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Adding the medium sized box he was carrying to the growing stack Jounouchi paused, not for the first time today, to use the right sleeve of his white t-shirt to wipe away the sweat forming on his brow. Kaiba had picked a hot day to move. And despite the hired help, many boxes of their more personal belongings still remained to be carried in and sorted through.
To Jounouchi, the acquisition of too many things seemed a minor drawback to the rich life until he found himself obligated to assist in the moving process. What was in all of these extra boxes anyway?
Pulling aside the flaps of the cardboard box he’d just carried in, Jounouchi discovered what’d made it so heavy. It was filled with rows of CDs and DVDs, all signed, of course, with some impressive titles.
Directing the movers and staff, Jounouchi heard Kaiba stride through the door. To Jounouchi’s annoyance, the other man looked far less sweaty than the blonde, who’d insisted on helping out with the heavy lifting.
“Seto, what do you have all of these old toys for?” Jounouchi asked, having opened up another box. Kaiba finished instructing the staff, who left the room to complete their assignments, before joining the blonde.
Jounouchi rummaged through the box of used toys, noting a soccer ball, toy plane, stuffed bear, some miniature toy cars, a cowboy hat, pistol, and a yoyo. “I haven’t played with one of these in years!” he exclaimed, plucking the yellow yoyo out of the box. He was about to play with it, but paused when he spotted Kaiba’s angry expression.
Kaiba snatched the yoyo out of Jounouchi’s hand and placed it back in the box before closing it once more, mumbling something about how he meant to donate those.
“There’s still more work to be done, Katsuya,” the brunette insisted gruffly. “Quit messing around and help me with the last of these boxes.”
“Alright, sure, no problem” Jounouchi replied, a bit confused at the other’s tone and stormy expression that did not appear to dissipate even as he followed the CEO out the front door to the open moving van.
They both selected and carried the remaining boxes into the house in silence. Jounouchi could sense the other’s mood having shifted as he hardly caught his eye and didn’t even comment when the blonde struggled with a particularly heavy one. This was not the turn he’d hoped their moving day would take.
Kaiba made to leave the room but Jounouchi caught his wrist. “What’s going on? Did I do something?” Jounouchi asked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you didn’t want me to open those boxes, I thought--“
Kaiba turned to look at him, expression almost sad. He let out a breath. “It’s not that.” He looked away for a moment. “Seeing those old toys just brought up some memories.”
Jounouchi’s expression shifted from questioning to concern. “What of?” he pressed quietly.
Kaiba walked over to the box of toys and opened the lid to peer inside. Jounouchi watched, curious. “These are Mokuba and I’s toys from before we were adopted.” He pulled out the yoyo Jounouchi had been holding earlier. “Before Gozaburo had them taken away.”
Jounouchi moved to stand beside Kaiba and peered into the box once more. So, these were not some old forgotten toys. They were likely the only physical thing that remained of Seto’s life before he lost his way, and found it again. Perhaps even from before he and Mokuba lost their parents and had to fight to survive.
Jounouchi gently took the yoyo from Kaiba’s hand, who looked lost in thought. “I’ve got a box like this too. All the toys Shizuka left behind that she and I would play with; it’s probably in this mountain somewhere.” He looked around before turning to examine the yoyo. “I didn’t play with them much after she left, but I couldn’t bear to part with them either.”
Kaiba watched him thoughtfully.
“This one saw me through some tough times though,” Jounouchi said, holding up the yoyo.
“That’s a weird one to get attached to,” Kaiba noted.
Jounouchi chuckled. “I would have thought the same thing, before too. But that’s a story for another day.” He handed Kaiba the yoyo back before turning to the box once more and lifting out the cowboy hat and toy pistol. “Yours or Mokuba’s?”
Kaiba pointed to himself.
It was a sturdy toy pistol and could almost pass for the real thing. On more than one occasion, he’d seen Kaiba aim a real one, not for sport, but self-defense. “As fun as you’d imagined as a kid?”
“Not nearly, unfortunately,” Kaiba remarked. “But the thrill comes close to dueling.”
“I certainly get that. It kind of spoils the fun if your life depends on it though,” he reflected. Kaiba nodded solemnly.
This world could be so cruel. It could tempt anyone to give into hopelessness. Both he and Kaiba had allowed the darkness to consume them at different points in life. Both pulled out by the same people. Jounouchi smiled to himself thinking of Yugi, probably working away on the next phase of his new game. This world had forced them to make weapons of the things they’d enjoyed. It didn’t have to stay that way though. A lesson they’d both learned too through their friendships with Yugi.
Jounouchi was about to toss the toy pistol and hat back in the box when he spotted a stack of cards that’d been hidden beneath them. “You were into baseball!?” Jounouchi exclaimed, pulling them out.
Kaiba nodded. “Still am.”
“I didn’t think you had any love other than duel monsters,” Jounouchi replied. “I’m not as familiar with the game. Who’s a big name?”
Kaiba took the cards and showed him a picture of Babe Ruth. “I don’t collect them anymore but I do watch the game.”
“Maybe you can teach me the game sometime,” Jounouchi ventured. “It always looked interesting.”
Kaiba nodded, smiling. “It’s a date.” He placed the cards back into the box. “I happened upon this box one afternoon going through Gozaburo’s things after his death. I never really played with them. They just sat in the back of my closet. I thought of getting rid of them but it felt like such a victory to get them back that I never did.”
“Well, these toys have probably been yearning for someone to play with them all of these years,” Jounouchi began, picking up the soccer ball and tossing it in the air before catching it. “What do you say to a little match?”
“I’d say I’m probably more experienced than you,” Kaiba gloated. “So, you’d better be prepared to lose.”
“Someone sounds confident. Let’s see what you got!” Jounouchi goaded. With a grin, he headed for the door and Kaiba followed suit.
Their new home sported an expansive front lawn. The blonde marched to one end and tossed the ball on the grass, preparing for his first move. Both smirked in anticipation.
“A soccer match?!” Mokuba called from the front door, having come down from his room where he’d likely been immersed in unpacking. “You’d better not start without me!”
“Hurry up and get in here then!” Jounouchi called.
The ball was somewhat flat, but still got them through a few rounds before they paused for water. It must have been quite a sight for the moving crew but Kaiba didn’t seem to care, smiling as he tossed the ball from one hand to the other while listening to Mokuba and Jounouchi plan a group match with their other friends once they’d settled in.