Chapter 10 Time for Action

Finally, the last class had come. Yugi took a deep breath in relief, sliding into his seat. However, the silence surrounding him made him instantly nervous. Joey and Tristan would be in serious trouble for missing this class. Mr. Hanakori hated them already; being absent would just make the teacher pick on them more. And with math, it was not difficult to purposefully make the problems so the boys would fail.

Yet, Yugi's worries werefor nothing. A few moments after the bell rang for class to start, a female teacher walked in, somewhat disheveled. The short boy recognized her from Téa's art class.

"Sorry, I'm late. I'll be your substitute today."

Instantly, students began whispering. Mr. Hanakori was never gone. He loved tormenting the students too much. Yugi really wished Joey and Tristan were here, as they would be furious that they missed the day the teacher was gone.

Somewhat dazed, Yugi got out his books to do the worksheet assignment they had as an assignment. Knowing Mr. Hanakori, he was not surprised it was fifteen pages, but he still was thrilled the teacher himself was absent.

As he suspected, Joey and Tristan were cursing their ill luck. Unsurprisingly, despite the fact they were "sick," they were waiting outside the shop for him after school.

"I don't believe it!" they moaned together.

Before Yugi could agree with them, Grandpa came out of the shop holding the phone.

"For you, Yugi!"

"Huh?" Yugi took it, wondering who could be calling him. His friends were all around him. "Hello?"

"Yugi."

The voice was irritated, mainly because the estimate for the time it would take Yugi to get to his house from the exact time the last bell rang had been slightly off. However, Kaiba had not counted on the fact that Joey and Tristan were waiting nearby to ambush him before he could enter. If they had not been there, Kaiba's call would have been just as Yugi walked by the phone.

However, he was also extremely irritated because he was worried that Mokuba was still missing because of what Kaiba had done in the first place…So all in all, Kaiba was mostly angered at himself.

"K-Kaiba?"

The others with Yugi all opened their eyes wide, except Bakura, who did not know what was going on, though he was also astounded. Kaiba would never call Yugi. The others who did not know the Kaiba's story had not come over to Yugi's shop after school.

"I'm glad you haven't forgotten who I was just because I haven't been in school," he replied sarcastically. There was the other fact—that the gang no longer had the reminder of Kaiba Corporation to bring Kaiba to mind. Now, as all the papers were fond of headlining, the new owner would be changing the name and the product type. But Kaiba did not want to get into a conversation about the company. He had more important matters on his mind.

Getting back to those matters, Kaiba's voice stopped the cynicism, instead attempting to hide the more worried tone. "Have you seen Mokuba recently?"

Now Yugi's eyes were as bulbous as a fly's. Yami would have had something to say except he was listening closely as well.

"Mokuba was supposed to be with you! We brought him to the hospital and…" Yugi couldn't finish, seeing Bakura blinking in surprise and knowing that Joey had said it was a secret. Hating to be rude but hating to break a promise more, Yugi left the others and went inside with the phone.

"I mean after that." Kaiba gritted his teeth. Couldn't they understand the urgency?

Yugi shook his head before remembering Kaiba could not see the action. "No. We went home and that was the last I saw him. Hmm…two missing people in one day." There was no reason to have Mr. Hanakori brought to mind when thinking of Mokuba, but Yugi could not restrain himself from speaking his thoughts, even ones that just popped up.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, just that one of my teachers was missing. Well, I guess, it would be one of our—"

"Which one?" Kaiba interrupted.

Now blinking himself, Yugi answered, "Mr. Hanakori. Isn't it odd? He's never absent."

Kaiba had to agree, not that he considered a missing teacher anywhere near as catastrophic as a missing brother. But just hearing the name Hanakori brought to mind the trial, where the man himself had testified against Kaiba. He could still see Mr. Hanakori glaring and then sneering triumphantly…

Flashback

"Seto Kaiba? What do I think of him? He's a rotten, disrespectful student. I sent him to the principal to be suspended, you know. He was always mouthing off to the teachers and trying to show off how much he knew that wasn't even related to class. I'll be glad when his brother can live with someone else. Then, the poor soul won't have such a bad influence."

The prosecuting attorney nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Hanakori. I'm glad to see we aren't the only ones looking out for Mokuba's well-being. Can you tell me the worst thing Kaiba has ever done in your classroom?"

The teacher leaned forward, a glint in his eye. "I recall many perfectly. But the worst was one I witnessed when I was sitting in the class observing for the science teacher. It seems that another unfortunate young man—I forget who—was teamed with Kaiba. As a joke, Kaiba told the other student how to make the concoction. However, Kaiba lied, knowing what would happen. The chemicals burst, splattering people and even causing some burns. The one who was his partner got the brunt of it." Mr. Hanakori tragically shook his head. "People like Seto Kaiba shouldn't even have younger siblings, much less be required to care for one."

End Flashback

His partner had been Joey Wheeler, and not that many students had gotten hurt. The chemicals only stung a little; they certainly left no long-lasting damage. Kaiba would never want lawsuits after him. But it did not matter. That evidence and more had managed to take his brother away from him.

"Kaiba?" Yugi's voice was worried.

Coming back to himself with a jolt, Kaiba shook his head, making his brown umber hair go slightly awry.

"Can I help look for him?"

Kaiba closed his eyes for a brief time. "I don't think it would help if Mokuba did not want to be found. Good bye, Yugi."

"But, Kaiba!" The phone went dead in Yugi's hand.

Yami was shaking his head. "Still the same Kaiba, I see. Not even being near death can change him."

"Yami, he's just worried. Besides, I'm sure he wants to get back to searching for Mokuba. We should go out and look also!" Yugi raced to put down his backpack and go tell the others. Any protesting from the other Yugi went unheard.

Solomon wisely decided not to comment on his grandson's frantic rushing around. Instead, he just shook his head and muttered to himself as Yugi went back outside.

"Guys, we got to go look for Mokuba! He's missing!"

"What! We just got him back!" Joey glared all around. "Where'd he go and why? And how was Kaiba on de phone?"

"It's a bit of a long explanation, and we need to get going!" Yugi began dashing away.

There was a chuckle inside Yugi's mind. "A long explanation? Aibou, you don't even know about Kaiba waking up. You hardly know what is going on." Yami lost the amused tone. "None of us do. I hate it when Kaiba puts us in these kinds of situations…"

"Yami! We have to help! He's our friend!"

"I've told you more than once, Yugi. He's your friend, not mine."

The boy sighed, knowing he would never win that argument. So he ignored the other part of himself, panting as he ran down the streets, periodically calling out for Mokuba. Because of his short legs, however, it did not take long for the others to catch up to him and demand that he explain himself more.

"Kaiba told me Mokuba is missing! We have to go find him right away."

"Explain more, Yuge. How was Kaiba even able ta call you?" Joey glanced at Bakura and decided to come clean. Quickly, he explained what had happened. Bakura had no response but to look even more shocked.

Yugi finally waited long enough to spill all he knew, though it was not very much. What he was most curious about, besides Kaiba waking up, was why Mokuba had left. The others were as interested as he was.

"All Kaiba said was something about Mokuba not wanting to be found. What do you think that means, guys?"

"Eh," Joey took on his painful look of contemplation. For a few minutes, everyone thought as well, until Joey spoke up and asked, "Uh, what was de question again?"

Tristan put Joey in a headlock, shaking his own head as Joey struggled. "Sometimes, man, I can't believe you're even stupider than I am."

"Stupider!" Joey laughed triumphantly. "Heh haha! Dat's not a word!"

Téa shook her head. "You guys, we're trying to come up with a reason that Mokuba doesn't want to be found so we can find him easier! How can you goof off at a time like this?"

Bakura hesitated a moment, then gave his input, "Actually, stupider is a word. I just thought you'd like to know."

Moaning and shaking her head, Téa added, "Don't encourage them!"

Yugi had waited long enough. "All right. I have to go find Mokuba! I don't know why he doesn't want to be found, but I think it just shows that he needs to be found now more than ever! You can come whenever you're finished fooling around!" Yugi turned and began running, the yellow strands of his hair blowing with his speed.

Tristan, Joey, and Bakura got startled expressions. Nearby, Téa took one extra minute to glare at the others.

"You see? Yugi's not even acting like himself he's so worried! Now get a grip and help!" After one more dirty look, Téa called out for Yugi to wait for her.

The others exchanged glances, shrugged, and then hurried after the others, homework and teachers forgotten as they looked for a young boy who did not want to be found in order to help the boy's brother who did not want help.

The knocking at the door came as they expected. But, it was no report on how things were going. Instead, the stern look of the social worker glared over her glasses as she was escorted inside. In one arm was a portfolio of overflowing papers. The other held a pen in a grip that turned the knuckles white.

"Mr. and Mrs. Januka! You put off making Mokuba speak with me, and now I hear he has gone missing! I want some explanations about what is going on and how this all happened. We took the boy from his brother so he would not be ignored and forgotten, yet it seems that is what is happening here."

Mrs. Januka turned her head away to try to hide her tears, while her husband turned to the social worker with a glare of his own.

"What right have you to enter into our house and accuse of things we had nothing to do with? I ought to have you thrown out for harassment!"

The woman smugly adjusted her glasses. "You can't. I have a written order from a judge to discover the happenings surrounding Mokuba Kaiba's disappearance. You are one of the top suspects of guilty people. The other, his brother, is also being harassed right now, if you want it put that way."

The Janukas had no idea Seto Kaiba had tried to commit suicide, so they were not shocked that someone could pester him. That, at least, had been kept as secret as possible. However, it was not likely to last much longer. With all the investigations going on with the Kaibas and Janukas as well as the former "Kaiba" Corporation, anything one wanted secret was likely to come out.

Drawing a shuddering breath, Mrs. Januka turned back around, freeing herself from her husband's too-supportive arm. Eyes red and hair out of place, she seemed especially pitiable, but the social worker had learned long ago not to feel pity. It got in the way of work.

"You think Seto Kaiba might have stolen Mokuba away? We know that his former employee, Fuguta, has also left without a notice. You think it was all a plan?"

The social worker sat herself down in a plush chair. Crossing her legs and clicking her pen, she began taking notes.

"Mrs. Januka, I do not know what to think. But it would help if you told me everything that has happened. In many of these cases, the boy himself is as likely to run as to have been helped. So, tell me all you know. The more you cooperate, the better it will go for you with the proceedings."

Slowly, the Janukas sat down in their furniture, the missus gathering her emotions tighter around herself to describe everything that had happened since the boy had been brought home.

The mansion was slowly getting back to normal. Goons now occupied the places they formally had. Kaiba was back in his room. But, of course, the problem was the lack of Mokuba. Right then, there was another problem as well.

"Sir, there is someone at the door who wants to talk with you. He had police insignia and is waiting downstairs. It's about your brother."

"Hmm. Only to be expected. But I don't have time to deal with these people. I need to find my brother."

Leaning back in his chair, Kaiba hit the "print" button on the computer, reaching for the page as it came out of the machine. It was a map of Domino City, with places on it marked where he had checked from his helicopter. However, now he had to do a search on foot as well. According to his math, because of Mokuba's mass, stride length, and health, he could not have made it more than seven miles out of the city yet. Kaiba had to find him before he did.

Unless… There was always the possibility that his brother had gotten a ride from someone or traveled in some other means. But, hopefully, Mokuba had done no such thing.

I have to find my brother before it is too late. I have to. Kaiba stood up as he made a fist. First, I'll talk to these officials who will think I kidnapped my brother. Then, the search will continue until I find him. I have to believe it won't be too late.

Sung breathed a sigh of relief as Kaiba headed downstairs. The man at the door had been polite, but he was very distant and cool. No doubt he cared little for what was actually happening. The man was most likely more interested in getting his work done and final paycheck.

The policeman was waiting before the fireplace. Hearing the steps, he turned and extended his insignia once again. Kaiba's eyes flicked over it once, then rested on the man before him, coldly appraising him as the policeman was doing to him.

Crisply displayed in the police uniform, the man held his hat in one hand. He had cold eyes, sternly looking at Kaiba. Everything about the man showed order and precision, with a detachment. Nothing on him had any personality; instead; he merely wore what was required and kept his identity a secret. Kaiba doubted he had any immediate family himself.

"Mr. Seto Kaiba." The way the policeman said his name sounded like he was about to spit out an accusation. However, he continued in a milder tone, "I need to ask you some questions concerning your brother. If you cooperate, everything will be done more swiftly and efficiently. Please understand that I am doing my job and want to help find the boy foremost."

The speech sounded rehearsed. Kaiba didn't believe a single syllable of it.

"Then why don't you get looking for him instead of wasting both of our time?" Kaiba did not ask him to sit down and did not move to shake the man's hand himself. He did not expect the policeman to take him seriously, but anything was worth a try. The man seemed as if he would be loathe to waste time.

The policeman did not react or move. "I am afraid I am trying to do my job, Mr. Kaiba. If you will not cooperate, that is fine. I will report to my superiors and prepare to speak with your lawyer." He turned to leave, replacing his hat on his head.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes, wondering how far the man would go. They were very similar, this policeman and Mr. Kaiba. At least, it was very similar to the way Kaiba had been before losing Mokuba.

Taking a breath, Kaiba released any pride that was left in him. This was for his brother's benefit, and only for Mokuba could Kaiba belittle himself.

"Wait."

The policeman inclined his head.

"I'll cooperate. I want to find my brother as quickly as possible, but you have to understand that I do not know everything that happened. I was…incapacitated for a time. When I awoke, Mokuba was already missing. I have reason to believe he will not come back willingly."

The policeman raised a blond eyebrow. "Oh? Why is that? And I would like to know more about the circumstances surrounding what you do know."

Kaiba did not blink or move. Easily, he answered, "That is not under debate. All I know that will be useful I will tell you. Anything else does not pertain to you. You have your job to do and so do I."

His job, of course, was protecting those employed under him. Fuguta and the other goons had no reason to be brought into this. And, as much as he hated to admit it, Kaiba had no desire to involve Yugi and his friends.

Crossing his arms, Kaiba made eye contact with the officer, both trying to out-stare the other. They were well-matched. After at least a full minute, the policeman ducked his head, hiding a smile.

"I see, Mr. Kaiba. Well, I'll do what I can, though I can't say that it will amount to much. There is so little I understand."

Kaiba proceeded to explain all that he felt he could reveal, which was not much. The circumstances involving Mokuba's appearance remained mysterious. However, Kaiba did explain where he had last seen Mokuba (which was based on where the goons had seen him last), and what kind of mood the boy most likely was in.

The time dragged on like it had for Mokuba at the Janukas when depressed, but the officer finally had enough information to begin the investigation. Before leaving, of course, the policeman warned Kaiba that this was not nearly finished.

"There is still much left unsaid. You'll be hearing more from me or my compatriots."

Kaiba gave a creepy kind of smile. "I understand."

With that, the police officer tipped his hat at the young CEO and walked to the door. Before vanishing into the night, he cast a glance back. The suspicious, amused glance in his eyes was all too familiar to Kaiba, who wished the past could be redone.

When a faint bit of light came to his eyes, a sharp pain accompanied it. The boy suppressed a groan as his head pounded along with his heartbeat. A rank smell still lingered in his nostrils, causing a slight pain with each inhale.

Slowly sitting up, Mokuba rubbed the bottom of his nose, wincing when his fingers brushed against the bottom of his nostrils where the chloroform had imbedded itself. The sleepiness gradually left his eyes and mind, leaving him free to investigate his surroundings.

All the area was dark and still. The light he had seen previously was from under the doorway. A small crack of light had fallen just onto his eyes when he was lying on the ground. Now, stiff from his position and feeling thick-headed from the powder, the room and light seemed to blur together. By not moving much more, everything went back into focus. The more time that passed, the more awake he felt and the more he could remember what had been going on.

He had been kidnapped.

Someone is after me, he thought to himself, the little strain of fear causing his heart to lurch. But I don't even know why. The man just grabbed me without an explanation. And now, here I am.

Mokuba almost gave a little whimper, but he restrained himself. Now was no time to go soft. He had to save himself as best he could. Therefore, he gradually climbed to his feet, steadying himself on the wall. Then, the boy began walking around the room, seeing if it were truly as empty as it appeared.

The darkness had hid more than it had seemed to. A few boxes with random miscellanea were stacked at one end as a dust collector. Everything else about the room was cold, smooth, and bare. Not even mice had gotten in this area, and it was most likely because of the metal-feeling walls.

There was no sound on the other side of the door, and when he slowly tried the knob, it was locked. Well, that was to be expected. If he had been kidnapped, the people who had taken him should not have been so foolish to forget to lock the door. Feeling satisfied that he would be warned by some sound before anyone entered, Mokuba went to the other side of the room to begin looking through the boxes covered with dust.

The first wrinkled box had just been cleared of dust and pulled open, a sudden thought hit the boy.

"That man was familiar," he whispered to himself. "I'm sure I saw him before."

The image of Mr. Hanakori passed before his eyes as the teacher had been at the trial. Obviously, something of his brother's memory had come through his genes as well. Mokuba was certain the teacher was the same one who had taken him against his will.

"But what use is knowing that?" he asked with a sigh. "I'm still stuck here."

Mokuba went back to opening the box, finding nothing but papers stacked in the box. Feeling as though this work would last forever, Mokuba struggled to move the box from the others and begin searching through the ones under it as well. With still no sounds from the other side of the door, the search would be a long one. Still, he had nothing better to be doing.

After thirteen kids with black, longish hair (eight had been girls) had effectively been bothered, the gang was losing hope. Now, parents with kids who had seen the high school kids walking up to strangers and shouting out a name were hurrying by, hands clutching tightly to their children.

Tristan hated the looks sent their way. "It's not like we're kidnappers," he said, scowling at another person hastening by on the other side of the street. The parent had crossed it just before them.

"Come on, guys. We have to keep looking! We have to help find Mokuba!"

"Maybe Kaiba and his goons already found de kid. Did you dink of dat, Yuge?" Joey moped along the street, no longer getting enthusiastic with every black-haired child before them.

Yugi stopped walking. "You guys can go on home. You don't have to help. But the Kaibas are my friends, and I wouldn't feel right leaving them to this alone. You do have a point, though, Joey. Maybe Téa could call?"

Téa gave a face. "What? No way! Kaiba doesn't want to talk to us!"

"Then I'll just keep looking," Yugi replied determinedly.

Domino City was large, and the gang had rarely been as far in it as now. Sure, they had wandered around before, but never so far as this, where only Yugi was keeping them going. The arcade and favorite restaurants were far behind. Still, the others kept doggedly after the short punk.

Finally, after three hours had gone by in their search, Joey grabbed Yugi by the collar, making the boy's shirt come slightly untucked.

"All right, Yuge, I agree someding should be done. But even I remember dat you said Kaiba said Mokuba wouldn't want ta be found. So, we gotta go somewhere else and search. He won't just be wanderin' around de street."

Tristan nodded. "As odd as it sounds, Joey's right. We ought to look somewhere else, or at least see if anyone has found him yet. If nothing else, we deserve more information if we're going to keep searching.'

Bakura wearily agreed, and even Téa had to admit Joey was making sense. So, disheartened, Yugi decided to travel back to their area of Domino. Even if he were not going to do his homework, Yugi's grandfather was probably worried about him by now. Even if the old man were not worried, Solomon most likely was annoyed that Yugi had not been around to do his chores yet.

The walk back took about forty minutes. All five dragged themselves into the shop, looking dejected and exhausted as they took a seat in the house. Solomon stared at them all from where he was sweeping the store's floor.

"Ho ho ho. What brings you here so late, everyone? And, Yugi, where have you been for so long? You should tell me when you're going to go gallivanting around so I can plan the chores accordingly!"

"Sorry, Grandpa. I should have told you where I was going, but I was in such a hurry. And I'll do extra chores another night."

"Of course you will!" Grandpa huffed, going back to his sweeping.

Holding the phone in his hand, Yugi still hesitated before dialing. He wished he had some good news to tell Kaiba. It would have made calling the CEO much easier. But then, that was one of the reasons he was calling in the first place—to see if there was any good news he did not know about.

Sighing, he finally dialed the number, ignoring any startled looks from his friends. Téa leaned over and whispered what Yugi had told her about knowing all the phone numbers of friends. The others chose not to comment again after that.

"Hmm?" This was not Kaiba's voice, but a goon's.

"Excuse me? Is Kaiba there?"

The goon gave another noncommittal sound, asking, "Why do you ask?"

Yugi gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Well, this Yugi! I'm a friend! Kaiba told me about Mokuba being missing, so I wanted to know if you had any updates. Have you found Mokuba yet?"

The goon paused, no doubt seeking authority to give details to Yugi. "I'm sorry, sir, but the younger Mr. Kaiba has not yet turned up. But Mr. Kaiba gives his regards to you for having tried to find his brother."

Yugi blinked in surprise. "He does?"

The goon continued without a pause, "He'll inform you when Mokuba is found. Have a good evening."

After hanging up, Yugi still wore a shocked expression. Yami chucked in his head.

"Aibou, you have such a strange expression on your face. I must admit, however, that I am also surprised. I don't think Kaiba has ever been so accommodating to anyone." Yami's face turned contemplative.

Not choosing to answer his other self, Yugi explained what he had heard to his friends. They were as surprised as Yami at Kaiba's parting words.

"I bet it was a goon dat put dat in. Kaiba'd never say dat!"

The others mostly agreed. Then, as it was growing late, the four visitors said their farewells. They had school the next day, and even those who disliked doing homework had to check in with their relatives, and Joey merely wanted to crash on his own bed before his father stumbled home from his last bar trip.

Locket open in his hands, Kaiba gazed at the smiling face of his younger brother. He wondered if he would ever see such an innocent smile again. If he did not, then it would be Kaiba's fault.

The moonlight broke free of the clouds and shone into Kaiba's bedroom. The silvery light merely made it seem even more foreign to the CEO. Ever since Mokuba's departure, nothing in the mansion seemed like home. In fact, it was the younger boy who had ever made it seem like a home and not a house. Kaiba, who had slept little before, could hardly sleep at all now. Eating was a bother, but one that was mechanical and done in order to stay strong for Mokuba.

A shadow from the tree in the backyard waved gently before the window. The tree that Mokuba had loved to climb, despite Kaiba's strict rules…

"Mokuba," he whispered to the picture. "If you are happy where you are, I hope you can stay there. Otherwise, know that I am looking for you. Nii-sama's searching for you and will never give up. Never."