Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks.
They Worry Me
The Cayenne has been returned.
The gun charges have been dropped since the gun has been registered to Nii-sama since last year.
The assault charges against Nii-sama will be handled out of court.
Yami's things were picked up before they went into the dumpster, all surprisingly still intact.
Nii-sama's been going to work exhausted and half hung-over after spending the bulk of the last few nights pacing, drinking and smoking in his study.
I missed yet another day of school.
Yami hasn't spoken to anyone, eaten anything or left the guest room we put him in for the last three days.
And I'm at a loss.
I need to do something, but I'm not sure what. I think the first thing I have to do is get Yami out of that room. Yugi will be leaving in a few days and I can't believe Yami would want to let him go without saying anything. And I can't imagine Yugi being so angry about what happened with Jou that he'd never want to speak with Yami again.
"Mr. Kaiba!"
"Huh?" I start, looking up to see my Literature teacher hovering over me. I hear several snickers nearby.
"Mr. Kaiba," he continues in that voice I've come to call his 'detention-for-the-week' voice, "I realize you are one of the honor students in this school, but with your recent absenteeism and the way your grades have been slipping, you can't afford not to pay attention in my class. Perhaps a week of detention will help you focus. Starting this afternoon."
I knew it! "I-I can't," I assert, drawing gasps of surprise from most of the class. Mr. Yakamura is known as a hard ass and talking back to him just gets you more trouble than it's worth. But I can't have detention this week. I might not even be in school tomorrow. I have to help Yami!
"Excuse me, Mr. Kaiba? You can't? Must I remind you that I am the authority here?"
"I realize that, sir," I begin, bowing my head apologetically, "But I really can't do detention this week. I'll gladly do two weeks starting Monday, but this week I just can't."
"This isn't negotiable, Mr. Kaiba," he raises his voice slightly. "I expect you here for detention at 3:45 pm sharp!"
"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't do that," I reply, my head still bowed.
"We'll just let the principal decide whether you can, Mr. Kaiba. Please bring your things with you. Saito!"
"Yes, sir?"
"Please maintain order until I return."
"Yes, sir!"
With a sigh I pack up my books and head to the principal's office. This is a waste of time. She won't change my mind either. I won't be doing detention this week.
After 20 minutes of pointless wrangling, she drops the bomb, if I don't show up for Mr. Yakamura's detention I will be suspended for two days.
"Fine," I sigh exasperated. There goes my perfect discipline record. "Will the suspension start today or tomorrow?"
"Mr. Kaiba," she emphasizes, "I don't think you understand the magnitude of this situation! A poor discipline record can adversely affect your University circumstances!"
Soooo, screw up my college chances or help my friend and consequently, my brother. Is there really a choice?
"I understand, ma'am," I stand, meeting her eyes, "But this is much more important. I'll be back after my suspension with my brother as required. Thank you for your time."
I bow politely.
Throwing my backpack on my shoulder, I head to my locker and gather what books I think I'll need and my coat before climbing onto my bullet and speeding home.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I had decided to just buy the property from Minako outright, and then thought better of it. I'd hired a team to refurbish it, but cancelled that too. I haven't even mentioned to Minako that my friend wants the space because he hasn't said he still wants it. I don't want Yami to feel indebted to me for anything. I don't want him to think he's my lap dog. I want him to go back to being my friend.
Though right now I just wish he'd just come out of that room. And eat something. And talk to us. He didn't speak to Mokuba or me after we left the police station and went to the Mutt's house to get his things. He didn't even get out of the truck. It was almost like he didn't want the stuff. But I couldn't just leave it there next to the dumpster. So Mokuba and I packed most of it in the boxes I'd grabbed the night before and piled them and what everything that didn't fit in the boxes into the back of the SUV. Once we arrived back at the house, Mokuba and I took everything into one of the guest rooms. Yami's demeanor didn't change even when we'd put everything into "his" room. He'd walked into the room listlessly and hasn't left since.
I look at the pile of work on my desk and grumble to myself. I haven't gotten anything done in days. If this keeps up, I'll have to pull a few all-nighters. Scrubbing at my tired eyes and running my hands through my hair, I settle my thoughts and get to work.
Yami will speak to us when he's ready, until then, I still have a company to run.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Yami, can I come in?" I call, knocking on his door lightly. Every other time I'd tried these last few days he hasn't answered and I'd eventually walked away.
"Sure," he responds in a distant voice. I' m pleasantly surprised to hear him answer me.
I crack the door open and frown. All of his things are still packed up. He hasn't opened any of the boxes. The things that weren't in boxes that we'd placed against the wall behind the door still lie there. At least he's changed his clothes. I'm sure if Nii-sama and I hadn't hung up some of his clothes and thrown a few others into dresser drawers, they'd still be in several of those boxes.
I sit beside him on the bed as he stares at the wall.
"Yugi leaves for Hawaii Sunday," I venture.
"I know," he replies quietly.
"Aren't you going to see him off?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because he doesn't want me to."
"How do you know?"
He turns to me and I frown at his red-rimmed eyes, puffy from more than lack of sleep.
"He told me so last night," he replies soberly.
My breath hitches. Yugi rejected him? Rejected his Yami? I can't believe it!
"He…But…You're his…He's your…You're connected!" I sputter.
"Not anymore," he declares.
This is too much for me. If Yugi could do that to Yami, the closest thing the pharaoh has in this life to family, then what hope does he have for anything else in his life?
Not knowing what to say, I just take his hand. If Yugi won't be his family, I will.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"So let me get this straight," Sugoroku Mutou questions his grandson over the phone, "Yami got in a fight with Jou and now you don't want anything to do with him?"
"No, Jii-chan," Yugi sighs into the phone. "Yami had Kaiba beat Jou up after Jou and Mai told him that Kaiba wasn't welcome in their house."
"Well, I find that hard to believe. Yami and Kaiba aren't even friends anymore."
"They are Jii-chan! Kaiba's taken him to dinner and everything. And he was with Kaiba when he went to beat up Jou. And when Kaiba was arrested, Yami left with him!"
"Maybe he didn't know what else to do. Are you sure Jou didn't start something? You know how much of a hothead he can be, Yugi."
"Jii-chan, Kaiba was banging on Jou's door! He went to Jou's house specifically to beat him up for Yami!"
"How do you know that? Did Kaiba say that? Didn't you say that Yami was planning to move out by the end if the week? Maybe Kaiba was just there to help Yami get his things."
"Gods, Jii-chan, you just won't listen! Kaiba beat Jou up! On purpose! And he even had a gun in his truck! He wasn't there for anything good. He wasn't helping Yami in any way except to beat up Jou. Who knows what would have happened if a neighbor hadn't called the cops!"
"But Yami is family, Yugi. Jou's just your friend. How can you turn your back on him?"
"He turned his back on me!" Yugi screams into the phone. "When he abandoned me to go to Egypt on a whim, he turned his back on me!"
"You know that's not true. He had to go. He needed to be true to his heritage for a while."
"He didn't! He just didn't care! He just left me alone! Jou was the only one there for me. You'd retired and moved away. And Yami had abandoned me. I had no one but Jou. I won't abandon him like Yami did me."
"Yugi…"
"Jii-chan, I just wanted to tell you what happened and to ask you to support my decision to let him go."
"I can't do that, Yugi."
"Can't or won't?"
"Won't."
"So, you're abandoning me too?" he screams, tears mixing with his angry shout.
"No, Yugi. I will always be your Jii-chan. I just think you're too upset to make such a big decision right now. Wait until you've calmed down a bit. If you still feel this way when I come to Hawaii in a few weeks, then I will abide by your decision."
"F-Fine," he chokes into the phone. "Bye Jii-chan. I love you."
"I love you too, Yugi. Just think about what you really want to do about Yami, and we'll talk later."
"Okay, Jii-chan," he sighs, slightly calmer. "Bye."
"Bye, Yugi."
A/N: The Cayenne is a 4DR, all wheel drive SUV by Porsche. Kaiba owns the V8 Turbo.