I don't usually post two chapters in two days. But there's a reason my update schedule for this project is "as often as possible." That's what this project is about. The Kaibas are a pair of characters that I can look at from…pretty much any angle whatsoever. So many ideas flit around my head on a daily basis, and sometimes I wonder why they have such longevity with me. But, I won't fight it.
I'd originally intended to post a chapter on Father's Day, because…well, thematically, it felt appropriate. But that didn't happen, because I spent the day at my dad's house, and didn't bring my computer with me. Not to mention, I'm not sure I could have come up with something even if I had. My brain is fickle.
But that doesn't mean I can't write about Father's Day a bit late. Besides, I've spent so much time dragging Mokuba down and showing the hardships he has to face...it's about time I focused on the happy little kid we've all grown to love over the years. Right?
So…here we go. This one's dedicated to my dad, though he won't ever read it. He…doesn't read. But that's fine. I don't watch sports. We're cool.
Happy Father's Day, Padre.
The camera was centered on Mokuba, but in the background was a poster of Seto, staring down with his usual haughty glare. Yet something about the look on Mokuba's face made that glare seem…softer.
The black-haired boy sat easily, his hands in his lap; his smile was half-nervous, half-exultant. A tiny, unobtrusive little microphone peeked out from beneath his hair and sat just so next to his lips, so that when he began to speak, his voice was crystalline.
"Hey, there, guys," he said. "It's your Wonderboy. You know, I don't usually do, like, public service announcements like this, but I thought I should do one today. Prob'ly you can guess, since the name of this video is sitting right there on top of my head—" he glanced up "—this isn't my normal weekend episode. I don't know how many of you guys will be watching this today, and actually I hope it's not many."
Mokuba sighed, and looked back at the poster of his brother as if for reassurance. "It's Father's Day today," he said slowly, without looking back at the camera. "I've talked about my family before, about how my dad…both of them, actually, my real dad and my adopted one, aren't here anymore. I don't even really remember them." He turned back to face his audience. "I live with my brother. I don't think he needs an introduction." He pulled his locket out from beneath his shirt and opened it. He showed the little picture to the camera. "There isn't a Brother's Day. Least, I don't think there is. But that doesn't matter. That's not why I'm making this video."
The young Kaiba took a deep breath. He continued: "Not everybody has a dad. Maybe he's just not around anymore. Maybe he passed away. Maybe he's a drunk. I don't know. But I know we always have somebody that we look up to. Somebody we can turn to, when we don't know what to do. Maybe it's your mom, 'cuz she raised you by herself. Maybe it's a friend. A teacher. A celebrity. Somebody on a talk radio station that gives advice. Maybe it's Dr. Phil. Whoever that is…I think that's the person you want to celebrate today." His smile widened. "You know who that means for me. So here's what I want you guys to do for me for Father's Day. Think about that person. Right now. Think about what they've taught you. What they mean to you. Today, do one thing that will make them proud. Just one thing. Anything. Write a letter, sing a song, paint a picture, whatever it is. Let them know you've learned from them. Let them know that you're a better person because of them. And if that person is your dad, well…maybe do the whole card thing, too."
Something about his face changed. The smile dropped, and he was suddenly serious. Mokuba's resemblance to the man on the poster behind was suddenly made painfully obvious. He licked his lips, and it suddenly became clear that emotions were getting the better of him.
"I've got one more thing I want to say, before I let you go: Niisama." He took another steadying breath. "I didn't know, when I started making these videos, that you would watch them. I guess I thought you just threw out the idea of me starting a YouTube channel to…to keep me busy and productive or something. Seemed like something you would do. Sometimes it's scary, how much you push the whole 'productive' thing. Sometimes I wonder if I should fill out a special request form to get you to go out for ice cream with me. But…you've been watching. Like everything else I do, you're there. Supporting me." Mokuba glanced back at the poster, and the smile came back. "You always tell me it doesn't matter what I do, as long as I put my all into it. As long as I love it. As long as I do it for the right reasons, and I'm happy doing it, you'll be proud of me. I want you to know, I'm listening. I love you. Everything I do, everything I am, it's because of you. My brother. My captain. My king."
Mokuba stood up, saluted, and reached forward. "This is your Wonderboy, signing off. Happy Father's Day."
As an aside, I just wanted to clear up something about the previous chapter, which had the same general theme as this one. The death of Joey's father is something that has been in my mind for so long that I tend to forget it isn't canon. It's something in my version of the YGO universe primarily because I feel that the old man was a toxic influence on Joey, and the only way to heal from that would be to get rid of him…and the only way I saw that working would be for him to die.
Joey wasn't at his father's funeral; it was probably the anniversary of his birth/death/et cetera. Bit of a family tradition, I suppose. I apologize for any confusion I may have caused by mistaking the story in my head with canon.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed this installment. I'll catch you next time, folks.
