Spatshipping (Seto x Jonouchi x Mokuba x Shizuka)
She saw the clover patch first. The boy came second.
Shizuka Kawai looked away from the train station for just a moment to enjoy the breeze through her hair, when a patch of green caught her attention. She gave out a sigh of happiness when she saw the wide swatch of clovers dancing in the wind, just barely ringed with melting snow. Spring was certainly on its way.
That was when she saw the boy. He was crouched down among clover, on his hands and knees with his face almost to the ground. His hands moved through the clover with a methodical rhythm. It only took Shizuka a moment to realize what he was doing.
She hesitated for a moment. Then, carefully, so as not to crush the clover, she stepped into the patch. The boy didn't notice her until she was crouching down next to him, and he only looked up for a passing glance before returning to his work.
"Are you...looking for a four-leaf clover?" Shizuka asked.
"Well, duh. Why else would I be out in the middle of a clover patch?" the boy said bluntly.
He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him. His ebony black hair fell in shaggy locks across his red sweater, and his face and jeans were smudged with dirt. His eyes flicked across the clover as he inched very slowly through the patch.
"Why are you looking for a clover? Do you need some extra luck?"
The boy hesitated for a moment.
"No."
"Oh," Shizuka said, cowed for a moment.
She hugged her knees, watching his careful examination of the patch continue. A cool breeze tickled her face. For a moment, she remembered a spring day back in the country, before her parents had divorced. They had been arguing again that day, and Shizuka hadn't been able to stop crying. Quietly, Katsuya had taken her hand, led her out the back door, and taken her up and over the big green hill behind the house. She remembered her gasp of delight at the rolling hills of clover, and the laughter they had shared together as they rolled all through the clover, collecting grass stains and dirt. They had made a promise that day, one that she remember, but she wasn't sure if Jonouchi did...
"Let's find a four-leaf clover, Shizuka."
"Oh yay!"
"But whoever finds it first has to share the luck with the other one, okay?"
"Will the luck make mommy and daddy stop fighting?"
"Of course it will!"
They hadn't found a four-leaf clover. And their parents told them that they were divorcing the very next day.
The boy sneezed loudly. Shizuka came back to herself, and saw that the boy's nose and fingers were red.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked worriedly.
"No."
She didn't seem to be able to get much out of him. Noting the shake of his shoulders, she came to kneel next to him.
"Here," she said. "I'll help you look, okay?"
The boy shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
But then he sneezed again, and his look of practiced indifference gave way to a blush of cold and embarrassment. Shizuka laughed softly, but tried to smother it. They didn't speak for while, as two pairs of hands searched the clover patch together.
A train whistled as suddenly, both their hands ran into each other, and they looked up with a jolt.
They had reached the end of the clover patch.
Shizuka sat up first, tucking her grass stained fingers into her armpits.
"Oh, well," she said. "Some patches don't have any, I guess. And it's hard to try and look at all of them."
The boy didn't answer. Quietly, he turned back to the patch and started looking again.
"Um, maybe you should –" Shizuka started.
"Oy! Shizuka!"
Shizuka looked up, and suddenly remembered why she was at the train station. She scrambled to her feet as Jonouchi jogged over to her, his breath fogging the air.
"Hey, sis," he said. "What are you doing over here? I thought you were going to wait at the usual spot."
"Oh, well, I was, but then I saw him, and –"
She glanced back over to the clover patch towards the boy, still searching, still shivering. Jonouchi followed her gaze over his shoulder. He did a double-take.
"Mokuba? Mokuba Kaiba?"
The name rang a bell.
"Oh!" she said. "That's who that is!"
"What's he doing here?"
"Looking for a four-leaf clover, I think."
"No, I mean here. In your town. Domino's a train ride away."
His face darkened.
"I wonder if Kaiba's here too."
Shizuka was about to ask her brother to stop picking fights when no one was even around to accept them, when a familiar, striking voice cut across the station.
"Mokuba!"
Mokuba's head jerked up, and all three heads whipped around. Sure enough, there was Seto Kaiba himself, stalking across the stone ground, his white coattails whipping in the wind. Mokuba's face dropped, and there was the hint of tears in his eyes.
Seto didn't even pay attention to the half-spoken challenge of Katsuya, storming over to Mokuba and hauling him to his feet.
"Where the hell have you been? I've been looking for you all day! Why weren't you answering your cell phone? And why the hell aren't you wearing your coat? It's twenty degrees outside!"
Mokuba tore back from his brother, obviously trying to stem tears.
"Kaiba-san," Shizuka started quietly.
Her brother cut her off.
"Hey, maybe it's something you did, wise guy," Katsuya said acidly. "Obviously Mokuba doesn't want anything to do with you right now – ever notice that?"
Seto's icy eyes slammed right into Katsuya, and Katsuya nearly stepped back.
"Stay out of this, Jonouchi," Seto said with a harsh edge. "This is none of your business."
"None of my business? You're causin' a scene right in the middle of the train station! You're making it my business!"
The two continued to shout as Shizuka attempted to catch their attention – but then she noticed that Mokuba was back on the ground, searching frantically now. His hands whipped through the clover, ripping some of them out of the ground. Tears dripped down and were quickly lost in the fury of motion.
Shizuka dropped to her knees beside Mokuba, grabbing his shoulders. There was nothing she could do for his and her brothers, but maybe she could help Mokuba.
"Mokuba-san," Shizuka said. "Mokuba-san! What's wrong, Mokuba-san?"
Mokuba tore from her grip.
"It's none of your business," he said. "This is just something I have to do."
He wiped his nose and left a streak of dirt across his cheek. Shizuka grabbed his hands before he could move back into that fury of motion.
"Mokuba-san," she said, quietly, softly. "Mokuba-san. Why do you need the clover? Is something wrong?"
Mokuba tried to pull out of her grip, but Shizuka was firm.
"Is it about your brother?" she said.
He hesitated.
"It's okay," she said. "I have one too. I understand...somewhat, at least."
Mokuba swallowed.
"Mokuba!"
Seto had appeared over them again, his eyes dark as a storm.
"Mokuba, get up. We're leaving. Now."
"Kaiba-san, wait –" Shizuka started.
"Now!"
Mokuba swallowed, rubbed at his eyes, and started to stand up.
Shizuka felt as though something was about to end – something precious was passing by, and no one could catch it and make it stay.
Her fingers curled around the clover beside her as Mokuba started to follow Seto away. On an impulse, she glanced down.
There, between her fingers, growing upwards as tall as though reaching for her, was a four-leaf clover.
Without hesitating, she plucked it from the ground. She scrambled to her feet, and, despite Jonouchi's protesting, ran after Mokuba.
"Mokuba-san! Wait!"
Mokuba paused for just a moment.
"Mokuba, I don't have time for this, let's go," Seto said icily.
But it was enough for Shizuka to catch up, breathlessly, to press the clover into Mokuba's hand.
"There – you – go," she breathed. "I – found – one."
Mokuba's grayish eyes widened. The youthful face found her, eyes still wet with uncried tears, and a slight flickered across his face.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Mokuba!" Seto said.
Mokuba trotted dutifully to Seto. He paused for just a moment, and then held up the four leaf clover. Whatever Seto had been about to say died on his lips. He stared at the clover that Mokuba held out.
"Here, nii-chan," Mokuba said. "See? Look, I found one."
Seto didn't say anything. His blue eyes were, for once, calm. Tentatively, he reached upwards, and touched the clover.
Mokuba swallowed, but it didn't stop the quiet tears from rolling down his cheeks.
"I don't know if you remember, nii-chan, but we promised once that we'd find a four-leaf clover together. I don't know if you remember, but we were looking for one the day –"
"The day of the accident," Seto said softly.
His fingers curled around the four-leaf clover, so that both brothers were holding it.
"The luck won't help out much now but...I...I want to see you smile again, nii-chan. Just because today was terrible once...it doesn't have to be all the time. Does it?"
Seto was, for once, completely speechless.
He simply nodded.
Then, hands curled around the clover together, they walked slowly away.
Shizuka felt the hint of tears in her eyes. Jonouchi's hand touched her shoulder gently, and she looked up towards him. His hazel eyes were kind.
"It's okay, Shizu," he said. "It's okay."
And then, like a good big brother, he waited quietly while she cried into his shoulder.
The clovers danced in the wind.
A/N: Kind of a late St. Patrick's Day special, I guess. I just try to find ideas everywhere. Next up is Sparkleshipping (Mana x Kisara).
