Chapter 4: Skeptical Minds

The next day, Yugi was finally able to get through to Mokuba.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked him.

"Yeah, why?" asked Mokuba.

"You seem rattled or something."

"Oh," said Mokuba. "I... I had a bad dream."

The truth was that Mokuba was a bit rattled. He was still a bit shaken from Seto's little visit the night before. He was still wondering if it had really happened. Why would Seto treat him that way though? Mokuba noticed that Yugi hadn't said anything and added, "I'm okay."

"Mokuba, you should come out to my house today," said Yugi.

"I don't know, Yugi," said Mokuba. "I'm not feeling up to going anywhere right now."

"I could get Joey, Tristan, and Téa and we could all come out to your house then," said Yugi, not giving up on trying to cheer Mokuba up.

"Sure," said Mokuba.

"Okay, we'll be there in an hour."

"Okay."

Mokuba heard Yugi hang up and then he hung up too. Mokuba didn't know what to do until then. He hadn't been in the mood to do much of anything. He started to walk to the main hall when he heard the front door slam. He figured Tilly and Chelsi must have come, but if it was them Chelsi would have made that known by yelling out something. Mokuba kept walking and found his older brother standing in front of the door.

"Big...big brother," said Mokuba. It was happening again.

Kaiba glared at Mokuba with ice cold eyes as if Mokuba had done something horrible.

"Mokuba, do you understand the consequences of what you've done?" snapped Kaiba.

"I...I...what did I do?" stuttered Mokuba.

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT YOU DID!" yelled Kaiba.

Mokuba cowered in fear. His brother never cussed at or around him before.

"Look around you, Mokuba," said Kaiba. "What do you see?"

Mokuba didn't know how to answer his older brother.

"WHOSE HOUSE IS THIS, MOKUBA?" yelled Kaiba.

"Our...ours," Mokuba answered timidly.

"WRONG ANSWER!"

Mokuba didn't know what was going on. Why would Seto be yelling at him like this? He hadn't done anything!

"THIS IS OUR STEP-FATHER'S HOME! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT THAT WE'RE HERE!"

"No!" cried Mokuba.

"EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FAULT OUR MOTHER IS DEAD! IT'S YOUR FAULT OUR DAD IS DEAD! IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT WE GOT ADOPTED BY GOZABURO WHICH MAKES IT YOUR FAULT THAT I BECAME THE PERSON I AM!"

"Big Brother, please stop," choked out Mokuba. He was beginning to cry. He was afraid Seto would say something like that. Mokuba always thought that whenever his brother told him it wasn't his fault for their mother's death that it was a lie and that he was just trying to get him to feel better. Mokuba also felt that it was his fault Seto was changed. He wanted Mokuba to have a home so he had Gozaburo adopt them, and because of that Seto was changed by their step-father.

"H...how is it my fault that Dad is dead?"

"You could've kept him from going out that day. You could've cried to make him stay at the house, but you didn't. You let him go and then he died! It's your fault."

"Seto, why are you doing this?"

"To teach you a lesson. This will teach you from getting into other peoples' lives because you'll only ruin them!"

Mokuba ran up to his older brother and stood in front of him.

"Seto, I know all of this is my fault, but why did you always tell me that it wasn't my fault Mama died?"

Seto raised his hand high into the air and brought it down, striking his brother in the face causing him to fall to the floor. Mokuba held his hand to his left cheek. It stung horribly.

"You are to never talk about her again. You are never to say her name."

Tears flowed like small streams from Mokuba's eyes as his brother spoke to him.

"STOP YOUR CRYING!" Kaiba yelled.

This only made Mokuba cry harder.

"And you think you can run Kaiba Corp? Look at yourself. You're a weak and frightened little child."

"I...I don't think I can...run Kaiba Corp," Mokuba squeaked.

"THEN WHY DID YOU KEEP IT! WHY WOULD YOU KEEP SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T EVEN WANT?"

"Be...because...it was your company," sobbed Mokuba. "I kept it...so...I'd still have...a piece of you."

"Why? You loved Dad more than me. Go find a way to keep him close to your heart."

"I loved you and Daddy the same," cried Mokuba. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Why wouldn't you believe me when I told you it wasn't your fault our mother died?"

"I...I did believe you."

"Apparently not very much or else you would have quit crying about it!"

"But..."

"NO BUTS! I've had it with you. You should be dead, not me."

Mokuba gasped. Why did Seto have to be so cold to him? Mokuba missed his brother, and there he was in front of him. Only Seto was yelling at the top of his lungs at him instead of giving him hugs like he wanted! All of this was making Mokuba feel worse than he already did!

Kaiba gave Mokuba one last stone cold glare, sending chills up Mokuba's spine. Then, Kaiba opened the door, walked outside, and slammed it shut. Mokuba quickly got up, ran over to the door, and opened it. Mokuba gasped.

"Hey, Mokuba," greeted Yugi. "We're early. I hope that's okay."

Mokuba shoved passed Yugi and his friends and looked around the yard.

"Um...what are you doing?" asked Téa.

"Did any of you see my brother?" asked Mokuba.

Everyone stood there, unsure of what to say.

"Did I hear you right, Mokuba?" asked Joey. "Did you say somethin' about seein' your brother?"

"Yes!" cried Mokuba.

Yugi, Téa, and Joey looked at each other.

"Aww man," Joey whispered to Yugi. "I think Mokuba has finally lost it."

Yugi was on the verge of agreeing with Joey but thought better of saying anything.

"He...he just...he just left!" Mokuba cried at them. "How could you not have seen him?"

"Mokuba, I hate to break this to you," began Joey, "but your brother is dead."

"I...I...but he...he came back here and..."

"Mokuba, are you sure you're okay?" asked Yugi. "Maybe you should lie down for awhile."

"Yeah," agreed Téa.

"No, he was here!"

Mokuba ran around to the backyard followed closely by his friends. Mokuba collapsed to his knees and sat on the ground, just staring out into the open, tears still streaming down his face. Yugi came up and put his arms on Mokuba's shoulders.

"Mokuba, your brother wasn't here," Yugi told him.

"But...but he was here..."

"Mokuba, I know this has all been hard on you, but your brother is gone," said Yugi, his voice shaking.

"He was...in the mansion with me."

"He couldn't have been," said Téa. "That's not possible."

"C'mon Mokuba, you're scaring us," said Joey.

"I want my brother!"

Mokuba grabbed a hold of Yugi and cried. After awhile, Joey pried Mokuba off Yugi and they took him inside the mansion. They sat Mokuba down on the couch and had to pry his arms off Joey too! Eventually, Mokuba calmed down a bit and they could talk to him.

"I thought...Tristan was coming," said Mokuba.

"He couldn't," said Yugi. "He had to watch his nephew today."

"Oh," said Mokuba.

"Mokuba, are you sure you're feeling okay?" asked Téa. "Are you sick or something?"

"I'm fine, but I saw my big brother!"

"Mokuba, I think all the stress has gotten to you," said Yugi.

"No, he was at the front doors, and he was yelling at me!"

"Why would your brother yell at you?" asked Joey. "I can understand him yelling at anyone else..."

"BECAUSE HE WAS!" Mokuba yelled. "IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS WHY HE WAS YELLING AT ME!"

Everyone became wide-eyed at Mokuba's sudden outburst.

"Gee," thought Joey. "He already sounds like his brother."

"Mokuba, calm down," said Yugi.

"Hey, what happened to your face?" asked Téa.

Téa had noticed that Mokuba's cheek was red. Mokuba put his hand over it to stop Yugi and Joey from looking at it too.

"What's wrong with it, Téa?" asked Yugi.

"It's really red."

"Let us take a look at it, Mokuba," said Joey.

"No!" cried Mokuba.

Mokuba jumped up off the couch and passed them to get to the other side of the room. He wanted to stay away from them. They didn't believe him about his older brother! Why wouldn't they believe him? He never lied about anything. Mokuba knew that his brother had actually been there or else he wouldn't actually be hurt. Mokuba didn't know how it was possible either, but he knew that Seto had been standing in front of him! He heard Joey whispering something to Téa and Yugi. He couldn't hear it, but he was certain it had something to do with him. Why wouldn't it? Then, Joey came over and tapped his shoulder.

"What?" asked Mokuba sadly.

"Mokuba, could you turn around for a sec?" asked Joey.

Mokuba didn't answer. He just stood in front of the window in silence. Joey got impatient with Mokuba and grabbed his arms and turned him around.

"Ow!" cried Mokuba.

"What? I didn't have that strong a grip on you."

"What's wrong with your arms?" asked Yugi.

"Nothing," said Mokuba.

"Dude, are you hurting yourself?" asked Joey.