Chapter Ten: Countdown

My brother planned a surprise for my birthday and yet, it was not one I readily wanted. Let it suffice to say that things weren't exactly…pleasant. Still, I didn't mean to get as upset as I did, but Mokuba eventually went up to his room and once more closed the door. To me.

Now, my throat hurting and mind reeling, not to mention my emotions in some odd turmoil, I simply sit in my own room and wait for things to get back to normal. At least my birthday is over once more.

Getting back to work was more difficult than Kaiba could have imagined. The part of him that was always content to do work no matter what, the part that stayed consistent and thorough despite it all, the part of his personality that never interfered with his daily life and his daily life never got entangled up in was now distraught.

How could he just work after what had happened in that room?

"I was nearly mad at Mokuba for something as petty as him owning that dumb charm. What came over me?"

What came over him was too easy to figure out. He had been mad, so enraged, so incensed and infuriated that he could have…

No.

His thoughts never let him go any further. Seto Kaiba might be cold and uncaring to everyone in the world, but he would never contemplate or let cross his mind that he might have stolen that necklace and done anything to get it, even hit his little brother.

The sleepover was creeping closer, much too slowly for the boy who had begged it to be allowed. Even the members of the gang who couldn't see Mokuba's enthusiastic anticipation each day were giving silly grins to one another when they saw Kaiba striding by in the hallways.

"Ready for the party on Friday?"

"Sure am. Can't wait t' tear apart de Kaiba mansion!" Joey and Tristan exchanged looks and did an embarrassing dance in the middle of the crowd of high school students.

"Ugh…" Téa walked faster with Yugi. "We don't know them, right?"

The short punk gave a weak chuckle, but he was hard pressed to keep himself from joining in with the visible excitement that his friends exhibited. Could this possibly be a way for Kaiba to show that he wanted to be friends with them after all?

The Millennium Puzzle that weighted down his neck with its golden form seemed to lightly glow, but the Spirit within was silent. He had been lately, and Yugi assumed it was because there had been no duels for him to partake in. Maybe Kaiba would want to duel on Friday…

In fact, all of them had something to look forward to on that day. Some wanted to see the fancy mansion and others dreamed of playing jokes and finding material that they could use to blackmail Kaiba. Bakura was highly interested in finishing his project for school, and all of them would appreciate a little quality time with Mokuba. After the Death-T match and him being kidnapped by Pegasus, they had all grown close enough to be considered good pals, so being allowed to spend time together by his older brother was quite an anticipated event.

Mostly, though, Mokuba's insistence that a big surprise would await them there kept them intrigued and excited.

"I wonda how long we could be plantin' stink bombs all ova 'fore he noticed?"

"Guys! We're not going there to tear down the place! If you do, we'll just get tossed out. And if you do that to me before I learn what Mokuba's surprise is…" Leaving the threat hang in the air at the people she "didn't know," the wannabe-dancer marched huffily down the hall to pack her bag full of homework recently assigned.

"More homework? I haven't even gotten started on that project yet." Bakura sighed.

"Soon, though," Yugi said with a smile. "And since you're with Kaiba, you can bet it'll be completed really quickly! Besides, we'll have all weekend to catch up on it all, I'm sure."

But the homework just never seemed to diminish, and all their smiles faltered as they worked relentlessly at night to complete things in time. The dream team was growing grumpy and snappish even to one another.

At the same time, Kaiba was struggling excessively not to grow snappish any more than he already had. Still, the memory of his hatred overpowering him like a putrid stench gave him shudders, and sometimes, he thought it'd be better if he remained away from Mokuba rather than risk slipping again.

That prospect was as bad as what he almost had done in the first place.

On Thursday afternoon, Mokuba pranced into Kaiba's workroom and sat down with a happy squirm.

"I don't have any homework, Seto!" The boy blissfully looked up at his older brother, expression hopeful. "Do you think…I mean, do you have time to maybe, just once, really…well, play a game with me?"

Startled, Kaiba's typing fingers faltered on the keys. Slowly, as he swiveled the chair to face his smaller brother, the CEO's face lost its rigid appearance. For once, the businessman looked as young as the age he really was.

"What game?" Ignoring the tug of his computer and other work, Kaiba focused entirely on his brother. The work could wait. He had most of it done and he never had turned in anything late. And he still wouldn't.

Seeming surprised at how quickly his brother seemingly agreed, Mokuba thought quickly, nearly in a misstep for not thinking so far ahead. Usually, he didn't get this far. "How about bat gammon?"

Kaiba blinked. "Bat gammon? Why, Mokuba?"

The younger Kaiba shrugged. "It's the oldest game, I've heard. I wanted to try it out again. I wasn't very good the last time I played."

And playing again without practicing will have made you better? Seto's mouth quirked as he stood. "Fine, it's a deal. Let's play it."

Mokuba rushed out of the room ahead of Seto. His feet padded down the long hallway to some distant closet whose stow-aways had long since been deleted from Kaiba's organized mind. Games weren't on his top priority to know.

Coat sweeping out behind him, Kaiba followed his brother at a more leisurely pace, but with his long legs, he covered the ground nearly as quickly.

A few servants scuttled out the way, trying to be nondescript and attract no attention. Kaiba noted them all, but he said nothing and did not even cast a glance at them besides the corner looks he had to make sure everything was completed to his approval.

Being short, Mokuba was struggling to free the bat gammon board from the closet without burying himself under the unlimited debris from higher shelving. Obviously, no one had taken the mandatory hours to clean this closet. Not once in probably fifty years judging from how old some of the games were. The dusty scent riddled their nostrils and tickled the back of their eyes and throats, but just as Kaiba was reaching to disengage the game from the others above it, Mokuba yanked it free. An ominous thud instantly followed as another game collapsed, too weary to hold the numerous others and itself up any longer.

"Uh-oh…" Mokuba slowly backed away from the closet that was about to vomit, like the one shifting game was the series of burps that came before the retching.

Quickly, Kaiba slammed the door shut. Just in time. A collection of thudding and scuffling came slightly muted from behind the door, and bits of dust blew out the bottom crack to harass their noses once more. Games getting into fights never ended well.

"We don't want to open that door any time soon."

Mokuba, eyes wide, shook his head. "Nuh-huh. Not at all."

"Guess we'll have to play this game a lot, then, so there's an excuse not to put it away."

"All right! Or, I could keep it in my room. It wouldn't look out of place there at all, Seto. In fact, there's probably plenty of other games from that closet that found a home in there, safely snuggled amidst my things."

Raising his brows, Kaiba began to move down the hall again. "I didn't need to hear that. But it's true, I know. Why don't you clean it at all?"

"Then I'll forget where everything is."

"…You know where everything is with those mounds?"

"Yup! One holds a bunch of old school things, another has mostly collectibles and souvenirs, a third holds clothes and—"

"I understand. But you'd learn where everything is eventually if you changed where you kept it. Imagine: being clean and organized and still knowing where things are!"

Mokuba glanced at him. "Where's the fun in that?"

Shaking his head, Kaiba sat down at a table and placed the game, readying the board and doling out the pieces. Sometimes, arguing was just completely pointless.

It was as he was shoving over the pile of white pieces for Mokuba that Kaiba saw once more what made his heart freeze.

That dragon was laughing at him.

It didn't make any sense, and yet, Kaiba knew. That stupid pendant found him utterly amusing and foolish and was laughing at him.

Kaiba's eyes traveled slowly up the pendant's cord past his brother's unruly hair to Mokuba's shining eyes. They looked so out of place above the dragon's eyes, above the necklace that was brimming to the top with utter amusement and derision. At him. Him.

Shaking his head, Seto finished setting up the game without a word.

"My turn?" Mokuba asked, aware not at all of the silent observing his brother and pendant were doing of each other. His voice, light and cheery, seemed to force some of the sunlight back into a suddenly-darkened world.

"Yes…let's play the game…"