I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or all things directly affiliated. However, I do own this plot (?)

Can I really call it a plot? Seriously, it's a one-shot! Whoa! Hm…well, I own this extraordinarily short, somewhat pointless plot! But it's cute! (I hope)

SiblingShipping – MokubaxShizuka

Insert Witty Banter Here

Just Smile for Me

Stupid big brother…

It was a circular mantra in his head, continuously being repeated as he found himself growing madder and madder at the family member who was his hero and only true friend.

How hard was it just to take a little time off to play one quick game with one's brother? Well, it was hard enough for Seto, obviously, or else he wouldn't have slammed the door on him like that. He had all but punched Mokuba in the face.

The young teen found himself wondering if getting punched in the face would have been less of a stinging blow to his already low sense of pride.

Darn it all!

Mokuba balled his hands into tight, angry fists. How dare him! How dare Seto do that to him! Was there not one minute sense of familial love left in his big brother?

Chances were that the answer was a cold, painful 'yes'. At least, that was how Mokuba saw it. Even if his brother had slightly given up on the whole 'I must end Yugi's dueling career' gig, there was still that ever-looming fact that Kaiba Corp ran his brother's life.

"Well, why doesn't he just go get married to Kaiba Corp Headquarters, then…?" Mokuba grumbled under his breath, kicking a small pebble on the sidewalk. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, bowing his head and letting his long, black, shaggy mane fall to obscure his face.

With a loud, long-suffering sigh, Mokuba threw his head up and centered his angry glare at the sky. How much he hated those stupid, puffy clouds. They represented happiness and joy and fun. At the moment, anything that represented any kind of positive feeling was on Mokuba's hit list.

Why do things always have to be like this? He wondered, squinting at the bright sunlight that was hurting his eyes. His mind had wandered away from the fluffy clouds and back to the angry thoughts towards his dear brother.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…

Sometimes he hated his big brother. Sometimes he really, really did.

Opting to try to find some way to both quench his boredom and relieve his mind of his fury with his elder brother, Mokuba turned down the corner and towards the small park that he knew so well. It was the place that his brother and he had always gone to when they wanted to escape their feared step-father. It was the only place in the world that brought Mokuba true tranquility.

A small, wry smile twisted onto Mokuba's face. How funny that he'd be going to the park that he associated with his brother, when he wanted to rid his thoughts of said sibling.

Oh well, it was the only park with an ice cream stand. Or the only one that he knew of. He wasn't too big on taxis, and the limo would just be far too flashy. He wanted to escape for awhile, not draw attention to himself.

The park was fairly close to his home, being implanted directly within the main area of downtown Domino City. It was small, but big enough for someone to be able to disappear for hours and feel comfort that they would not be found. There was one stone pathway that ran straight through the middle of the park, lined with benches and colourful flowerbeds. On the other side of the flowerbeds were little patches of trees and shrubs, planted in no specific pattern. In fact, the only pattern seemed to be no pattern at all. There was a small swing set and slide placed off to the side at the opposite end of the park to where Mokuba was. It was meant to occupy the small children who really couldn't bring forth any real appreciation for this small piece of nature within a bustling city. The ice cream stall was practically dead centre of the park, nestled in between two orange and purple flowerbeds.

Mokuba smiled. Maybe he was just going to get some ice cream. That would calm him down for sure. Ice cream was food for the soul, after all…kind of like chocolate.

His shoes made little clapping sounds as he moved down onto the path, heading at a brisk pace towards the ice cream stand. Heck, maybe he'd even go and take a little go at the playground if he was still bored. Well, after he finished his ice cream, of course.

The young teenager found his mind falling back to old, happy memories of his brother and him hiding within the little group of trees just behind the ice cream stall. The two of them had always prided themselves on their spectacular getaways and awesome hiding spots.

I hate you, Brother.

He knew, just as the words floated into his mind, that those words were not true.

"Mokuba…?"

Mokuba spun on his heel, towards the bench that he'd just passed. A young girl, maybe a year or so older than him, was sitting with a single scoop of vanilla ice cream. She had long, auburn hair and deep, dark eyes. She was clad in a pair of small jean shorts, and a white t-shirt with a glittery, purple butterfly on the front. Her mouth was open in a small 'o' shape, as she appeared to recognize him.

Wait, I know that girl. Jounouchi…Jou's sister? What's her name, again?

"…Shizuka!" Mokuba exclaimed, his entire form practically sagging in relief as he remembered her name. He grinned, rubbing the back of his head, "What brings you here?"

One long, slender finger snapped out as she pointed at the cone in her hand, "Ice cream." She told him simply, letting out a high, girlish giggle. It was kind of musical, Mokuba realized.

You know, she's kind of cute.

She looked a lot like all of the cute girls in his school. Not cute as in he liked her, but cute as in a cartoon character or a stuffed animal. She seemed fairly sweet, as far as he knew. He really hadn't interacted much with her.

"And you…?" She ventured. Her dark eyes seemed to smile at him. How someone could even manage that was far beyond Mokuba's comprehension. It was just unbelievable that any one person could appear so…happy.

Especially considering all the life-scarring supernatural stuff she'd had to deal with over the time of her brother's dueling debut and beginning career.

Mokuba shrugged in response to her question. "Just kind of had to go somewhere quiet, you know?"

She nodded, still smiling. "I do. It's very pretty here. So calm and quiet and reserved. If I couldn't see the buildings, I'd think that I was out in the country or something!" She laughed quietly, and licked her ice cream.

"That's not why you're here, though, is it?"

Shizuka shook her head. "Not today, at least…"

"Oh. I see."

"Is this a common haunt for you, as well?" She queried, gesturing for him to take a seat beside her. Her ice cream was almost completely finished.

He accepted the offer, "Thanks." He said offhandedly. "And yeah, it is."

"It's so pretty here." Shizuka commented. She continued to finish off her treat until she was all the way down to the cone. With one last, cheerful bite, she was done. She folded her hands in her lap, still smiling.

Mokuba nodded. He was enjoying the quiet conversation between them. Not many people his age got the whole thing where you're supposed to just be calm sometimes. It bothered him immensely, because it was one more thing that separated Mokuba from his peers.

He wasn't super mature or anything, but he liked to think that he was more mature than the average teenager his age.

Shizuka turned towards him, evidently preparing for fully engaging conversation with him. She was probably just trying to be polite. Mokuba certainly appreciated the gesture, and found his foul mood lightening ever-so-slightly by this girl's kindness.

"Mokuba," She began. That smile. That 'light-up-a-room' smile was still on her face. "I'm just wondering something."

"Mhm…?"

"Why did you look so sad before, when you first came here?" She leaned forwards. It was a motion that said that she was greatly anticipating his answer.

Mokuba found himself immediately aware that this was a girl, pretty much his own age, leaning not a foot away from his face. He felt a heated blush rise up to his face. Why, oh why, did the teenaged hormones have to kick in right then?

He managed to calm himself by turning his gaze to the sky above, pockmarked by those fluffy clouds he'd resented not five minutes before. He leaned forwards on the bench, using his hands, situated between his knees, to keep himself propped up. "Just stuff…"

"That's not a reason, Mokuba." Shizuka chastised, waving a finger at him. The smile turned into a pout.

He blinked at her.

At his silence, she became suddenly resigned. It was quite obvious to Mokuba, then, that she was there for a reason too. She was escaping something.

"I'm not going to tell anyone." She murmured. Her eyes were downcast, long black lashes falling upon dark brown irises. "If you're really hurting, I promise, I can do anything I can to help."

"So you'll help me assassinate my brother, then?"

This time, she blinked at him.

Mokuba let out a derisive chuckle, "Just kidding," He assured her. Well, he was kidding about the murder thing. No one said anything about maiming…

"Oh."

They lapsed into silence for a few moments, both of them seeming to mull over their respective problems. Shizuka shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clenching her hands in her lap. Mokuba stayed in the position he'd been in, still facing the sky.

"It is my brother," Mokuba finally admitted. He was mildly annoyed that he was the first to snap and admit his problems aloud. Still, he didn't want to make Shizuka think that he was being rude to her, or anything. She really didn't deserve to feel that kind of treatment. She was far too nice.

Shizuka didn't comment. She just patiently waited for him to elaborate, watching him with those big, liquid brown eyes.

Mokuba bit his lip, before continuing. "He's just driving me so nuts, lately. I just wanted to play one game of chess. I'd hoped that, out of all the games I've tried to get him to play, that he'd play chess with me. It used to be his favourite game…but now, I guess, he's just too busy for silly child's play." He blew out a sigh. "Jerk…" He added, in a barely audible whisper.

"I see," Shizuka mumbled. Her lips pulled down into a tiny frown. She appeared like she was trying to say something, perhaps some comforting words, but was unable to find the appropriate way to do so.

Mokuba didn't mind so much. Her presence and the fact that she'd stayed to listen, even asked to listen, was comfort enough to him.

"What about you?" Mokuba ventured, turning the tables on her. "I mean, you came here for a reason, right?"

She was shocked by the sudden reversal of roles. She was suddenly the speaker, and Mokuba the listener. Well, he had to pay her back for her kindness somehow.

"Mine isn't nearly as close-tied as yours is." Shizuka warned, "Please, I don't want to sound petty."

"You won't." Mokuba told her, cutting off her thought. "Trust me."

The smile bloomed on her face again. She appreciated the sentiment. "Okay." She said, with a small nod.

Shizuka took a deep breath, and dove into her little tale. "It's the girls at my school. I don't talk to people much, and it's not usually a problem, but…" She trailed off.

"But…?" Mokuba pressed, ushering for her to continue. It wasn't a riveting tale, but Mokuba found himself unusually keen to listen.

"Well, it's a rule at the high school that all second years join a club. It's to get us engaged socially, you know?" She smiled ruefully, "I was put on the committee planning this year's spring dance. I let my teacher choose for me, because I didn't know what to choose. She thought it'd be a great experience, and I'm sure it would have been…but since I don't talk very much to the other girls, they assumed that I was no good."

"Why?"

"…Because last year I was running off with my brother and stuff like that. They thought I was doing bad things like drugs, you know? So they don't really want to be associated with me. They just alienate me, so that I'll maybe quit." Her fists tightened, and Mokuba could catch the smallest hint of tears pooling in her eyes.

Mokuba reached out, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Shizuka, that's just stupid."

"I know! I know. It's so dumb that I'm heaving such dumb problems on you. I'm so sorry-"

Mokuba cut her off with a shake of his head, "That's not what I meant. What I meant is that they're stupid for treating you like that, making assumptions like that…it's just so high school isn't it?"

"Yeah," She admitted with a sad laugh. The smile was gone from her face, lost without a trace. "I guess it is."

"You're bigger than them," Mokuba told her. Why he was saying all this, he didn't really know. "So don't listen to their troublemaking, got it? It's so juvenile, and you shouldn't let it get to you."

"I know, but-"

"But nothing!" Mokuba all but shouted at her, "They're just jealous, is all! I mean, you're sweet, happy, caring, and beautiful!" The instant the words were out of his mouth, his face turned an impressive shade of bright, almost neon red.

Shizuka gaped at him for a moment, before flushing, "T-Thank you."

Mokuba tried to recover for his slip. "It's not like I'm proposing to you or anything. I just know a pretty girl when I see one."

Her eyes brightened. She did not speak, but she appeared very touched by his words. "Thank you, Mokuba." This time, there was no stutter, and that brilliant, gentle smile graced her face again.

"That's it." Mokuba said.

"What is?"

He grinned at her; a cheeky, crooked grin. "That smile. It's great. You could light up a room with that."

"Mokuba Kaiba!" Shizuka cried, covering her blushing face with her hands. She was embarrassed, and was trying to hide her pleasure at his flattery.

"Don't let the stupid people get you down, alright?" Mokuba found a happy smile of his own working its way onto his face. "And smile. If you can't do that for anyone else, than do it for me, 'kay? Just smile for me."

Shizuka nodded. His words had helped her greatly, it seemed. Her eyes appeared unburdened, and she sat up straighter, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. So, because Mokuba had helped her so greatly, she smiled.

Mokuba found, very suddenly, that his very gray day had just become very, very bright.

End

Blargh! . So corny…

Leave a review if you liked it.