Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or any of its characters, nor do I intend to make a profit from this story in any way.

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Chapter 3

5 days.

It had been 5 days since that nightmare of a duel in Pegasus's castle.

5 days since Mokuba had been brutally electrocuted and near death's door.

And 5 days Kaiba had been sitting in the same chair, right next to Mokuba's hospital bed, waiting for him to wake up.

Kaiba had never been more scared in his entire life than back in that castle, holding his unresponsive brother in his arms.

If it weren't for the faintest of heartbeats Kaiba felt, he would have been sure he was too late.

To be honest everything that happened after their dual was a bit of a blur to Kaiba. He was a heaping mess over his brother and it seems he went into his own state of shock as the weight of what happened came crashing down on him.

How ironic.

He vaguely remembers Yugi and his friends rushing up to him and Mokuba but he wouldn't let them get too close.

He recalls Tea urging him to get out of there to get Mokuba to a hospital. That apparently registered with Kaiba as he remembered the condition his brother was in and that he needed to get him help immediately.

Snapped back into action, Kaiba had ever so gently picked his brother up in his arms and hastily made for the exit. Luckily he knew his copter wasn't far.

He knows Yugi had tried to reassure him not to worry, that Mokuba would be okay and that they would take care of Pegasus. But he couldn't even care about Pegasus at that moment. As much as he would have loved to rip the creep's head off with his bare hands, his only focus was getting Mokuba the medical attention he desperately needed.

But that was 5 days ago.

And since then Kaiba has had ample time to think of all the different ways he could make Pegasus suffer for what he did to his little brother.

Although Kaiba was less than thrilled to learn that Yugi beat Pegasus in a duel before he had the chance, he at least took comfort in the misery it caused Pegasus.

He also found out that somewhere along the way, Pegasus apparently lost his millennium eye.

Good.

Yugi was vague on the details but Kaiba didn't care. Now there really was nothing keeping him from getting his revenge.

Since then it was reported that Pegasus apparently went missing. It was no matter to Kaiba. He was absolutely certain he would find him. He would use every single resource available to him if he needed to. But he would find him. And he would make him pay. It was just a matter of time.

But more importantly, before he can give that sick bastard what he deserves, he needed his little brother to wake up first.

He looked over at Mokuba still lying unconscious on the bed beside him. The poor kid had really been through hell.

Upon arriving at the hospital Mokuba was whisked away from him and behind the doors of the ER. Kaiba thought he was going to go insane waiting for someone to tell him what the heck was going on back there. But when Mokuba's doctor finally came out to speak with him, Kaiba felt a whole new level of anguish.

As if being directly shocked by high voltage electricity wasn't enough, apparently Mokuba's pre-existing condition was worse than he thought.

Mokuba had a myriad of cuts and bruises all over his body, a sprained ankle, and a cracked rip. He was malnourished and very dehydrated, especially after the shocks.

After hearing all this Kaiba couldn't believe Mokuba was even coherent before their duel, let alone during. It made him physically sick to know what all his brother had gone through.

Then there was Mokuba's left arm. The metal cuff that was shackled to him completely burnt his skin under it. Being the direct contact of where the electricity hit him it took the brunt of the damage.

It was a rather disgusting sight, even to Kaiba. He of course would hire the best plastic surgeons money could buy to make his little brother's arm look good as new. But the wound had to still heal on its own a bit first, and Kaiba knew how painful that was going to be for his brother.

After being shocked like that, it was almost a miracle Mokuba showed no signs of head trauma on the multiple brain scans they did. Of course they would need to do a few more tests once he actually woke up, but aside from that the doctors assured Kaiba he was going to be okay. He would be in a lot of pain and might take awhile to fully heal, but they were confident he should make a full recovery.

Having been all bandaged up and given the proper fluids and nourishment, there was nothing left to do but wait.

Mokuba had yet to wake up since the duel but Kaiba knew his body just needed the rest and was its way of trying to recuperate.

But that didn't make him any less anxious for him to wake up.

5 long days of never leaving his little brother's side, aside from using the restroom, just to insure he would be there when his eyes finally opened. And he would sit there for as long as it took.

He had thought about moving Mokuba back to the mansion and setting up the proper medical equipment in his bedroom, but was advised that the movement might slow his recovery. So instead he set up shop there.

As the evening rolled around Kaiba was starting to slightly dose off in his chair, his hand still rested on his laptop.

He still had a company to run after all, so after he was assured Mokuba would be alright he had Roland start bringing his work to the hospital. But his lack of sleep was starting to catch up with him.

The horrible images of his brother being shocked haunted Kaiba's mind as he tried to latch on to sleep. His feeling of utter helplessness returned tenfold. All he kept seeing was him calling the attack and Mokuba being shocked, him calling the attack and Mokuba being shocked.

He knew Mokuba understood the situation, but he was afraid of how Mokuba would react in the aftermath of watching his own brother cause him pain.

The final shock flashed through Kaiba's mind yet again. Mokuba's agonizing scream ringing through his ears – "AHHHHHHHHH!"

"Ah!" Kaiba woke with a start.

He was panting slightly trying to catch his breath and regain his bearings.

He looked over at Mokuba who he realized was starting to squirm a little in his bed, a soft moan escaping him.

"Mokuba?" Kaiba said in surprise.

He quickly moved his laptop aside and moved closer to his brother, gently taking his uninjured hand in his.

"Mokuba," he whispered anxiously, "Hey, it's okay. You can open your eyes."

Slowly, Mokuba's eyes began to crack open ever so slightly. His eyelids heavy from being asleep so long.

"S-s-s" Mokuba tried to get his brother's name out but his mouth was so dry the word wouldn't form.

"Here hang on kiddo." Kaiba grabbed the pitcher of water that was next to the bed. He poured a small amount and held the cup to his brother's lips.

"Take small sips," he commented as Mokuba began greedily gulping it down. It felt amazing on his parched throat.

Finishing what was left in the cup Kaiba set it back down on the stand. Mokuba was a little more awake now, and was able to open his eyes fully to look at his brother.

"Seto?" he said in a small, tired voice.

Seto smiled down at his little brother with a loving smile he reserved only for him.

"Hey little brother."

Mokuba was suddenly overcome by emotion as he took in the sight of his big brother, so close to him, after what seemed like an eternity.

"Seto!" he squealed. Mokuba jumped up, intending to throw his arms around his brother, when his forgotten injuries decided to protest at the movement.

"Ah!" He winced in surprise as pain shot through him, and he dropped back onto the bed.

"Take it easy kiddo," Seto said worriedly as he moved to ease him back into a comfortable position.

"Where am I?" Mokuba said, trying to get his breathing back to normal.

"You're in the hospital Mokuba." Seto said a little tentatively. He knew that it was natural to be disoriented after being unconscious for so long, but he also was still wary of any potential head trauma his brother may have suffered.

"Mokuba, how do you feel?" He asked him seriously.

Mokuba had to actually take a moment to assess himself. He felt utterly exhausted. His left arm was throbbing but was dull enough to realize he must have been given some strong pain medication. He could feel a sharp pain in his ribs if he moved the wrong way, as he just learned, and overall just had this odd tingly sensation.

"My body feels kinda funny." He finally answered. The tingling being the most unsettling to him.

"The doctor said you might feel like that for a few days." Seto told him. "It is apparently a common after effect from being -" he paused for a second.

"Electrocuted," he said sadly as he looked down. Not able to make eye contact with him as he said that last word.

"But it is only temporary." He quickly amended to reassure his brother.

That's right, the duel.

Pegasus. The castle. The shocks. It was all coming back to Mokuba now.

"Mokuba," Seto interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm so sorry." He looked sincerely into Mokuba's eyes.

"I promised to always protect you and I... I failed you!" Seto admitted angrily, ashamed.

It tore Mokuba up to see his brother like this. He didn't want Seto to feel bad. Especially for something that wasn't his fault.

"You didn't fail me Seto" Mokuba said honestly.

"Mokuba, please, you don't have to stick up for me." Seto insisted. Of course his little brother would try to make him feel better when he's the one lying in a hospital bed. "I don't deserve to be your big brother."

"Don't say that. You're the best big brother I know." Mokuba tried to convince him. "If it weren't for you my soul would still be trapped. You were strong enough to do what was necessary to get me away from Pegasus. Not many people could have done what you did."

It was hard to remember sometimes just how young Mokuba was. Although he was still just a kid, when it was important he was very mature for his age.

"Mokuba," His words hitting Seto hard, "it's because of me you were in that mess in the first place."

"We're Kaiba's. It comes with the territory." Mokuba tried to joke.

Seto let out an astonished laugh. He stared at his brother, there really was no hint of anger or resentment in his eyes. Nothing but pure love.

This was ridiculous. Seto has felt more emotions stirring inside him in this past week than he ever cared to in his life. He didn't know how he felt about it.

But he couldn't deny how he's always felt about his little brother. And as if he didn't know it already, this just reconfirmed that he really was the luckiest big brother in the world.

Unable to form a proper enough response, Seto did something he should have done a lot more of in the past.

He hugged his brother.

Trying to be as gentle as possible, aware of all his brother's injuries, Seto leaned down and held his brother in a strong embrace. Something they both seemed to have needed.

Mokuba was taken a back at first at his brother's open show of affection. But he was quick to cuddle into his brother and accept it.

The pressure on his ribs was getting a little painful but he didn't dare say anything. He'd stay in this position forever if he could.

Eventually Seto broke away giving his brother room to breathe. He turned his head to the side as he sat back again in his chair. Mokuba could have sworn he saw him wiping away a tear.

"Oh I almost forgot." Seto finding his voice again, reached down into a large bag that was sitting beside his chair. "I have something for you."

He pulled out a big Blue-Eyes White Dragon plushy and handed it to his brother.

Mokuba's eyes lit up as soon as he saw it. He took it from Seto with a big smile on his face.

"I think we're going to be here for a little while longer, so I thought this might make you feel more at home."

"I love it." Mokuba said as he tucked it comfortably under his good arm. "Thanks Seto."

"No problem kid." he smiled affectionately.

Seto reached back into the bag and pulled something else out that Mokuba couldn't make out yet.

"I guess I'm obligated to give you this as well."

Seto handed him a second, smaller plushy. But instead of another dragon, it was a cute floppy eared dog.

"Wheeler left that for you." Mokuba saw the slight smirk on his brother's face and it made him giggle.

Yugi and the gang had stopped by upon returning to see how the brothers were doing. Seto only indulged entertaining them long enough to find out what happened with Pegasus. Then in true Kaiba fashion, he abruptly kicked them out.

But not before Wheeler made him promise he would give this to Mokuba. Seto rolled his eyes and made a big fuss about how he didn't want to contaminate his brother with the filth of a dog – and he wasn't talking about the plushy. And Joey, taking the bait as usual, threw his typical tantrum and threw the plushy at Kaiba's head before storming out after his friends.

Secretly though, although Seto despised the Mutt, he was grateful. He knew it would make his brother happy and he could appreciate the smile it put on his face.

Not to mention the irony did amuse him a bit.

"Did they stop by? What happened after we dueled? Did Yugi duel Pegasus?" Mokuba asked.

"Shhhh," Seto tried to calm him down, "Don't worry about that. Everything's okay now, so why don't you get some more rest and just focus on getting better?"

As if on cue Mokuba let out a tired yawn, "okay."

Their little reunion wore Mokuba out and Seto could see his eyes starting to droop closed.

"Sleep well little brother." He said as he ruffled his hair a little. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

Feeling completely content and safe by his big brother's side, and a plushy in each arm, Mokuba was out like a light in a matter of seconds.

Kaiba leaned back in his chair and just stared at his brother's sleeping form for a moment.

Pegasus thought he had broken his spirit back in that castle but he was wrong.

Because his spirit was lying in a little bundle right in front of him.

And as long as Seto Kaiba had his little brother, then he could never be broken.

THE END

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Thank you very much again to everyone who reviewed. I hope you all enjoyed it! - J