Chapter Three

"Can I have some friends over tonight? To play video games?"

Mokuba looked up at his me. I didn't see him much, I was usually working, or with some guy.

"How much is a few?" I asked, eyeing him.

"Don't know, three or four?"

I placed my briefcase onto the table, and opened it, "I don't know, I thought that Dave could come over for supper."

At this, Mokuba's dark eyes lowered. "Oh..." was his only reply to my statement. He plopped himself down in a comfy armchair, and played with the string on his pants.

"You don't like him, do you?"

"It isn't that, It is just…Seto, I am fourteen, almost fifteen. Everytime he walks by me, he ruffles my hair, and when he talks to me, it is like I am three again."

I frowned. Mokuba was always like this, which made it almost impossible for me to get into a relationship with anyone.

"It is ok, I don't have to see him anymore."

"No!" Mokuba ran over to me, "I didn't mean it like that, I want you to be happy."

I shook my head, "No, I was us to be happy, and I need your approval on these kinds of things, Believe me, it is ok."

"I said I liked him…but he isn't like-"

He stopped here and looked up at me again. I didn't look back, but pretended to look through some papers I had picked out of my briefcase. I knew what he was going to say.

"Seto, I am sorry."

"It is ok," I said softly, trying hard to keep myself together, "You can have some friends over tonight, I have a lot of work to do. Go on, give them a call." Or in other words, I wanted to be alone right now.

He got the hint, and ran upstairs. Once I heard the door to his room close, I sat down in the chair my little brother had previously sat it. He isn't like Jou, I thought. But then again, no one was. My life had fallen to pieces since a year and a half ago. Nothing was the same. I couldn't keep relationships, Mokuba and I had gotten further away. He was a teen now, and his older brother was left alone.

I rubbed my temples to get these thoughts out of my head. The fact that I hadn't even seen my used-to-be boyfriend since he was…well…alive bothered most people. But I couldn't survive that. If his fucking mother would just take him off life support…

Fuck it, fuck it all. I kicked an ottoman in frustration. Everything was so damn complicated.

I broke it off with Dave, who I had been seeing for what, two weeks? That went well, but it was expected. Mokuba and I were the same like that, waiting for a clone of Jou to walk through our front door and fill the gap in our lives. It would take a fucking miracle for anyone to be able to do that.

As usual, I got dressed and went to the bar. It was a Friday night, and I made a point of always taking Saturday off. This was, I could drown my troubles in several glasses of scotch and then wake up the next morning, with a pounding headache. Glad to be back on schedule.

I parked my corvette in a spot, making sure the doors were locked.

Randy, the bartender, who knew my by name, drink, address and personal life, said hello, handed me the usual. Usual seat, Usual newspaper, and usual load of bullshit that goes on in this dump. But like I said, fuck it all.

I downed about half a bottle of Tylenol, and lay back down in bed the next morning. I always had to pay for the night's misgivings.

Fuck, someone was in my bed. Who had I brought home tonight? He had dark hair, and tanned skin, probably Italian. I looked at him for a moment, and then saw him stir.

"Who the fuck are you?" I hadn't meant to be that rude, but I had a headache the size of Manhattan, and I just want to go back to bed.

"Kevin," was his reply. That told me a lot.

"Why are you in my bed?"

"You took me home last night and-"

I put my hand up, "Don't tell me, I remember." Not; do I ever remember anything. "Whatever, just get dressed and get out…please." There, I added please, I am polite.

"The best fucks are always the biggest jerks, aren't they?"

"I wouldn't know, just leave," I said, more into my pillow than anything else. I heard the door close, and I took it he was gone. Good. Now I had a whole Saturday to do absolutely nothing, except wallow in self-pity.

"Did you have a good night?" Mokuba was pouring milk onto his Cornflakes, as I walked in, in my boxers.

"Not really, you?"

"I had an ok time." He began to shuffle the cereal into his mouth.

"What time did your friends go home?" I asked, ruffling the mess that was my hair.

"Around one, Ethan drove over here, so he just drove everyone home."

I nodded but didn't say anything, just grabbed the Cornflakes, and began to exit the kitchen.

"Back to sleep?"

I nodded, stuffing dry cereal into my mouth, heading out the door.

"If the phone rings, tell them I am at work or something."

"Everyone knows you don't work on Saturday."

"Then tell them I am out, just don't let anyone bother me."

I could see him out of the corner of my eye. He shook his head, and rolled his eyes, but I knew he would do as I asked.

I came to my room, and dropped the empty cereal box beside my bed. I hoped that when I woke up, my headache would be gone, but snuggling under my covers, I doubted this.

"Seto, Psst, Seto."

I opened my eyes halfway. Someone was whispering in my ear. Might as well just talk normally if you are going to wake me up. Yup, headache still intact.

"What do you want?" I said, turning towards the form of my younger brother.

"Phone call."

I growled and covered my head with a pillow. "Didn't I tell you to let me sleep? I am not taking phone calls." I am sure he heard me, but he still didn't listen.

"But Seto, please…take this call."

I sat up and looked at him. "But why…" The words died on my lips. Something was clearly bothering my brother, for he was very pale, and look scared.

"Mokuba, what is it?" I asked with genuine concern.

He didn't say anything, but he handed me the cordless phone.

"Hello?" My voice was raspy from just waking up.

"Kaiba, it is Yuugi."

I turned to Mokuba, with a confused look on my face. Why was a phone call from Yuugi so important?

"What do you want?" I said, hopping out of bed and reaching for my housecoat.

There was silence for a moment, and then he spoke again. "It is Jou…he woke up."

I was barely aware of the clunk, as the phone hit the floor.