Raine: Sorry for taking so long to get this out. My uncle's dying of
cancer and I wanted to see him one last time before he died. I actually
had someone else write this for me and I just...read it over... So send out
your thanks to my friend Savannah.
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"I never pictured you as someone to go places like this alone." Joey looked over.
"Oh hey, Mokuba. What are you up to?"
"Seto had an important meeting so I'm hanging out with some friends." He pointed to the two kids throwing sand. "What are you doing here?"
"Can I ask you a question?" Joey ignored his question.
"Sure," Mokuba said cheerfully.
"Has your brother always been so...well, the way he is?"
"No. He... He's been through a lot," he offered. "But he's trying. Now can I ask you a question?"
"Okay," Joey said unsure.
"Why the sudden interest in my brother? As far as I know, you don't care why you hate him, you just do because he's better then you. But that, to me, is no reason to hate him."
"I don't..."
"Hey Mokuba! Get over here!" One of his friends called him over.
"See you later Joey," Mokuba hopped off the bench and ran over to his friends. Joey suddenly felt guilty.
"I think I owe somebody an apology. He was only trying to do the play right and I, as always, screwed it up..." Joey stood up and made his way back to Kaiba Mansion, going over what he would say inside his head. He rang the doorbell. A servant answered.
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah, a, is Kaiba around?" The servant looked him over and opened the door for him to enter.
"He's very busy but I'll tell him you're here. Wait here."
"Thanks..." Joey said. He watched the man disappear up a set of stairs. When he didn't return right away Joey became impatient. He paced the floor a few times and then walked down the hallway to the room Kaiba had set up for them. He wanted to get another look at the glass coffin. He approached it cautiously as if going anywhere near it would actually kill him. It was actually a beautiful piece of work. Whoever he had had construct was very talented, it was perfectly shaped and very smooth. He touched its surface curiously and then climbed inside of it. Someone cleared their throat causing Joey to look over at the doorway. Seeing Kaiba, he tried to hop out of the coffin but tripped on the side and fell to the floor in a thud. He scrambled to his feet as Kaiba watched him with irritation.
"You wanted something?" he asked. Joey rubbed his arm.
"A, yeah. I, a, just came back to... I think we..." Kaiba crossed his arms.
"Sometime within my lifetime please," he said. Joey glared.
"I just came to say I'm sorry...and that I think we should start over. Do the play thing." Kaiba dropped his arms and sighed.
"Look. I was just trying to keep the play real. I hate it when people change things just because they don't like them. The writer wrote it, so only he has the right to change it. But I see how you could get the wrong idea and if you're uncomfortable, I'll let the whole thing rest. I know how hard it is for you to take anything seriously."
"Hey. I said I'd do it. So let's just do it."
"Fine. Get in."
"Right now?"
"No, next year. Get in," Kaiba ordered more sternly. Joey jumped in quickly.
"Now, don't try anything funny while I have my eyes closed."
"Why would I want to?" Kaiba said boredly. Joey lay down and made himself comfortable, but he couldn't stop his nerves from being in ruin. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Kaiba started his lines. "I love you more then anything in the world. You are my most cherished one." Joey opened an eye surprised at the emotion Kaiba had put into the line. It almost sounded like he'd meant every word of it.
"That's..."
"Just shut up!" Kaiba yelled. Joey closed his eye again, the unrequited anticipation sinking in again...and nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked around. Kaiba had moved back away from the coffin. Joey sat up.
"What's going on?"
"I'm sorry. I'll let the teacher know that we can't do it." He exited the room, leaving Joey very confused.
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"I never pictured you as someone to go places like this alone." Joey looked over.
"Oh hey, Mokuba. What are you up to?"
"Seto had an important meeting so I'm hanging out with some friends." He pointed to the two kids throwing sand. "What are you doing here?"
"Can I ask you a question?" Joey ignored his question.
"Sure," Mokuba said cheerfully.
"Has your brother always been so...well, the way he is?"
"No. He... He's been through a lot," he offered. "But he's trying. Now can I ask you a question?"
"Okay," Joey said unsure.
"Why the sudden interest in my brother? As far as I know, you don't care why you hate him, you just do because he's better then you. But that, to me, is no reason to hate him."
"I don't..."
"Hey Mokuba! Get over here!" One of his friends called him over.
"See you later Joey," Mokuba hopped off the bench and ran over to his friends. Joey suddenly felt guilty.
"I think I owe somebody an apology. He was only trying to do the play right and I, as always, screwed it up..." Joey stood up and made his way back to Kaiba Mansion, going over what he would say inside his head. He rang the doorbell. A servant answered.
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah, a, is Kaiba around?" The servant looked him over and opened the door for him to enter.
"He's very busy but I'll tell him you're here. Wait here."
"Thanks..." Joey said. He watched the man disappear up a set of stairs. When he didn't return right away Joey became impatient. He paced the floor a few times and then walked down the hallway to the room Kaiba had set up for them. He wanted to get another look at the glass coffin. He approached it cautiously as if going anywhere near it would actually kill him. It was actually a beautiful piece of work. Whoever he had had construct was very talented, it was perfectly shaped and very smooth. He touched its surface curiously and then climbed inside of it. Someone cleared their throat causing Joey to look over at the doorway. Seeing Kaiba, he tried to hop out of the coffin but tripped on the side and fell to the floor in a thud. He scrambled to his feet as Kaiba watched him with irritation.
"You wanted something?" he asked. Joey rubbed his arm.
"A, yeah. I, a, just came back to... I think we..." Kaiba crossed his arms.
"Sometime within my lifetime please," he said. Joey glared.
"I just came to say I'm sorry...and that I think we should start over. Do the play thing." Kaiba dropped his arms and sighed.
"Look. I was just trying to keep the play real. I hate it when people change things just because they don't like them. The writer wrote it, so only he has the right to change it. But I see how you could get the wrong idea and if you're uncomfortable, I'll let the whole thing rest. I know how hard it is for you to take anything seriously."
"Hey. I said I'd do it. So let's just do it."
"Fine. Get in."
"Right now?"
"No, next year. Get in," Kaiba ordered more sternly. Joey jumped in quickly.
"Now, don't try anything funny while I have my eyes closed."
"Why would I want to?" Kaiba said boredly. Joey lay down and made himself comfortable, but he couldn't stop his nerves from being in ruin. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Kaiba started his lines. "I love you more then anything in the world. You are my most cherished one." Joey opened an eye surprised at the emotion Kaiba had put into the line. It almost sounded like he'd meant every word of it.
"That's..."
"Just shut up!" Kaiba yelled. Joey closed his eye again, the unrequited anticipation sinking in again...and nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked around. Kaiba had moved back away from the coffin. Joey sat up.
"What's going on?"
"I'm sorry. I'll let the teacher know that we can't do it." He exited the room, leaving Joey very confused.