Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Dreams Come True ❯ Chapter Six: Never Say Never ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six: Never Say Never

Mokuba came in a minute after Kaiba left, took one look at Mina, and frowned. Oh, that brother of his had done it again. He had gone and broken some poor girl's heart…

"Mina? You ok?"

She looked up sharply and with a flick of her fingers wiped away the tears running down her cheeks. She did it so quickly, and made it look like she was just brushing her hair out of her eyes. It was a quickness that came with many, many years of hiding tears from others…

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"Don't let him get to you. Like I said, he's had it rough."

She stared at her hands and sighed. Mokuba didn't think she understood, and he didn't want to explain. She looked so lost, so little, and lonely there though, sitting on that spindly kitchen chair and staring at her folded white hands as if she had never seen them before.

He ran up and hugged her. Mina smiled. He was such a kind boy.

In a minute she stood, and brushed off her apron. "Ok. Wanna go watch cartoons until it's done baking?"

Mokuba made a face. "Neh. Let's go play a game of…"

"Chess??? But Mokuba---!" Mina looked at the strange version of Duel Monsters and sighed, rubbing her temples.

"I'll teach you!"

And so he did. For another hour he patiently worked at it, until Mina was a fairly decent player. Then the timer rang.

"OOH! Pie!" Mokuba jumped up and ran to the kitchen. Mina jumped up and leaped the table, sprinting after him.

"Now don't you dare touch that pie with your bare hands, young man!! You'll burn yourself!" She laughed and jumped onto a polishing rag one of the maids was using on a stubborn spot on the floor, and slid to the carpet, jumped off, and grabbed Mokuba. Against his violently gigglish protests, she picked him up and towed him under one arm into the kitchen.

Kaiba watched quietly from the top of the stairs. He hadn't meant to make her cry… He made a mental note to be nicer in the future. Especially at the ball.

In the kitchen, Mina set the pie on a rack to cool and she and Mokuba admired it.

"Looks good." Mokuba said after a long silence.

"Yeah." She was watching the steam come up from the pie with a frown.

"Mina?"

"Mm?"

"He really does like apple pie, though."

Mina turned and stared at Mokuba, brow furrowed. Now she understood. But why does it matter if he loves someone? It's like he's afraid…Of me?

"Oh." Was her final comment, in a strangely dreamy voice. So there was still hope. Better than nothing.

"When's your birthday?" Mokuba asked casually, getting out some plates for the pie.

"Oh. In three days."

"Oh, ok." Mokuba said just as casually. Maybe too casually. Mina turned around and watched him with one eyebrow raised.

"….Why?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Just wondering."

At that precise moment Kaiba walked easily into the kitchen, hands in his pockets. Mina and Mokuba stared at him as he peered over their shoulders at the pie.

"Looks good. Can I have a piece?"

Poor Mina nearly fainted with delight.