Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Origami Music ❯ Part 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Title: Origami Music

Chapter: 5/?

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Beta: Lola

Pairing(s): Joey/Mokuba (but not in `that' way) Joey/Seto

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny how an accident could make everything change…

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He turned to find it was only two o'clock in the morning when he woke up. Something felt strange and he wasn't sure what it was until he turned in his bed and noticed the figure lying there with him. The clouds had given way to the large moon shining brightly in the sky and illuminating the blond tresses spread against his pillow. Joey was lying next to him staring with his soft ochre eyes. Getting over the initial shock Seto shoved the blonde hard out of the bed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? GET OUT!" he shouted. There was flurry of footsteps as the small form of his little brother came bursting into his room and switching on the light.

"Seto! What hap-" he cried but was cut off when he saw the enraged brunette glaring down at the blonde that was now kneeling on the floor and staring at him with his puppy like eyes and fidgeting with his t-shirt. Mokuba knelt by his side before understanding dawned on him.

"I'm sorry Seto… he does that with me sometimes…" Mokuba explained whilst helping Joey to his feet.

"He sneaks into other peoples rooms and sleeps with them?" he hissed at his brother. It was Mokuba's turn to fidget as he stepped between the two older teens.

"It's harmless… really… I don't realise he's there until the next morning. Don't be mad…"

"Just…" Seto took a deep breath as he calmed his nerves. "Get him out of my room"

"O-ok…" Mokuba tugged at the blonde's t-shirt who reluctantly followed him. Seto was glaring at his back and locking the door after them before he collapsed back into his bed. He turned to his side as he tried to get to sleep but found it difficult due the near painful hunger pangs from missing dinner that night. He lay listening briefly to the whisperings of his brother coaxing the blonde to go to bed but soon enough everything was silent once more with the exception of the grumbling of his rebellious stomach. It was this silence that made him notice for the first time a smell of hot warm and cosy gravy. He turned on the light on his bedside table and there neatly beside the lamp was his plate of dinner that he had missed complete with knife and fork. He sat up again and stared briefly at it but turned off the light and tried to go back to sleep.

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Mokuba was happy to see the Joey he use to know more and more of late though he despaired that he was still unable to get the blonde to smile. Sometimes they would talk about the old days, about their adventures in Duellist Kingdom and Battle City. Joey seemed to show renewed interest in Duel Monsters again as they played for the first time in the past few months.

"Hey Joey!" Joey looked up from his paper crane. "If you're up to it why don't we go visit the Games Shop? I haven't been for ages" The blonde cocked his head to the side and Mokuba couldn't help but grin at the cute puppy dog face that the blonde effectively put on when he was confused or deep in thought or both. Perhaps it was the longer hair, which was a little past his shoulders now. The remnants of his old fringe were hanging near his cheeks and his exposed soulful eyes had an air of innocence around them that was previously smothered by his tresses.

"Ok…" Joey replied. Mokuba had called for the limo driver to come round the front before packed up their game and got changed to go to Yugi's house. To his surprise and delight Yugi's grandfather welcomed them both with open arms.

"Yugi has been talking about you ever since you came out of the institute," Solomon said as he went to call down the tri colour headed boy. "YUGI… COME DOWN. LOOKS WHO'S COME TO VISIT?" he turned to smile at the two boys before inviting them both to sit down. His broad and warm smile dwindled to sadness as he proceeded in making them both a cup a tea. He sighed silently as he stirred the cups. He remembered the past few months of watching his grandson go through hellish torment. He'd walk by to hear him crying in his room ever since the accident. Even Yami the spirit was showed the signs of a deep depression and despite his best efforts of comforting the boy he himself grieved for Joey. He suspected the same with everyone else. Téa was less cheerful and had become extremely pessimistic of life. Tristan tended to have violent tempers about the littlest of things and in these months Solomon worried in particular for the blonde too and how it had affected him. It was a comfort to see him for the first time in months. "YUGI?" he called once more.

"Coming Grandpa…" he heard the little on acknowledge him finally though it sounded strangled. Solomon sighed. He must have been crying again. There was a patter of feet as the small boy tumbled down the stairs. Solomon noticed his eyes were a little red from tears despite him ridding the evidence by wiping them away with a sleeve. "What is it?" the old man smiled as he cocked his head towards the living room. Yugi peered round the door and gasped seeing his best friend sitting on the sofa. He smiled as he mentally checked himself from looking like a blubbery mess before he came to room. "Hey Joey"

"Hey…"

"Hi Yugi" Mokuba added and Yugi smiled.

"Oh Mokuba you're here too…" he said as he sat down next to the blonde. It was the only thing he said to the raven headed boy that day as he talked to the blonde continuously about what had been going on at home. Mokuba leaned back into the chair feeling a little bored when the old man that he knew as Yugi's grandfather tapped him on the shoulder and cocked his head towards the kitchen. Mokuba glanced over as the two friends were immersed in conversation. Joey had glanced a few times in his direction to see that he was all right whilst Yugi talked. Mokuba smiled before he followed the old man.

"Want to play a game? You seem awfully bored back there" he croaked and smiled warmly. Mokuba didn't know the man very well but his brief acquaintance seemed sufficient of what he pictured Solomon to be. "Are you familiar with Chinese Checkers?" Mokuba smiled and nodded. They played and they won a fair share of rounds each. Solomon chuckled breaking the large bout of silence between them. "You're really good young man"

"Thanks…" Mokuba replied before glancing over at the two teenagers in the other room.

"Don't mind my grandson Mokuba," the old man said suddenly and Mokuba turned looking confused. "He told me he has forgiven you but he is still giving you the cold shoulder now and then…"

"It doesn't matter. I was pretty sure that he didn't mean it when he told me."

"Give him time. Joey is held especially close to my grandson's heart. He was the first friend that he has ever had and to see him in so much pain is more than Yugi can bare…" Solomon said. Mokuba looked down on the floor as the memories had resurfaced once more. "But I can see… Joey is a lot stronger than anyone has ever given him credit for and I'm pretty sure Yugi will follow his example. But for now, give yourselves some time" Mokuba blinked and took a sip from his cup of hot chocolate that the old man had made for him.

"Hey grandpa? Could Joey stay over tonight?" Yugi asked coming in excitedly. Solomon smiled.

"Of course, he's more than welcome" he glanced over to the boy on his left. `Give yourselves more time' he had said and reaffirmed his statement with an intent gaze upon the eleven-year-old.

"I could have the driver send some of his clothes so he can change into them…"

"Would you Mokuba? Thank you" Yugi chirped and smiled as he went back into the living room and took the blonde by the hand and led him to his room. Mokuba smiled and stayed for a little while longer to watch TV at the Motou household before he finally decided to leave. It was getting late after all. He went upstairs under the direction of Solomon towards Yugi's room and watched for a bit as the two friends played duel monsters. "Wow Joey you're getting better…" Yugi commented. Mokuba swallowed as he knocked on the door before coming in. Yugi looked up and smiled at the eleven-year-old.

"Um… I thought I'd tell you that I'd be going home. I already told the driver to collect some of Joey's clothes before he comes and picks me up ok?"

"Ok" Yugi replied

"Will you be alright?" Joey asked. There was a tinge of worry behind his otherwise monotonous voice. Mokuba inwardly flinched but he nodded.

"Uh huh…" he lied keeping and smiling. There was a downpour of rain when he left the Motou household with a heavy heart. He stared up at the window and saw the blonde staring right back at him in worry. He smiled in reassurance whilst being ushered into the limo by the driver who hurriedly ducked into the driver seat and started to drive away.

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He recognised the silence of coming home to an empty mansion, and despite the familiarity, Mokuba hated it. At least he would have to only endure it for a couple of hours more until his brother came back home. Just as the comforting thought entered his mind the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Mokuba… I'm sorry but there's a big problem at the corporation and I'll probably be delayed from coming home" Mokuba sagged into the chair next to the table and bit his lip hoping that he didn't make a sound that would give away the frustration. "Mokuba?"

"It's ok… big brother, don't worry about me," he answered looking at the huge hallway and listening to the taps of his feet echo against the cavernous walls. "I've got Joey to keep me company" Mokuba lied hoping that it would comfort his brother's anxiety.

"Oh… ok…" Seto said a little unsure but Mokuba didn't allow him to dwell on it and hung up. "And I thought this mansion couldn't get anymore emptier" he muttered to himself as he sat down grabbing a remote to flick channels. Glancing at the pile of cranes he ignored the TV and began taking a fresh sheet of paper and started making another crane. He had gotten pretty good at it with the practise and had done another replica of the blonde's collection. He smiled as he leaned back pulling at the bird's tail and making it flap. It had been another few boring hours and he wasn't sure when he fell asleep but he found out it was evening when the phone rang. The ringing had stopped to be replaced with the automated answering machine.

"This is the Kaiba household. We're not in…" came his brother's crisp voice. "Leave your message after th-" Mokuba cut the machine off and answered the phone.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Are you all right?" Joey repeated the question that he had asked hours before.

"Hey… Joey. Aren't you hanging around with Yugi?"

"He's helping his grandfather with restocking the store. I just wanted to check on you... Is your brother home?" Mokuba blinked before he answered.

"No… he's got a lot of work to do at Kaiba Corp…" there was silence on the other line. "Joey?"

"I'm just getting comfortable in the living room" was the reply. Mokuba heard a brief shuffle before everything was settled. Absentmindedly he also got comfortable watching the TV as the two just talked ranging across different topics from comic books to the latest toys, the school and even a few jokes. It wasn't much but it certainly relieved the boredom in the mansion. They talked whilst they watched TV then even at dinner time where Mokuba would be busy cutting into his steak and kidney pie whilst holding the phone between his chin and his shoulders. Eventually, (it was near Mokuba's bedtime by then) Joey had to finally be forced off the phone but it didn't matter to Mokuba anymore. It wouldn't be long before his brother came back home.

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Kaiba came in with a sigh before he went upstairs straight to Mokuba's room. He peeped inside expecting that perhaps the eleven year old had an early night but noticed that the boy was busy fiddling with one of Joey's paper cranes whilst watching a late night movie.

"Welcome home Seto" he said and hugged the brunette as his usual routine before climbing back into the bed.

"Seems quiet tonight… Where's Wheeler. Is he asleep?"

"He's sleeping over at Yugi's" Mokuba replied as the blonde girl on the TV screamed whilst being chased by the axe murderer. Seto narrowed his eyes.

"You were here home alone at the mansion? You told me that he was keeping you company…" Mokuba inwardly winced at the lie he had told the brunette before.

"Well in a way he was… he talked to me on the phone for a few good hours" he replied meekly in hopes to curb his brother's anger.

"While he was at Motou's place?"

"Yeah…" He didn't dare look at the cold sapphire eyes glaring down at him. It had been a long time since his brother had ever stared down on him like that and that was during the darker days of the struggle for power. Back then; their foster father had been at his most relentless in trying to keep his brother from assuming the company. The struggle and tension between the two had made it to the point that Seto had cast Mokuba aside for his own ambitions.

"Why didn't you just say you were going to be alone in the house? I could have dealt with the problem from here as well as over at Kaiba Corp"

"I just didn't want you to worry about me. You've been doing that a lot lately"

"Shouldn't I be?" Seto rasped. "Do you expect me to carry on with work like normal and ignore you crying every night in your room?" Mokuba was silent but stared up at the cobalt eyes expectantly. "Wheeler shouldn't have left you alone…"

"I thought I was the one looking after him," Mokuba said. Seto's eyes flared with cold fury before he rubbed his temple and chuckled as lines of stress started to show at the corners of his eyes.

"How old are you?"

"Eleven…"

"Eleven…" Seto repeated before his face contorted into a disgusted sneer. "Just barely a year older than I was when Gozaboro adopted us and started his `training'. I'm not having you have to be subjected to same I went through…"

"But Joey's not like Gozaboro Seto… I owe him-"

"YOU DON'T OWN THAT STUPID MONGREL ANYTHING!" Seto bellowed down at the raven headed boy. A rippling echo sounded down the hall as the two brothers stared at each other. It was a moment of silence before Seto spoke again. "Besides, what do you even hope to accomplish out of this anyway? She's dead. That's not going to change even if you somehow help that lunatic-"

"HE'S NOT A LUNATIC!" Mokuba yelled back as his hands balled into fists and tears were brought to his eyes. The spite towards the blonde was already more than enough for him to bear every time the subject was about him and he had had enough of it.

"Oh so I suppose sharing a bed someone you barely know is common practise over at that institute huh? And making those idiotic paper cranes" Seto growled after finally snapping. "Is that how they cure people?"

"You know that's not true and as far as I was concerned Joey was just bringing you the dinner you missed that night or were you too blind to see the plate on your bedside table?" Mokuba hissed back. "At any rate if you felt that offended I'll tell him to back off. I'll even move him to another part of the mansion"

"How about this? Why don't you move him back to that God damn institute and you can move into the cell next to him?" Seto gasped just as he said that last scathing remark. Mokuba's eyes glistened as he stared intently before he ran out passed his brother and down the hall. "Mokuba… MOKUBA!!!" Seto chased after him. Mokuba ran into another room slammed and locked the door. He shuddered blinking back the tears as his brother pounded at the door pleading him to unlock it. "Please Mokuba… I'm sorry I didn't mean to… please unlock this door…" Mokuba vaguely heard the twisting of the knob. "Mokuba I-"

"It's ok…" Mokuba whispered back to him as he played with the key on his lap. "I've heard those kinds of words enough times from people talking behind my back that it doesn't even bother me anymore" Seto reacted to the new revelation with silence. Blue eyes were locked on the white barrier between the two before stared at the patterned floor of the hallway. "There was just one difference… you're the first person to say it to my face…" Time seemed to stand still as those words echoed in the young CEO's mind and for the first time in years tears fell from Seto Kaiba's eyes.

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Sam: *sniffs* I hate doing this chapter…