Disclaimer: All Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and references belong to their respective owners. All Charlie Brown and Peanuts ® characters belong to Charles M. Schulz and were used in this story with the best of intentions. Story elements © Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in the writing of this story.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
By
Hideki LaShae
Chapter One
The morning dawns on a winter landscape typical to a Norman Rockwell painting… or at least it would have if it weren't the middle of a city on a cold, snow-less November day. Norman Rockwell never painted anything like Domino City on the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Jounouchi Katsuya pulls his lightweight jacket over his school uniform's sweater, and he grabs his book bag before heading out the door into the cold air. He pulls up the collar of his jacket to help shield his neck, and he shoves his hands into his pockets. He walks as quickly as he can towards school and the heat waiting there for him. He enters the classroom just a moment before the bell rings.
"Please take your seat quickly, Jounouchi," says Sensei, "I would like to get started."
"Yes, Sensei," says Jounouchi walking quickly to his assigned seat at the back of the room, three desks behind Yugi's… three desks to the right of Honda's… three desks along a diagonal of Anzu's… and only one desk away from the most gorgeous, most perfect boy, no… man to ever exist… and also the biggest asshole.
Kaiba Seto sits diagonally from Jounouchi, just one seat to the right and one seat back, in the very last row and the very last column.
Jounouchi doesn't bother looking at Kaiba. He knows they'll be arguing sooner or later. He rubs his hands together to try to warm them,
A pair of sapphire blue eyes catches the movement over the screen of his laptop.
"As you all know, Thanksgiving is over now, and Christmas is just around the corner. So are finals for the semester," says Sensei, "This year you'll have a project for your semester final grade."
The entire class groans.
"Oh, don't be like that! This project can be incredibly fun if you want it to be! You get to choose what you do," says Sensei passing packets of paper to the people in the front row to hand back to those behind them, "These packets should tell you everything you need to know as well as give you ideas for what to do. If you have any questions, I will certainly clarify."
Kaiba takes his packet from the girl in front of him, and his eyes widen at the project title. "Community Service?"
Sensei smiles. "Yes, Kaiba. This is a community service or embitterment project. This one project will cover your social studies, English, and Japanese grades. One project for three grades. Do well on this project and you'll pass half your classes this semester."
"That's not fair!" exclaims Jounouchi standing up, "That means we'd flunk out of three classes if we fail this project!"
"Make up tests would be made available should you fail the project, but I can promise you all that if you do the project at all, you will have a passing grade on it," says Sensei, "But should you decide not to do this project, Kaiba, you will fail, and I would like to see something more from you than just donating money."
Kaiba turns his eyes back to the packet of papers.
"Okay. What you need to do for these projects is choose a task that will help someone else in the community. Now that could be something as simple as giving away your old clothes to a homeless shelter or helping out at a soup kitchen," explains Sensei, "After that you will write two papers… one in English and the other in Japanese. One paper will be explaining what you did, why you chose it, and what reactions you got from the people you helped. The other paper will be explaining the feelings you get from your experience. Which paper is in which language is entirely up to you. You may work in groups if you wish, but you each do need to write your own papers."
"Is this some kind of torture?"
"No. It's a lesson to be thankful of what you have because there are so many people less fortunate than you," says Sensei looking around, "Any other questions?"
"When is the project due?" asks Yugi.
"It is due on the first day of class after winter break," says Sensei, "That should give everyone ample time to complete it."
When no one says anything else, Sensei starts in on the lesson for the day.
***
Jounouchi stays behind as all his friends leave the classroom for the afternoon. "Sensei?"
"Yes, Jounouchi?"
"What's the real meaning behind this project?" asks Jounouchi walking up to her desk.
"You."
"Me?"
"Your grades slip this time of year, don't they?"
Jounouchi blushes.
"I know you don't have time to study because of the work you do this season, and I want to help you…"
"I thought you did help me," says Jounouchi, "Or does decorating a banquet hall not count as helping?"
"It does, but I wanted to do more." Sensei sighs. "Don't you think this is a good idea?"
"I don't think people should be forced to do good," says Jounouchi, "They should do it because they want to."
"I agree, but I also think that some people don't realize the joys of doing good until they have to," says Sensei, "I think you need to run along now. Someone's waiting for you."
Jounouchi smiles and moves to grab his books before heading out.
"I'll see you later, Jounouchi," says Sensei.
"Bye," says Jounouchi walking through the door. He heads down to his locker to change shoes and put on his coat. He carries his bag out of the school and immediately starts to shiver as a cold wind rips right through him.
A figure looms up in front of Jounouchi.
Jounouchi looks into Kaiba's sapphire eyes. "Afternoon, Kaiba."
"Jounouchi…"
Jounouchi shivers again.
Kaiba grabs Jounouchi's arm with his gloved hand and pulls him down the sidewalk.
"Hey! What are you doing? I have to be somewhere!" exclaims Jounouchi struggling against Kaiba's grip.
Kaiba stops in front of a black sedan and opens the back door. "Get inside! I'll take you there."
Jounouchi's cheeks tint pink, and he climbs into the car.
Kaiba slides into the seat beside Jounouchi and closes the door. He nods to his driver. "Domino City Orphanage."
"I'm not going there today," says Jounouchi as the car starts to move.
Kaiba raises an eyebrow at Jounouchi. "Aren't you doing it this year?"
"Oh, yeah! I am!" Jounouchi smiles and rubs his arms to knock the chill from them.
"Turn the heater up," orders Kaiba.
The driver moves to turn the fan on high.
"So where are you going then?" asks Kaiba.
"Downtown to the costume shop. Most of the costumes we'll have to make, but they are donating the use of a specific one for us."
Kaiba's lips tilt into a smirk. "What specific costume? Rudolph? Frosty? Santa?"
Jounouchi blushes. "If you come to the performance this year, you'll find out!"
"Unfortunately I have a party that I can't miss," says Kaiba, "Besides it's my money you want, and I send Mokuba with a check." He catches the driver's gaze through the rear-view mirror, and he nods.
"I'm not saying that we don't appreciate the money, but your presence would be nice too."
The car pulls to a stop.
"We're here."
Jounouchi looks out the window and smiles.
"Do you want me to wait? I could take you and the costume home or to the orphanage…"
"Why aren't we fighting, Kaiba? You've never offered me a ride before," says Jounouchi.
"Sensei doesn't want me to donate to charity for the project, so the check won't satisfy her," explains Kaiba, "I figure being nice to you is charitable enough."
Jounouchi's eyes droop.
"Besides, Jounouchi. I want to help you with your project as much as I can. I believe in what you're doing!"
An excited blond tackles Kaiba in the confines of the car's back seat and pushes him down to lie on the seat. His embrace comes just as quickly as his words. "Thank you!"
"Jou…"
"See you in school tomorrow!" Jounouchi scrambles out of the car with a red face, and he runs into the costume shop.
"Should we wait, sir?"
Kaiba blushes as he sits up. "He didn't answer me, did he?"
"No, sir…"
"We'll wait. If he wants a ride, he'll get in the car."
The driver nods and keeps the engine and heater running.
After about fifteen minutes, Jounouchi comes out of the costume shop carrying an extra large bag. His eyes light up when he sees the car still parked beside the curb. He walks over to the passenger door and opens it. "Hey, can you open the trunk so I can put this inside?"
"Just put it in the seat there," says the driver.
"Okay," says Jounouchi settling the bag in the seat. He closes the door and opens the back door to get in with Kaiba. "Thank you for waiting. Now I'm going to the orphanage."
Kaiba nods to his driver, and the car starts to move into traffic.
"So does this make us friends?"
"Do you want us to be friends, Jounouchi?"
Jounouchi's cheeks tint red. "Or course I would like to be your friend, Kaiba! You're a wonderful person… when you want to be."
"Then yes. We're friends."
Jounouchi smiles. "Great! Then I would like you to come, as my friend, to the dress rehearsal on December 20th. If you can't come to the actual performance, then you can at least come watch the show as we do our final rehearsal."
"Jounouchi…"
"Please, Kaiba!" interrupts Jounouchi, "I'm only allowed to bring one friend, and I want you to be it!"
Kaiba pulls his cell phone from his inside jacket pocket.
"Oh, sorry. I'm probably keeping you from work, aren't I?" says Jounouchi sadly.
Kaiba places his gloved hand lightly over Jounouchi's lips, and he dials a number on his phone. "Isono, check my schedule for the twentieth of December… Jou, what time is the rehearsal?"
Jounouchi smiles. "Five o'clock in the afternoon!"
"Five," says Kaiba, "Clear the evening for me." He listens for a moment. "Reschedule it. I have a very important date that day, and I can't afford to miss it."
Jounouchi blushes.
Kaiba puts his phone away after ending his call, and he smiles at Jounouchi. "I'll be there, Jounouchi."
"Did you have to call it a 'date'? It kind of makes it sound like you're my boyfriend or something," says Jounouchi. His voice quickens as he adds, "Not like there's anything wrong with two guys being together."
"Are you gay?"
Jounouchi's cheeks redden even more. "Yeah… I mean, I get turned on by guys, but I kind of like girls too."
"So you're bisexual," says Kaiba.
"You're probably straight, huh?" asks Jounouchi fidgeting with his jacket sleeves.
"I'm open to experimentation," says Kaiba, "I'm more interested in individual people than a particular gender."
"Wow. That's deep…"
Kaiba looks at Jounouchi longingly.
Jounouchi slides closer to Kaiba so that their legs brush together. "Thanks for coming to the rehearsal. Don't forget, okay? You have no idea what it means to me to have you there."
The car pulls to a stop, and the driver says, "We've arrived at Domino City Orphanage."
"Thank you for the ride," says Jounouchi before climbing out of the back seat. He opens the passenger door to pull out his large bag.
"Do you want a ride home?" asks Kaiba quickly.
"No, thanks. I'm going to stay here for awhile, and I'm sure you have some work to do at Kaiba Corp. I'll see you in class tomorrow," says Jounouchi.
"Stay warm, Jou," says Kaiba as Jounouchi pulls out the bag and closes the door.
Jounouchi waves as he walks towards the building.
"Are you in love with him, sir?"
"Not yet, but I'm hoping," says Kaiba with a wistful smile. "Take me home."
"Yes, sir."
***
Small hands shake the blond awake. "Joey… uppey!"
Jounouchi opens his eyes to stare into startlingly amethyst eyes. He gasps and jumps backwards. He moans as he rolls off the bench he'd been sleeping on and falls on the floor.
The little girl giggles. "Joey funny!"
"Ha, ha, Tami," says Jounouchi getting up. "I can't believe I fell asleep here! What time is it?"
"Uppey time!" exclaims Tami.
Jounouchi smiles at the little girl.
The three-year-old girl stares at Jounouchi with her mother's violet eyes. Her short brown hair, a gift from her father, currently carries the same style and half-woken dishevel-ness of Jounouchi's own.
"You're right, Tami. If you're awake it must be time to get up," says Jounouchi, "Have you eaten?"
Tami nods.
Jounouchi blinks and runs into the kitchen. His eyes widen at the time displayed on the clock. "Class starts in ten minutes! I'm gonna be late!"
"Joey stay."
"I'm sorry, Tami. I'll see you after school," says Jounouchi running past the little girl. He grabs his jacket and slips it on as he hurries out the door. He runs as fast as he can in the cold air to the school building, and he enters the classroom fifteen minutes late… panting like a dog and shivering like a leaf… or to be more precise, panting and shaking like an overactive Chihuahua.
"Jounouchi Katsuya! You're late!"
"Sorry… (pant)… Sensei… (huff)… I forgot… (pant)… to set my… (wheeze)… alarm!" gasps Jounouchi.
"I'll forgive you this once since it appears you ran all the way here," says Sensei, "but try not to let it happen again."
Jounouchi nods and moves to his seat. He glances back at Kaiba with a small smile.
Kaiba catches Jounouchi's gaze and smiles slightly.
Jounouchi sits down at his desk and reaches inside it to pull out his textbook only to find a small wrapped present inside. He pulls it out to look at it.
Crisp white paper wraps around a three-inch by ten-inch box, and a simple, bowless red ribbon holds on the tag.
"Jounouchi, since you were late, please read the first passage on page two hundred forty-nine," says Sensei interrupting Jounouchi's thoughts on the gift.
"Yes, Sensei," says Jounouchi setting the gift aside and pulling out the book. He turns to the page and starts reading aloud.
Meanwhile, a pair of sapphire eyes stares intently at Jounouchi and his mysterious gift.
All throughout the day, Jounouchi's fingers keep brushing the present, but he doesn't have time to open it until lunch comes around.
"Hey, Jou," says Yugi as he brings his lunchbox over to sit in the desk beside him to eat.
"What's the deal with you being late today, bud?" asks Honda taking the seat in front of Jounouchi, "You never forget to set your alarm!"
"I do when I'm not sleeping at home," says Jounouchi pulling up the present.
"Jou! Have you found a 'someone special'?" asks Anzu continuing to stand as she starts to eat her apple, "Did you S.S. give you that?"
Jounouchi looks at the tag. His smile grows. "To Jounouchi Katsuya. With love, your Secret Santa."
"So who is it?" asks Anzu.
"I don't know," says Jounouchi opening the present. He pulls out a pair of warm gloves. "Oh, these are perfect! I ripped my old gloves, and I haven't had the chance to get new ones yet!"
"These look like they're good quality, Jou," says Anzu, "They should last you a few years."
Jounouchi slips them on his hands, and his grin widens. "They fit perfectly! I love them!"
"That's a very nice gift. I wonder who would have gotten it for her," says Yugi, "Do you have a lover we don't know about?"
"Not yet." Jounouchi blushes and turns to look at Kaiba. "Kaiba?"
Kaiba sets down the cup he's drinking from. "Yes, Jounouchi?"
"You get here really early in the mornings. Did you see who left this gift in my desk?" asks Jounouchi.
"I'm sorry, Jounouchi. I didn't see who put it there," says Kaiba.
"Oh…"
"Jou, you should hurry up and eat before class resumes," says Honda, "Your precious gloves will still be there at the end of the day."
"I didn't bring my lunch. With the whole rush I was in this morning, I didn't have time," says Jounouchi.
"You're welcome to share mine," says Kaiba quickly. He blushes slightly. "I always bring too much anyway."
"Really? Thank you!" exclaims Jounouchi moving his desk closer to Kaiba's, "You are the best man!"
Kaiba's blush darkens, and he pushes his bento box closer to Jounouchi.
"Oh, this looks so good!" Jounouchi lifts a vegetable roll to his lips and takes a small bite. His stomach growls loudly.
"Don't worry so much," whispers Kaiba lightly brushing his fingertips against Jounouchi's stomach, "He's going to feed you."
Jounouchi blushes deep red and shoves the rest of the roll into his mouth. He chews it quickly and swallows. "This is delicious!"
"I'll be sure to pass your praise along to the chef," says Kaiba with a light blush.
"Do that with my thanks," says Jounouchi lifting another roll, "This is so good!"
Anzu giggles quietly.
Yugi and Honda share a look and a knowing smile.
Kaiba pours a little more liquid into his cup and passes it to Jounouchi.
"Thanks." Jounouchi takes a sip. "Damn, this is some good quality tea!"
Kaiba smiles and lifts a roll to his lips.
"So, what do you all think of that project?" asks Honda, "I have no clue what I want to do!"
"Hey, we should all do something together!" exclaims Anzu, "All five of us!"
"I already have my own project," says Kaiba, "It's something I have to do alone."
"Oh, well maybe next time," says Anzu.
"What about you, Jou? Any idea what you'll do?" asks Yugi.
"Yeah. I'm sure that I could find things for you all to do if you want to help me," says Jounouchi in between bites of food and sips of drink, "This is the fourth year that I'll be conducting a charity fundraiser for Domino City Orphanage."
Three pairs of eyes… brown, blue, and violet… stare at Jounouchi in shock. "What?"
"I raise money for the orphanage. I get help, you know. The kids put on a play that I direct. We usually get the banquet hall's usage donated. Mokuba helps out making the costumes. The catering companies will often give us the food at cost. Then the night of the performance, a whole bunch of people come to watch the play, eat the food, and give us their money," says Jounouchi, "Kaiba always sends a check with Mokuba because he can't come to the performance. But afterwards, Santa comes and passes out gifts. It's amazing!"
"And you organize it?" asks Honda.
"Yes. We… the kids and I… get together every Thanksgiving Day for a small feast and to decide on a play," says Jounouchi.
"What play are you doing this year?" asks Kaiba as Jounouchi finishes eating the last of their shared lunch.
"Promise you won't laugh."
"You have my word."
"A Charlie Brown Christmas," says Jounouchi.
Honda bursts out laughing.
"Hey!" exclaims Jounouchi.
"It's not funny," says Kaiba, "It's good business."
"How so?" asks Yugi.
"A lot of people love Charlie Brown, and they'll buy something simply because it has the 'Peanuts' characters on it or endorsing it," explains Kaiba, "So donations might be larger too. It's good business."
Jounouchi blushes.
"You've done a good job so far, Jounouchi," says Kaiba, "Keep it up."
"Could we help you with your play, Jou?" asks Yugi.
"I could always use extra help," says Jounouchi, "Why don't you come by the orphanage after school? Meet the kids."
"I'd love to!" exclaims Anzu.
Yugi nods his head and smiles childishly.
"Why not? It'll be just like babysitting my nephew," says Honda.
"Well, I suppose my limo does have room for all of you," says Kaiba, "I'll drop you off at the orphanage on my way to Kaiba Corps."
"Thank you, Kaiba…"
The teacher steps into the room.
Everyone moves back to their desks and rearranges them into neat rows again.
Jounouchi smiles at Kaiba once before turning his attention to Sensei's newest lecture.
A small smile plays at the edges of the brunet's lips throughout the rest of the afternoon as he repeatedly sees Jounouchi's fingering the gloves that were his gift.
***
"Kaiba?" Yugi steps up to the brunet's desk while balancing his homework on one arm.
"Motou…"
"Are you sure it's all right for us to go with you? We could walk to the orphanage. I do appreciate the offer if it really doesn't inconvenience you," says Yugi, "I just don't want to be a bother."
"Do you really think Jounouchi should walk to the orphanage with that coat of his?" whispers Kaiba.
Yugi also lowers his voice. "It is rather light to be wearing this time of year."
"I don't want him to get sick. There would be a lot of disappointed children if that happened," says Kaiba gathering up all his books and standing. "If everyone's ready, we can go."
"Thank you, Kaiba," says Yugi before glancing at Jounouchi, "Thank you…"
"The pleasure will be mine," says Kaiba in a soft whisper.
"And hopefully Jounouchi's too," whispers Yugi.
Kaiba smirks. "Of course. I'm not cruel."
Anzu and Honda approach Jounouchi, and Anzu gently shakes him.
Jounouchi lifts his head. "Huh?"
"Class is over, Jou," says Anzu, "Why are you so tired?"
"I didn't sleep very well last night. I fell asleep at the orphanage," says Jounouchi packing up his books, "and my watch doesn't have an alarm so I had to wait until one of the kids woke me…"
"Are you heading straight to the orphanage today?" asks Kaiba.
Jounouchi nods. "Yes. Thanks again for the ride to the costume shop yesterday."
"Come on," says Kaiba scooping up Jounouchi's books with his own and heading out of the classroom. "I'll meet you at the limo!"
"Jou, how long have you been dating Kaiba?" asks Honda, "And why didn't you tell us?"
Jounouchi blushes. "We're not dating…"
"At least not yet," says Yugi with a singsong voice.
"He wouldn't be interested in me," says Jounouchi, "Let's go. We shouldn't keep him waiting." He pulls his gloves out of his desk and smiles as he puts them on.
The small group heads out of the classroom together before separating to go get their coats and change into their outside shoes. They meet again inside Kaiba's limousine.
Jounouchi snuggles up against Kaiba to make room for Yugi to sit beside them. His shoulder brushes against the taller brunet's arm. "This is going to be the best fundraiser I've ever done!"
"Have you ever thought about doing it professionally?" asks Kaiba.
Jounouchi blinks. "Doing what professionally?"
"Being a charity fundraiser," says Kaiba, "A charity would ask you to organize a fundraiser like a dinner to promote feeding the poor. You would arrange the location, the caterers and entertainment, send out invitations, and you would get paid a fee for the service."
"I don't know… I mean, I love helping the kids, but it seems wrong to get paid for helping people," says Jounouchi, "It doesn't feel like an appropriate way to earn a living."
"So if you married a billionaire and didn't have to work a day in your life?" asks Anzu.
"Charity fundraiser for sure!" exclaims Jounouchi with a smile. "It's an amazing feeling to sit back and watch the children on stage, just knowing that they'll be wealthier and healthier because of you… I think I'd be devoted to children's charities."
The limo pulls to a stop, and the driver says, "We have arrived."
"Kaiba, do you have time to come in and meet the kids?" asks Jounouchi.
"Just a few minutes," says Kaiba nodding.
Jounouchi yelps excitedly and climbs out of the car quickly with his friends following. "Come on, come on!"
"We're coming!" exclaims Yugi.
Honda emerges from the car last. "Let's go!"
Jounouchi grabs Kaiba's hand and pulls him up the walkway to the door. He taps the iron knocker against its plate three times before opening the door and leading everyone inside.
"Joey! Joey home!" exclaims Tami running up to Jounouchi and holding up her arms to him. "Uppey!"
Jounouchi laughs and lifts the little girl. "Hey, Tami. I want you to meet my friends. This is Yugi, Anzu, Honda, and Kaiba."
Tami blushes and hides her face in Jounouchi's chest.
"I guess she's a bit shy," says Jounouchi, "Her name's Tami. Her parents were in a car accident. She's three."
Several children run into the entranceway, which is lined with filled coat hooks and shoe stands.
"I'll take Tami," says a nine-year-old little girl taking Tami from Jounouchi's arms. She looks at the teenagers and smiles. "My name is Shimbo Kyoko."
"She's nine," adds Jounouchi.
"My mother abandoned me," says Kyoko, "This is Kiki. She's six." She places her hand on the head of a smaller, black haired girl.
"These are the Chen twins, Yin and Yang," says Jounouchi indicating the eight-year-old boy and girl.
"I'm Marie St. Claire!" exclaims a six-year-old girl, "I'm six! I'm from France! My parents lost me!"
"Where are the others?" asks Jounouchi.
"Waiting for you in the living room," says Kyoko, "except Ken. He's locked himself in his room."
"I'll talk to Ken later," says Jounouchi putting his gloves in his pockets before pulling off his jacket. "Let's go meet the rest."
They all take off their coats and shoes and head into the living room.
"Attention! These are my friends. Please introduce yourself!" exclaims Jounouchi smiling.
A fourteen-year-old girl sits in a rocking chair holding an infant. "I'm Yoshi Reika. This is my baby sister Kari."
A five-year-old boy stands beside the rocking chair. "I'm her brother, Yoshi Namu. Our other brother was adopted already."
The children all tell the group their names before Jounouchi's friends introduce themselves.
"I'll go try to roust Ken. This might take awhile, Kaiba, so if you have to leave, I'll understand," says Jounouchi.
"No, you stay here. I'll go get him," says Kaiba moving towards the staircase.
"Are you sure?" asks Jounouchi.
"Start practicing or whatever it is you need to do. I'll bring Kenichi down," says Kaiba.
"I didn't say his name was Kenichi," says Jounouchi before Kaiba disappears upstairs.
Kaiba walks through the familiar halls, and he stops in front of the last door. "Stop jerking off and come out here, Kenichi."
"Go away!"
"Matsuo Kenichi. I took time away from my work at Kaiba Corps to come see you. Now get out here!" exclaims Kaiba.
The door opens a crack. "Seto?"
"Hi."
"What are you doing here?"
"Giving emotional support to someone who really needs it. Can I come in, Kenichi?" asks Kaiba, "I think it's about time for a little talk."
The blond haired boy blushes, but he allows Kaiba to enter his room.
"So who is she?" asks Kaiba.
"Reika. I'm seventeen. She's fourteen. It's not a big age difference, but it seems to bother her," says Kenichi, "She likes me too. I want to have sex with her, but I know she's not ready for that."
"So you've been spending more time alone with your hand. I can relate, but what you should be doing is spending that time with her," says Kaiba, "Take some time for yourself in the morning during your shower and at night before you go to bed. Spend the time in between with her."
"Is that what you're doing?"
Kaiba blushes. "I have work responsibilities so I can't spend nearly as much time with him as I'd like, but I have been spending what time I can with him… And yes, I've been longing for something more. Now I just have to get Jounouchi to agree to go out with me."
Kenichi's jaw drops. "Jounouchi? As in the same Jounouchi who directs us in the pageant every year? That Jounouchi?"
"The blond bombshell who's downstairs waiting to introduce you to the rest of his friends? Yeah. That's the one," says Kaiba.
"Seto. I hate to break it to you, but I think he's straight."
"No. He's bi. We've already covered that."
"Then I wish you well. Let's go downstairs," says Kenichi, "Is Mokuba here?"
"Not that I know of," says Kaiba walking out of the room with Kenichi. He leads Kenichi downstairs and into the living room.
"Seto!" exclaims Mokuba bounding over to give his brother a hug, "I didn't know you were going to be here today!"
"I can say the same thing," says Kaiba smiling, "When did you get here?"
"Five minutes ago! Hi, Ken!" exclaims Mokuba.
"Hi, everyone. I'm Ken," says Kenichi smiling at the group of Jounouchi's friends, "I've been here since before Mokuba and Seto were adopted."
"Huh? I didn't realize this was the orphanage you were at, Kaiba," says Jounouchi.
"It wasn't here when we were. The old building burned, and this is the new place," says Kaiba.
"Are you going to stay and help out, Seto?" asks Mokuba.
"I can't. I have a business meeting in an hour," says Kaiba looking at his watch, "I need to go get ready. Be good, Mokuba. Okay?"
"I will, big brother," says Mokuba smiling.
"You be good too, Jounouchi," says Kaiba brushing against the blond's arm as he heads towards the door.
"Oh, I'll be more than good, Kaiba. I'll be great," says Jounouchi, "Now, let's get this play rolling!"
"What can we help with?" asks Yugi.
"Well, Ken, do you need help on set design?" asks Jounouchi smiling.
"I could handle it on my own, but if someone wants to help…" Kenichi shrugs.
"I can help build a set," says Honda, "Manual labor suits me well."
"Okay, come with me and we'll have our design meeting in the kitchen," says Kenichi grabbing a copy of the script from the coffee table and heading into the kitchen.
Honda follows with a smile.
"Yugi, Anzu," says Jounouchi, "I'll just have you help me here for a bit. I might have one of you take over directing the play so I can focus on other things…"
"Uh, Jou…"
"Yes, Shogi?" asks Jounouchi turning his attention to the nine-year-old boy.
"None of us fit the Snoopy costume… Even Ken's too short," says Shogi.
"Either Honda or I should fit it. We'll try it on later," says Jounouchi, "First, let's handle those character assignments!"
"Do I take it that I'm Schroeder?" asks Reika, "Since I can play the piano?"
Jounouchi grins.
"All right. Do you have the sheet music so I can practice it?" asks Reika.
Jounouchi pulls out a script that's slightly larger than all the others. He passes it to Reika. "You know, we could have used a recording if you didn't want to do it."
"And not show off my mad skills to all those prospective parents?" asks Reika, "Are you kidding? Hiroko got adopted after his performance in the play last year! I'm going to start practicing my piano playing." She walks over to the upright piano in the corner and sits down with her sheet music.
Jounouchi quickly assigns the roles of Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Sally, and all the rest of the Peanuts characters.
"Joey! Who am I?" asks Tami.
"We're all out of characters…"
Tami's lower lip starts trembling.
"You get the most important part of all, Tami!" exclaims Mokuba with a wink to Jounouchi, "And all you have to do is get in costume and look cute!"
Tami's eyes widen happily. "Who? Who?"
"You get to be Charlie Brown's Christmas tree! Without whom the story wouldn't survive," says Mokuba, "I'll make you a nice costume with pieces we can add on easily while you're on stage for when you make your big transformation from a small simple tree into a powerful symbol of holiday cheer!"
"Yay!" cheers Tami hugging Mokuba quickly, "I'm a tree!"
Jounouchi catches Mokuba's gaze and smiles as he mouths out 'thank you.'
Mokuba nods his head. "Now I need to measure you all for your costumes!"
"And I'll pop in to tell Ken and Honda that we don't need a tree!" exclaims Jounouchi stepping out of the room while Yugi and Anzu help Mokuba with the measurements. "How's it going?"
"Take a look at our tree design!" exclaims Honda, "I did that!" He passes a paper to Jounouchi.
"It's really great," says Jounouchi looking at the scribbles on the paper, "but we don't need a tree."
"Huh?" asks Honda.
"Mokuba's going to make a tree costume for Tami. We ran out of parts and she really wants to act," explains Jounouchi, "so we already have a tree. And I hear you're too short to be Snoopy, Ken…"
"Yeah. You should fit the costume though, Jou," says Kenichi, "I'll get it and you can try it on." He rises from his chair and heads into a different room.
"We think we have the rest of the plans for props and things," says Honda starting to show the rest of the papers to Jounouchi.
"Remind me to call the music teacher at our school and ask if we can borrow instruments," says Jounouchi, "He has the sweetest little baby grand piano, and I just know Reika would like to play it."
"Okay," says Honda scribbling a note on a blank piece of paper and passing it to Jounouchi.
"Um… what's this say?"
"Call music teacher about instruments…"
"Gimme the pen. I can't read your writing," says Jounouchi taking the pen off the table and writing the note clearly before putting the pen down again. He folds the paper and pockets it.
Kenichi steps back into the kitchen and passes the costume to Jounouchi. "I really hope it fits you!"
Jounouchi unzips the back of the costume and kicks off his shoes before climbing into it.
"I'll zip it for you," says Kenichi stepping up behind Jounouchi and zipping up the jumpsuit. "Guess what, Jou?"
Jounouchi lifts the Snoopy head onto his shoulders before saying, "It fits."
"It fits perfectly! Can you see okay?" asks Kenichi.
"Can you see at all?" asks Honda.
"I can see fine," says Jounouchi, "I'm going to show everyone!" He turns around carefully and walks into the living room. "Woof! Woof!"
Tami's eyes widen to saucer proportions. "Snoopy!"
"Yugi, how's you like to be director for the play since I obviously have to play Snoopy?" asks Jounouchi.
Yugi tries not to laugh. "I'd love to!"
"So Anzu, I'm going to need you to help me field phone calls, okay? We have to arrange for the food and stuff still…"
Anzu hides her chuckles by turning her back on Jou. "Can we talk about this after you change out of the dog costume?"
Jounouchi rushes out of the living room and enters the kitchen quickly. He pulls the head off so that only the two seventeen-year-old boys can see his blushing face. "Kaiba is never going to let me live this one down!"
"Why?" Kenichi looks confused as he helps Jounouchi out of the costume.
"Kaiba always calls Jou mean dog names like mutt," says Honda, "and now Jou's dressing up like one."
"Why do you care what he thinks about you?" asks Kenichi. He wraps the costume back up and puts it in the bag from the costume shop.
"Because I like him," says Jounouchi putting on his shoes, "Really like him."
"As in you want to date him?" asks Kenichi.
"No way! Jou would never want to date that pompous windbag! He's a complete and total ass!" exclaims Honda.
Jounouchi's blush only seems to deepen.
"He's always nice to us," says Kenichi, "The Seto we know sounds nothing like…"
"The Kaiba he described," says Jounouchi, "You know Seto. We've only seen glimpses of him. We normally see Kaiba and while they are the same person, they also aren't…"
"Jou, ask Seto to show himself to you…"
"Ew, gross!"
Jounouchi swats the back of Honda's head.
"I meant show his true self to Jou," says Kenichi also swatting Honda on the back of the head.
"Well… I have more work to do so I'd better get to it. Yugi's the director so show him your plans for the set," says Jounouchi before heading back to the living room.
Everyone sits in a circle just reading through their lines for the play, and little Tami sits in the middle smiling as brightly as a lit up Christmas tree.
Jounouchi watches everyone with a smile for a moment before tapping Anzu on her shoulder.
Anzu gets up and follows Jounouchi into another room where an old woman sits at a desk.
"Hello, Grandmother," says Jounouchi, "This is Anzu. She's going to be helping me out this year."
"Nice to meet you, Anzu," says the woman rising on wobbly legs, "I run this institution. You may call me Grandmother."
"Nice to meet you, Grandmother."
"Can we use your speakerphone?" asks Jounouchi quickly, "I want to call caterers and introduce Anzu to them. I'd like you, Anzu, to be in charge of the food to be served during the performance. It's sort of a dinner theater. I can tell you all the details when we're talking to the caterers."
"Would you stay long enough tonight to put the little ones in bed, Jou?" asks Grandmother.
"Yeah! I love reading bedtime stories to Tami," says Jounouchi with a smile.
"Then I will retire for the evening," says Grandmother, "Good night to you both."
"Good night," says Anzu.
Jounouchi walks to the Rolodex sitting on top of the file cabinet as Grandmother leaves the room to head to bed. He turns it to a card and carefully removes it. "This company has always been very good to us. They give me a huge discount because I'm doing it all for charity."
"Okay… Jou, I don't want to mess this up," says Anzu.
"Then don't," says Jounouchi turning back to the desk and sitting down in the chair, "Bring a chair around and we'll make the call." He grabs out a blank notepad from a desk drawer and lifts a pen from the penholder.
Anzu moves a chair around to sit close to Jounouchi's side.
"How neat is your handwriting?"
"It's very neat!" exclaims Anzu taking the pen and notepad from Jounouchi.
"First off. Put their name and phone number on the top for quick reference later," says Jounouchi showing the Rolodex card to Anzu.
Anzu writes the name 'Gourmet Dreams' down on her paper with the phone number. "Okay."
Luckily they have evening hours so we'll be able to talk to them after school," says Jounouchi dialing the number and leaving the phone set on 'speaker'.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Gourmet Dreams. How can I help you?
"Can I speak to the owner or manager please?" asks Jounouchi.
Please hold.
"The owner is Tadashi-san," says Jounouchi as Anzu writes down the name, "and the manager is Kohei-san."
Tadashi, comes a voice from the phone.
"Tadashi-san. This is Jounouchi from Domino City Orphanage. We spoke last week about the yearly Season of Love charity fundraiser," says Jounouchi.
Oh, yes, Jounouchi-san! I remember you, young man!
"I'd like to introduce you to my assistant, Mazaki-san."
"Good evening, Tadashi-san. My name is Mazaki Anzu."
Mazaki-san. Do I take this introduction to mean that I'll be hearing from you more than Jounouchi-san?
"Jounouchi-san has more duties than normal this year, so I've agreed to take over the food management aspect," says Anzu, "Although I'm still not sure of what I'm doing."
Don't worry. I know all about food. The man chuckles. What size meal did you want, Jounouchi-san?
"I was thinking three appetizers, two mains, a salad or soup, one dessert, and maybe some cookies and milk as a second dessert," says Jounouchi, "But what do you two think?"
"Maybe we could do a soup as one of the appetizers and have the salad during the meal," says Anzu, "The salad could be in between the two mains or else we would need a palate cleanser."
I'd like to do a gelato for the palate cleanser… perhaps something with a light hint of peppermint, comes the voice over the phone.
"Oh, that sounds refreshing and very fit for the season," says Anzu.
"Well, if you two think you've got it covered I'm going to go out and help the kids memorize their lines," says Jounouchi.
Don't worry, Jounouchi-san. We'll plan a feast kit for a king.
"Thank you, Tadashi-san… you too, Mazaki-san," says Jounouchi before standing and heading out of the office as Anzu moves into the more comfortable chair.