A/N: I just noticed that the scene breaks I made don't translate to ff net. Well, learn something new every day. I put a new kind in this chapter, and anyway, I don't think it's that hard to figure out where the scene ends. Well, thanks to the reviewers. I try my hardest not to let too much time build up in between my posts, when I first started I could barely wait a week, now I don't post for a minimum of two weeks. ...Yeah. Though a reason for the earlier posts could be that I was on summer vacation... Also, I didn't proof this chapter as much as I usually do, so if some of the sentences sound funny, well, I blame it on my homework, especially Calculus. God, I wish I was back in Algebra. Okay, enough talking for me.
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO.
Chapter Three:
"That was great!" Mokuba said to Yugi. People were filing through the exits, now that the show was over. The cold air was starting to penetrate the theater, it was well into the night, but there was still the after party to go to.
Yugi nodded. "Me and Yami had been planning it for a long time now, I think it went well."
"Better than well," Mokuba said. "Oh, hey, there's my brother." Mokuba took Yugi by the arm and pulled him to one of the staircases.
Seto was walking down the stairs, impressed at the performance the entire band gave. They didn't even have coaching or choreography, they must've gone with whatever they thought would look good, and the result was fine. It wasn't calculated like all the other concerts he had been to. He spotted his brother running to him, with a familiar face in tow, but this one looked slightly different.
"And here I thought it was going to be challenging to find you," Seto said when Mokuba reached him.
"You didn't actually think I was going to get kidnapped did you?" Mokuba smiled. "This is Yugi Mutou, the lead singer's little brother."
"Striking resemblance," Seto said.
"I know," Mokuba replied. They both eyed Yugi.
"Um, I'm standing right here, you could talk to me and not just about me," Yugi said, smiling.
"So Seto, you're coming to the after party with us," Mokuba asked/demanded.
"What? After party? Since when?"
"Since I found out about it," Mokuba said. "You can't leave now, you have to meet the band."
Seto didn't want to do that. He didn't even want to come to the concert, and somehow got worked into coming anyway. He could tell that Mokuba was preparing to deliver a whole long speech on why he should go and in the end he would give in and do it anyway, so Seto decided to skip that whole process and stopped Mokuba before he even got the chance.
"Where is it?" He asked.
Mokuba was shocked. He didn't even have to open his mouth. Yugi just stood there, unaware of the silent battle of wills that had just taken place.
"It's backstage," Mokuba said slowly, pointing to the stage.
"Then let's get this over with," Seto sighed.
The party was located directly backstage, amongst the theater equipment and the band's instruments. It was the largest area, and could barely be considered crowded. A bottle of champagne had already been open and flutes were being passed around. How this party had been set up, with the waiters and hors d'oeuvres, Seto had no clue. The three walked down the narrow walkway, past the dressing rooms, and Seto noticed that inside one of them the white-haired guitarist was sitting on one of the couches surrounded by a group of women that were fawning over him. Slightly disgusted, Seto faced forward again only to almost run into the lead singer. Yami was also looking in on Bakura, but when Seto had stopped, the other turned his head.
"Bizarre, isn't it? He only uses them to stroke his ego, he won't nail any of them," Yami said matter-of-factly.
Seto said nothing. What was there to say?
Behind him, Yugi pushed his way to the front and hugged his brother. "You did great, Yami."
"Thanks," Yami said, turning his attention to Yugi.
Mokuba cleared his throat and Yugi looked at him. "Oh, right, and this is Mokuba and Seto Kaiba, he," Yugi pointed at Seto, "owns the record label that signed you on."
"I know, we've kind of met," Yami said, returning his focus back to Seto.
Yugi looked from Yami to Seto and then back again. "Okay, then," Yugi said. "Me and Mokuba are gonna go get something to eat."
They walked off toward the table with the food, conversing lightly and laughing, and leaving Yami and Seto completely alone.
Yami let out an impatient breath and turned around, walking towards the other people. Seto followed him.
"So that's your brother? Hard to believe, you look nothing alike," Yami said, glancing up at Seto. "And you act nothing alike."
"I beg your pardon," Seto said caustically. "I wasn't aware that I had to be nice to every person that walks by me."
"Oh, but the problem with that is you never know who's going to walk by," Yami replied, just as nastily. He broke away from Seto and Seto glared at the leaving figure.
When Yami was no longer in view, Seto turned around and found Mokuba. He walked quickly over to where his brother was and grabbed his arm.
"We're leaving, now," Seto said forcefully.
"But...why...?" Mokuba said, "ow, okay we're going." He agreed after Seto gripped his arm fiercer and started to drag him out. Mokuba waved 'good-bye' to Yugi, who stared confused after them.
Seto didn't let go of Mokuba's arm until they were fully outside of the theater. Mokuba took his arm and rubbed it, he could probably go to Child Protective Services and call Seto on child abuse charges for that, but then he would be sent to a foster home and not have the cool things his brother buys him. So, that wouldn't be happening.
They walked through the empty parking lot in silence. Mokuba could feel the rage radiating off of Seto and thought it better to not talk at all should he accidentally say something wrong and set his older brother off. So they also drove home in silence.
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Yugi stood there for a second after Mokuba was dragged off, but then shook his head and decided he should try to find out what that was all about. He winded his way through the circular groups of people chatting until he found his brother. Discretely, he pulled Yami away from one of the little groups and took him to a dressing room, quietly closing the door behind them.
Yami went and sat down on the couch. "So, what did you want to talk to me about, Yugi?"
"What did you say to Kaiba?" Yugi asked.
"Only the truth," Yami replied.
"Well, he was really angry, did you offend him?"
"Quite possibly," Yami said, slouching down into the couch with a smirk.
"Yami, you do know that you're going to have to work with him," Yugi said.
"No I won't, he's head of a major record label. Why would he waste time on a small start-up band?"
"You never know. It could happen. Besides, you're not small, or did you not see the crowd in that theater tonight?"
Yami shrugged and Yugi sighed. "We should get back to the party," Yugi said, seeing that he was fighting a losing battle.
Yami stood up. "Sounds great."
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When Seto and Mokuba were half-way home, Mokuba felt that Seto had calmed down enough so that he could ask what happened.
"Why did we have to leave early? I didn't get anything to eat," Mokuba lamented.
"I wasn't about to stay there any longer. And you can get something to eat at home."
"What happened?" Mokuba questioned.
Seto was silent.
"Fine," Mokuba said and leaned against the window, watching the scenery pass outside. They were driving along the base of the hill range they lived on, and would be home at no time at all.
When they did arrive home, Mokuba went directly into the kitchen, obviously not trying to guilt his brother by saying he was hungry. Seto stopped in the foyer and rubbed his temples. That wasn't the most pleasant introduction he had with any one person, and almost regretted snapping at Yami. But it seemed that lately his nerves had been fried, and any small thing could set him off.
He walked along the hallway, and looked in on Mokuba, who was barely visible behind the door of the fridge, but then decided it would be better to go straight to bed. Straight to a sleep that wouldn't come.
Seto climbed up the stairs to the second floor of the house, which was basically his domain. The second floor had the master bedroom, master bath, and a study, all of which were his. Mokuba was allowed into the study, or if in some odd case he needed to use the master bathroom, but never went into Seto's room unbidden. It wasn't purposefully arranged that way, but Mokuba never had a reason to go in there. So, through time, that rule had come up.
In the bedroom, Seto stripped and got his sleepwear on. He walked over to the windows and before he closed the curtains, he stared out of the window. It was quiet, empty, and dark in the high-class neighborhood. Seto turned away from the window while pulling the curtains closed, plunging the room into complete darkness. He stumbled a little to the bed and fell on top, wishing only to get to sleep. He crawled under the covers and rolled onto his stomach. He lay there, thinking about nothing in particular, and unable to fall asleep.
Seto's insomnia was back. He thought it had went away a couple of months ago, when he had finally been able to get to sleep. He was wrong. For about an hour he tossed and turned, then finally getting fed up with that, went into his study and turned his computer on. If he wasn't going to sleep, he was going to work. At four AM, he walked drowsily into his room and the moment his head touched the pillow, he was out cold.
A/N: That was a really short chapter. I didn't know if I should end it here, or put in the next scene, but, obviously, I decided to stop it here. I think the next scene would make a nice chapter beginning. Review and I'll have more of an incentive to write. Though probably not much, since senioritis has set in pretty bad and I'm just trying to keep my head above water, grades-wise, in school.
Whoa...it's Friday the Thirteenth...