Author's Note: Okay, I seriously don't know where this came from. At all. Just a little thought floating in my head :P I'm not sure if Solomon kept the ripped card cause I haven't watched all the episodes (there are so many and I forgot where I left off D:) so in this, I'm gonna have Kaiba keep the ripped card :P There's not enough Solomon or humble!Kaiba on here D: Anyways, hope you enjoy! Justa drabble, nothing major, so don't get your undies in a twist if you don't like it.
Rating: K
Warning: Nice Kaiba (sort of…) and not much else. That's why it's rated K :P NOT SOLOMANxKAIBA! EWW!
Dislcaimer: I will NEVER EVER own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters! This is just for fun!
Summary: It's always better to ask for forgiveness than permission – since when does Kaiba do either?
Soloman hummed a nameless tune happily as he dusted some old nooks and crannies and wiped the display cases of his Card Shop. He loved kids and their enthusiasm for Duel Monsters, but their smudgy fingers always seemed to find their way onto the glass as they admired the cards. He bent over behind the counter, still humming, to put some things away when he heard the tell-tale ring of the shop door.
Yugi and his friends had called to let him know they'd be out for a while doing Ra knows what so it must've been an admirer or a customer. With a cheery smile, the aged man stood and greeted, "Hello, welcome to the Card Shop. How may I help…you?" he trailed off, his eyes now settling on the imposing form of Seto Kaiba.
Kaiba didn't seem to have his guards with him and only held his usual briefcase but something about his expression was…off.
"Hello, Kaiba-san. Is there anything I can help you with?" Soloman asked, a bit less cheerful but still polite.
Seto walked up to the counter and pulled something from his pocket with something akin to shame in his usually cold blue eyes. "I believe this belongs to you." He stated, holding out a card Soloman never thought he'd see again. In Kaiba's hand was none other than a Blue Eyes White Dragon.
Yugi's grandpa cleared his throat, old feelings of sadness welling in his chest, and shook his head, "I can't accept this." At Seto's puzzled expression, he gave a small smile, "It is not mine to take."
Kaiba's hard expression softened very slightly, allowing Soloman to see the regret and discomfort that only seemed to grow the longer he was in the shop, "It is yours. It's the one…I destroyed after our duel." At the older man's surprised expression, he explained, "It's not a copy nor one of my own. I had both pieces and had them restored to it's original value."
The grey-haired man only stared with a bit of shock and…pride? "But…why?"
Seto placed the card in the man's hand and did something Soloman never thought he'd see in his lifetime. He bowed, "I apologize for my actions. I was foolish and arrogant and this was something I'm not proud of." He stood and before Soloman could say anything, he was out the door, suitcase and all.
Instead, the aging man looked down at his precious card and saw the very slight scratch on the 'g' in the cards name from when he and a dueling buddy had gotten into a heated game, as well as the very slightly worn nail on one of the Dragon's claws; it was definitely his card, the one given to him by his good friend. A smile lit up his face, relief and joy and a myriad of other emotions making him feel lighter than he had in years. He finally had the card his good friend gave him in his possession again and just the memories the card brought made him feel young again.
He looked out his shop window, not able to see Kaiba's leaving car, and smiled, "You have already been forgiven."
It was only minutes later when the older man heard the shop door open again, only much more urgently than a regular customer. "Grandpa!" Yugi called worriedly as he ran into the shop, quickly followed by his friends Tristen, Joey, Tea, and Duke. "Are you okay?" he asked.
His grandfater merely blinked owlishly at him, "Yes, Yugi, I am perfectly fine. What's the matter?" Was there another raving lunatic using Duel Monster cards to take over the world again?
Joey scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking around the shop for a moment before settling his eyes on the older man in front of him, "Well, we jus' saw Rich Boy's care pullin' outta here and wanted to make sure you were okay. The last time Kaiba was here…" he glowered at the memory.
Soloman smiled and shook his head, "Oh, it's nothing to worry about." He fingered the card under the counter, "We just had a little chat. It's – drat, what do you kids say nowadays? Ah, no big deal." He chuckled as if there was some kind of inside joke but Yugi and his friends seemed to settle down.
The older man watched them enter the house for some studying and Duel Monster games and pulled out the box he'd kept his Blue Eyes in before, placing the card almost reverently on the velvet and smiling once again. With a shake of his head, he recited an old proverb he remembered and found to be very fitting in this situation.
It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, after all.
Author's Note: Hope it was entertaining :P I know, Seto's OOC but I figure that he must have a nice bone in his body SOMEWHERE. And if not, this is still my story, I can do what I want but I would like to make this enjoyable for those who liked this :D Thanks! Reviews and faves would be nice!
