AAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!! I am VERY upset over the last chapter because the dream passage was supposed to be ITALICIZED, but obvious didn't come out. In desperation I uploaded again and put the ~~~Dream~~~ thing in there but I think it was too distracting to read and ruined the moment. I am now hoping that ff.net will reply to my complaints. *growl*
Oh yeah, kinda forgot to mention two things. One, Ishizu keeps the Millennium Necklace in this story and returned to Domino City, though Marik/Malik goes back to Egypt. Two, I use 'Kaiba' in references to Seto Kaiba because a, I used that name a lot in CWM and b, when Seth comes in it'll be too confusing to have 'Seth' and 'Seth' in one paragraph, let along being typed. O_o
Wheeee! Me luv reviews! Thank you so much, guys! Made my day. :-p No, there are no triangles except for a very lopsided one with Seth/Yami/Seto (and I don't support any Yugi/Seto-ness, so don't worry). And no, Yugi really isn't THAT important in this story except to provide moral support. I've always been a big sucker for brotherly/friendshippy stuff between him and Yami, as u can tell in the previous chapter. ^_^ I used to like Yami/Yugi pairings, but now I just prefer them to be really close buddies, like brothers. Plus its not fun when there's no counterbalance for Yami's ranting and raving. :-p Big thanks to Yummy Yami for her wonderful Seto/Yami websites that SERIOUSLY made my life bliss. ^_^ Heh, glad everyone liked the story so far. Hopefully I can... uh... keep it up. ^_^;; Just warning you; this chapter's crappy as anything. -_-;;
+++Chapter Disclaimers+++
~I do not own this wonderfully sweet poem you'll read later in the chapter; in fact, I don't think there's anyone old enough to own it anyway. O_o
~~~~~~~~~~
/.../ = mindlink connection (between aibou's and yami's)
'...' = personal thoughts
... = translated ancient Egyptian (I THINK anyway; if this doesn't show up on ff.net, then I'll have to change it...)
//...// = thought speak (for gods only, assumed to be ancient Egyptian though understandable to all)
"..." = spoken dialogue (if in English, assumed to be Japanese)
lots of italics = dreams/flashbacks/visions
bold = song lyrics
[ ] = footnotes
AN = author's note
~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*~*~*~*~Love's Pretence~*~*~*~*~*~
"Big brother, you look like hell."
Kaiba shot Mokuba a glare. "Language, Mokuba, language."
Mokuba rolled his eyes, stuffing more toast in his mouth. "As if I don't learn enough from you," he mumbled into his food, batting his eyes innocently at his elder brother.
Kaiba grunted something rather unintelligent and stumbled to the nearest bathroom, glaring at himself in the mirror. His skin was moist and abnormally pale, somewhat of an unhealthy sickle color that reminded him of unripe grapes. He eyed the bags under his eyes with a frown, poking at them lightly; he got them enough, mind you, but this time they seem worse then normal. With a long tortured sigh, he grabbed a comb and proceeded to battle the tangles that took home in his hair, cursing as he went. That finished --though not an easy battle-- he rubbed the soreness out of his eyes and splashed water on his face, hissing as the chill of it touched his skin. For a moment he paused there, hunched over the sink, fixing the white marble with an accusing stare.
He hated the world.
A few moments and deep breaths later, a man much resembling the normal Seto Kaiba stepped out victoriously from the bathroom, glaring at everything and everyone in general.
Mokuba raised an eyebrow but wisely stayed silent as his brother stalked through the kitchen in a blur of silver PJ's, apparently looking for something edible to eat that didn't require turning on the demon that was the stove.
"Why are you up so early?" came a muffled voice somewhere in the huge fridge, from which came sounds of milk being poured and chugged much too fast.
"Its Saturday," Mokuba stated deadpanned, as if that explained everything. He watched his brother chug more milk, worriedly taking in the slight sway in the teen's steps. "Are you okay, big brother?"
A growl sounded from Kaiba's throat and he turned, tired eyes narrowed. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Mokuba looked down shyly, stunned by his brother's harsh tone. "You... er... don't look that great," he mumbled, choosing his words carefully this time.
There was a sigh and the shuffle of clothing before a hand settled on Mokuba's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "I'm sorry, Mokuba," murmured Kaiba softly, his sapphire eyes surprisingly apologetic. "You know I'm not exactly a morning person."
Mokuba snorted.
Kaiba had the grace to give a slight smile. "There's nothing wrong with me, so you don't have to worry." Ruffling the younger boy's hair in a rare display of affection, he turned away to restart his hunt for the toast Mokuba had apparently used and hidden.
"You're lying."
The words stopped Kaiba dead in his tracks like a hard slap to the cheek. He swiveled around slowly, a flicker of hurt on his normally stolid face.
Mokuba sat at the counter clutching his toast, blue-gray eyes piercing and accusing as they bore into Kaiba's back, avoiding eye contact. He looked hurt. "Why are you lying to me, big brother?" The child's was trembling and hitched.
Kaiba looked away, silent, hands clenching at his sides.
Mokuba's frown deepened. "There's gotta be something bothering you or you wouldn't look like cra--" he paused, seeing Kaiba stiffen, "--look like... that..." he finished lamely.
The teen sighed once again, taking a seat by Mokuba and running a hand through his hair. It was no use keeping anything from his younger brother, he knew. If he tried, no doubt Mokuba would hunt him down and force it out of him. "I... haven't been sleeping well..." he mumbled into his hands, resting his weary head upon his palms and fingers.
Mokuba's eyebrows rose, and in an instant, he exploded, toast flying everywhere. "Big brother, but you promised me you'll stop working so late and--"
"I'm not working that late."
Mokuba paused in mid-sentence, stunned. "Then...?"
"Dreams," Kaiba twitched, rubbing his temple in a pitiful attempt to stop the building-up of what seemed to be a very impressive headache, "I can't sleep because of these... these dreams." His voice hitched at the mere word. He felt like a fool; here he was, the great Seto Kaiba, confessing paranoia to his little brother about some imaginary images in his head.
Bewildered, Mokuba's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "...Oh." His eyes crossed, fingers fumbling nervously around his toast. "Um... then shouldn't you get counseling?"
Kaiba chuckled dryly, reaching over to ruffle his brother's hair once more. "Like I said, its nothing to worry about. Dreams and nightmares are quite normal." Falling silent, he eyed his abandoned cup of milk with a frown, clearly not believing his own words.
There was no answer out of Mokuba for a while, and Kaiba sank his head in his hands once more, praying that the child would go watch TV and just leave him alone. For long moments he basked alone in silence, the warm sunlight filtering in from the glazed window giving him very little comfort. Then he felt skinny arms wrap around his own and something delicious and warm being stuck under his nose.
"Want some toast, big brother?"
Kaiba blinked at the plate, then narrowed his eyes at his brother, who managed to look relatively innocent. "You little twerp, you hid it!"
"Did not," scoffed Mokuba as if the very idea was absurd, "You just didn't look hard enough."
Giving a chuckle, Kaiba poked Mokuba hard in the ribs, watching with satisfaction as the boy collapse in a fit of giggles. Soon, food forgotten, the two were running around the kitchen, poking and tickling each other like mad. Not that Kaiba was very ticklish --at least not in any places he hoped his brother knew about-- but he still felt immensely better, grinning like a fool.
RRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGG. RRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGG.
Both brothers froze, panting, hair a mess. As one, they turned toward the kitchen phone, a sleek, video-linked cordless that, unfortunately, had the world's most obnoxious ring. Kaiba narrowed his eyes at it with a suspicious glare that could freeze even ice.
Very few people knew the Kaiba manor's personal phone number. Unfortunately, Yugi and co were included in those few. It was Mokuba, of course, that gave the number out, and knowing that his little brother was in desperate need of companionship, Kaiba reluctantly allowed it. He had Caller ID, after all, and it was KaibaCorp's personal version, capable of locating the caller and his position down to the last centimeter using high-orbiting satellites. Plus, if necessary, those satellites could take near microscopic pictures and lock on voice identification, not to mention they carried the capabilities of blowing an offensive caller into smithereens. This had all been a secret to the world --considering it was well-known knowledge that Kaiba had long stopped using his stepfather's technology -- until Jou made a prank call and found out that apparently the young CEO of KaibaCorp took his privacy very seriously. No one died in that particular incident, thankfully, but not surprisingly Yugi was now the only one with the guts to call from time to time.
With a gleeful squeal, Mokuba dashed for the phone.
Unfortunately, being closer and having longer arms, Kaiba stopped his brother in mid-step and reached to pick up the phone himself. Taking the moment to compose himself, he glanced at the KaibaCorp Caller ID and found that the blinking locator was located downtown, in the museum.
Stomach sinking, Kaiba flipped open the receiver and all but growled, "Ishizu, I never gave you permission to call me at this number."
"You never gave me permission to call you at any other number either," the woman sniffled calmly on the other end, clearly not surprised by his perceptiveness.
"Look, let me be truthful with you," started Kaiba irritably, "After you left, I was hoping that I would never, *ever* have to deal with you or your homicidal manic of a brother again."
"We did leave for Egypt, Mr. Kaiba, but *I* never planned on staying there very long."
Kaiba made a deep, low growl of displeasure. "What the hell do you want?"
"I wanted to show you something here at the museum. That's why I came back."
Kaiba's unwavering gaze intensified, burning an imaginary hole through the opposing wall. "Look, I'm touched, but you're wasting my time. I'm not interested in pretty little exhibits." He snorted and went to hang up, but not before he heard the dying whispers of her next sentence.
"...help you."
In a flash, the receiver was back up against Kaiba's ears, suspicion radiating from him. "What?"
"I said it might just help you."
Kaiba went still. "With what?" he hissed, tone low and dangerous.
"Please do not take offense, Mr. Kaiba. I mean only to help."
"Last time you 'helped' I ended up owning a card that nearly destroyed us all."
"Let me reassure you, this has nothing to do with Duel Monsters, at least not entirely. I think you'd be interested."
Kaiba raised a sculpted eyebrow. "Interested." he echoed dryly, not entirely sure what to make of the situation.
"Yes. Very interested."
Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Fine. But make it quick."
~*~*~*~*~*~
A half an hour later, a sleek black limo pulled up in front of Domino Museum, the two Kaiba brothers stepping out complete and total opposites. The elder wa dressed in his traditional white trench coat, glowering at everything, trusty silver briefcase and cell phone in tow. Mokuba, on the other hand, was dressed in jeans and a fuzzy sweater, practically bouncing with excitement. He had whined and begged until his big brother let him come, though only after thoroughly convincing the teen that he would not be killed, kidnapped or harmed in any way.
Kaiba swept up the stairs like the devil himself, and what few pedestrians there were around quickly got out of his way. Mokuba tagged along happily, nearly running to keep up with his brother's longer legs.
Through the glass doors they went, entering near pitch-darkness, the museum not open until noon on Saturdays. The air was cold, drafty and dry, kept that way for the sake of the artifacts. Scowling irritably, Kaiba made a brief check that Mokuba was close by before making a move into the darkness, preferably to find a light switch or strangle some poor janitor.
Almost immediately, a single light above them switched on, bathing them in glowing, florescent light.
Ishizu awaited them. She stood in the middle of the entrance hall like some awaiting host, an air of great calm and patience about her. Dressed, like always, in her shoulder-revealing Egyptian robe, she nodded her head toward them both. "Welcome," she murmured quietly, a faint smile upon her lips, though in the shadow of the museum this went unnoticed. "Prompt as always."
Mokuba smiled at her in greeting.
Kaiba, on the other hand, locked his blue eyes to hers, clearly not one for small talk. "Alright, look, I'm here. Now tell me what's so damn important."
'Impatient as always...' Ishizu added to herself before she nodded, producing a thin folder. "I wanted to show you some results of my research on this new exhibit."
Kaiba looked from the folder to her and back to the folder, face expressionless but eyes alit with arctic fire. For a moment he seemed torn between snatching the folder and tearing it apart right then and there. "This is about Egypt, isn't it?" he managed finally, voice dangerously calm.
Ishizu pulled off a surprised look that fooled no one. Her eyes smiled. "Why yes, how did you ever know?"
"Don't toy with me, Ishizu," growled Kaiba, pushing the folder away. "I've told you before, I'm not interested in kilts and magic and what not." He glared sharply when the woman tried to protest. "You're wasting my *time*. Don't ever do it again."
Ishizu frowned, though she didn't look too taken aback by his reaction. She slowly withdrew the folder with a small sigh. "Very well. If that is how you feel, Mr. Kaiba, I'll hold on to this, just in case you want it later," She tucked it calmly under her arm, then thoughtfully added, "Would you like to take a look at the exhibit?"
Kaiba scoffed, already turning to leave, shifting his briefcase to his other hand. "Mokuba!" he barked out without looking back.
Ishizu watched him go somewhat sadly, almost hurt by the blatantly rejection though she knew there was nothing she could do to convince him to stay. 'Must you always choose the hard way, old friend...?' She shook her head in annoyance, looking down at the folder in her hands. It contained the answers that she knew Kaiba sought for, complete with digital data that not even the CEO could ignore.
It was just too bad he didn't take it.
Mokuba, who had been fascinated by the number of naked statues in the vicinity, scurried after his brother, sending Ishizu an apologetic look. "Sorry, Ishizu. I think this is all really cool, but I don't think he like exhibits very much..." he mumbled sheepishly. As an afterthought, he mumbled, "Would you mind if I dropped by later? It may not mean much, but *I'd* like to see that new exhibit."
Ishizu smiled warmly. "You're welcome anytime, Mokuba." She patted his shoulder warmly and slipped a piece of paper from the folder into the boy's hand. "Show this to your big brother for me. And be good."
Mokuba looked at the paper and nodded, racing off toward the doors, outside of which Kaiba was waiting impatiently. "Bye, Ishizu!" the boy called over his shoulder, only to realize the woman was gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When Mokuba scrambled back in the car, he was startled and upset to find Kaiba already working on his laptop, typing away mindlessly. "Big brother..." the boy started warningly.
Kaiba sighed slightly as his brother settled by his side. "Mokuba, you know I missed some important work this week and unless you want me staying up late, I might as well get it done today." His voice was reasonable but aggravated, whether it be from his pounding headache or not, he didn't know.
"But its Saturday!" exclaimed Mokuba with wide eyes, slamming the door behind him.
"Hm," was his only answer.
Pursing his lips as the limo began to move, Mokuba shoved the piece of paper under Kaiba's nose. "Look."
Kaiba blinked at it blankly, then placidly moved it out of his way so he could see his laptop's screen once more. "What is it?" he sighed, clearly not interested as his fingers flew.
"Something Ishi-- I mean, something that I found at the museum." Mokuba frowned at his brother's lack of reaction and opened the paper himself, scanning it quickly. "Hey, big brother--"
"--Not now, Mokuba--"
"It's a poem."
"That's nice."
Mokuba frowned at it. "It's a really old poem."
"Wonderful."
"Its almost four thousand years old, big brother."
"Good for it."
Mokuba pouted. "Its Egyptian."
That caught him. Though barely perceptible, there was a slight pause in Kaiba's typing, though in an instant the slim fingers were flying across the laptop once more. "Really?" Kaiba's steely voice betrayed nothing.
Mokuba rolled his eyes. His brother was stubborn as an ass sometimes, for lack of a better word. "Yes, really. And Ish-- I mean, *I* think you should really read it."
This time it was Kaiba that rolled his eyes. "Mokuba, I don't think its necessary that--"
Mokuba scowled threateningly, a trait that apparently had rubbed off him from the elder Kaiba's of the family. "Someday, big brother, you're going to worry yourself sick." He took one of Kaiba's hands and forcedly stuck the paper in it, mentally adding that if he was going to jump to the top of his brother's hit list, it was all Ishizu's fault. "Read."
Kaiba paused briefly to eye him strangely, before sighing. He might as well; after all, the sooner this little debate ended the sooner he could go back to work. With a faint growl, his infamous blue eyes descended upon that dreaded sheet of paper.
LOVE'S PRETENCE [1]With sickness faint and weary
All day in bed I'll lie;
My friends will gather near me
And she'll with them come nigh
She'll put shame to the doctors
Who'll ponder over me,
For she alone, my loved one,
Knows well my malady
Kaiba felt his throat tighten painfully and quickly steadied his trembling hand before his brother noticed.
To no avail, since Mokuba did notice. 'Maybe big brother is sick after all...' he mused worriedly, though didn't mention it.
Awkward silence settled over them both, filled only by the cheerful humming of the limo's engine and the constant beeping of cars outside.
Sensing that something was rather amiss, Mokuba slowly went from looking over his brother's shoulder back to his own seat, his gaze focused shyly on the floor of the car. Hesitantly, he peeked at his brother out of the corner of his eyes. Kaiba scanned the poem one more time before laying it down beside him, eyes strangely vacant. Without missing a beat, his deft hands went to his laptop and shut it down, setting it just as carefully beside the poem. The CEO then sighed, raising a hand to his temple to sooth the headache that had now gotten immeasurably worse. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get any work done today.
Mokuba watched this curiously, pondering exactly how a poem managed to stop Kaiba when he could not. The boy's gaze drifted down to the poem, picking it up and rereading it, curious about what had gotten his brother upset. "Hey, big brother...?"
"...Hm...?"
"... I hope she came."
~*~*~*~*~*~
[1] - 'Love's Pretence' is an actual ancient Egyptian poem (put here in its entirety) written some 3500 years ago. I lost the date. ^_^;; It's a really pretty poem though, and I thought it would go nicely with the story.
~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: AAAUUUUGGGHHH did everyone get the ending to this chapter? I hate to explain it, but I think it was hard to understand; Mokuba was referring to the woman in the poem who was supposedly the man's (writer's) sweetheart and whom he wished would come and learn that love was his illness. O_o Sorry, I probably just ruined it for you...
Oh dear this whole chapter was pointless. -_-;; And both the Kaiba brothers and Ishizu were all OCC, but I can't help it! *sob* I wasn't actually planning on ending it there but it was a nice ending and the chapter was getting too long when Yugi and the gang get dragged into the whole thing. Sorry, I'm running low on 'descriptive-juice' so I apologize if I'm barely describing anything. I don't want to overdo it like I think I did a few times in CWM. ^_^;; Are the chapters short enough for you guys this time? :-p
NEXT UPDATE: (VERY soon cuz I feel bad that this chapter was so crappy) the opening of a new Egyptian exhibit and a new way of way of seeing dead people 'come back to life'
I'm SO sorry for such a shitty and pointless and short chapter. I'll make it up somehow, I swear! *sob* But please review anyway! I really need it!