and pushed his tongue inside my mouth. I fell back against the wall as he began exploring my body, touching places he had long since memorized.
I moaned, trying to get him to pull back. "Please, not he--"
"Not a hotel, Seto." He trailed kisses over my neck and upper chest. "Please don't make me feel like a calling maid."
"Then your house."
He stopped kissing me and trailing his hands over my touch-starved skin. "What wrong with yours?"
A light turned on and Mokuba stood there, watching.
I looked Honda in the eyes and said, "I have a lot of explaining to do."
"Then you better start."
~~~
Honda waved his hands around the room that held the computer. "All of this?"
"All of it."
Honda examined the room with his eyes from where he stood. He finally caught me gaze and shook his head. "Why are you so eccentric? God, I knew...KNEW getting involved with you was a stupid idea, but I wouldn't listen to myself. I wanted to believe that you were half way sane. So what do I get now? A necrophiliac boyfriend?!"
I jumped to my feet. "You take that back! Take that fucking back RIGHT NOW! I love my brother very much, but not in the sick way you seem to think!" I grabbed him and was about to ring his pencil neck out when he pushed me back, then grabbed me back in a kiss.
He leaned his forehead against my shoulder, as we were clutched onto each other desperately. "I can't handle this, Kaiba. It's just so hard...why can't you be normal?"
"I've never BEEN normal, Honda." I pushed him back and took him by the shoulders. "If you can't handle the way I am, I ask you to leave. Because I'm not about the change for anyone."
Honda heaved a large sigh and nodded. Off-handily, he commented, "Jounochi could handle you."
"Jounochi strives for the strange. Otogi thinks Jounochi wants repetition. Jounochi wants someone who he can feed off of, not be dominated by."
Honda crossed his arms, nodding. "Someone who compliments his personality."
"Someone who will support him no matter what."
"Then go get him, Kaiba. End all of this."
"There is no end, Honda. It never ends. The story, life. There's no such thing as happily ever after. The poor girl who becomes a princess never finds her prince charming. And good, innocent people die. This isn't a fantasy, it's life."
Honda threw his arm towards the computer. "This is fantasy. And you'd be happy enough to stay in it, right? You're right; good, innocent people die. And even you said that the poor boy becomes a prince." He backed me up against the wall, placing his hands on either side of me on the wall. "You are that prince. Spoiled, waiting for a prince charming you keep telling yourself doesn't exist. Who needs prince charming when there's the normal person who is made for you? And who cares if he isn't made for you? You're only sixteen. There are people who are forty and have never met their soul mate.
"But you think that gives you the right to close off from the world. Jounochi cares about you and would hold you in his arms as you refused to let go of your fantasy. I can't do that for you. I live in the real world. Your mind has been a nice, strange vacation, but I'm ready to go home. TALK to Jounochi. You two live in these little worlds that..." He heaved a large sigh. "It doesn't matter what I say, does it? You're set upon doing things in this little routine and ritual you've set up. Well, good for you, but I'm excusing myself out now." He lifted himself up. "Bye, Kaiba. I'll see you around," he said, leaving me standing there.
I sunk to a stooping position as I examined my life. As I fell to my knees, reality and reason slowly leaving me, I glanced around the room, begging things to go back to normal. I was having a mental break down because I couldn't handle it. So I screamed, letting all my frustrations out in my loud, shrill sob. And I begged nothingness to take me over. But I was left in reality, cold, vulnerable.
"I've had enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed, banging my fists against the floor.
A light came on, only it wasn't either of my brothers. I stared at the holographic blonde hair and brown eyes. "Don't do this to me, Noa," I whispered in a strangled voice.
My eyes flashed, then I reached for the large keyboard, slamming my fist on it. "Stop it! Stop it!" I screamed repeatedly until I passed out in exhaustion.
I woke up in the fantasy world. The minute my vision cleared, I ran to Mokuba, pulling him into a hug. I sobbed until there was nothing left in me...