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June 28, 2008

Mokuba and Kaiba sat pensively in what had been, their apartment. The movers had already taken away many of Kaiba's personal affects which had been unpacked and put in his new apartment, one he would share with his wife after tomorrow.

The brothers had been together for many years. While many thought young bachelors would have more fun living alone, Mokuba Kaiba, surprisingly, enjoyed his brother's company and preferred to not live alone. It was true his brother wasn't home very often, but his brother had a sense of family, and it didn't matter how old he got, Kaiba always followed through on spending time with the younger Kaiba.

Tonight, while many bachelors would be partying hard, drinking hard, and taking advantage of their last bit of freedom, Kaiba chose to spend it with the one person he always shared any moment with, Mokuba.

Though this was not like the visits to the zoos when Mokuba was eight, nor was it like the time Mokuba swindled him into going to a strip club. This was a tense evening, even Kaiba felt uncomfortable. There had been few times throughout their relationship where the brothers disagreed or even fought, but for a year, a wall was put up between them and neither brother was willing to break through to extend an olive branch.

"You could build that technology five times over Seto. Take the time you need. Hole yourself up, but don't do this."

"I'm getting married tomorrow Mokuba," Kaiba said, rolling his drink in his glass. "It's happening."

"You don't need to marry her."

He'd heard this, over and over, since the time the ring was shown to the younger Kaiba to the time it was put on. Mokuba felt no shame in expressing his disdain against the union.

"The company is under her name, and as outlined in our agreement, in a matter of days, Kaiba Corporation will have access to Zarla Technologies' patent. Besides," he muttered with as much conviction as he could muster. "She's not so bad."

Kaiba took a large swig of scotch and let the fire travel through his body. Drinking helped ease everything. For fine scotch went down a lot smoother than lying.

"She's shallow and one-dimensional."

Kaiba leaned back in his chair and downed the rest of his scotch. If only she were that simple.

"What about Anzu?"

Mokuba's favourite go-to argument.

Kaiba gripped his glass a little tighter. He could feel his heart speed up at the mention of her name, but his demeanour gave little away of the storm brewing within.

Getting up off of the cool leather sofa, he turned his back to Mokuba and poured himself another drink.

"What about Mazaki?"

"You love her."

"Mokuba, I—"

"Don't? Geez," Mokuba moaned exasperatedly. "I know something happened that night Seto. The night before we left. I can't believe you'd start something and pick up and leave. Or was that the only way you could do it, because you knew you'd be gone?"

Another glass of scotch burned its way down his body. Slamming the glass down harder than he would've liked to, he grimaced. With his back turned to his brother, he allowed himself a moment's weakness, to let up the façade and feel an ounce of guilt.

Kaiba turned to his brother, reeling from the accusation, but finding no voice to deny it.

"Fuck this. You're marrying a woman who has about as much substance as cardboard when you and I both know that Anzu Mazaki is in this city, still very much in love with you. So why can't you go be happy with her?"

"Anzu…"

His voice faded, lost in a hushed whisper as he said her name aloud. Three glasses of scotch must've debilitated his barriers for before he could stop it, the floodgates had opened and ten years of ache for Anzu Mazaki consumed his body.

"I don't give two shits about William Zarla. I don't even give three shits about that virtual technology patent – so stop throwing it around like a monkey."

Mokuba stopped in midst of his tirade and looked over at his brother. Kaiba was clutching the edge of the table, his knuckles were white. His glass of scotch remained on the table behind him, empty. His arctic blue eyes had darkened into a jet black, hollow, longing to be whole.

"Seto," he began softly. "It's been you and me for a long time. But you have someone who loves you as much as I do, why can't you be happy with her?"

And just as easily as it had been apparent, the Seto Kaiba everyone knew, everyone saw, had returned. With a god-like force, the tides of despair over a lost love were pulled back and the iron clasp locked.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because."

Mokuba sighed loudly and turned away from his brother. He pressed his temples firmly with his fingertips to drive away the pounding headache he'd had for a year.

He didn't like this, and he knew it could easily be avoided by stepping aside. But he couldn't. Every moment he had, he fought with his brother, challenged him. Mokuba thought he understood Kaiba, it's what made him a commendable number two. He knew his brother and didn't need to ask Kaiba for explanations. But ever since Zarla's patent and Leah, the clarity with which Mokuba used to see his brother was obscured by a dark cloud, and the harder he tried to bulldoze through, the denser it became.

But now, on the eve of his brother's wedding day – a day he had hoped for but didn't expect to happen, was happening, and he couldn't muster even an ounce of happiness or good will.

"You don't deserve her Seto, if you're going to toss her aside like this."

Mokuba began to walk away, exhausted and hopeless.

"I'm not even going after her."

Turning to the side, he looked up and shook his head. "But you have, like a coward—"

Before Mokuba could finish his sentence, Kaiba had him by the collar and against the wall of their family room.

"I am not a coward," he gritted through his teeth. Trying to inscribe that sentiment as much as he could into both himself and his brother.

Mokuba's large grey eyes stared at his brother in bewilderment. He hands around the ones that were around his neck, he remained quiet. Slowly, Kaiba let him go and turned away. Walking back towards the table, he picked up the bottle of scotch and a glass.

Without making eye contact, Mokuba heard him go down the hall and close the door.

-II-

Kaiba threw his glass across the room and watched it smash, the tiny pieces spreading throughout his bedroom. Turn towards his bed, he sat down on the edge and opened the drawer of his nightstand. Pulling out a seemingly mundane manila folder, he took out the final copy of his prenuptial agreement. Turning to the last page, he ran his fingers over his neatly scrawled signature.

The ink was dry. Lawyers bore witness. The deed was done.

The seemingly tame feline had claws. During their courtship, she was as he was, fake, saying and doing things for the satisfaction of the other. A superficially quaint wooing in actuality involved two very manipulative people, vying for their own agendas. Him for the patent. Her for him.

Mergers, acquisitions, corporate-ladder climbing – all could be done without a blink of an eye. He saw the end before making a move. That day he met Leah outside her father's office, he saw the end. He would take her father's patent and drain Zarla Technologies' – what was a marriage within that? Another legal document, a contract in business – that was the way he saw it. Their marriage would have no substance, it would be an agreement between them during which time he would set into motion his plan of expanding Kaiba Corporation. He would gain the patent and send a message to his dear father-in-law.

It was the second time he had underestimated his opponent.

Just like the day he decided to follow Anzu Mazaki home, the day he decided to pursue Leah Zarla was a personal decision.