Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Hot as Ice ❯ Thoughts from those who love us ( Chapter 4 )

Yu-Gi-Oh!, and the characters therein, are the property of Kazuki Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or 4Kids Ent., FUNimation, TV Tokyo/NAS/Studio Gallop

Hot as Ice

Note: Translations from http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt

RECAP

~“Where you ever a child again, Seto? Did you get to use that beautiful brain for things you wanted to?”

“No.”~

STORY START

“No,” Mokuba said meeting Seth's inquisitive blue gaze, “Once we were in that orphanage he had to fend off those who would separate us while being told not to do t he things he loved. He liked to read. He loved chess, he used to play for hours, even on his own,” Mokuba said his small, slightly rounded face serious.

“And when Gozaburo came the nurses made out as if Seto's genius was all their doing. Chess was how we got here,” he said gesturing to the room, the house t hey were in, “At first it was great. Clean, new cloths and toys, books for Seto to read and our bellies were always full. It was the life…for about a month then…things changed, Gozaburo had learnt our likes and dislikes, what we hated and what we enjoyed,” the teen said and Seth noticed the slight flinch the boy made every time he said the mans name.

“Then things got bad, then worse, everything Seto liked was his worst enemy but the one thing I hated most was the one thing he was insistent brother learn,” Mokuba said and Seth felt compelled to ask what when the boy fell into silence but Setos' resonating voice came from the door way.

“Emotion is useless. And only the weak use emotion.”

Both faces turned to see the CEO leaning against the frame of the door, his arms crossed tight over his chest, his face neutral. But both of his brothers knew he was hugging himself, that inside he was aching with coldness.

Those blank blue eyes that reflected the room moved to Seths' face and he said “Yugi's in the lobby, to take you…to his place, good night.”

12:01 am

Seth stared at the ceiling wondering what to do to help his twin and if he should even try. After what Mokuba had said he'd been wondering if in helping Seto he'd be hurting him. He had nothing to take pleasure in, not in learning, something Seth remembered Seto had loved nor games that he had played with their father or even his own genius.

He had nothing to take pride in except for his titles and power and he hid behind false arrogance for that was what it was. Seth could see it now, the way the man sneered and struck out first, the whole `Do unto others before they do unto you,' mentality.

“Seth?” Yugi's voice came and he looked at the door he hadn't even heard open, so lost in thought someone could have gutted him and he wouldn't have noticed until too late.

“Yes Yugi? Is something wrong?” he asked sitting up, not noticing the way the moonlight made his rippling muscles alluring as he bared his upper body.

“Nothings wrong…I was just worried you've been very quiet since you got back from Kaiba's,” the younger boy said and Seth flinched at the mention of his younger brother's adoptive fathers name.

“Please, don't call him that,” Seth said softly and Yugi nodded even as he frowned and Yami appeared at his side.

Smiling gently he waved the two in and waited until Yugi was curled on the end of his bed Yami floating at his side, those burning crimson eyes taking in the older boy on the bed with his hikari.

“Just thinking a little too hard,” Seth joked answering their unasked question.

“Did you find out the answer to Joeys question?” Yami inquired and Seth nodded before saying “Swear you won't tell the others, not a single soul and I'll tell you.”

“I swear,”

“You have my most solemn vow,”

“Good, but first how does Seto seem to you…as a person?”

“Arrogant,” Yugi answered as Yami frowned wandering were the Egyptian was going with this line of inquiry before he said thinking on all the times he'd met the man's twin, “Too quiet.”

“Cold, mean,” Yugi countered.

“Lonely,” Yami said truthfully and Yugi nodded saying “I guess though its his own fault, we offered friendship a million times over.” Bitting his lip he looked away and said timidly “He scares me, especially when he lapses into one of his quiet, pensive moods, when he barely says a word. Something bad always happens. I prefer when he's telling us to stick our friendship in unnameable places, and calling Joey a mutt.”

“…Yugi,” Seth said leaning forward to brush stray hair out of the boys face, those beautiful eyes blue in the night, reflecting the light around him as he stared up at Seth and the man asked “How would you feel if everything you enjoyed was turned into a form of torture?”

Two Days Later

Entering his office with a low snarl Seto slumped into his chair, clicked on the PC and then stared at the screen narrowed unseeing eyes as the vain on his temple thrummed out a pattern.

Stupid Seth.

Stupid Yugi.

Stupid migraine!

Everything hurt, worst of all his head was throbbing and his stomach felt noted. Gods he was so sick of this! Always feeling empty, hollowed out, wanting to be held, comforted yet always flinching away form the caring touch. Only Mokuba could touch him and even then it had to be gentle and infrequent.

Touch brought back memories.

Food made him want to vomit, and at times he did so why bother?

Mokuba, he had to eat for Mokuba.

Had to live for Mokuba.

Typing on the keys of the computer he wondered absently what had brought on this `episode' and then he remembered; Seth had touched him. Just a friendly clap on the shoulder, totally non-violent. Totally non-sexual and yet it had scared him spit less.

Gozaburo had started out soft, gentle.

Nice.

Everything a child would want in a father.

“Stop it! You're acting like a scared child!” he muttered banishing painful memories “Jumping at shadows.”

12:05am

Joey sighed and rolled over on his small, hard matris, pulling his thin, scratchy blanket up to his chin as he remembered the tension in Kaiba's shoulders.

Panic in the normally cold blue eyes.

The child like fear he'd seen seconds before it had disappeared beneath that smooth vinier the man had perfected as he'd snarled “Don't touch me,” at Seth, his own twin after the other man had just…clapped him on the shoulder. A brother's version of a hug though Joey reckoned Seth would have preferred the hug.

His mind flickering over the few times the man had aloud someone the touch of his most precious person, other than that of a handshake.

Each with Mokuba.

Each brief and gentle and established by Mokuba.

The man hated…no he feared being touched, which Joey could relate to. After years of fending off a drunk father who was more likely to punch him than hug him he'd almost forgotten that gentleness was real until Yugi and Tea' had come into his life. And even then he'd never feared touch that much.

Contrary to popular opinion he did have a brain, it had just been rattled a little too often so he wasn't the smartest nut in the jar, not by Kaiba's standard, but he did have one, his main thing being observation. It was a good skill he often employed in tough spots but with Kaiba…well Kaiba just pushed all the wrong buttons. It also didn't help that he had the major hots for the blue eyed corporate president.