Guard Dog: Muddling Through
Yosh! This section finally got done! XD
Mostly un-beta'd, please don't kill us.
Con't from here
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"So..." Leonhart looked uncomfortable as his webcam window popped up in Noa's screen. "... somehow a 'Birthday' card didn't seem to fit the situation. Neither did a 'Congratulations' card. I tried to find a Death Day card, but somehow no one I asked had heard of one, much less knew anyone who had made one. It seemed rather tacky to send a 'Condolences' card to the person who had died, nor did 'Best Wishes' appear to fit the situation. I did debate on a 'Good News, it's a Boy' card, but in the end I simply could not find a card that fit the situation. And as such I'm afraid I really don't know what to say."
"Well, thank you for trying." Noa said sincerely. "I appreciate the effort."
"Not a problem." Leonhart waved it off. "How are you doing?"
Noa shrugged. "Still dead."
"Oh."
"You-" Mokuba said, from his postion draped over the back of Noa's chair. "-Are the first person to ask that question of Noa."
"That's not true." Noa frowned. "Jounouchi asks me frequently."
"That bastard doesn't count." Mokuba informed him bluntly.
Noa sighed. Mokuba's other brother been saying that 'quitting' wasn't the same as 'leaving', but he was also firmly on Jounouchi's side, so therefore Mokuba wasn't believing a word of it.
"Hey." Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know anyway? We never told you."
"Oh, let's see." Leonhart raised an eyebrow back. "Kaiba Mokuba's 'other brother', rumours about the deceased Kaiba Noa on the news, green hair... It wasn't terribly difficult to put together."
Noa snickered. Mokuba lazily swatted at him since he couldn't reach Leonhart from the other side of the world. "If it's any consolation," Leonhart added with a faint grin. "I don't see this effecting our friendship, unless you want it to. You're the only Noa I've ever known, and you've been dead the entire time."
"Actually." Noa smiled faintly, slumping slightly in his seat. "That's a relief to hear. Thank you, Leonhart-kun."
"'Niisama's hiring an exorcist for after the investigators finish examining the room." Mokuba explained as Leonhart and Noa smiled at each other. "Most everyone else has been afraid to come near either of us, incase they end up cursed by an evil spirit."
The kids at school were giving him wide berth, saying he was haunted by a Yurei, a ghost of the dead. 'Mokuba no Akuma', Mokuba's a Demon they said in hushed whispers when they thought he wasn't listening. He'd heard a few people refer to Noa as a 'Babasare', a ghost that preyed on children and their fears, which really made Mokuba wonder just how old people thought he was.
A lot of charms and ofuda were popping up around Kaiba Corporation in weird places too. He was hoping this investigation was cleared up soon, Setsuban was coming up in a few weeks and the last thing he needed was people throwing dried beans at him to chase evil spirits away.
He kind of wished Yuugi was here too, maybe the spiky-haired duellist could convince people that Noa was a Zashiki Warashi, a good protective spirit. That might help as well.
"Are you an evil spirit?" Leonhart asked seriously.
"Not anymore." Noa deadpanned.
Leonhart nodded gravely. "Oh, good."
Mokuba smacked his forehead with a hand. Great. It was the Leonhart-and-Noa Show. It was nice that Noa had a friend of his own, but sometimes those two could be seriously -weird-.
Of course, the really sad part was that Noa wasn't lying...
"How's your brother?" Mokuba asked, changing the subject.
"He's... gloating a bit, since your stocks took a dive." Leonhart grimaced. "Sorry. Other than that, things are doing well."
"Still not letting you take more responsibility?" Noa said sympathetically.
Leonhart shook his head. "What about you?" He asked, looking towards Mokuba. "Are things going well with you? You're usually working off screen."
"I'm barred from the computers until the results come out." Mokuba grumbled. "Cause the possibility of me hacking into the police computers and tampering with the data to protect Kaiba Corporation."
"Could you?" Leonhart asked, eyebrows rising.
"Of course." Mokuba scoffed. "But if I did it, they wouldn't know about it anyway. 'Niisama's the one who's got me locked out so that we have plausible deniability incase someone else thinks of it." Stupid 'Niisama. Sometimes he was so annoying.
"And I've currently only got access to Kaiba Corporation's Gaming systems." Noa shrugged. He had his games and his Solid System, not being able to access the main core or external networks, --like the internet-- didn't bother him too much. He was happy to still be alive.
"Any news from the police?" Leonhart questioned. "Surely they don't believe that either of you did it, regardless of what the tabloids might say."
Noa and Mokuba exchanged looks. Mokuba shrugged. "'Niisama's gonna release the news later this afternoon, but the autopsy has been finished. Teenage male, age approximately fifteen, severely atrophied. Death occurred about five and a half years ago from major organ failure. Most likely due to the suspending fluids in the container being drained away and the removal of some life support devices."
"Ototo and Seto met me for the first time shortly before they met you." Noa explained. "Closer to four years than five. They didn't know about my existence before that. I knew about Chichu.... Gozaburou's adoption of Seto before my death, about ten years ago."
Rumour's of Noa's death had been greatly exaggerated, it appeared. He -had- been hit by a car and suffered a fatal injury, leading to coma and brain death. Gozaburou had uploaded Noa's mind into the computer, then left the body on life-support in that tube, either to attempt to restore or clone him at a later date. The body had grown for several years before the life support had been suddenly removed and it finally died.
What Noa wasn't saying was that Gozaburou had uploaded his brain from his dying body into the Virtual World about five and a half years ago, when 'Niisama had taken over the corporation. Which he had most likely done in the same room that Noa's body had been preserved in.
The hole in Noa's tube hadn't been because of faulty materials. Someone had cracked the pressurised material, resulting in the liquid bursting out the side, dropping Noa's body and removing it from the life support. It would take a lot of strength and effort to crack that material.
Like if someone had hit it with a chair, in a fit of rage.
It was terribly circumstantial, of course, that Kaiba Noa's body had finally died about the same time that Kaiba Gozaburou did, just when the substitute for Gozaburou's biological son managed to surpass the business mogul.
"Wait... wait..." Leonhart shook his head. "You died ten years ago and five years ago? Both?"
"It is rather confusing, isn't it?" Noa smiled sympathetically. "I was ten when I was hit by a car, which was when Gozaburou turned me virtual. I even had a funeral. But my body continued to grow inside the tube, despite the fact that my mind was gone. -That- died five years ago and just got discovered."
Mokuba leaned a hand down and absently trailed his fingers through Noa's short hair, just to let him know he was there. Noa leaned his head back to smile at him. "If it's any consolation, I still think I died ten years ago."
"But if you died ten years ago at age ten, shouldn't you look twenty?" Leonhart tilted his head to the side in confusion.
Mokuba snickered. "'Niisama and Noa look a -lot- alike." Like twins, only with different coloured hair.
"I was made Virtual ten years ago. But it was destroyed six years later. Ototo brought me back just within this past year, so it's minus a few years." Noa shrugged, then laughed nervously. "And.. to be honest, I'd prefer to age with Ototo."
"Noa!" Mokuba scolded, fleeing his face heat up in embarrassment. When Noa said it like that, it made it sound like they were a married couple growing old together or something.
"What?" Noa grinned broadly back. "It's true."
Leonhart chuckled as Mokuba grumbled. Stupid Noa.
"One last question for now." Leonhart held up a hand. "And then we'll let the subject drop. You said you had a funeral... who's in your grave?"
Amusement faded, replaced by grim seriousness. "We don't know." Noa said gravely. But they intended to find out.
"Oh." Leonhart nervously scratched his cheek with a finger. "Y'know... I don't think they make a card for that either...."
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And in the middle of this mess, Seto had a Parent-Teacher Conference.
Or at least, a Guardian-Teacher Conference.
On the off chance of possibly being able to avoid what was most likely going to be yet another very dull meeting, he'd inquired if Jounouchi, --as one of Mokuba's guardians, abet not a completely legal guardians-- wanted to come along. The blond had grinned and waved it off, saying he had other things to do.
As the blond had been wearing the blue-and-white 'Dragons' baseball shirt over a black shirt that proclaimed 'SECURITY' and the Louisville Slugger over one shoulder, Seto had a pretty good hunch as to what the blond was going to be doing.
At least this time he was clearly displayed as part of the Security force so that when he caught what ever reporters were attempting to sneak around, they couldn't claim that they'd been jumped by some random nut-job again. Although the claims that Jounouchi had actually -used-the baseball bat were completely fabricated. For one thing, bats left bruises, which the reporters somehow failed to have.
He stifled a sigh as he walked into the classroom, two security guards taking up position outside the door. Yet another reason he would have preferred the blond to come along with him, nothing screamed 'someone important is here' faster than two stiff-faced men in black suits standing outside a door.
Mokuba's homeroom teacher was a pleasant looking woman with glasses and brown chin-length hair whom Seto knew from Mokuba's occasional grumbling to be a good teacher but quite strict when necessary. The 'quite strict' generally fell into play when Mokuba was caught working in class on something other than school work.
"Kaiba-san." She said, rising from her chair, bowing and motioning for him to sit down. He belatedly remembered that this teacher was 'Ann-sensei' and nodded back, taking his seat. Ann-sensei cleared her throat and sat down, looking nervous for a minute as she shuffled papers before squaring her jaw.
"Mokuba-kun is a excellent student. He's very intelligent, one of the smartest children in the class, although I think his test scores could be higher." She said, handing him a sheet of paper that showed Mokuba's scores throughout the year. Mokuba was always in the top three, occasionally the top score, but not that often. Seto made a quick mental comparison of the time, realising that Mokuba's occasional bouts of moody seclusion tended to correspond with getting the top score in class.
"But..." She looked slightly uncomfortable. "It's not Mokuba-kun's grades I'm worried about so much as his social skills. He's a bright child, friendly when approached, but he doesn't seem to connect to any of the other students. The only one he talks to on a regular basis is Satoshi-kun. And that's mostly to either play Capsule Monsters or fight. Although lately it's mostly been verbal sparring instead of fist fights."
Seto looked at her blankly. He failed to see how this was a problem.
Ann-sensei sighed at him. "The only people he mentions as friends are his bodyguard, his bodyguard's best friend and an invisible friend at Kaiba Corporation. I don't care how complex the AI is, 'Noa' is no substitute for...."
She trailed off. "Wait.... Noa? As in Kaiba Noa? The one..."
"The AI based off of the deceased biological son of Kaiba Gozaburou." Seto deadpanned. "The one that has been in the news lately. He and Mokuba have been friends since they first met five years ago."
"... Oh." She paused a moment, then cleared her throat. "Regardless, I believe that Mokuba-kun would benefit from some social interaction with people closer to his own age, instead of several years older than him. Or deceased."
Seto sighed. She meant well, really she did. But aside from the gang that Mokuba had run in elementary school, he hadn't had any close friends his age. It wasn't feasible, most children who attempted to befriend Mokuba were generally doing to for monetary gain. Either to mooch off of Mokuba, gain business connections for their parents or give information to tabloids 'About the Secret Life of the Youngest Kaiba'. Out of the remaining children his age, most of them didn't have the mental capacity to keep up with him, nor similar interests.
And then there were was the consistent threat that being the heir to a multi-billion dollar company had, such as the 'batshit loony group', --as Jounouchi referred to them-- that attempted to kidnap Mokuba every Thursday. Since they were generally low level thieves interested in stealing new Kaiba Corporation technology, they weren't classified as a major threat, although it was of much idle speculation as to why they did not at least try to attempt to change their day of attack.
"Is that all?" He asked politely, folding up the paper she had given him and putting it in his coat pocket.
"Yes." She said. He rose to his feet and she quickly followed. "Erm. You're not going to cut funding to the school because of what I told you, are you?" Ann-sensei asked hesitantly. This had obviously been a problem that weighed on her mind.
"No." He said bluntly. "How are children supposed to learn how to duel if they do not understand basic reading or arithmetic?"
She let out a small sigh of relief, shoulders slumping slightly. She had probably been told by her co-workers and superiors to give him a glowing review about Mokuba instead of an honest one for fear of incurring his wrath. Idiots. Lies would anger him, not the truth.
"In fact..." He smiled, the kind of expression that he had heard Jounouchi refer in the past as 'he was about to feed some idiot to his dragons' and her relief quickly turned into an expression of muted alarm. "... I think it's about time the Domino School System got a technological upgrade."
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Jounouchi sighed, resting his head against the drawers of Kaiba's desk as he sat beside Ol' Blue Eyes on the floor. He really could use a nap, but at the moment he was slightly afraid that if climbed into his favourite napping place, under the desk, he'd end up with a boot in the ribs. Accidentally, of course. But Ol' Blue Eyes was getting all tight and angry around the eyes and Jounouchi just didn't want to risk it.
But he didn't want to leave Kaiba alone either. And at least Ol' Blue Eyes wasn't arguing his presence, like Mokuba was.
What a stupid mess.... Eh, screw it. At the moment his whole big plan was causing more damage than good. "Hey, Kaiba?" He said quietly. Kaiba made a slight noise above him and Jounouchi swallowed, closing his eyes. "Seto, I-"
He found himself unable to finish that sentence, due to the fact that Kaiba had firmly covered his mouth with a hand. Jounouchi's froze, his mouth partially open.
"You have a plan." Kaiba informed him briskly, hand still covering Jounouchi's mouth. "Knowing you, it is not a very good plan or a well thought out one, but you have a plan."
Jounouchi glared back. Hey! There was nothing wrong with his plan.
Except for maybe the timing. And in retrospect, possibly some of the execution. And underestimating just how much it was going to annoy Mokuba.
"But, it is still your plan." Kaiba continued. "And I do not believe that you purposely would do anything to myself, my brother or Kaiba Corporation. So therefore I will trust you to your plan, and to tell me when it has been finished."
Jounouchi stared. Kaiba stared back.
Whoa.
Kaiba did -not- trust easily. And yet, he trusted Jounouchi for this to turn out all right. Wow.
"You can let go now." He said. Or tried to anyway. Instead it came out as a series of muffled growls. Kaiba raised an eyebrow, a small, very smug smirk growing on his face.
Oh, ha-ha. Dragon had his tongue.
Well, two could play that game.
Jounouchi took a quick swipe with his tongue at the palm of Kaiba's hand, which was right over his mouth. Kaiba made a funny hitch in his breath, but didn't let go. So Jounouchi licked him again, slowly this time and using the broad part of his tongue, lingering a bit to see if he could get Kaiba to let go.
He got a very intense look, Kaiba's eyes more black than blue, in return and Jounouchi pulled his head backwards --like he should have done in the first place instead of getting into a stubborn contest with his boss-- feeling kind of guilty. Jounouchi blushed slightly, looking at the floor. He was acting like a dog... licking his master's hand. He wasn't a dog and Kaiba certainly -wasn't- his master.
Kaiba hesitated a few seconds, then retracted his hand and began typing again. Jounouchi rubbed the back of his neck, realising he knew what Kaiba tasted like now. Ol' Blue Eyes tasted much like he smelled, but with more layers. Sweat salt sweet, a bit of soap from the last time he'd washed his hands, some ink and touch some of that green-tea smelling hand-lotion he used when the air was dry. All mixed together and so very very Kaiba.
He wondered if Kaiba tasted different in different places. If his toes tasted the same as his fingers, or the belly, or the back, or how that sliver patch of skin would feel on his tounge.
Jounouchi reigned in that train of thought, stopping it right there and then. No naughty thoughts about the boss.... no naughty thoughts about the boss... Especially with said boss sitting right there next to him.
He couldn't -wait- for his two weeks to be up.
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Yuugi stepped inside the main entrance of Kaiba Corporation, feeling rather dazed. He left for a week only to come back to find out that his best friend had quit the job he loved almost as much as duelling and a dead body had been found in the basement of Kaiba Corporation.
He hoped things weren't this bad the next time he left on vacation or he was never going to be able to leave Domino City ever again.
"YUUGI!!!" Jounouchi's cheerful voice bellowed as he looked around the amusement park area. At least it still looked the same.
"Jounouchi-kun!" He grinned back and waved at his friend. Jounouchi trotted up to him, grabbing and pulling him up in a huge hug before dropping him down on the floor again, leaving a hand resting on one of Yuugi's shoulders. Yuugi leaned against his friend, taking a deep breath and feeling like some missing pieces had been restored. -This- was how he knew he was home.
Jounouchi's face was unusually sombre as he looked down at Yuugi. "What?" Yuugi asked, feeling alarmed.
"I smell blood." Jounouchi said quietly, peering at him intently like he was inspecting Yuugi for bodily harm. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." Yuugi blushed as he smiled back. He pulled the hair back from his ears to show Jounouchi his latest adornments.
"Ya got yer ears peirced!" Jounouchi crouched down to peer at the silver hoops that now decorated his ears. Two holes in his left ear, one in his right.
"Kajiki-kun helped me with them." Yuugi nodded happily. "He said it was a sailing tradition and it sounded like a good idea to me. One for each port we stopped at."
"Better than one for each beer ya had." Jounouchi quipped, patting him on the back.
Yuugi smiled. There had been other reasons for it, of course. He'd felt like a change and travelling outside of the city had seemed like the best place for it. And his Other Self, when they had gone to complete his memories, had had his ears pierced in a similar fashion as well. Of course, his Other Self's earrings had been much larger, and gold, but this was what had been at hand at the time. He'd get some better earrings later, Kaijiki had recommended that he not change the piercing for at least a week, unless they got infected.
Which he was -not- going to allow to happen. For one thing, he didn't want to go through the hassle of doing this again. "So what's this I hear about you quitting?" He inquired.
Jounouchi shook his head. "S'not important, we can talk about that later. But while you're here, was hopin' you could do me a favour."
"Depends on the favour." Yuugi said hesitantly. He'd agree to it, but it never hurt to find out what he was in for to start with.
"Ya heard the news, right?" Jounouchi said seriously, his hand dropping off of Yuugi's shoulder.
Yuugi nodded. "It's all I've heard since I got off the boat."
"Then ya know about Mokuba and Noa finding Noa's remains in an abandon section of Kaiba Corporation." Jounouchi sighed, scratching the back of his head. Yuugi nodded in agreement. "Couldja talk to Noa? He's kinda shook up, but he's acting all smooth and stuff. Ol' Blue Eyes is his usual self, Mokuba's being a teenager and I'm not so good with the whole life after death thing."
Where as Yuugi had personal experience with 'the whole life after death thing'. "Certainly." He agreed. "Where is he now?"
"He's..." Jounouchi looked up. Yuugi did as well, looking through the crowd of floating Duel Monsters who populated the large celling area. He spotted two Blue Eyes White Dragons. One was resting above the doors to the elevator, snapping moodily at a passing Panther Warrior. The other was tucked up in a far corner, watching everyone down below. "... Up there."
"Noa-kun!" He called, catching the Blue Eyes White Dragon in the corner's attention. He waved as Jounouchi stepped behind, allowing Yuugi some room to work. The Blue Eyes shook itself, then opened its wings and dove towards them. It looked like the Blue Eyes was angling to swoop up and land before them, then Yuugi held his hands out to it and it changed course, angling right towards him.
Yuugi was aware of people making surprised gasps and fleeing the large dragon flying towards that area, but held his ground. The dragon veneer melted away at the last moment, revealing a distraught looking green-haired teenager that barrelled into Yuugi's slight frame. Yuugi wrapped his arms around Noa as he staggered back a half-step, Jounouchi catching and stabilising him.
"I hear it's been a rough week for you." Yuugi commented quietly, holding on to Noa even as the body he held turned insubstantial. Poor Noa.
"Just a bit." Noa agreed, lifting his head from Yuugi's shoulder and taking a step back, out of Yuugi's hold. "Sorry about the dive."
"Nothing to worry about." Yuugi assured him, wrapping an arm around Noa's waist and escorting him towards the elevator doors in much the same way 'Jiichan would to make sure that Yuugi wasn't about to run off because there needed to be A Conversation. Not that it would stop Noa in the slightest if Noa objected. "Why don't we go somewhere less public and you can catch me up on the latest news and we'll see about figuring out something together."
"Okay." Noa nodded, following Yuugi as Jounouchi trailed behind them, keeping a glowering eye out for people who might try to intercept them.
Travelling was good for the soul, but so were family and friends.
+++ To be Continued +++
Many thanks to kaitou1412 for letting me use her as Mokuba's homeroom teacher. #^^#
Mostly un-beta'd, please don't kill us.
Con't from here
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"So..." Leonhart looked uncomfortable as his webcam window popped up in Noa's screen. "... somehow a 'Birthday' card didn't seem to fit the situation. Neither did a 'Congratulations' card. I tried to find a Death Day card, but somehow no one I asked had heard of one, much less knew anyone who had made one. It seemed rather tacky to send a 'Condolences' card to the person who had died, nor did 'Best Wishes' appear to fit the situation. I did debate on a 'Good News, it's a Boy' card, but in the end I simply could not find a card that fit the situation. And as such I'm afraid I really don't know what to say."
"Well, thank you for trying." Noa said sincerely. "I appreciate the effort."
"Not a problem." Leonhart waved it off. "How are you doing?"
Noa shrugged. "Still dead."
"Oh."
"You-" Mokuba said, from his postion draped over the back of Noa's chair. "-Are the first person to ask that question of Noa."
"That's not true." Noa frowned. "Jounouchi asks me frequently."
"That bastard doesn't count." Mokuba informed him bluntly.
Noa sighed. Mokuba's other brother been saying that 'quitting' wasn't the same as 'leaving', but he was also firmly on Jounouchi's side, so therefore Mokuba wasn't believing a word of it.
"Hey." Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know anyway? We never told you."
"Oh, let's see." Leonhart raised an eyebrow back. "Kaiba Mokuba's 'other brother', rumours about the deceased Kaiba Noa on the news, green hair... It wasn't terribly difficult to put together."
Noa snickered. Mokuba lazily swatted at him since he couldn't reach Leonhart from the other side of the world. "If it's any consolation," Leonhart added with a faint grin. "I don't see this effecting our friendship, unless you want it to. You're the only Noa I've ever known, and you've been dead the entire time."
"Actually." Noa smiled faintly, slumping slightly in his seat. "That's a relief to hear. Thank you, Leonhart-kun."
"'Niisama's hiring an exorcist for after the investigators finish examining the room." Mokuba explained as Leonhart and Noa smiled at each other. "Most everyone else has been afraid to come near either of us, incase they end up cursed by an evil spirit."
The kids at school were giving him wide berth, saying he was haunted by a Yurei, a ghost of the dead. 'Mokuba no Akuma', Mokuba's a Demon they said in hushed whispers when they thought he wasn't listening. He'd heard a few people refer to Noa as a 'Babasare', a ghost that preyed on children and their fears, which really made Mokuba wonder just how old people thought he was.
A lot of charms and ofuda were popping up around Kaiba Corporation in weird places too. He was hoping this investigation was cleared up soon, Setsuban was coming up in a few weeks and the last thing he needed was people throwing dried beans at him to chase evil spirits away.
He kind of wished Yuugi was here too, maybe the spiky-haired duellist could convince people that Noa was a Zashiki Warashi, a good protective spirit. That might help as well.
"Are you an evil spirit?" Leonhart asked seriously.
"Not anymore." Noa deadpanned.
Leonhart nodded gravely. "Oh, good."
Mokuba smacked his forehead with a hand. Great. It was the Leonhart-and-Noa Show. It was nice that Noa had a friend of his own, but sometimes those two could be seriously -weird-.
Of course, the really sad part was that Noa wasn't lying...
"How's your brother?" Mokuba asked, changing the subject.
"He's... gloating a bit, since your stocks took a dive." Leonhart grimaced. "Sorry. Other than that, things are doing well."
"Still not letting you take more responsibility?" Noa said sympathetically.
Leonhart shook his head. "What about you?" He asked, looking towards Mokuba. "Are things going well with you? You're usually working off screen."
"I'm barred from the computers until the results come out." Mokuba grumbled. "Cause the possibility of me hacking into the police computers and tampering with the data to protect Kaiba Corporation."
"Could you?" Leonhart asked, eyebrows rising.
"Of course." Mokuba scoffed. "But if I did it, they wouldn't know about it anyway. 'Niisama's the one who's got me locked out so that we have plausible deniability incase someone else thinks of it." Stupid 'Niisama. Sometimes he was so annoying.
"And I've currently only got access to Kaiba Corporation's Gaming systems." Noa shrugged. He had his games and his Solid System, not being able to access the main core or external networks, --like the internet-- didn't bother him too much. He was happy to still be alive.
"Any news from the police?" Leonhart questioned. "Surely they don't believe that either of you did it, regardless of what the tabloids might say."
Noa and Mokuba exchanged looks. Mokuba shrugged. "'Niisama's gonna release the news later this afternoon, but the autopsy has been finished. Teenage male, age approximately fifteen, severely atrophied. Death occurred about five and a half years ago from major organ failure. Most likely due to the suspending fluids in the container being drained away and the removal of some life support devices."
"Ototo and Seto met me for the first time shortly before they met you." Noa explained. "Closer to four years than five. They didn't know about my existence before that. I knew about Chichu.... Gozaburou's adoption of Seto before my death, about ten years ago."
Rumour's of Noa's death had been greatly exaggerated, it appeared. He -had- been hit by a car and suffered a fatal injury, leading to coma and brain death. Gozaburou had uploaded Noa's mind into the computer, then left the body on life-support in that tube, either to attempt to restore or clone him at a later date. The body had grown for several years before the life support had been suddenly removed and it finally died.
What Noa wasn't saying was that Gozaburou had uploaded his brain from his dying body into the Virtual World about five and a half years ago, when 'Niisama had taken over the corporation. Which he had most likely done in the same room that Noa's body had been preserved in.
The hole in Noa's tube hadn't been because of faulty materials. Someone had cracked the pressurised material, resulting in the liquid bursting out the side, dropping Noa's body and removing it from the life support. It would take a lot of strength and effort to crack that material.
Like if someone had hit it with a chair, in a fit of rage.
It was terribly circumstantial, of course, that Kaiba Noa's body had finally died about the same time that Kaiba Gozaburou did, just when the substitute for Gozaburou's biological son managed to surpass the business mogul.
"Wait... wait..." Leonhart shook his head. "You died ten years ago and five years ago? Both?"
"It is rather confusing, isn't it?" Noa smiled sympathetically. "I was ten when I was hit by a car, which was when Gozaburou turned me virtual. I even had a funeral. But my body continued to grow inside the tube, despite the fact that my mind was gone. -That- died five years ago and just got discovered."
Mokuba leaned a hand down and absently trailed his fingers through Noa's short hair, just to let him know he was there. Noa leaned his head back to smile at him. "If it's any consolation, I still think I died ten years ago."
"But if you died ten years ago at age ten, shouldn't you look twenty?" Leonhart tilted his head to the side in confusion.
Mokuba snickered. "'Niisama and Noa look a -lot- alike." Like twins, only with different coloured hair.
"I was made Virtual ten years ago. But it was destroyed six years later. Ototo brought me back just within this past year, so it's minus a few years." Noa shrugged, then laughed nervously. "And.. to be honest, I'd prefer to age with Ototo."
"Noa!" Mokuba scolded, fleeing his face heat up in embarrassment. When Noa said it like that, it made it sound like they were a married couple growing old together or something.
"What?" Noa grinned broadly back. "It's true."
Leonhart chuckled as Mokuba grumbled. Stupid Noa.
"One last question for now." Leonhart held up a hand. "And then we'll let the subject drop. You said you had a funeral... who's in your grave?"
Amusement faded, replaced by grim seriousness. "We don't know." Noa said gravely. But they intended to find out.
"Oh." Leonhart nervously scratched his cheek with a finger. "Y'know... I don't think they make a card for that either...."
+++
+++
And in the middle of this mess, Seto had a Parent-Teacher Conference.
Or at least, a Guardian-Teacher Conference.
On the off chance of possibly being able to avoid what was most likely going to be yet another very dull meeting, he'd inquired if Jounouchi, --as one of Mokuba's guardians, abet not a completely legal guardians-- wanted to come along. The blond had grinned and waved it off, saying he had other things to do.
As the blond had been wearing the blue-and-white 'Dragons' baseball shirt over a black shirt that proclaimed 'SECURITY' and the Louisville Slugger over one shoulder, Seto had a pretty good hunch as to what the blond was going to be doing.
At least this time he was clearly displayed as part of the Security force so that when he caught what ever reporters were attempting to sneak around, they couldn't claim that they'd been jumped by some random nut-job again. Although the claims that Jounouchi had actually -used-the baseball bat were completely fabricated. For one thing, bats left bruises, which the reporters somehow failed to have.
He stifled a sigh as he walked into the classroom, two security guards taking up position outside the door. Yet another reason he would have preferred the blond to come along with him, nothing screamed 'someone important is here' faster than two stiff-faced men in black suits standing outside a door.
Mokuba's homeroom teacher was a pleasant looking woman with glasses and brown chin-length hair whom Seto knew from Mokuba's occasional grumbling to be a good teacher but quite strict when necessary. The 'quite strict' generally fell into play when Mokuba was caught working in class on something other than school work.
"Kaiba-san." She said, rising from her chair, bowing and motioning for him to sit down. He belatedly remembered that this teacher was 'Ann-sensei' and nodded back, taking his seat. Ann-sensei cleared her throat and sat down, looking nervous for a minute as she shuffled papers before squaring her jaw.
"Mokuba-kun is a excellent student. He's very intelligent, one of the smartest children in the class, although I think his test scores could be higher." She said, handing him a sheet of paper that showed Mokuba's scores throughout the year. Mokuba was always in the top three, occasionally the top score, but not that often. Seto made a quick mental comparison of the time, realising that Mokuba's occasional bouts of moody seclusion tended to correspond with getting the top score in class.
"But..." She looked slightly uncomfortable. "It's not Mokuba-kun's grades I'm worried about so much as his social skills. He's a bright child, friendly when approached, but he doesn't seem to connect to any of the other students. The only one he talks to on a regular basis is Satoshi-kun. And that's mostly to either play Capsule Monsters or fight. Although lately it's mostly been verbal sparring instead of fist fights."
Seto looked at her blankly. He failed to see how this was a problem.
Ann-sensei sighed at him. "The only people he mentions as friends are his bodyguard, his bodyguard's best friend and an invisible friend at Kaiba Corporation. I don't care how complex the AI is, 'Noa' is no substitute for...."
She trailed off. "Wait.... Noa? As in Kaiba Noa? The one..."
"The AI based off of the deceased biological son of Kaiba Gozaburou." Seto deadpanned. "The one that has been in the news lately. He and Mokuba have been friends since they first met five years ago."
"... Oh." She paused a moment, then cleared her throat. "Regardless, I believe that Mokuba-kun would benefit from some social interaction with people closer to his own age, instead of several years older than him. Or deceased."
Seto sighed. She meant well, really she did. But aside from the gang that Mokuba had run in elementary school, he hadn't had any close friends his age. It wasn't feasible, most children who attempted to befriend Mokuba were generally doing to for monetary gain. Either to mooch off of Mokuba, gain business connections for their parents or give information to tabloids 'About the Secret Life of the Youngest Kaiba'. Out of the remaining children his age, most of them didn't have the mental capacity to keep up with him, nor similar interests.
And then there were was the consistent threat that being the heir to a multi-billion dollar company had, such as the 'batshit loony group', --as Jounouchi referred to them-- that attempted to kidnap Mokuba every Thursday. Since they were generally low level thieves interested in stealing new Kaiba Corporation technology, they weren't classified as a major threat, although it was of much idle speculation as to why they did not at least try to attempt to change their day of attack.
"Is that all?" He asked politely, folding up the paper she had given him and putting it in his coat pocket.
"Yes." She said. He rose to his feet and she quickly followed. "Erm. You're not going to cut funding to the school because of what I told you, are you?" Ann-sensei asked hesitantly. This had obviously been a problem that weighed on her mind.
"No." He said bluntly. "How are children supposed to learn how to duel if they do not understand basic reading or arithmetic?"
She let out a small sigh of relief, shoulders slumping slightly. She had probably been told by her co-workers and superiors to give him a glowing review about Mokuba instead of an honest one for fear of incurring his wrath. Idiots. Lies would anger him, not the truth.
"In fact..." He smiled, the kind of expression that he had heard Jounouchi refer in the past as 'he was about to feed some idiot to his dragons' and her relief quickly turned into an expression of muted alarm. "... I think it's about time the Domino School System got a technological upgrade."
+++
+++
Jounouchi sighed, resting his head against the drawers of Kaiba's desk as he sat beside Ol' Blue Eyes on the floor. He really could use a nap, but at the moment he was slightly afraid that if climbed into his favourite napping place, under the desk, he'd end up with a boot in the ribs. Accidentally, of course. But Ol' Blue Eyes was getting all tight and angry around the eyes and Jounouchi just didn't want to risk it.
But he didn't want to leave Kaiba alone either. And at least Ol' Blue Eyes wasn't arguing his presence, like Mokuba was.
What a stupid mess.... Eh, screw it. At the moment his whole big plan was causing more damage than good. "Hey, Kaiba?" He said quietly. Kaiba made a slight noise above him and Jounouchi swallowed, closing his eyes. "Seto, I-"
He found himself unable to finish that sentence, due to the fact that Kaiba had firmly covered his mouth with a hand. Jounouchi's froze, his mouth partially open.
"You have a plan." Kaiba informed him briskly, hand still covering Jounouchi's mouth. "Knowing you, it is not a very good plan or a well thought out one, but you have a plan."
Jounouchi glared back. Hey! There was nothing wrong with his plan.
Except for maybe the timing. And in retrospect, possibly some of the execution. And underestimating just how much it was going to annoy Mokuba.
"But, it is still your plan." Kaiba continued. "And I do not believe that you purposely would do anything to myself, my brother or Kaiba Corporation. So therefore I will trust you to your plan, and to tell me when it has been finished."
Jounouchi stared. Kaiba stared back.
Whoa.
Kaiba did -not- trust easily. And yet, he trusted Jounouchi for this to turn out all right. Wow.
"You can let go now." He said. Or tried to anyway. Instead it came out as a series of muffled growls. Kaiba raised an eyebrow, a small, very smug smirk growing on his face.
Oh, ha-ha. Dragon had his tongue.
Well, two could play that game.
Jounouchi took a quick swipe with his tongue at the palm of Kaiba's hand, which was right over his mouth. Kaiba made a funny hitch in his breath, but didn't let go. So Jounouchi licked him again, slowly this time and using the broad part of his tongue, lingering a bit to see if he could get Kaiba to let go.
He got a very intense look, Kaiba's eyes more black than blue, in return and Jounouchi pulled his head backwards --like he should have done in the first place instead of getting into a stubborn contest with his boss-- feeling kind of guilty. Jounouchi blushed slightly, looking at the floor. He was acting like a dog... licking his master's hand. He wasn't a dog and Kaiba certainly -wasn't- his master.
Kaiba hesitated a few seconds, then retracted his hand and began typing again. Jounouchi rubbed the back of his neck, realising he knew what Kaiba tasted like now. Ol' Blue Eyes tasted much like he smelled, but with more layers. Sweat salt sweet, a bit of soap from the last time he'd washed his hands, some ink and touch some of that green-tea smelling hand-lotion he used when the air was dry. All mixed together and so very very Kaiba.
He wondered if Kaiba tasted different in different places. If his toes tasted the same as his fingers, or the belly, or the back, or how that sliver patch of skin would feel on his tounge.
Jounouchi reigned in that train of thought, stopping it right there and then. No naughty thoughts about the boss.... no naughty thoughts about the boss... Especially with said boss sitting right there next to him.
He couldn't -wait- for his two weeks to be up.
+++
+++
Yuugi stepped inside the main entrance of Kaiba Corporation, feeling rather dazed. He left for a week only to come back to find out that his best friend had quit the job he loved almost as much as duelling and a dead body had been found in the basement of Kaiba Corporation.
He hoped things weren't this bad the next time he left on vacation or he was never going to be able to leave Domino City ever again.
"YUUGI!!!" Jounouchi's cheerful voice bellowed as he looked around the amusement park area. At least it still looked the same.
"Jounouchi-kun!" He grinned back and waved at his friend. Jounouchi trotted up to him, grabbing and pulling him up in a huge hug before dropping him down on the floor again, leaving a hand resting on one of Yuugi's shoulders. Yuugi leaned against his friend, taking a deep breath and feeling like some missing pieces had been restored. -This- was how he knew he was home.
Jounouchi's face was unusually sombre as he looked down at Yuugi. "What?" Yuugi asked, feeling alarmed.
"I smell blood." Jounouchi said quietly, peering at him intently like he was inspecting Yuugi for bodily harm. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." Yuugi blushed as he smiled back. He pulled the hair back from his ears to show Jounouchi his latest adornments.
"Ya got yer ears peirced!" Jounouchi crouched down to peer at the silver hoops that now decorated his ears. Two holes in his left ear, one in his right.
"Kajiki-kun helped me with them." Yuugi nodded happily. "He said it was a sailing tradition and it sounded like a good idea to me. One for each port we stopped at."
"Better than one for each beer ya had." Jounouchi quipped, patting him on the back.
Yuugi smiled. There had been other reasons for it, of course. He'd felt like a change and travelling outside of the city had seemed like the best place for it. And his Other Self, when they had gone to complete his memories, had had his ears pierced in a similar fashion as well. Of course, his Other Self's earrings had been much larger, and gold, but this was what had been at hand at the time. He'd get some better earrings later, Kaijiki had recommended that he not change the piercing for at least a week, unless they got infected.
Which he was -not- going to allow to happen. For one thing, he didn't want to go through the hassle of doing this again. "So what's this I hear about you quitting?" He inquired.
Jounouchi shook his head. "S'not important, we can talk about that later. But while you're here, was hopin' you could do me a favour."
"Depends on the favour." Yuugi said hesitantly. He'd agree to it, but it never hurt to find out what he was in for to start with.
"Ya heard the news, right?" Jounouchi said seriously, his hand dropping off of Yuugi's shoulder.
Yuugi nodded. "It's all I've heard since I got off the boat."
"Then ya know about Mokuba and Noa finding Noa's remains in an abandon section of Kaiba Corporation." Jounouchi sighed, scratching the back of his head. Yuugi nodded in agreement. "Couldja talk to Noa? He's kinda shook up, but he's acting all smooth and stuff. Ol' Blue Eyes is his usual self, Mokuba's being a teenager and I'm not so good with the whole life after death thing."
Where as Yuugi had personal experience with 'the whole life after death thing'. "Certainly." He agreed. "Where is he now?"
"He's..." Jounouchi looked up. Yuugi did as well, looking through the crowd of floating Duel Monsters who populated the large celling area. He spotted two Blue Eyes White Dragons. One was resting above the doors to the elevator, snapping moodily at a passing Panther Warrior. The other was tucked up in a far corner, watching everyone down below. "... Up there."
"Noa-kun!" He called, catching the Blue Eyes White Dragon in the corner's attention. He waved as Jounouchi stepped behind, allowing Yuugi some room to work. The Blue Eyes shook itself, then opened its wings and dove towards them. It looked like the Blue Eyes was angling to swoop up and land before them, then Yuugi held his hands out to it and it changed course, angling right towards him.
Yuugi was aware of people making surprised gasps and fleeing the large dragon flying towards that area, but held his ground. The dragon veneer melted away at the last moment, revealing a distraught looking green-haired teenager that barrelled into Yuugi's slight frame. Yuugi wrapped his arms around Noa as he staggered back a half-step, Jounouchi catching and stabilising him.
"I hear it's been a rough week for you." Yuugi commented quietly, holding on to Noa even as the body he held turned insubstantial. Poor Noa.
"Just a bit." Noa agreed, lifting his head from Yuugi's shoulder and taking a step back, out of Yuugi's hold. "Sorry about the dive."
"Nothing to worry about." Yuugi assured him, wrapping an arm around Noa's waist and escorting him towards the elevator doors in much the same way 'Jiichan would to make sure that Yuugi wasn't about to run off because there needed to be A Conversation. Not that it would stop Noa in the slightest if Noa objected. "Why don't we go somewhere less public and you can catch me up on the latest news and we'll see about figuring out something together."
"Okay." Noa nodded, following Yuugi as Jounouchi trailed behind them, keeping a glowering eye out for people who might try to intercept them.
Travelling was good for the soul, but so were family and friends.
+++ To be Continued +++
Many thanks to kaitou1412 for letting me use her as Mokuba's homeroom teacher. #^^#