Adoptions
" No way! No way! No freakin' way! How in the seven hells did this happen?!?!" Mokuba ignored the incoming teenagers and went on yelling at Pegasus. " He'll never live through this if I know him, and I sure as hell do! Can't you do something?"
Pegasus, Yugi noted, who had been the one yelling when he first entered the rooms, was uncomfortably silent and almost impassive towards the shrieking child before him. The gang halted and watched the scene play out.
" If I don't tell the government that your brother has been found, they'll think I was the one that
kidnapped him." Pegasus sighed. " I can't stop the newspapers-they have a mind of their own, and
naturally, when the media realizes that your brother can't take care of himself, and with him still
being a minor, naturally they'd want to get him to a foster home."
" But Ni-sama would die before this happens again. He promised this to me years ago, that we
won't be adopted by another-jerk, and that he'll be the one to take care of me from now on!"
" He can't take care of himself." Pegasus answered bluntly. " And you can't take care of him."
Mokuba, shocked, fell silent.
Pegasus sighed and rubbed his temples. " I know that was harsh. But it's the truth. Your brother
can't take care of himself anymore, much less take care of you. And you can't take care of him
because you can't take care of yourself."
" I sure as hell can!" Mokuba didn't care that his language was offensive.
" Really? Let me tell you this. Your brother will need food and water, warm blankets, medicine, and
a feeling of security. I have no doubt that you can give him food and water and what not, but you're
twelve years old-"
" I'm thirteen!"
" Oh, that makes things so much better." Pegasus was visibly losing his patience. " Did you know
that your brother made tons of enemies all for the sake of you? And that they would all jump at the
chance to hurt or even kill him now that he's as helpless as a...I shouldn't have said that."
Nope, he shouldn't have. Yugi thought to himself cheerlessly as Mokuba backed away from the men, face as pale as a ghost. He burst into tears again and fled to Seto's room. Pegasus sat down and looked like his apparent headache was the worst thing that could happen now.
" I guess I didn't even need to tell him that his brother needs a life." Pegasus said dryly as if that would have helped the situation.
" You're a bastard, you know." Mokuba rocked his brother back and forth, eyes now dry. They had been dry ever since he set eyes on Seto, who was looking at him with a faint worry when he entered. Now he was engulfing his Ni-sama in the most loving embrace he could muster. " You need a life."
As always, Seto did not answer. His body felt hot to the touch, and Mokuba could imagine that Seto must be feeling very cold right now.
" I won't let them take you away from me." Mokuba closed his eyes. " Not like this. Not when I just found you again. You just stay put, and I will solve everything. You don't have to be afraid anymore."
Seto did not seem to understand anything Mokuba said, but undoubtedly felt safer than he was without him. Mokuba let go of his brother and tucked him in.
" I'll be right back." Mokuba told Seto after looking at the clock. The older brother looked longingly after Mokuba as he left, and Mokuba felt guilty. He had to talk to Pegasus.
" Seto Kaiba."
" Hai."
" You mean, the fifteen-year-old CEO of Kaiba Corps who was only defeated once and managed to
put almost all other businesses into bankruptcy."
" Hai."
" That Seto Kaiba."
" Hai."
Jun Yoshihano slumped back in his chair. " I don't believe it."
" So that's what you've been up to lately. Housing the great Seto Kaiba. Who isn't that..."
Yoshihano's wife looked at her husband.
Pegasus was rubbing his temples. It was something he was doing a lot lately, ever since Seto Kaiba
was found about three weeks ago and Mokuba was reunited with him. " Currently, Kaiba is in one
of the rooms recovering. Now that we've finished with what I have been doing with my personal life,
let us get back to business."
" Matte, so it's true then, the government is ordering Seto Kaiba to be adopted?"
" Hai. Now can we get back to the situation at hand?"
" Pegasus seems to be getting a lot of visitors lately." Jou observed.
" Who knows." Honda answered. " Maybe he's always this busy."
Ryou unwrapped a piece of chocolate and popped it into his mouth. " Do you think it's true? That
Kaiba will be put in a foster home?"
" I hope not." Yugi shuddered. " Judging from Mokuba's reaction."
" Here he is." Ryou looked up. " Hi Mokuba. Are you alright?"
" Yeah." The boy answered. " I'm okay. Ni-san's getting better, starting to respond more."
" That's good." Anzu said encouragingly. " He'll be back to himself in no time."
" I don't know about that." Mokuba answered depressingly. " He's acting so...I don't know. It's like
he's not my big brother anymore, but rather..."
" Your little brother?" It was Yami speaking this time.
Mokuba did not notice the change. " Hai. I don't know what to do now. He was always the strong
one." Mokuba sat down. " He was always the one that tells me everything would be okay, that he
won't let them take me away from him, no matter who they are."
" He'll get better." Jou said supportively. " Your big bro is a tough nut to crack."
" He's already cracked." Mokuba answered even more depressively. " I don't think he'll ever be the
same again."
There was a long silence.
" Let's not think that way." Anzu answered finally. " We should always be aware that it's possible,
but we shouldn't treat it that way."
" Yeah, besides, Kaiba's recovered from a number of things. Sure, this one is ten times worse than
the others, but he's resilient." Honda continued.
Mokuba smiled. " Arigatou, you guys comfort me."
" Hey, what are friends for?" Jou laughed.
Yeah. Mokuba smiled. Then the smile faded. " It would have been better on him if he had friends
like you."
" Who said we weren't?" Yami smiled. " We're here for him, aren't we?"
It's not the same. Mokuba thought.
" Of course I don't like it." Pegasus wiped at Seto's mouth as he spoke. " He could end up in a
home like Gozaburo for all I know."
" I assure you, we won't let that happen." The woman answered patiently.
" You certainly let that happen seven years ago." Pegasus answered. " It's bad enough he was a
CEO, with older men and women hating his guts." He said this in a rather uncharacteristic fashion.
" But now he's completely defenseless. Look at him, he's pathetic!" He leaned back and sighed,
distressed and worried about the boy. Seto made no indication that he noticed.
The woman studied Seto, who had just finished vomiting and looked like he was about to pass out. Pegasus placed a cool cloth on Seto's forehead and the boy closed his eyes in brief contentment and gratitude. The older man turned to the woman.
" Perhaps I should."
" Pardon?"
" I know Seto Kai-ahem. And his brother. Perhaps I should get guardianship of them-I have
influence and would be able to protect both of them more effectively than someone who has less
money."
" Hm." The woman considered this. " But would the youngster agree?"
" I don't know. Especially since it's not out of affection, and Mokuba craves it."
" Not out of affection." The woman sounded unconvinced.
Pegasus narrowed his eyes at her briefly. Clara smiled. She had known Pegasus for a long time, as well as his late wife. Pegasus never had reason to ask for her help-they never had children and ever since his wife died the man did not have intention of having any. He had become cold and aloof as the years went on, and to see him so tender with this broken child was oddly sweet. Doubtless, Pegasus, for all his genius, knew what she was thinking of.
" Are you implying something, Clara."
" No. Not at all." Clara smiled as sweetly as she could. " I would think Mokuba would understand
the circumstances. Being that you were the one who rescued Kai-Seto in the first place, he would be
safer with you. Doubtless, he feels safer."
Pegasus looked down at the boy and noticed he had, in fact, quite successfully passed out.
Impatient and extremely confused, Pegasus uttered an ungentlemanly growl of frustration, and stood up. Seto woke at the sound, flinching as he did, and blinked his eyes tiredly at Pegasus before relaxing and closing them again. Pegasus ran his fingers through his hair.
" I suppose I'll have to talk to Mokuba then."
Mokuba considered the offer thoughtfully. He weighed his options. Pegasus, after all, did kidnap him and almost kill Seto, but he seemed to have changed, and there was really no other better choice he could think of. Still, Mokuba thought of what Seto might want.
His brother would never have consented to this. But Seto had recently acquired a trust for Pegasus. Pegasus was the only person other than Mokuba who could stick an IV into Seto without his brother breaking into hysterics. Pegasus had nearly broke into hysterics-obviously not experienced in poking things into other people, but the man had kept his composure and Seto his. In fact, his Ni-sama had simply watched as the older man stuck the needle into his vein and wipe his brow without moving a muscle or giving any indication that he was afraid at all. And Pegasus was right-he would have more of a chance as the owner of Industrial Illusions to protect Seto.
What other option did he have?
" Ni-sama, you can still write, can't you?" Mokuba begged. Seto stared at the sheet for a minute, and his eyes moved across, indicating that he was actually reading it. Mokuba for some reason wasn't sure if this was a good thing.
" It's better this way, Ni-sama." Mokuba began, feeling that Seto might be able to make his own decision about the matter at this point.
Seto's eyes stopped moving and carried a distant look, an almost haunted look. Mokuba groaned. He was probably remembering how it went last time.
" It's okay Ni-sama. It's not the same as last time. It won't be." He encouraged. Seto had always been guilty about their time with Gozaburo. Mokuba slipped the pen into his brother's hand. " It's going to be alright.
Pegasus said nothing.
Seto struggled to sit up. After Mokuba helped him up, he began to write, with an unshaking hand and flowing script, Seto...
He stopped, then looked up at Pegasus. There was a pause, and Mokuba thought he wasn't going to continue, that he had changed his mind. But then, Seto continued, without looking down at his paper, Yamagi.
" Ni-sama," He began. Seto must have forgotten he was a Kaiba now. But as Pegasus took the
paper, he glanced at the signature and nodded.
" All that's left is you." He said.
Mokuba gaped. He did not understand. What did all this mean? He stared at Seto, who calmly looked back. Then, realization dawned on him. He took the pen and slowly wrote. Mokuba Yamagi...
" Pegasus adopted the Kaibas? It's one thing if he assumes guardianship, but he adopted them?!"
" It's not as far-fetched as you think, Jou." Anzu pointed out. " Seto's been treating Pegasus pretty
much as a guardian ever since he was rescued. I think he even looks at Pegasus as his hero or
something."
The teenagers sat at the fast-food restaurant drinking their sodas while talking. News had gone out a long time ago, and Seto was still the talk of gossipers. Some said he became gay, but that particular rumour died out quickly. There was also talk of Seto disowning his heritage, and that was still carrying on, but the group did not believe it more than anyone else did. It is, after all, a rumour.
" I do hope Pegasus doesn't do anything stupid." Otogi blinked his green eyes in an effort to blink
out an eyelash. " If he does, it might be the ruin of the Kaiba brothers."
" Especially poor Seto." Yugi agreed. " After all he's been through."
In the boy's mind, the Pharaoh was pacing. Yugi held his temple with patience, knowing that his
yami was just as upset as the rest of them were.
" Your Yami at it again?" Ryou asked, holding his head with an identical expression.
" Yours is probably kicking the walls." Yugi joked.
" Feels that way." Ryou smiled shyly. " Have you tried talking to him?"
" Hai. He wouldn't tell me anything."
" Strange, mine won't either. What do you suppose is bothering them? Seto Kaiba isn't that
important to mine anyway, why is yours going crazy?"
" Malik's sister mentioned something about a high priest." Jou said thoughtfully, brainlessly
bringing up something useful like he so often does. " You suppose Set-Kaiba had anything t'do
withat? I mean, there must be a reason he's always around, you know, and all of the sudden..."
" I think your jabbering is making it worse for the two of them." Honda pointed out as Yugi and
Ryou cringed simultaneously.
The group fell silent as they watched the two boys try to pacify their yamis. It was rather amusing to watch for a while, until the two boys suddenly stood up and ran out of the restaurant.
Everyone looked at each other.
" What was that about?" Anzu asked.
" Dunno." Jou answered.
" That was what you were out doing?" Mokuba asked tearfully. His brother, again, had slipped into one of those states where he did not acknowledge anything around him. " You couldn't wait until you get better? You couldn't wait until the next morning, or..."
Mokuba had asked this question to Seto before. The older boy never answered.
Seto turned his head and looked expectantly at the door. Mokuba looked over. He could see nothing and hear nothing, no shadows of feet or footsteps. Yet the door opened three minutes later.
Pegasus had been away for about two days since the adoption. There were things he had to get settled with the media, to keep them away from Seto and Mokuba. The man looked tired, he brightened slightly at Seto's welcoming smile, something the boy used often towards people he trusted. Mokuba had a lot of those smiles, more often than even before the incident.
" The doctor told me last week that today is the day you start eating edible food instead of glucose solutions," Pegasus tilted his head. " Do you feel up to it?"
Seto gave him a rather idiotic look like he didn't know what he was talking about. Mokuba knew better.
" Seto, maybe we can start with something warm and liquidy. Then you won't throw up."
Seto looked at Mokuba with the same dumb expression before nodding ever so slightly.
As Pegasus left Mokuba stared at what remained of his brother and pondered on everything his brother ever did for him. He patted Seto's hand.
" I'll always be here for you. You know that, right?"
Seto smiled at him, and Mokuba could see that he understood.