Falling To Pieces

Honda stayed put in his room. He knew that even before his father's foot hit the last step down, he was already telling his mother.

Why am I so upset? I knew they would say no...

He looked over at the clock; seven-thirty.

Seto is probably still there. He said he'd call me tomorrow, so he must be planning on being there a while... gods how could I have been so selfish!?

He started pacing his room, subconciously going threw his belongings.

What do I need with this?, he wondered, then threw it in the trash. Following it with other "useless" things.

Once he seemed to narrow down what he wanted, he collected them onto his bed and sifted through til it hit him what he was doing;

"Am I crazy?!" he whispered/yelled at himself, No, I'm going to do this. I wonder if Mokuba is home...

Using his cell so as to not have any possible, if not accidental, eves dropping, he called to tell Mokuba the plan.

"Honda are you nuts?! Your parents will kill you!"

"My parents will forget about me like they did my sister, and I... I don't... care..." his voice trailed. He did care, he had worked so hard to stay close to them after his sister got herself in trouble, They needed at least one good kid..., he'd say to himself.

Mokuba was not convinced, but if his nii-sama wanted him to live there and he was willing, who was he to stand in the way.

"Ok, Honda. I'll wait for you to let you in."

"Thanks, big guy! See you in about half an hour..."

"What are you going to tell your parents?"

"I'm not. Later."

As soon as he had everything neatly packed into his backpack, he quietly slid out the window and made a break for his bike.

Running along side it, as soon as he felt he was far enough up the street it would sound like the neighbor's bike, he jumped on, popped it and was gone. Never to know exactly what his parents final desicion would be.


"I wish he'd come down..." his mother finally said after the tenth lap around the living room.

"Why? And would you please sit down, woman?!"

"What do you... you know, I think we should let him..."

"No. They're too young, they're still in school..."

"No, no, listen..." she said slyly, narrowing her eyes at her husband.

"Ok, you have my attention."

"Let them. Once they realize, in, I'd give it about a week, it's not all champagne and roses, he'll come home."

"You know, that just may not work! They are the most stubborn boys in all of Japan, even if it didn't work, they would never admit it and go on living together in misery just to prove us wrong..."

"I think you're afraid I'd be right. You just don't want to deal with his moping if it doesn't work..."

"Honestly, if his moping bothered me so badly I'd have gone ahead and let him go so I wouldn't have to deal with the moping he's doing now..."

She crossed her arms and settled in to stare him down; her eyes fixed on his no matter where he looked around the room when finally after about five minutes of silent berating, he jumped from his chair and ran for the stairs.

"Gods, if it will get you off my back, we'll let him go! Geez, it's a wonder he's so stubborn!" he grumbled, "Hiroto?!" he called.

No answer.

"Hiroto?! You go to sleep or something?! Get down here."

He waited another few seconds before going up and knocking on the door.

"Hiroto, come on out, we want to talk to you..." he opened the door and walked over to the bed, mistaking the pile of clothing in the dark with his son, "Hey, wake up, we have some..." as he reached to shake a shoulder, instead grabbing a handfull of clothes, he jumped and turned on the light, "Hiroto?! What the?!" he looked around more til his eyes fixed on the open window.

He slowly walked down the stairs, trying to buy time on what to tell his wife, Shit...

"What? What's wrong?" she noted the grave look on his face, "What did he do now?"

Without a word, he calmly took his seat and the paper.

"What's wrong?!" his wife demanded.

"He's gone." he said softly, not even looking up from his paper.

"What?! Gone?!" she cried as she ran outside looking for his bike, "Hiroto!"


Honda was already just about passed Kaiba Corp by this time.

Quickly looking up toward his office for a light, "Still there..." he sighed. But, I'll be home when you get there...


"So what the hell do you want?" Kaiba demanded of his intruder, "You know you're not welcome here..."

"You know, Kaiba, when you speak my language you make it sound so, I don't know... hard."

"As opposed to how sorry you make anything sound..."

"Ooh, touche..."

"That's French. I detest French... almost as much as I detest German." he growled in the harsh northern dialect that sent cold chills up Seig's spine.

"Fine, I'm not above speaking Japanese as you know..."

"I'm going to ask one more time..."

"I know, I know; what the hell do I want... same thing I have wanted for a long time..."

"What? A sense of style?" Kaiba had to stifle a snicker.

"Sit down, Kaiba-san," he snarled, "You're in for one hell of a show and tell..."


"You walked your bike all the way from the front gate?!" Mokuba quickly took Honda's backpack to help him to Kaiba's, and his, room.

"Y-y-yea..." He panted.

"If you were worried about ojiisan, he's already in bed..."

"It's just barely after eight! I mean, even for an old guy, I always thought of him as a night..."

"He's sick, Honda."

"?!"

"Yes. He doesn't know we know..."

"Sorry...", No wonder Seto has been more on edge lately... why didn't he tell me?

"Here we are..."

"Thanks, Mokuba... uh, I wonder where I should put my stuff..."

"I don't think nii-sama will care... you don't have much do you?"

"I had to pack light..."

"You snuck out, didn't you?"

Honda simply nodded, still unsure of the consequences of what he had done, I wonder if they will forgive me... I wonder if Seto will forgive me...

"You know, Honda..."

"Hmm?"

"I've always liked you..."

"U-uh... I..."

"Nii-sama told me you were the one who got me out of Pegasus's dungeon... why? Why would you risk your soul, your life, for me?"

Honda wasn't sure himself. He tried to think back; this poor kid who had nothing to do with anything getting kidnapped and his soul stolen, then to watch his big brother nearly loose his life, then loose his soul, to save... that was it!

"I-I think... I think it had to do with Seto..."

"?"

"When he was dueling Pegasus, and when he lost his soul... something in me... snapped..." he tried harder to remember everything, but it all came back to Kaiba.

Mokuba nudged him in the ribs, a smile non stop from ear to ear, "You've always liked nii-sama, huh?" he quipped.

"N-nani?! I... I guess I have..."

"Ever tell him that?"

"No, never thought about it..."

"Well, I think you should tell him, but, for now, I have things to do..."

"You too, huh?"

"Yea, well... "heir to Kaiba Corp" has to keep on top of things..."

"Guess you're right..." he tried to smile, but could only feel bad for him. Kaiba was at least seventeen... Mokuba was only twelve, Well, Seto was younger than him...

"Later, Honda! I want full detail of nii-sama's reaction from tonight! He's going to be so surprised!"

"Ok, ok!", Surpirsed? Ugh, "I-Don't-Like-Surprises"-san... shit!


Kaiba tried desparetly, but could find nothing fabricated, nothing forged, nothing but truth in everything Seig showed him.

Everything pointed to one fact, a fact Seig stressed every chance he got;

"Gazabouro and my father were at one point very close and before you came along after Noah died, I was to be heir to Kaiba Corp!"

"This is rediculas! Face facts; he adopted me making me his son, hence making me heir to Kaiba Corp, hence Kaiba Corp is rightfully mine!"

"You have nothing to prove it..." Seig said smoothly. If anything, he refused to loose his cool.

"Wh-what?! The hell...?!"

"I know how you took Kaiba Corp..."

"..."

"Oh, yes yes, I know how you took control of the Big Five, it was all verbal, and, and this is the best part..."

"Just get to it!"

"I know you killed Gazabouro..."

"?!?!"

"Oh, now I know you didn't do it with your own hands, rather, indirectly..."

"Are you quite finished here?"

"Nein, " he started, wanting to get back to his own language, "Not by a long shot. I'll see you tomorrow, Herr Kaiba."

"Nein, I don't think so..."

"Signed papers!" he sang as he waved them in the air, stridding from the office.

I remember very well how I "indirectly" killed Gazabouro... and don't think I'm afraid to do it again, Herr Seig.