Chapter 12

The loud, repetitive sound of a ball bouncing off of the wall was audible even before Kaiba made it to the landing. Sighing heavily, he made his way towards Tristan's room and entered without knocking.

'Don't you think you're overreacting a little?'

'Don't you think it's time you actually started listening to what I tell you,' Tristan continued relentlessly throwing the ball, 'or are the words leave me alone secretly code for, please ignore everything I've told you this morning, especially the parts about knocking and not telling me how to feel.'

'Don't you think you're being a little bit childish here?'

'If you're about to suggest I've lost more of my memory than I've realised...'

'You haven't,' Kaiba cut him off, 'you still sound like yourself. At least you do if you ignore the fact you're acting like a complete and utter brat right now; for god sake it's just a birthday.'

'Oh and they're completely meaningless, aren't they? About as important to you as having friends,' Tristan gritted his teeth. 'Well forgive me for finding it a little hard to get onboard with that idea, but I actually have human emotions.'

'And you're saying I don't,' Kaiba was starting to feel more than a little annoyed at him now. 'You think I enjoy this situation anymore than you do? My little brother is a danger to himself and others, my best friend can't remember who he is half the time, and I can't even remember the last time I got a full night's sleep; do you really think that doesn't get to me?'

Tristan stopped throwing the ball and instead gripped it hard between his hands. His jaw line became noticeable firmer as his gaze focused intensely on a spot on the ground just in front of him.

'I'm not...' Kaiba hesitated for a moment, 'I'm not trying to tell you how to feel here Tristan, but there are worst things you can forget than your own birthday. Getting frustrated and upset about it like this is only going to make things worse and you know it. You need to calm down and get a little perspective.'

'Just like that, huh?' Tristan glanced towards him. 'I'm just supposed to pick myself up and move on with my day because you're insisting there are worse things I can forget than my birthday. Like how old I'm supposed to be for example, because I don't know that right now either. In fact there are a lot of things I don't think I know right now and yet the one fact I just can't seem to forget is you. Even when I can't remember your name or anything about you, I still remember you.'

'You say that like you want to forget me,' Kaiba's voice was low and mute.

Tristan took a strangely jagged breath in but said nothing. For a few long moments there was a strained and heavy kind of silence between them. Kaiba took a few steps towards him, then stopped as an awkward feeling moved through his stomach.

'Seto, I...' Tristan cut himself off.

'What?' Kaiba frowned at him.

'It doesn't matter.'

'I wish you wouldn't keep doing that,' Kaiba gritted his teeth, 'if you have something you want to say to me I wish you would just say it already. Telling me it doesn't matter is basically you saying I won't understand. Well try me.'

Tristan stared at him for a few long moments, before shaking his head and turning his gaze away.

'I can't.'

'I'll find a way to fix it,' Kaiba's voice was so low he wasn't even sure he'd spoken.

'What?' Tristan blinked at him.

'I said I'll find a way to fix it. To fix everything. You won't have to be like this forever Tristan, I promise. Just, please, stop moping round your bedroom,' Kaiba shifted his gaze away, 'you might not have remembered it was your birthday, but you know now; so you might as well at least pretend to be happy about it. I mean, what exactly are you going to gain by wallowing in your own misery anyway?'

'Hey Joey, what you doing?'

'What does it look like?'

'Can I help?'

'If you must,' his tone was curt and uninviting.

'Joey,' she frowned at him, 'are you alright?'

'I'm fine.'

'Are you sure, only you seem a little... off this morning.'

'Mai, I told you, I'm fine; now get off my case already.'

There was something about the way he was acting which felt as though she'd been slapped hard in the face. Kneeling down beside him, she found herself studying the serious contours of his features. She didn't care what he said, something was clearly bothering him.

'Joey,' she kept her voice light and cautious, 'why didn't you wait for me to wake up this morning?'

'Because I slept in my own bed.'

'What?' She laughed in surprise.

'I slept in my own bed,' he shrugged as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

'But why?'

'Because I felt like being on my own.'

Again it felt like another slap to her face. For a few moments she just found herself gawking at him, wondering why he was being so cold. It pained her further to know he hadn't even looked at her yet.

'Joey, you would tell me if you were mad at me, wouldn't you?'

He made no attempt to respond to her.

'Joey... have I done something to upset you?'

'Could you pass me the sheers Mai?' His tone was as dry as his voice.

She gave a heavy sigh before doing as she was told. She then found herself studying him, trying to figure out where this cold behaviour had come from, but his face revealed nothing.

'I'm going back inside,' she pulled herself back to her feet, 'I'll see you later Joey.'

Considering just how early in the morning Yugi had been on her doorstep, Téa was a little concerned over his complete silence on their walk over to the Kaiba mansion. There was something odd about the way he was acting. But then there'd been something odd about the way he'd been acting for a while now. Téa kept trying to bring it up with him, but something inside her told her there wasn't a whole lot of point. It was probably something related to him being an empath and if he needed to talk to her about it he would. After all, Yugi wasn't Tristan; Yugi still talked to her about things.

As they approached the Kaiba mansion, Tristan came almost bounding out of the house towards them. For a second he was a little taken back at their presence. Then his face filled with the same kind of stupid grin he used to have back before their friendship became complicated.

'Pretty cool huh?' Tristan indicated towards the bike in the driveway.

'Birthday present?' Téa cocked an eyebrow, not totally sure what to make of it.

'You want to go for a ride?' He ignored the question.

'I think I'll pass,' she and Yugi came to a stop a few feet away from him. 'So how are you today?'

'Well it's my birthday and I have a new toy to play with,' he laughed, 'how do you think I am?'

'Well, it was just, after yesterday, I thought…'

'Yesterday's in the past Téa, leave it there,' he averted his gaze. 'You know, I don't have to ride this thing right now, if you guys want to go somewhere and hang out for a while.'

'Couldn't we go in and hang out?' Yugi narrowed his gaze on him.

'Oh yeah, Seto would love that,' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'Besides, I feel like being outside for a while.'

'But don't you at least have to go in and put your helmet away?'

'What for?' He hung the helmet by the strap over one of the handles of the bike. 'It'll be perfectly safe here.'

'Isn't there anything you need to go in for?'

'Geez Yugi, what's with you, anyone would think you were here to see the house, not me.'

'Now that would be odd, wouldn't it?' Yugi gave a strange and almost strained sounding laugh.

'You're telling me,' Téa found herself studying him.

'So are we actually going to go somewhere, or are we just going to stand round this driveway all day?' Tristan folded his arm.

'Where do you want to go?' Téa turned her attention back to him.

'Do I look as though I care?'

'Well you're certainly in a good mood.'

'What did you expect?' Tristan shrugged again. 'For me to be sulking in bed or something? I mean, come on, it's my birthday and I want to enjoy it.'