Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Origami Music ❯ Part 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Title: Origami Music

Chapter: 8/?

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Beta: Jennie B

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

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The references of lyrics to the song Hello belong to Evanescence.

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

 

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"YOU WHAT?" Tristan screamed at the smaller teen who neither flinched nor retaliated. "YUGI, HOW COULD YOU?"

 

"I know you're angry about this, but I trust that the decision I made is right. He's changed Tristan, for the better… I really believe he'll help Joey."

 

"Don't you remember what that bastard said to Joey about his sister? What he did? Joey could have been killed because of him!"

 

"He's also the only one that has a shred of understanding of what Joey's really going through here, "Yugi argued. "Téa, you can back me on this, can't you? We can give Kaiba another chance, right?" Téa looked stunned as Yugi pulled her into the debate.

 

"I… I don't…" Téa looked away, afraid to meet the boy's eyes. "I don't know, Yugi…"

 

"I don't know what he said to you Yug', but it's all an act so he can ruin Joey's life some more before tossing him out in a gutter somewhere. "

 

"TRISTAN! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

 

"NO, ~YOU~ DON'T UNDERSTAND! SERENITY DIED BECAUSE OF THE KAIBAS AND ~YOU'RE~ HELPING THEM BY PUSHING JOEY TO GO THE SAME WAY SHE DID!" Tristan growled at the tri-coloured headed teen before he stormed down the hall.

 

"Tristan, where are you going?" Téa cried, hurrying after him.

 

"To get that recommendation form off that son-of-a-bitch!"

 

---

 

The cherry blossom tree had become their sanctuary; the one place where they could spend their time together without intrusion. Neither of them talked to each other and, sometimes they never even acknowledged each other upon their arrival. They would merely sit on either side of the tree going about their own business. Seto would be typed away on his laptop, his fingers flying gracefully across the keys whilst Joey fiddled with a sheet of plain, white paper and brought it flapping to life as an origami crane. Occasionally, they would just sit in silence watching as an odd pink petal or two fell from the branches and fluttered lightly to the ground. It was a secluded part of the school grounds that the students hardly went to, and even those that occasionally visited their sanctuary would not have noticed anything unusual between the two boys. Yet, both of them knew if either one of them should not be there, the other would feel out of place under that cherry blossom tree. Seto sighed as he finished with the document before him. He rubbed his temple and peeked round the large trunk. His eyes softened as he watched the blonde play with the flapping crane before setting it down on a huge pile but then he grew concerned when he saw the pained expression on the blonde's face.

 

"Joey?" He shuffled to the blonde's side of the tree and touched Joey's injured shoulder. "Is your shoulder hurting?" Seto grimaced as he the blonde flinched reflexively from the tenderness. "Come on, let's go to the infirmary." Joey nodded and the two silently stuffed the paper cranes into a plastic bag before shoving the bag into Joey's backpack. In silence, the two boys headed towards the nurse's office.

 

---

 

"Hmm…" Nurse Cunningham pondered as she gently squeezed Joey's right shoulder, making him flinch. "Oh dear… it does feel a bit swollen but nothing too serious that would need a doctor to look at. I'll write a note to your teacher saying that you won't be attending class so you can go home early. Let's have a look at your schedule. It's English with Miss Barker right?" Joey nodded. "Do you have the painkillers from the hospital?"

 

"Yeah… but they make me drowsy."

 

"That's all right; you can lie down here whilst I call your guardian to come pick you up." With that, she left the office to make the call and send the note. Joey awkwardly popped the small cap off the bottle and crunched at two pills before lying down. The CEO sat on an armchair watching him and within minutes, Joey's eyes became heavy. Joey stared up at the glacier blue eyes overshadowed by a fringe of rich, chocolate brown tresses whilst long fingers tenderly stroked the blonde locks splayed against the pillow.

 

Seto watched him snuggle into the pillow and listened as Joey's breaths became slow and deep. A lock of overgrown, blonde fringe was draped over his cheek and tickling his nose. The brunette gently tucked the offending hair away from Joey's face and rested his chin on his forearms, listening to the soft snores and watching the rhythmic rising and falling of the blonde's chest. He gazed at the pale face and the heavy, long and dark eyelashes splayed against his cheeks. Kaiba frowned as he noticed the bags under Joey's eyes. `Has he not been getting enough sleep lately?' he thought as he played with the silky, sun-kissed hair again. `I'll need to check up on that when he comes back to the mansion.' Comforted by the thought of Joey coming home with him he did not dwell on the thought any longer as he himself dozed for a little while. No sooner had he nodded off when he was roughly shaken awake by a furious brunette.

 

Tristan growled as he wrenched him from his seat, staring cautiously at Joey before yanking the other brunette outside and slamming him against the student lockers. Téa looked on worriedly.

 

"Tristan… don't…" But [capitalize `But'] her words never reached Tristan's ears.

 

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HIM, YOU BASTARD?"

 

"His shoulder was hurting so I brought him to the infirmary. He took his painkillers and fell asleep; that was all…"

 

"That was all, huh? You actually think I'm going to fall for that Good Samaritan bullshit? Everyone in this school knows that all you've ever done for Joey is make his life hell! " Seto felt a stab of guilt and winced inwardly. "I don't know ~how~ you managed to sweet talk Yugi into getting Joey back in your care, you son-of-a-bitch, but don't think me and Téa don't see what you're trying to do. I don't care how rich or how many of your pathetic lackeys you've got, I ~will~ kill you if you ever come near Joey again!" Tristan hissed. He narrowed his gaze as he saw the recommendation form sticking out of Seto's pocket and released his hold to snatch he paper. His eyes darkened as he looked at the two signatures on the bottom and, to Seto's horror, he tore the sheet apart.

 

He watched as the stocky brunette ripped the form asunder like a rabid creature mauling the wings of a delicate white bird before the pieces fluttered to the floor in a pathetic heap. Tristan glared at the CEO before storming back down the hall. Seto stared at the remnants of the recommendation form, a further testament of how fate viciously tormented him. For the first time, after months of blind jealously and hate, he had finally seen how precious the blonde really was to him, how much he needed that security and warmth. And, the second he realised that, fate had cruelly snatched it away from him. He tried to gather together the pieces of paper, the representation of his broken hope. The largest piece held his signature, mocking him for his naivety. He headed back into the infirmary where the sleeping blonde still lay.

 

"Are you still here Kaiba? Your class will start in five minutes," the nurse chided, returning from the main office. "I'm sure you can go see Joey at the Motou's house after school."

 

"What time is Motou going to pick him up?"

 

"Oh, in about half an hour. Why?"

 

"No reason…"

 

"Well I'm going off for ~my~ lunch break." Nurse Cunningham stared at the brunette pointedly. "I'll let you stay here but, you better go to your class when the bell rings Mr. Kaiba."

 

"Whatever," he replied coolly, sitting back on the armchair next to Joey's bedside whilst got out his laptop to work again. Nurse Cunningham sighed disapprovingly at the youth's tone but said no more as she gathered her purse and walked out of her office again. Seto leaned back against the armchair, staring briefly out the office window and watching pink flakes appear from behind the building ahead of him where the cherry blossom tree that he shared with Joey was before staring at the ripped pieces of paper in his hands. He glanced back at Joey and was surprised that the blonde was awake. Joey rubbed his eyes groggily with his left hand but found sleep starting to overcome him once more. He blinked a few times to stay awake. "Go back to sleep…" Seto whispered, brushing away the stray hairs that had gotten into the blonde's face again and tucking them behind his ear. Joey reached out towards the open briefcase, plucking out one of the origami birds that Seto had packed away and began playing with it. A slight tug of the tail jerked the bird to life. They watched the bird fly before their eyes; its curved, white wings fluttered, beating at the air, up and down, up and down whilst its elegant, long neck held the crane's head proud and high. There was a sense of peace and comfort in watching the paper crane fly, imagining it soaring in the sky with the sun reflecting off the brilliant white of its body. Slowly, the flaps became less frequent and finally came to rest against the soft pillow. Joey had fallen asleep again with the paper crane in his hand, and he sighed deeply, the crane lying on its side in the middle of his left palm. And, though it comforted Kaiba for a brief time, the dismal incident of the ripped up recommendation form came back to his mind tenfold.

 

"It's funny…" Seto was startled out of his reverie and found Téa staring at the sleeping blonde. "I remember a little girl back in grade school that used to make those on lunch breaks; it was always on a rainy day, though. All the kids loved watching her folding them up and sharing them out. They loved them so much that every Christmas, she'd be slipping them in as presents between the Christmas cards she gave out." She stopped, briefly glancing over at the young CEO for a moment, taking in the reaction to her story. "It must have taken her forever to make them all but, a few minutes after opening their cards, having made empty promises of keeping them for a long time, she'd find a lot of them in the trash can." Téa plucked a crane from the briefcase and pulled at the tail. She smiled sadly as it jerked to life. "I was really angry for her, wondering why she would still make them ~every~ year for everyone, just to have them throw them away. I asked her why bother. She said: "Well, everyone had fun while it lasted and even though they've thrown the cranes away I don't think they'll forget about them." I thought she was being silly at the time and yet, here I am now talking about it,"

 

"I guess it must be the same with Serenity…" Seto said, staring at the bird in Joey's hand and his eyes softened again. He didn't see the surprised look on the girl's face.

 

"Yeah… I guess so…" she whispered gazing over at the CEO. `He ~has~ changed, 'she thought as a rare smile crept across her face. Téa was afraid to trust anyone when it came to Joey nowadays and had constantly worried about the blonde, especially after what she had seen his mother do to him at the institute. Her heart had wrenched with anger and despair at Mrs. Wheeler's spite whilst the burden of responsibility over the blonde weighed heavily in her heart. Watching Kaiba now, for the first time since the accident, she felt she had some support and the burden lessened. Téa smiled as she searched through her bag for a small roll of sticky tape. She picked at the end and pulled it out. Seto stared at her in confusion and her smile widened. "Let's see if we can stick this recommendation form back together, huh Kaiba?"

---

 

~That was a month ago when Téa helped me piece the paper back together and Joey had woken up again shortly before Solomon Motou picked him up. ~ Seto paused briefly as the memories of that day returned and went back. ~He had smiled at her… the first time I had seen it. Yugi had told me about his own talk with Joey; told me how he felt with such a simple gesture and yet, nothing he described ever matched what I saw that day. I saw it again on the first day he came back to the mansion and Mokuba greeted him,~ Seto paused again and stretched. He turned to watch the blonde doing his homework on his bed, with paper cranes scattered all over his silky sheets. Kaiba couldn't remember when the blonde had started coming into his room to do his homework or make his paper cranes, but his presence seemed so natural, as if he had done this for many years. The restrictive sling had finally come off and the blonde was able to move more freely. His shoulder still ached sometimes but the doctors were pleased to announce that Joey had no need of the painkillers anymore. However, Seto noticed that the blonde didn't seem to be as enthusiastic as he'd hoped. Joey looked up from his homework and stared at the CEO like a deer trapped in car headlights. Kaiba found himself smiling again as the blonde cocked his head to the side, the silky, gold tresses swaying like the floppy ears of a golden retriever puppy.

 

For the past month, Seto had found himself, and his employees, to be more animated towards their work. They had become faster and more efficient. The stocks had risen dramatically and the ideas suggested by his employees were always a success. It wasn't that he had raised anyone's salary or put up any other incentive to motivate his workers yet, with the number of successes they had had, projects were being completed way ahead of schedule and Seto wound up having nothing to do but go home early and sometimes, to Mokuba's delight, skipping it altogether to join his brother and the blonde on the walk home after school. Seto smiled at the thought of how, with each passing day, Mokuba became happier; the kids that he found out had been bullying his little brother were sorted out promptly and, only the extremely brave or foolhardy dared to throw their scathing remarks at the eleven year old. The brothers got to spend more time together and often, Joey would hang around in his room or go to Yugi's house so Mokuba and Seto could be alone; however, at school the two teens hung around each other every spare moment that they had in between classes and during lunch period. Their favourite roost was still under the cherry blossom tree, which was now in full bloom.

 

With a smile at the memories of the month that had passed, Seto turned back to his computer to continue on the journal. ~Suffice to say, Tristan was not pleased about the arrangement. He hardly speaks to the others these days and refuses to even look at me, let alone talk…until this one occasion. He'd asked me how Joey had been. Nothing much happened after that until the puppy spent a weekend at his house and since then, he has been less pissed off about the world. He still doesn't like me, but that doesn't matter.~ Seto turned to meet the blonde's gaze and let another smile reach his lips. Often, Yugi and Téa would join the two boys under the cherry blossom tree, dragging a reluctant Tristan along with them. The stocky brunette would remain silent as the group chatted to each other about classes, duel monsters, and game systems (which Seto would inevitably make some snide remark about. In fact, if it weren't for a few classes that Joey and Seto didn't share, they were inseparable and many had assumed that the two were going out.

 

~The only thing that really bothers me now this past month is… the fact that Joey never smiles when I'm around. I know he can do it. He's done it for the others, even Tristan… Does he feel uncomfortable around me? Does he think I'll fall off another building? I've noticed the bags under his eyes and he's finding difficulty concentrating at school. Is he not sleeping enough lately? ~ Every time the brunette came in, the smile on Joey's face would disappear so Seto often lingered in the doorway before making his presence known. ~Strange, I used to loathe that huge grin he had on his face. But now… everyday, I find myself asking what can I do to make him smile? What will it take for him to smile for me? ~ Seto stared at the clock, which showed that it was past midnight. Normally he'd work for another few hours after writing in the electronic journal. Finally, having had enough with pouring his soul to his computer diary he saved and closed the file, planning to go to bed early tonight.

 

"Joey I'm ha-" He stopped short, noticing that the blonde was already gone and he had even cleared away the mass of paper birds on his bed. Sighing, he changed into his silk navy blue pyjamas and slipped under the covers of the king sized bed. Unused to going to bed so early, he lay wide awake in the dark tossing and turning. He groaned as the fairly chilly night made it even harder for sleep to come. Sliding out of bed again, he decided to check on his little brother and silently crept down the empty hallway. Kaiba smiled as the raven headed kid was fast asleep, his long ebony hair sprawled against the white pillow. Thinking that he wasn't going to be able to sleep for another couple of hours, Seto went to the room next door. The door groaned as he cracked it opened slightly. He hadn't realised how heavy the rain was falling outside, the flashes of lightning were quickly followed by a clash of thunder. The sudden burst of light illuminated the guestroom enough for Seto to see that the blonde wasn't there; the bed was empty and the sheets were still made. Panic struck him as he searched the connected bathroom' it was also empty. "Joey?" When the lightning flashed again, he caught sight of the figure outside. "Oh God…" he whispered as he raced down the stairs. Another flash of lightning illuminated Joey's soaked, golden hair. The blonde was staring up at the sky as the rain pounded against his face; his long lashes were lined with water. "WHEELER!!!" Seto yelled over the storm. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? GET BACK INSIDE!!!" He only vaguely heard the words from the blonde.

 

"... don't believe… soon I know I'll wake from this dream… don't try to fix me… I'm not broken… I'm the lie living for you so you can hide… don't cry… don't cry…" He repeated the words over and over again "don't… cry…" Hearing enough, Kaiba ran out into the rain towards the younger boy, his hair instantly drenched by the deluge of water, and grabbed the blonde.

 

"Snap out of it, damn it!!!" Seto shouted but then faltered, flinching at the empty gaze in the blonde's amber eyes, the sickly skin that was starting to wrinkle from the excessive water and the more defined bags under his eyes. Any trace of the warmth that the brunette craved seemed to have vanished in the coldness of the rain. Kaiba backed away slowly as the blonde carried on singing the strange and eerie song.

 

"Suddenly… I know I'm not sleeping… hello, I'm still here… all that's left of yesterday…"

 

"Stop it," Seto hissed as a continuous trickle of water ran down his face. His breath was short as if he had just run a hundred miles. "Just stop it, stop it, STOP IT!"

 

"Stop what?" Joey replied casually. "Stop feeling this emptiness? You know that that's not possible. " He cocked an eyebrow inquisitively yet, the gesture disturbed Seto because of the emotionless appearance of Joey's eyes. "Mind telling me what's been troubling you lately?"

 

"Nothing…" Seto replied irritably. He glared at the blonde but somehow, that failed and he resorted to simply looking away. "Except for the fact that we're standing out in the middle of a thunderstorm, completely soaked. Now will you please get back inside?"

 

"You're still afraid of me," Joey whispered as he took a step towards him, and the brunette inadvertently stepped back.

 

"No I'm not…" Seto replied. "I just hate the fact that you don't smile as much anymore." The blonde looked intrigued, cocking his head to one side as the water dripped from his flaxen tresses. "I use to hate the way you smiled but I hate it more when I don't see it. I hate it when you're like this… Why won't you smile?"

 

"What would be the point of me smiling if you don't look?" Joey replied as he stepped forward while Seto stepped back again, keeping the distance between them as another flash of lightning lit up the dark skies. "If you're scared…"

 

"I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!" Seto roared against the clash of thunder that echoed all around them whilst tears rolled down from his cobalt eyes. To Joey's surprise he walked towards him, closing the gap between them. Seto cupped the blonde's face with both of his hands and stared straight into the blank eyes whilst allowing the other to see the fear in his own cobalt eyes. "I'm scared of losing you… of losing that warmth you had when you wrapped your arms around me when we fell." Seto pressed his cheek against the soaked, golden tresses. "Don't leave me here… please…" he whispered, holding the blonde as tightly as he could, rain mixing with the salty tears that ran down his eyes. Slowly, almost mechanically, the blonde wrapped his arms around the brunette and Seto felt the warmth return to his arms. He smiled as he held the other teen tightly, then lead him back into the mansion and out of the rain.

 

"Big brother?" Seto wrenched his gaze away from the blonde by his side down to his brother. The younger Kaiba's hair was mussed up from sleep and he was still in his Blue Eyes White Dragon pyjamas, but he smiled as he held up two large and warm fluffy towels. The two teens headed towards the bathroom and changed out of the wet clothes that they wore. Seto rubbed away the moisture from his hair and body and immediately slipped into another set of pyjamas before rubbing at the thick gold locks on Joey's head. He smiled at him but received a blank face in return. Disheartened that his talk in the rain had been in vain, he pushed aside the stinging ache in his heart. After being completely dried, Joey slipped under the covers and stared wide-eyed in front of him.

 

"Get some rest Joey," Seto said, tenderly tucking the stray hair in Joey's face behind his ear and closing the door.

 

"Will he be all right Seto?" the younger of the two Kaiba brothers asked worriedly.

 

"I don't know, Mokie…" Seto answered honestly as he directed the raven headed boy back to his own bed and tucked him in. When Mokuba was settled Seto left for his room, now thoroughly tired. He lingered a moment longer outside Mokuba's room, staring at the door next to it before heading back to his bedroom. Despite how tired he was Seto found he still couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned in the bed whilst the storm outside started to diminish, the rain eventually reduced to a light patter upon the wet tarmac. Seto glanced at the clock on his bedside noting the time at 2.15 in the morning. He had been tossing about for over an hour. Frustrated, he got up again and left his room. He stopped at the two doors where Mokuba and Joey slept and decided that he would go into Joey's room first this time. Without the aid of the lightning, he couldn't see as well anymore. Squinting a little into the dark, he could see that Joey was still lying on the bed but something about the lack of movement troubled the brunette and he went in for a closer inspection. He stared hard trying to make out the details in the dark and blinking in surprise he found that Joey's eyes were still wide open. Kaiba turned on the light on Joey's bed, confirming his suspicions. Joey was still awake. "Why aren't you asleep yet? It's two thirty in the morning" Seto said, sitting on the edge of the bed. The blonde didn't answer but continued to stare at space in the corner. The bags in his eyes aged him and the beautiful, amber eyes were spoiled. Seto blinked when he remembered the times that he had watched the blonde sleep. It was right after taking the painkillers; they made Joey drowsy, and he knew that some components of the drugs suppressed dreams. "Joey, have you been having nightmares?" Joey didn't answer but shifted slightly in the bed, his eyes still wide open. "Is that why… you like coming into mine and Mokuba's rooms?"

 

"I know you don't like me doing that… so I stopped…" Suddenly Seto's throat clenched as he remembered that one night the blonde had come into his room seeking comfort and he had turned him away. Unsure of what else to do, Kaiba slipped under the covers and gazed at the ochre eyes that held a hint of fear. Seto eased closer, taking note of how tense the golden-headed boy was.

 

"I'm sorry… I was… being selfish back then. I want you to know that you're welcome to come into my room whenever you feel scared. Now, go to sleep." The other's breath hitched at the statement and Joey shook his head fearfully against the pillow. "It'll be ok…" Seto assured him. "I'll be right here when you wake up…" He watched the other Joey hesitate before he shuffled closer to the brunette, allowing the warmth from Seto's body lull him into slumber. He was fast asleep the instant he closed his eyes whilst the brunette watched over him. Seto sighed as he turned off the light on Joey's bedside and wrapped an arm around the blonde before he, too, closed his eyes.

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A/N: Ah… was this a slow update or what?