Where This May Lead
Chapter 2
Mokuba is roused by the sound of the door opening. This is his second week in the hospital yet he believes he will never be accustomed to the place. He opens his eyes and smiles a welcome for his visitor. She has been with him throughout his ordeal, a constant and reassuring presence for both he and his brother.
"How are you on this fine morning?" she asks. She is moving around his room as though she owns it. In a way, he thinks it is only fitting that she should because she has been the one personalizing it for him. He knows that he will be in here for a while.
He tells her that he is feeling better and he is not lying. He is still extremely tired but he knows he is getting better. It no longer hurts to breathe. Some of his bruises have disappeared. His cast should be off next week, if he is lucky. Then his physical therapy will begin.
She talks with him, encouraging him to continue doing what he's doing. He has been told frequently that his progress is astounding. The fact that he is alive is a miracle in itself. No one had expected him to emerge from his coma. She mentions none of this – all her attention is focused on the future. The way she speaks, he almost can't believe that she has been absent from his life for the past eight years.
He asks if she can stay for lunch since it is a Sunday and she nods in affirmation. Pleased, he finally admits that the exertion is too much for him and he dozes. He could not have been asleep for more than half an hour before the door awakens him once more. He opens his eyes fractionally and sees his brother's simple, black trench coat. Knowing that Seto will not be left to wonder in silence, Mokuba does not bother to speak. Instead, he lies and listens to them speak.
Since regaining consciousness and finding the unlikely pair hovering above him, Mokuba has wondered what their relationship is. This is his chance to find out therefore he feigns sleep.
From beneath his lashes, he sees Seto tiptoe into the room and stand beside Anzu's chair at the foot of the bed.
"How is he?" His brother's baritone is hushed.
"Much better. He smiled when I came in."
"That's… a relief."
A chair is dragged along the floor. Seto sits. "You've done a lot with this room."
"I only brought things I thought he would like. Things to motivate him. No matter what the doctors say, I think he can get through this by sheer force of will." Her belief in him is enough to make Mokuba want to get well. She can take the posters and the flowers and the cards. All she has to do is tell him she believes in him.
Seto nods. "He is very determined."
There is something soft in her voice as she replies, "He reminds me of you when we were younger."
There is a pause then Seto says, "He's so much more than I was."
Then there is true silence. Mokuba almost drifts back to sleep when Seto speaks again. "Mazaki… thank you. You've… been there for him. You've really helped him along so…thank you."
Mokuba looks at them, curious about Anzu's reaction.
"You're welcome. He would have done the same thing for me."
Mokuba knows that Seto knows she is correct. They lapse into silence again and Mokuba almost sleeps once more then Anzu speaks. "Kaiba, how are you?"
"Surviving."
The answer is obviously insufficient. Abruptly, she asks, "What are you doing when you leave here?"
Mokuba decides that this conversation is too erratic for its own good. There are too many pauses.
"Nothing."
"Then come with me. Please."
To Mokuba's astonishment, Seto manages to resurrect and insert some semblance of playfulness into his tone. "Are you asking me out, Mazaki?"
She muffles a snort. Mokuba winces unconsciously. Quietly, soberly, she says, "You're going to kill yourself worrying about him like this. At least take one evening for yourself. You don't really have to come with me. Just don't go stare at your computer. Take a walk. Do something."
Then the nurse comes in with his lunch and he pretends he has just awoken. The meal is what Mokuba is beginning to recognize as forcibly light-hearted. While drinking his soup, however, his chest begins to ache terribly. Anzu's eyes widen and Seto curses and both reach over to mash the button for a nurse.
The last thing Mokuba sees before he passes out is their hands. The grip looks strong, even through Mokuba's fogged vision. As he gives into the darkness, Mokuba finds reassurance in the fact that his brother is not alone.