When The Angels Cry

Chapter 06:

My Iced Over Heart

Kaiba was surrounded by a whirlwind of winter as he surveyed Yugi's room. With a sigh and a frown, he approached the open window. "Mokuba." 'You shouldn't be out there this late. You know better.' He stuck his head out and the grim despair on his face deepened with the realization that Mokuba wasn't on the roof. "Mokuba?" 'I don't get it. I was certain he was up here. I closed this window when I came in myself.' And then reality finally sunk in to his unsuspecting mind. And in an instant's panic he dashed out of the room and down the stairs.

Anzu jumped and spilled her cup of cocoa as Kaiba flew passed them and ran straight outside. Yugi was the first to get his mind in action and quickly raced to the coats. "What's going on!" Anzu asked frantically. Jounouchi and Honda stood and stared at one another.

Yugi shrugged, "I don't know." He answered and fiddled with gathering his boots. "But I have a bad feeling it has to do with Mokuba." He added, after all he had noticed the young one's absence. Anzu and the others gasped lightly and ran to Yugi's side.

Meanwhile, already trudging through the snow, Kaiba made his way to the side of the house where his eyes went wide with fear, pain and sudden heartache. The answer to his conclusion was correct as he ran to the side of his unconscious brother. "Mokuba." He whispered to himself, tentatively touching the young one's pale face. He hesitantly put his head against Mokuba's chest and checked for a pulse but the noise of the wind bellowed and blew too hard for him to concentrate. "Mokuba." He muttered under his shaky breath.

He hadn't the slightest idea of what to do. For once his body and mind were paralyzed with fear and it barricaded his gift of intelligence so harshly. It was getting colder and harsher and his brother's face was already a chilled blue. He remained frozen in place until he heard Yugi and Jounouchi calling his name.

And then suddenly, everything switched on in his brain. The paralysis was gone and he'd regained composure. With a hollow set of determined eyes, he scooped up the numb, lifeless body and turned around. "Kaiba!" Yugi called out in horrified shock.

"Mokuba!" Jounouchi followed running to one side of the brunet teen. "What happened to him?" He asked fearfully. He threw a coat that he was holding over him.

"Kaiba." Yugi repeated sadly.

But the brunet's main concern was not for their curiosity or fearful emotions. He pushed aside the blond and passed Yugi without the slightest acknowledgment and headed straight inside. Jounouchi followed without anything more said, as did Yugi. But the troubled emotions escaladed as they heard Anzu scream and Yugi's Grandfather gasp horribly.

"Put him here." Solomon told him hastily throwing off the excess pillows and cans of food. Kaiba complied and laid his brother onto the soft contents of the sofa. Softly he stroked his brother's face before covering him with two blankets.

"What happened, Kaiba?" Anzu resurrected the question with an awful horridness to her tearful voice. "How did he end up outside?"

Kaiba refrained from answering, keeping his attention on his only concern. 'Mokuba.' Kaiba tried hard to understand why the raven-haired one would be out on the roof when it was way too windy and cold outside. Surely he knew better than that. He wanted to kneel down and watch him until he warmed up and opened his eyes. But unfortunately Kaiba was a realist and his mind just wouldn't let him be worried and concerned. No, it had to pry and poke into the reality of the situation; the dangers and high possibility that those hazel eyes may never open again. He didn't want to believe it. 'But, it's possible. It's very much a real threat, isn't it Mokuba? You could leave me forever over what? Because you stepped out onto an iced over rooftop? I didn't think anything could tear us apart. And a fucking rooftop can take it all away?' He was seething with all sorts of emotions he never had to deal with before.

Anzu felt very sympathetic towards the older Kaiba. 'This must be the worst thing to happen to him.' She swallowed hard and glanced over at Yugi who was surprisingly heading up the stairs. She turned back to Kaiba and frowned before walking after the tri-colored other. Solomon scurried off to the kitchen to grab some tea for Kaiba – after all, even though the brunet hadn't noticed it, his body was still trembling from going outside in only a thin black sweater. "I'll be right back." The old man had whispered to Jounouchi and Honda, but even Honda had left the room into the kitchen.

Jounouchi stared at the other's still form. 'Kaiba is just standing there. He's not moving at all, he's just shaking and staring down at Mokuba like if he were in a deep trance or sleep. What can I possibly say to him to-' He stopped himself and sighed softly. There was absolutely nothing one could say at this time. He took a step closer, peering over the back part of the sofa at the young brother of the CEO. "Kaiba, I don't know what to say." He exhaled a heartbroken breath, "There's nothing I can say but-"

"Then why bother opening your damn mouth?" A cold, angry voice interjected. Kaiba glared darkly but directed it away from the blond nuisance that was very taken aback at the harsh tone. There was a silence passing between before Kaiba rushed passed him and opened the front door.

Jounouchi turned quickly just as the door closed again. "What's he thinking? He's gonna freeze out there." He muttered under his breath as he ran to the window. He watched as the brunet opened the door to his all-terrain vehicle and shut it after him. "He should be in here with Mokuba."

"Oh my God. I can't believe it! What the hell was he doing on the roof?" Anzu exclaimed suppressing her tears as much as she could. She ran to the window, shut it closed and locked it.

Yugi sighed gravely. "I was worried about how long he was taking while we were downstairs. I thought maybe whatever him and Kaiba had talked about was bothering him and he wanted to be alone. If I'd known that he was out there, I would've stopped him from doing something so reckless. I could've prevented this if I'd just checked on him." He stated frustrated.

Anzu shook her head. "That's a crazy and cruel thought Yugi. It's not your fault, don't even blame yourself." 'I wonder if Kaiba is somehow finding a way to blame himself for this. Mokuba I know means everything to him because that's what Kaiba means to him.' "I just hope Mokuba wakes up and recovers before Kaiba loses it." She replied sorrowfully.

The two of them came down again and both immediately found themselves staring at the 'sleeping' boy. "Where's Kaiba?" Yugi asked, still not shifting his gaze. Jounouchi remained eyes glued to the outside storm. He didn't notice the question from his best friend. "Jounouchi?"

The blond finally snapped out of it and exhaled a breath he had absentmindedly been holding. "He's outside." Yugi rushed over and grabbed the door knob tightly. "Wait." The blond put his hand over the smaller teen's and nodded in the negative. "He doesn't want to be surrounded by everybody right now. I think we should let him alone. At least for a little while anyway." Anzu wanted to disagree believing firmly in the power of support and warmth.

"But Jounouchi."

"Anzu you told me before numerous times that Kaiba ain't like us. He hates being around a lotta people. I know you wanna help but we aren't close to him. The only one that could ever hope to comfort him is lying there unconscious on the couch. We need to give him some space. I'm sure he'll come back in, to check on Mokuba at least."

Kaiba placed his hands over his face and took a deep breath. There was never a time when pain struck him this deeply. When his body became so weak and numb with fear that he could barely breathe, this wasn't like anything they've ever been confronted with. How pathetic the situation seems when compared to all they've been through. Kaiba delved into past attempts at their lives and the many times they had to partner up and help Yugi and the others with some non-sensible idiot set on spreading havoc and chaos.

"And this is what will kill us?" He whispered to the whirling wind outside his foggy windows. He sighed and he noticed finally the white smoke that escaped with every exhale he made. Perhaps it'd be a brilliant move to go in and get his coat and then come back to wallow in his seclusion. That was a smart idea but the brunet didn't even budge a little from his seat. Freezing wasn't a concern at the moment. All that mattered was his frozen brother literally fighting for his life. The thought ached his heart with uneasy possibilities.

"But this is all nonsense. You will live. There's a risk of you dying but we've always been able to beat the odds before." He tried to reassure himself but who was he truly kidding? As he was before any optimistic spirit, a realist; and the reality was death. Still when it came to Mokuba he always grew defensive against negativity. And so at the present predicament he was arguing with himself in trying to keep from damning his brother's fate. "Mokuba." He could never voice his feelings before, but this was the first time he ever admitted them to himself so clearly and openly. "You are all I have." He repeated, clutching his chest and leaning into the driver's seat.

"Here's some tea. Oh, where is Kaiba?" Solomon asked coming out with a tray of tea and crackers.

The group didn't answer and so the old grandpa placed it down on the coffee table. There wasn't any movement from anybody until Jounouchi stood and picked up a mug. He then disappeared into the kitchen. He went so quickly no one had a chance to question his rush. "Let's see, I know they have to have…Ah, here." He spoke to himself, taking out a thermos from the cabinet. He poured the mugs of tea inside and shut the lit tight.

"All right you guys I'll be right back." He said upon reentering the living room. "I'm gonna go give this to Kaiba real quick." He informed before any could ask. 'He needs to have something to warm himself up. The stubborn mule.' His voice held nothing but the sadness.

"Jounouchi." Yugi and Honda groaned uncertain if he should go. Anzu sighed, in relief because she was worried about the brunet too.

Jounouchi put on his coat and gloves, along with his ski mask and boots. He noticed that Kaiba's coat was still hanging on the hook as well. With a stern glare he grabbed the garments in one arm while holding the thermos in the other. "Be back." He replied to their gazes as he opened the door. 'Okay. Now hopefully he won't have a gun to shoot any trespassers with.'

As he approached the vehicle he stopped, allowing the bitter wind to nip at his uncovered eyes. "His windows are all covered in ice. The nut doesn't have his heater on or anything!" He shouted. And he was about to knock on Kaiba's window when he realized that if he did so, the brunet would only ignore him and lock the doors.

"Hmm." He snuck over to the passenger side, which wasn't easy going against the winds mind you, and he opened the door, startling the brunet inside.

Kaiba glared at his surprise guest. "What the hell are you doing here?"