II
Jounouchi wakes up in the morning and keeps his eyes closed. He prays for the first time in years -- please let it be a nightmare. Give me another chance.
He wakes up alone. It smells like dust. His head is pounding and his mouth is dry and he can hear the dull roar of press outside. No matter what language they speak it sounds the same. The news reports are probably already going out, the live twitter updates of what the outside of the Kaiba Estate looks like. Jounouchi knew it wouldn't take them long to pick up the scent of his personal disaster.
Still wearing his clothes from the day before, Jounouchi meanders to the window. He pulls back the curtains enough to see the wave of bodies. He shudders at the sight and pulls the curtain closed. He steps slowly into the hall, and is grateful to catch a maid skittering past. "Where's Mokuba?" he asks. His voice is raspy. She looks away from him.
"Waiting for you in the dining room, sir."
Mokuba and Elle are sitting at the massive oak table with the cop from yesterday. There's an untouched plate of danishes between them. "Jounouchi," Mokuba says at the same time that the cop says, "Mr. Jounouchi."
"How should we handle them?" Jounouchi asks. It's familiar -- Mokuba understands. "Conference?"
Mokuba nods. "I think so."
"Who should speak?" the cops asks.
"You," Jounouchi says. "Just the facts."
"Are we taking questions?" Mokuba asks. Yesterday he seemed so much like Kaiba; today he looks twelve again. Jounouchi wishes Kaiba were there to direct the fiasco. Only Kaiba could turn an accidental death into a circus.
The word accidental bothers Jounouchi like something stuck in his teeth. "Yes," he says. "Be ready in an hour."
#
Someone brought his suitcase from the car. Jounouchi gets into the suit he packed for Mokuba's wedding and decides he'll need to get a new one for the big day. Adjusting his tie in the mirror, Jounouchi wonders if taking questions was the right choice. His hands are shaking, his fingers slipping as he adjusts his collar. He hopes he can stay composed for Kaiba's sake.
Elle is dressed all in black, and Jounouchi nearly snaps -- the funeral is later. It was going to look bad. Mokuba looks professional but scared, and like he hadn't slept at all. Someone has set up up a podium at the top of the front steps, microphones and sound system and all. Jounouchi had forgot how quickly Domino snapped together to answer the demands of the Kaiba family. He still remembered their last press conference on the steps, before they all went to the States at twenty. They had planned the answers for months.
An unnatural hush falls over the crowd as they step up to the dais. The cop takes the forefront and clears his throat. "The rumors are true."
Questions explode from the wall of people; for a moment Jounouchi feels like the force of it will knock him over.
"What was the cause of death?" one reporter, selected by the cop, asks. Jounouchi notices patrolmen around the edges of the crowd with their cars and flashing lights. A right circus.
"An investigation is on-going, but we believe it to be accidental."
Is it so hard to say hit by a car? It's on the tip of Jounouchi's tongue when another reporter asks, "Detective Shintanda, why investigate an accident? Is it the high profile of the victim?"
Jounouchi nearly chokes on unfamiliar laughter -- oh, he wishes Kaiba could hear the man call him a victim.
"We're just covering all the bases," the Detective replies. He looks convinced. Mokuba looks ill and has such a grip on Elle's hand that his knuckles are white.
"Mr. Kaiba, what does this mean for your upcoming wedding?"
Elle's face becomes an obvious mask, and Jounouchi watches her as Mokuba says, "We'll be postponing until further notice." Elle looks away, down at her shoes. "Keep your questions on topic."
"Who will fill in the gap at Kaiba Corporation overseas?"
Mokuba is more composed now, falling into the role of corporate head. "It's being discussed; no big decisions will be made until after the funeral." He turns to look at Jounouchi meaningfully. Again Jounouchi is reminded of Kaiba. He keeps himself from gagging; the world is starting to feel thick around him.
"Mr. Jounouchi."
The churning in his stomach pauses, pulses in time with his heartbeat. For a moment Jounouchi and the reporter are the only people in the world. He can't speak, so he nods to the man.
"What are your plans in light of Kaiba Seto's death?" He emphasizes the full name; Jounouchi wonders how it will look on a gravestone. The whole sea of monsters calms, waiting for him to speak. He tries to say, "I'll live," but he only laughs. He thinks Kaiba would understand.
#
Later that afternoon Jounouchi gets a phone call from the overseas branch, Kaiba's secretary weeping and unsure of what to do with his office. He also gets a call from Michael's frantic uncle, demanding to know what Kaiba's death means for his nephew.
Jounouchi stares at himself in the mirror and wonders how he could have forgotten about the boy who was supposed to be their son.
[tbc]
[notes]
I'm sorry this took so long to update. I was going a week and a half ago, but as I was talking to my beta my computer caught fire. On that note, many thanks to Kagi! She's been a lot of help. Any errors at this point were all my doing. =D
No joke. It was just a coolant malfunction, but we were computer-less for about a week, which put me a bit behind.
I'm not writing this as fast as when I started posting. I introduced a third storyline (at this point one is made obvious, and one is about to do so) and I'm having some trouble with the execution. I think it'll come together, though. And thank you for all the kind reviews! Despite coasting into my mid-twenties I still get so skittish when posting, and it's nice to know you're enjoying it. =D