Brothers Unite
Early at dawn, Kaiba left the inn and returned to the cathedral. If luck would be with him, he would go to the tower and find Mokuba asleep. By the time the brunette made it to the entrance, the bells began tolling, sounding the start of morning mass. Cautiously, he approached the stairwell that led to the towers. He waited a while for the bells to stop ringing before going in. While waiting, Kaiba thought to himself how likely impossible it would be to sleep through such a deafening sound. He hoped the sound of the bells didn't cause his brother to go deaf.
When the sound began to die down, Kaiba began walking towards the entrance. At the same time, Mokuba started coming out. The brothers saw each other and their eyes met. "Mokuba," Kaiba said softly.
"Seto," Mokuba returned with the same tone. He took a step back, then turned around and ran back inside.
"No, wait," Kaiba pleaded, running after him. "Mokuba, hold on."
The younger brother tripped up the steps, but managed to run to the table. He saw his brother coming and said, "Seto, it's not what it seems. I can promise you, this isn't-"
"Settle down," the elder brother said calmly. "Settle down. I just want to talk." He moved over to a smaller table. "Let's sit down."
Mokuba remained at the table and took his seat.
Kaiba looked around and gave a small laugh in disbelief. "So this is where you and Hawkins have been all this time; staying with the hunchback bell ringer." He laughed again. "Jesus Christ."
Mokuba gave a small frown. "He has a name, you know," he said coldly. "And what, do you have something against him?"
"No, it's not him I'm worried about," Kaiba replied. "It's his master."
The younger brother gave a small nod. "You don't have to worry. Quasimodo's been protecting us."
"I see," Kaiba said simply. "Where is your girlfriend, by the way?"
"She left earlier to get us breakfast," Mokuba answered. "So how'd you know I was here?" Before the elder brother can say anything, Mokuba tells him, "Don't answer that. I know how you sent Guilmon to spy on us. He must've told you everything."
"Not everything," the brunette stated. "The only information I was able to get out of him was which door you were going through in the Secret Garden. I searched for you all day yesterday and didn't realize you were staying here in the bell tower."
"I know," Mokuba replied. "We saw you coming and we hid from you. When we heard that Frollo was coming, we stayed hidden and out of sight until he left."
The elder brother nodded. He began expressing true concern as he started asking, "But you're okay? I mean, you're both safe?"
The younger brother nodded. "Yeah, we're fine."
Kaiba was relieved. "I've been worried about you since you left. I know you keep telling me not to worry and you can take care of yourself, but that doesn't mean I should have to stop caring about you. You're my little brother." There was a small silence between them, then Kaiba asked, "You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"
He did understand. "I'm sorry for worrying you, big brother. But I couldn't tell you what was really going on because I made a promise to Quasi. I promised I wouldn't mention him and he made the same promise not to mention me or Rebecca to Frollo."
Kaiba gave a small smile. "You care about him, don't you?"
Mokuba did care. "He's my best friend," he said boldly. "He also said Rebecca and I are his best friends."
Watching from the rafters, Quasimodo listened to the conversation between the two brothers. He was also touched to hear how the raven-haired brother considered him his best friend.
While Kaiba was happy to hear that his brother had found a friend in the hunchback, he had to remind the boy of the danger he was putting himself and his friends in. "I'm sure he's a great friend, little brother, but you have to understand, what you're doing is dangerous."
Mokuba was aware of the dangers of his friendship with Quasimodo, but he didn't want to abandon his friend. "I know, Seto. I know I'm risking putting Quasi in danger of being brutally punished and I know I'm putting myself and Rebecca in just as much danger, but I can't stop myself. I want to be able to see him and spend time with him when I can and in return, I want to be someone he can trust and consider a friend. And in a way, this tower is like a second home to me. I know I can't stay here forever because I don't belong in this world, but it's become a place I can get away to." He pauses and says, "And I'm not ready to go home just yet."
As Kaiba listened, he knew his brother's awareness, but he had to add more to the matter. "What if you and Rebecca are discovered? Did you stop to think about that? Or what if something happens and I'm not there to protect you?"
Mokuba did think about those questions. He didn't want to tell his brother about already being discovered, but he said if anything were to happen, he and Rebecca could always escape and come back to the Pure Valley. "Quasi made a promise to me and Rebecca that he'd protect us."
Kaiba was still unsure of the situation. He thought his brother being here in the tower was more of being put in danger than being protected. But he could tell his brother trusted the hunchback. "Okay," he finally said. "If you trust him that much, then I see no reason to convince you otherwise. But I think I should stay here for a few days to make sure you're both doing well." He got up and approached the window. "My friends and I are staying at the inn over by the first bridge over the river. If you want to stop and see us."
"Okay," the younger brother replied.
The elder brother placed his hand over his shoulder. "Mokuba," he started softly. The younger brother looked up at him and saw a bit of sadness in his brother's eyes. "I've really missed you."
Mokuba gave a gentle smile. "I've missed you too, big brother." And they both began embracing each other.
Kaiba released his brother and ruffled his hair. "You take care and stay safe, all right? And I'll see you around."
"You too," Mokuba returned. And the elder brother walked down the stairs and left the bell tower.
Quasimodo came down from the rafters. "That looked like it went well."
"It did," Mokuba said as he continued smiling.
