Mokuba's Plan

By Pearl of the Dark Age

Disclaimer: (drum roll) I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. (audience claps)

Chapter 17

"Here," Onii-chan said, "Let me do this. You go finish packing." He wrapped the loaves of sweet bread Mokuba had grabbed in tinfoil and stashed them in a paper grocery bag. He knew that Mokuba wanted to take the leftovers home with him. Mokuba went back into the bedroom to hunt for the rest of his clothes, homework, his Nintendo DS lit, and the toiletries he had brought with him. In thirty minutes, the two of them had packed everything into the duffle bag neatly. Due to Amelda's packing skills, there was even room to spare after he placed the bag of bread on top of the soft clothes and zipped the duffle shut.

"Are you ready, kiddo?" Amelda asked soberly. The inevitable day had come. They both had heavy hearts. Neither had spoken a word as Amelda carried Mokuba's stuff downstairs to the redhead's junky old Toyota. A neighbor two floors below gave Mokuba a curious look as they passed on the stairwell. "I hope if he recognizes you he doesn't do something stupid," the redhead muttered to Mokuba out of earshot. Amelda did not feel like being pulled over by the police on this final day. It would just be a horrible ending to the whole affair and very awkward having to explain everything to Kaiba's lawyer.

Mokuba wanted to cry. He did not want to leave. But he wanted his nii-sama back. What he really wanted was the best of both worlds, and for Nii-sama to have learnt his lesson. "I'm afraid my plan hasn't worked at all," Mokuba confessed as they reached the exit to the apartment complex. "I'm afraid that when I go back nothing will have changed. It will have all been in vain."

"Be a little optimistic," Amelda persuaded. He looked at the darkening sky. It wasn't even noon yet and already clouds were rolling in. This dampened Amelda's spirits even further. Great! He thought sourly, It's like something out of a Hitchcock movie! (12)

Mokuba looked up, too. "The weather reporter said it would rain today," he murmured apathetically. I won't let this be a bad omen, Mokuba thought. Plan D must not fail!

This is a bad omen, Amelda cursed the sky. What the hell can I do? I can't keep him; he's not Miruko. Amelda sighed heavily, It's going to be lonely without the kid. But a promise is a promise…

They both got into Amelda's derelict car. They reached the freeway without exchanging a word of conversation. Once or twice the heavy silence was broken by Amelda cursing the clutch under his breath as he shifted gears. Mokuba cried silent tears for part of the way. He spent his time running his fingers through his short hair and watching the gloomy grey clouds roll around in the sky above. A question Mokuba had been longing to ask all month blossomed in his stomach. He had been afraid to ask Onii-chan before, but now after understanding the redhead a little better he knew that it was probably safe to ask - even if he did not receive an answer. "Onii-chan," Mokuba broke the silence timidly. "May I ask you something personal?"

"Yes," Amelda replied without looking over to his passenger. "It isn't like I haven't answered personal questions about myself already." His voice was low and even. It sounded to Mokuba that Onii-chan was going to miss him, too.

"What did it feel like when you used the seal of Oricalchos?" Mokuba asked in one baited breath. Onii-chan looked affronted, he obviously had not been expecting this question.

Amelda took a deep breath before answering, "Painful." He swallowed before elaborating, "The power comes from the darkness within yourself. When you play the seal it enhances the worst memories of your life, the most agonizing emotions, and utilizes them to power the Oricalchos." He shuddered for a second. "You feel all these things in a heightened sense. It can be rage, pride, despair, or any darkness that dwells within you. The power it wields can let you do things that ordinary mortals can't. Your thoughts become reality, and it can be a scary thing…" He trailed off, not knowing what else to say, and not daring to look over to Mokuba. The next question he was better prepared to answer.

"When I lost my soul to Pegasus," Mokuba began, "I remember being in a lot of pain. It felt horrible. But the millennium eye and the seal are two different powers. What did it feel like to lose your soul?"

"I felt like my body was literally melting from the inside out," Amelda gasped. "After that, I was completely numb. All the five senses had left me. I suppose that was when I was inside the great beast. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital in California."

"Yeah," Mokuba confirmed. "After you lost that duel, we met up with Yugi and his friends. Before we all went to Florida, Nii-sama had ordered for you and Ryuzaki to be dropped off at the hospital."

"Mokuba…" Amelda hesitated, "how did Kaiba react after I lost my soul? What happened between then and when I was sent to the hospital?"

"Uh…" Mokuba thought back, "he went to the cockpit to keep the plane from crashing. Then, once we landed, he came back to pick you up and carry you out. When he popped open the door, there was Yugi and everyone else. So, not much happened…" Mokuba was a little confused by Amelda's question, wondering what it was he was looking for.

"What do you mean he carried me?" Amelda asked immediately.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" Mokuba queried. "He carried you. I couldn't. You probably weigh as much as Nii-sama does."

"Okay," Amelda replied, smiling. He wanted a good visual image of what Mokuba had told him, and he thought of a better way to rephrase the question, "How did he carry me?"

It was then Mokuba understood. A big smirk splashed across his features. "Oh," he answered jovially, "like a damsel in distress." Amelda glared at him for the use of that particular simile, but grinned in appreciation all the same. The redhead had entertained himself with different scenarios involving that image for the rest of the way to the Kaiba mansion.

The time seemed to have flown. They were at the gates before they realized it. The gathering gloom began to rain upon them. "I guess this is goodbye, kiddo," Amelda choked. He sighed as he gave Mokuba a faint smile and hugged him tightly.

Mokuba looked aghast, "I'm not getting out here!"

"Oh, yes you are!" Amelda replied. "I'm not breaking my pinky promise. I said I would return you, and here you will be returned!"

"I meant not here at the gate!" Mokuba explained. "It's a long walk up the drive. I'll be soaked! I could catch a cold!" Mokuba said in a panicky voice. He had ignited Plan D. He was going to force Nii-sama and Onii-chan to be nice to each other. Even if it meant that they might get bruised and bloodied in the process. He was going to get the best of both worlds.

"But…" Amelda felt himself deflating, "But… I don't want to get any closer to Kaiba than I have to! I don't want him to ever know it was me! So…" he said, thinking aloud, "I'll take you up there," he decided, "if you promise you won't tell him it was me!"

"Okay," Mokuba said. It was true. He knew his nii-sama would be watching the window like a hawk on this day. Mokuba would not have to say a word!

They drove up the drive and stopped at the vertex before the front door. Amelda shifted into Park, but left the engine on. His nerves were rattling like crazy. He wanted so badly to see Kaiba again, but not like this.

"Will you help me carry my stuff inside?" Mokuba asked in his sweetest voice.

Amelda felt his guts collapse to the bottom of his abdominal cavity. "Are you crazy?" he shrieked, "I'm not going inside! I don't want him to see me!" Too late… Seto was already out the front door striding faster than an enlisted man in boot camp straight at them. He was followed by a dozen or so household servants and assorted flunkies.

Amelda began to panic. "Get out!" he screamed at Mokuba. Mokuba did not move a finger. Amelda made to put the car in Drive. Too late…

Seto flung open his door, grabbed him with one hand, and practically strangled Amelda in the attempt to yank him out while he was still buckled.

Mokuba pressed Amelda's release button. The pacifist was hurled onto the soggy grass three meters away. His resolve to fight back departed on swift wings.

Seto was so apoplectic with rage he could not even speak. His temples were turning blue. His cold blue eyes were lit with fury. He was growling like some kind of rabid dog from Hell.

In the few seconds that Seto and Amelda just stared at each other, Mokuba turned off the car engine, unbuckled, extricated himself, and with stiff resolution walked over to them. Just as Seto lunged for the fallen redhead, Mokuba stepped squarely in his path.

Seto stopped dead. Their eyes locked. Seto had never seen his brother's face look like this before. It was scary! "Seto, you will not harm my onii-chan," Mokuba spoke without a trace of a threat, but with iron-clad constitution.

Seto fell over in shock. He felt like he just took a wrecking ball to the stomach. His mouth fell open. His throat closed on him. He felt dizzy with pain. Seto's crisp white suit was now covered in mud and grass stains. There were a couple blades of grass in his hair. All dignity had left him. He began to cry. Salty tears mingled with rain on his cheeks, trickling into his gaping mouth. "Otouto," (7) he gasped in agony, his eyes fixed on the beloved face of his younger brother.

Mokuba's face softened with sympathy. His velvet eyes welled with tears at the pathetic sight of his older brother. "I still love you, Nii-sama," Mokuba whispered, barely audible over the patter of rainfall. "I only want you to understand that if you really love me, you won't hurt Onii-chan. He has taken excellent care of me all this month. Fed me and protected me. He tried to take me back to you on the very night I ran away. But I got him to agree to my plan by promising him that his debt to us for trying to kill us would be absolved."

Amelda propped himself up onto his elbows shakily. There was some mud on the side of his face and wet grass clung to his clothes. He yearned to make a dash for the car. But like everyone else, he stared at Kaiba, waiting for his reaction. For a moment it looked as though Seto had not heard a word. But when he closed his eyes and mouth, and stood up straight, it became as glaringly obvious as the sun on a cloudless day that Seto understood with full comprehension. There was no denial. There was no anger. Seto walked towards his brother and embraced him. Everyone else standing around simultaneously exhaled a huge sigh of relief. None of the servents were soaked, because they were smart enough to bring umbrellas. Over Mokuba's shoulders, Amelda could see Seto smile. It was a Kodak moment. (10) The Kaiba brothers just stood there in a warm embrace that made the cold rain feel non-existent.

Mokuba returned his brother's smile when Seto finally let go. Then they both looked at Amelda, who was still on the ground. Seto's smile faded as he walked over with slow, heavy steps. His features were inscrutable; Amelda had no idea what he was thinking. For one wild moment, Seto thought, I want to kiss him, but quickly stifled it. Due to Seto's expertise, this thought made no trace upon his visage.

Mokuba grinned from ear to ear, shaking with excitement. He could tell that Nii-sama was not angry and that something good might come of this. One of the servants thought he was shaking from the cold, and rushed forward to wrap her sweater around him and usher him underneath her umbrella. At that moment, it stopped raining, but the clouds remained.

Tension! Seto extended a hand without a word or change in expression. Amelda gave it one apprehensive glance and took it. Seto pulled him up to his feet and they both appraised each other's similar state of uncleanliness. Amelda could taste the tension thick as butterscotch. His insides began to squirm. Mokuba's ecstatic smile did not lighten the mood. The mounting tension was broken by Seto first. "Come inside. You can take a shower and warm up while the maids wash your clothes before you leave," his voice was polite and formal, but a little constrained. "It's the least I could do to thank you."

Amelda gulped. Inside? His mind raced with tantalizing images and his heart drummed even faster. "Okay," he breathed, unable to think of something more intelligent to say. He let go of Seto's hand when he realized he was still holding it.

Seto's impassive veneer had not altered. He said nothing as he turned and walked to the front door. Most of the servants had already made it inside. Amelda did not move. He watched Mokuba twisting around to give him a triumphant grin before he disappeared behind the doorframe. A finger of sunshine poked its way through the grey clouds, warming up the scene below. At the threshold of the entrance, Seto turned back to observe Amelda when his sixth sense told him the man had not moved.

Amelda looked beautiful to Seto even though he was soaking wet and covered in grass and mud. His silvery grey eyes matched the clouds above, and his hair - darkened with wetness - was the color of deep red wine. Instead of fanning out to frame his beautiful face, it clung to the side of his head like a starfish on a rock. It greatly surprised Seto that the color did not run. It should have trickled down his neck to stain the collar of his shirt. It looked surreal. What the hell is wrong with me? Seto thought bitterly. He's an idiot! "Are you coming or not?" Seto shouted nastily.

Amelda looked from Seto to the ground, his head bowed. This is insane! he told himself again and again. Shivering, he started walking to the car. Seto thought Amelda was refusing his invitation; so he turned around and walked through the door, closing it behind him. Amelda opened the trunk of the car and pulled out Mokuba's duffle bag, shut the trunk, and proceeded to the door.

When Amelda got there, he found it was locked. Knock and it shall be opened unto you, a voice whispered in his head. Amelda smirked at the voice and the sublime sunlight. Insane… but what have I to lose?

A/N: Cliffhanger! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha! Reviews please! Thank you very much!