The Spirit That Inhabits Us All

Chapter Two – Day Two


The next morning, as Mokuba ate his breakfast and I sipped coffee, Joey and Hikari came down. They both still wore the robes they had gone to be last night in.

"We can go pick up your clothes for you, if you like," I offered. "Or go shopping."

Hikari walked forwards and touched my shoulder gently. I stiffened slightly at the contact, but then softened. "Thank you," she said. "And thank you, too, Mokuba, for letting us come to you." Joey stayed silent, but nodded.

"Sit down and eat," Mokuba said at once. "Want me to get you something?"

"I'll get it, thanks," said Hikari. "Come on," she said to Joey. "Sit down." Joey responded by obeying. Hikari went to our fridge, opened it, looked at Joey, and sighed. "Mind if I make eggs for him? Would anyone else like some?"

"Not at all," I said. "And no, thank you, we're fine."

She pulled out two eggs and some cheese and butter. After searching, she came up with a pan, a wooden spoon, a knife and a bowl. She put butter in the pan, let that warm, mixed the eggs in the bowl, pour the eggs into the hot pan, sliced cheese onto it and, within a few minutes, had made an omelet. She put it on a plate and in front of Joey. "Eat. It'll do wonders for you. And then back to bed." Joey stayed silent, eating the meal.

Hikari sighed, poured herself some coffee (adding milk and sugar) said goodbye to Mokuba, who was leaving (we had gotten the day off) and sat next to me. She watched her cousin (Joey) eat what she had made. Once he was done, he nodded to us in thanks, and went back upstairs to sleep.

"Poor dear," she murmured. "C'mon, Seto, I've got a lot to explain to you. It's your right to know, since you've been so helpful. Thank you, by the way."

I shook my head and took her arm. "Somewhere private?"

"That would be nice."

"My room, then." It suddenly struck me how odd it would look, me in my full clothes and Hikari in a bathrobe. "How about I first stop over your house and pick up some clothes for both of you?"

"Would you?" said Hikari, gratefully. "Thanks, Seto."

Half and hour later I came back. I had gone to the Game Shop and got Ceribi and Yugi – I did not want to get their clothes, especially Hikari's, for obvious reasons. I drove her to Hikari's house, the little one that she shared with Joey. Ceribi and Yugi went in, packed clothes for them and then I drove them back to their Game Shop.

Hikari smiled gratefully before taking her clothes and going to her room. She dropped off Joey's clothes on the way. When she came back, she was fully dress in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Ready," she said, and we went to my room.


"– So it was late at night and I was up, playing Tov and chatting to my friends Julia and Veena." Hikari had explained the guitar-learning thing, which I already knew, but I hadn't told her. She had gotten up onto why she and Joey had come the previous night. "I hear the door close and I go downstairs to see why. Joey apparently walked out. I hang up and follow, Tov in hand. He goes over to his dad's apartment. Of course, this is surprising, because Joey moved out, away from Malcolm (1)." She didn't tell why. "And… well, I followed… and… um… well, Malcolm was drunk again." That might explain something. "He… he beat Joey up again… and then I interfered and kinda pulled and El Kabong." She gave a sheepish grin. I quickly remembered the American show – a Spanish donkey with a guitar, named El Kabong, who went around hitting people over the head with the guitar. Of course, it would make sense for her to know, she's American. "I dragged Joey out of there and walked to the first place I thought of – you're house. I hope it was okay…"

"It's fine," I said quickly. I sat back, murmuring, "How could a man do that to his own son? That's sick…"

She looked away. "Malcolm's been this way since before Joey's parents divorced. Neither Annie nor Malcolm truly cared; otherwise they would have been better parents. Serenity cared, and I cared. I took the apartment here in Japan under my parents' name in order to save Joey – otherwise, I'd still be in Bushland." She grimaced at the U.S.'s president's name, an obvious Democrat. (And now we know my political views… BUSH IS A PUNK-ASS CHUMP.) "But anywhoosle, the point is that Joey needs someone to look after him here – I got a scholarship at Northwestern back in the U.S.," (an: I SO WISH. Even though I'm only in eighth grade.) "And I plan to use it – but I need to make sure that Joey's safe first. I'd take him to the U.S. with me, but I don't know if he'd go for it."

(Veena: yes, Bushland was my name for it, thanks. and yes, you did first hear Bush is punk-ass chump from me.)

I stayed silent, thinking. "I'll help in any way I can," I muttered to the subliminal question. I wasn't in it for Joey – well, I suppose I was, in some way, because I had seen a totally different side of him when he was with Hikari, one that I'd like to meet.

(Veena: yeah, the kind that doesn't do anything and lets people push him around!)

Her smile was the reassurance I needed. "Thank you so much," she said. "All I need for you to do is help me somehow convince him to come to the U.S. with me. I'm almost completely certain that he can get a scholarship at Northwestern for doctor's school."

I blinked. "He wants to be a doctor?"

"To help people. He doesn't want any more people victims to jerks like Malcolm and Annie." She spat her uncle and aunt's names with disgust. "Annie was awesome, and Malcolm was pretty cool too, but then something happened… Malcolm started drinking, and Annie left Joey." She shrugged. "I appreciate this, Seto." She gripped my shoulder and walked out.

I stayed in my seat, thinking about what she had told me.


(1) I don't know what Joey's parents' names are… so I'll just Malcolm and Annie – from Madyamisam.