Chapter 1: Returning home was a bittersweet sorrow

"Are you going to go see her?" Mokuba's wide eyes surveyed his elder brother with one part hope and one part worry. The fact of the matter was that Seto Kaiba held grudges and wanted revenge for every infraction against him. It was unlikely he was going to forgive the woman who was now Industrial Illusions managerial face, despite the fact that his brother was willing to, "She is our grandmother."

Seto didn't answer. His eyes narrowed at the word grandmother.

"I hardly think she deserves that title." The scoff was apparent in his voice. From where he stood, every misfortune that had occurred in his life occurred starting with that god forsaken orphanage and their reason for being in that orphanage was that woman, "She wouldn't take us in after our parents died, Mokuba."

"Maybe she couldn't."

There was a certain amount of secrecy in Mokuba's tone and Mokuba almost never kept secrets from Seto. Never. Unless it was important.

There was more to this story.

"What do you know?"

"You should ask her yourself."

Domino's skyline was in view now, landing would be in a few minutes and Seto steeled himself for the jarring motion of hard rubber on concrete. Turning head towards the window, he didn't give Mokuba an answer, but being the skilled manipulator he was, Mokuba had planted the seed of curiosity. Once Seto Kaiba was curious, he pursued the subject relentlessly. This was a fact that Mokuba was well aware and usually, he was above taunting his brother, but this was a special case. This was about family, and Mokuba was not about to back down simply because Seto had some old abandonment issues.

Mokuba hid his smile. He didn't doubt that as soon as they landed Seto would go in search of answers.

Surely enough, the minute they landed Seto had his cell phone out.

"Roland, get me all you can find on Chiyo Matsumoto."

Symbolically, Mokuba patted himself on the back. There weren't many people out there who could say they manipulated Seto Kaiba into doing anything. Seto Kaiba was feared as an immutable rock, a master of manipulation and incredibly cunning. And yet he was so easily influenced by a fifteen year old.

It was a monumental moment and Mokuba was feeling quite full of himself. What kind of brother would he be if Seto didn't bring him back to earth?

"Oh and by the way-" Seto strode out into the sun with Mokuba behind him, Domino lay before them, gleaming and welcoming like they had never left. A smirk of familiarity spread across his face as he slipped sunglasses over his eyes. The city was his to conquer. "Your skills of deceit still need work. You twitched your left hand when you were dropping me that line about Matsumoto."

"Big brother!" Mokuba groaned loudly.

So much for pulling one over on Seto.

Kame Game shop had changed very little in the years. There was an updated cash register, some new varnish, but Chiyo was glad to see that for the most it hadn't aged as much as she had. In fact, the familiarity of it brought a smile to her face. Solomon was dusting the shelves as usual and now even Yugi was back from Egypt, bringing with him a light and laughter. The whole thing seemed very domestic and familial.

"Can I get you some tea, Ms. Matsumoto?" Yugi stuck his head into living room where the old woman seemed to be sitting contently with a book. An empty china cup sat on the table next to her along with an untouched pastry. The sight was a warm one for Yugi who spent much of his early childhood with this woman.

"No Yugi, that's quite alright," Chiyo smiled back warmly at the youth. None of it, the fame, the fortune, seemed to change Yugi an inch. He was still that sweet strange haired boy from years ago, if a little bit more mature, "In fact, let me come out and help you two with the store."

"No, no, you should sit!" Yugi insisted with two hands up, ever the poster boy for politeness.

"Chiyo, stop your lazing and get out here!" Solomon's voice sounded loudly from the shop mockingly, "Put the book down!"

"Hold your bloody horses old man!" Chiyo hollered back, soundly proving that despite her age, she was in good health, "Let's go before he has an aneurysm, the old coot."

"Like you're some spring cherry blossom, Chiyo," Solomon retorted playfully, "I'll have you know, you're a full three months older than me."

"Yes, but I hardly look over 20."

"More like 20 000."

"Watch your mouth, Moto, I know where you live!"

Children, they still acted like children and it brought a smile to Yugi's face. She was a CEO and Solomon was certainly well read and well learned and both of them still fought and argued like they were all of five years old. Grey hair or not, they had the hearts of innocence. If only the media could see Chiyo as she howled with laughter and told scandalous jokes. It was no doubt this was the reason Pegasus picked Chiyo to run Industrial Illusion while he 'temporarily retired' again. She was nothing if not charming and charismatic. There had always been a certain amount of life to the Moto household and Chiyo seemed to fit into their life almost perfectly though in a transient sort of way.

"I've missed this place," she and Solomon were settled comfortably on a few lawn chairs outside the shop, basking in the glow of dusk. It reminded her faintly of Egypt if Chiyo was to be nostalgic. Despite all the travelling she had done, all the things she had seen, home would always be in Domino, "This city, this town."

"It's missed you, rest assured," Solomon nodded, very much delighted that his best friend was back on some sort of permanent basis, "I understand why you left, but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss you."

"I had no place here until I could rise myself out of the darkness, until I could be better for them," there was a look on Chiyo's face; one part wisdom and one part wistful, "Now that I've done it, that I've made something of myself and come back, they no longer have a use for me."

"They will always need you," Solomon retorted gently.

"In the time that I, an adult, have pulled myself together, those boys took the entire world by storm," Chiyo shook her head, "no, they don't need me, but the older I grow, the more I feel that I need them."

A quiet breeze swept the emptying street carrying with it a hush and a sigh.

Drop me a line if it's any good!