Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Now how hard is that?
A/N: I got the idea for this when I had to explain to seven and eight-year-olds what 'adultery' was. Long, yes but it's mostly dialogue. In case some of you have never heard of it, The Price is Right © is a North American game show which has been on air since forever. Please read and review!
Summary: [One-shot] The knowledge of certain 'facts of life' have always been reserved for adults. But after watching a certain T.V. show, young Mokuba begins to wonder about the subject and seeks to find answers. Every lie contains a bit of truth.
Spayed or Neutered
"...and remember help control the animal population, have your pets spayed or neutered..."
Mokuba lazily picked off the sesame seeds from his burger as the closing theme music came on and the happy winner of a brand new car ran to greet his family. Such an old television show, old enough to have existed when his parents were children, yet the host, a man by the name of Bob Barker hadn't seemed to age a bit from the time he and Seto watched the program as kids in the orphanage.
The man must have been immortal, either that or a vampire. Anyone who watched the program questioned the host's mortality at one point or another and Mokuba too had his doubts. His brother merely scoffed at this question, considering it a waste of time to contemplate such a pointless issue. Kaiba simply informed him it was all the work of make-up artists and that cosmetics cover all, even the fact that the man may be over a century old. Replacing people wasn't such an uncommon practice either.
Pushing away the half-eaten cheeseburger, he gulped down the rest of his root beer and wiped the ketchup off the corners of his mouth. Perhaps it was best to forget about it. He doubted anyone would find out the answer and it was somewhat of a pointless question. Besides, he could always bring the matter up again in thirty years when the man would be long gone. If he was long gone.
Spayed or neutered
That he couldn't get out of his mind. It was partially the fact that those words sounded so foreign to the ear but it was also the way people talked about it, or them, that roused his curiosity. From what he'd heard, the concept was always very hushed and forbidden as if something terrible would happen if it was referred to too openly. He never really got around to asking his brother but maybe that was a good thing, Kaiba would probably brush him off like before.
"Are you finished with that, Mokuba?"
"Huh?" he snapped out of his train of thought to see Tea standing over him with a smile, "Oh y-yeah, I'm done, thanks Tea."
The brunette picked up his tray and dumped its contents into the trash before returning with a damp cloth and spray bottle. Mokuba watched quietly as she wiped down his table, humming to herself.
"Uh, hey Tea."
She looked up at him without stopping, "Yeah?"
Mokuba sat on his hands and began kicking his feet, "I just have a – can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"It's kind of weird though."
"Shoot."
"It's like this, I sort of know what it means but I sort of don't. Well I've just heard it before and stuff but I.....so yeah."
"Can you say what 'it' is exactly?"
He sighed, finally decided to just ask her out flat, "Why do people keep saying to 'spay' and 'neuter' your pets?"
Tea continued working, unfazed by the question, "Well, spaying is what you do to female animals and neutering is what you do to male ones."
"But why?"
"To prevent them from having babies."
"How?"
"What do you mean 'how?'"
"How does it keep them from having babies?"
She paused for a second, "It just does."
This brought a new question to mind, something Mokuba neglected to consider before. Now that Tea mentioned it, he realised he didn't know about that either.
"So where do babies come from anyways?"
The girl stopped, tossing the soiled cloth onto the table and taking the seat across from him. She folded her arms on the counter and gaze at him with a staid expression.
Something told the boy he'd asked the wrong question.
"I don't know what Kaiba's been telling you but it's wrong, especially for someone your age."
Mokuba blinked, "Huh?"
Tea ignored the questioned and continued, "You're lucky to be a guy, there are so many girls out there who are hurt, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well."
"What? Why?"
"Because of guys who claim to love them but can't take the responsibility or are jerks and leave them when they, well you know."
"I don't get it."
"It's simple," Tea continued staring straight at him. He tried to avoid her gaze but at every glance caught her cerulean eyes still on him, "Most guys are only in it for one thing."
"Is this where babies come in?" He wasn't quite sure they were on the same topic but was intrigued by what she was telling him.
"I guess you can say that."
"What do you mean?"
"You see, if they're lucky than no, but if they're not lucky than yes."
"Than how do you get lucky?"
Tea's eyes widened and she stood straight up, "Mokuba! So that's it! I can't believe you'd ask me that. I, I gotta go."
"What? Hey what did I say? Tea, come back, Tea!" The boy watched as the teen picked up her supplies and disappeared into the back room marked 'Employees Only.' He stared blankly at the door for a while before dejectedly getting to his feet and leaving the fast food restaurant.
He heaved a sign, glancing at his watch which read 11:30 AM. The day was still young and Mokuba was not one to give up.
.............oooooooooooooo..................
There was a duel going on....again and Mokuba could tell from the distinct crown of colourful locks that Yugi was involved in it. Ever since Kaiba Corp. began mass-producing the new duel disks, outdoor duels had become all the rage and everywhere a person went, he was sure to come face to face with a monster or two. It wasn't much of a workout in terms of physical exercise but no one could complain about not getting enough fresh air.
He plopped down lethargically on a nearby bench and watched as Yugi declared an attack on the other person's Dark Witch. Final Score: 1100 to 0.
He found it somewhat comical how people reacted to losing and stifled a giggle as Yugi's opponent ripped the duel disk off his arm, hurled it to the ground and stomped away, leaving a trail of obscene and rather loud curses behind. He had to admit, Yugi was taking the insults quite well but then again he always seemed to have a rather unnerving and regal outlook when he was duelling. That and the fact that he got taller. And his voice changed. And his hair was slightly different. And his eyes were narrower. But like Seto had said many times before, it was all in his imagination.
Mokuba gave a loud sigh and caught the other's attention. Yami strolled towards him, carefully sitting himself beside the boy and removing the duel disk from his left arm. The younger noticed the thick tan line around the teen's forearm but said nothing, only watched as Yami sat back and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"That was a great duel, Yugi." He stated half-heatedly
"Why thank you Mokuba," Yami cocked an eyebrow at the younger boy's attitude, Mokuba was usually such a happy person "Is something the matter?"
"No, not really." the raven-haired boy replied tiredly, staring down at the grass
"Hmm......"
"Well, it's kind of embarrassing, really, but it was sort of my fault."
"What is it?" the duellist inquired
"It's just that Tea got mad at me and I don't really know why. I feel bad about it though."
"Why would Tea be angry at you?"
"Think it was cause I asked her stuff about babies and where they came from, I don't know."
Yami chuckled, "Perhaps she just misunderstood you, Mokuba, but if there is still something you are unsure of, than maybe I can help settle your curiosity."
Mokuba's expression brightened a little and he turned his eyes away from the grass and onto Yami, "Really? Thanks Yugi!"
Yami smiled, "But I must warn you, my knowledge may be obsolete, it has been five millennia after all."
"It changes?" the boy wondered uneasily, completely missing the point about his facts being five thousand years old.
"Now let me see," Yami placed a hand on his chin and turned his face up to the sky, "In Ancient Egypt, producing offspring served many important purposes, two of which I am most familiar with are to form alliances with foreign countries and ensuring a legitimate heir to the throne. A ruler of a vast land such as that of Egypt must constantly be on guard for enemy invasions and to minimize that risk, it is best to form coalitions with alien nations, the ones that may otherwise rise to become enemies, do you understand?"
Mokuba stared at him blankly; his mouth agape, but nodded.
Yami's expression softened, wearing a look of nostalgia, "Of course being able to secure one's throne is not enough. A powerful ruler is responsible for keeping the firm hold on his empire steady, even after he has passed onto the afterlife. Pharaohs may be deities but it is the spirit or Ba and not the flesh that is immortal. This is where a successor is of utmost importance. A child, preferably the blood son of the pharaoh, is needed to continue, as one might say, where his father left off........"
The ex-pharaoh continued his path down memory lane, going into great detail about the advantages of not only being an intelligent and thoughtful leader but also possessing a bit of ruthlessness in governing as well. He pulled examples of ancient pharaohs, throwing in terms such 'political deadlock,' 'treason,' and 'coming of age,' all of which Mokuba could not make any sense out of. He didn't care much about it anyways, having long ago zoned out and taking more of an interest in toddlers playing tag than what Yami had to say.
"....and that, Mokuba, was how the members of the Tamosian Dynasty were so successful in their ventures." Yami heaved a big sigh, "So, does that answer your question? Mokuba? Mokuba!"
The boy blinked and snapped back to reality as he felt a nudge on his arm, "Huh? Oh y-yeah that was....uh....real great, but I sort of gotta go now, think Seto's waiting for me. Thanks Yugi." Wasting no time, he hopped off the bench, immediately feeling the pins and needles in his right leg and hobbled away as quickly as he could.
Yami relaxed against the bench, feeling a cool breeze filtering through his hair, "It's nice to see children taking an interest in history."
/Yami, I know that was a......delicate subject but did you have to go THAT far off topic?/
The spirit blinked, "What do you mean? I told him all I knew about childbirth."
/He didn't want to know about that, Yami, he wanted to know about well.../
"What?"
/The mechanics behind having a baby, you know, where they come from not what they are for./
"Hmm, I see."
/So?/
"You see I'm not quite......"
/Quite what?/ Yugi could feel a slight warmth flowing through the mind-link, was Yami...blushing?
"I'm not quite......sure of the answer myself."
/What!? You're kidding!/
"I'm not."
/You mean you know nothing, nothing at all?/
"I know that when a woman is with child, her abdomen swells and grows in size for the duration of approximately nine moons. Then after that, the enfant is no longer in her stomach but nestled against her bosom nursing. Quite an enduring sight actually."
Yugi smiled. He'd never seen this side of his yami before, it was rather amusing. /That's it?/
"Well, you must understand that I 'died' at a very young age. Throughout my upbringing, I was always reminded of how important it was to be a strong ruler and marry wisely. Then I was forced to defend the world from the shadow games so there wasn't much of an opportunity to find out such things."
/I guess you're right/
"But I suppose it's never too late to learn."
/No/
"You were the one who brought it up."
/No/
"Please Yugi."
/No/
.............oooooooooooooo..................
Click
Click
Click
"Is there a reason why you are leaning against the doorframe, Mokuba?"
"Na, just thinking is all."
Click
Click
Click
"Uh hey Seto."
"Yes?"
"Is it true?"
"What?"
"What Yugi said?"
"If Yugi said it, than no." Kaiba took a sip of his coffee
"No really," Mokuba sauntered into the office and plopped down on a cushioned chair in front of his brother's desk, "I wasn't totally sure what he said but Yugi told me that in Egypt babies have something to do with le-intimately joining nations."
Kaiba nearly choked on his drink. Any perverted mind would have taken that statement in a rather earthy sense but not one of Kaiba's intellect. He'd seen how the human psyche slowly deteriorated with age, especially during the teenage years, but managed to repel the contagiously diseased mentalities of others and keep his mind pure for more important things. Like running a company. What did surprise him was the fact the Yugi was still hopelessly devoted to the fairy-tale Ishizu ranted about ages ago.
He gracefully gulped down the coffee and tugged at the opening of his coat, straightening out the ruffles. Turning attention back to the PC, he continued typing rhythmically, "Didn't I warn you about Yugi before? He may be an exceptional duellist (he grimaced at that) but he's also very gullible and would believe the moon was made of icing sugar if it was etched on a stone tablet and relayed to him by some crazed woman who has nothing better to do with her time than interfere with other people's lives."
Mokuba grinned, "And that's why I came to ask you, big brother."
Kaiba paused for a moment, he should have seen that one coming, "I'm very busy right now."
"Aw c'mon Seto, you're always busy."
"You're right, I am." He replied without shifting his eyes an inch from the screen
"So?"
"So come back when I'm not."
"Please, just this once and I won't bother you again."
"I lost count, how many times have you said that?"
"I mean it this time."
"That too."
"Than I'll just hang around here 'till you tell me."
"Fine, do that."
"Please, just one minute."
"No."
"C'mon."
"No."
"Fine then, guess I'll just go back and ask Yugi about it some more, see ya Seto."
"Wait."
The boy smiled, that got him every time.
Kaiba wearily closed the program he was working on and leaned forward a bit on his desk, clasping his hand under his chin. He didn't want to have to do this but if it meant scrubbing away the residue from whatever poison his rival fed to his younger brother than it was worth it. Sort of.
"Have you heard of the term 'artificial insemination?'"
Mokuba scratched his cheek with a finger, "I've only heard of the word 'artificial.'"
Kaiba grinned, "That's good enough."
"So what is it anyways?"
"Exactly where babies come from," Kaiba leaned back on his chair and folded his arms across his chest, "In every country, there is a manufacturing company that specialises in producing babies, hence the term 'artificial.'"
"So babies are fake then?" Mokuba asked sceptically
"Yes and no. Unlike cars or games, these companies use highly advanced technology and combine it with live cells containing human DNA to produce a creature that is half human, half robot. They call it a zygote."
"Yeah right, so why aren't we half robots too?"
"Do you want me to answer your question or not? Kaiba asked darkly
"Okay fine." The boy wined
"The zygote is then placed in a large holding container filled with a liquid called amniotic fluid where it draws nutrients and energy from to survive and grow. As soon as the zygote begins this stage of growth, it is called an embryo."
Mokuba plopped his elbows on the table, carefully listening to every word. All doubt seemed to have disappeared from the boy's face.
Kaiba continued, "Why we aren't robots is because of this: the longer the embryo spends in this fluid, the more the human part of it can take effect and produce more human cells. The fluid is acidic so it wears down the robotic components of the embryo, causing it to rust and weaken. The human cells can easily take over where the metal used to be, causing the embryo to become more of a human and less of a robot. This process usually takes about nine months."
Mokuba nodded slowly in understanding, eyes fixed on the speaker. He, like any other 11-year-old, was quite fascinated with science fiction.
"As soon as the nine month process is complete the embryo, now called an infant, is ready to be shipped to any couple who fills out and sends them the papers."
"Uh huh, so it works like this everywhere?"
"Yes, everywhere."
Mokuba stared at his brother for a moment before standing up and stretching "Cool, but it's totally different from what Yugi told me."
Kaiba turned attention back to his computer, "Remember, Yugi is a liar and you should never listen to him."
.............oooooooooooooo..................
"Wait a minute, so the tadpoles swim where?"
"Up a river, and there are thousands, millions even, all fighting to be first to get to the giant sea bubble."
"Sea bubble?"
"Yeah, sea bubble, it's like a –shut up Joey - huge race, all of them trying to be first to get to it."
"Why?"
"Cause the first one there gets inside and the rest are locked out."
"What's so great about getting inside?"
"Um, cause then it'll get the, uh treasure that's inside; you know how oysters have pearls? Well the sea bubble has something like that too, only better and it causes the tadpole to turn into a baby. Trust me; it's a good thing to get inside. I said shut up Joey!"
"Oh really?" Mokuba asked, watching Tristan take a lick of his orange popsicle while a red-faced Joey sat beside him on the grass trying not to burst into giggles. He'd grossly coughed up whatever bit of red popsicle in his mouth whenever the brunette mentioned the word 'tadpole' and burst out laughing, to Mokuba's dismay.
The raven-haired boy wrapped an arm around his knees and began picking at the grass, "Nice try guys but I'm not about to believe that we came from tadpoles racing to get into a sea bubble."
"Oh yeah? Well why not?" Tristan inquired, shoving the rest of what remained on the wooden stick into his mouth.
"C'mon guys, tadpoles?" he scooted away from Joey as the blonde burst into a fit of laughter again, hacking up more of the red treat, "That's where frogs come from, not people."
The brunette tossed the stick in the air, missing the garbage can by mere inches, "Damn, can ya get that for me man?"
"No way, get it yourself."
"Aw, c'mon, don't be a lazy ass."
"You're da lazy ass, ya can't throw either."
"Let's see you try, smart guy."
"I would but I ain't finished wit dis yet."
"Now you are," Tristan grabbed the half-eaten popsicle and slide the remains onto the grass, receiving a shove from Joey.
"Hey, dat cost me two whole dollars!"
"Aww, poor lil puppy."
"What'd ya call me?"
"You heard me!"
"Hey guys, HEY GUYS! There, anyways I said that's where frogs came from, not people."
The two froze in their positions, Joey having Tristan in a headlock and Tristan about to take a dirty shot with his foot at the area below Joey's belt. They released each other and sat back down onto the grass with a 'humph.'
"Well how do you know it's not true?" Tristan finally acknowledged the boy
"It's not." Mokuba stated simply
"Well if you don't believe us than why don't you go ask Kaiba?" Joey added
"I did."
"And?"
"He said that babies were made from something called 'artificial insemination' where they started out as being half robots and then become human in this container thingy filled with some kind of water."
Joey and Tristan looked at each other for a second, blinked, and fell to the ground clutching their stomachs and shaking uncontrollably.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Mokuba asked in confusion
"K-kaiba's been hanging round wit dose machines of his for waaaay too long," Joey sputtered, barely able to catch his breath.
"Meh, he's probably just speaking from personal experience," Tristan added
"Yeah no wonder he's so cold and cranky all da time, he's made of tin cans." Joey managed to get back up in a sitting position though still doubled over from laughter.
"Some one should really help that guy get back to reality."
They both looked at each other and said in unison, "Na!" once again cracking up.
"So my brother was wrong?" Mokuba asked, slightly worried
"Hey Joey, you rust in the rain?" the brunette wiped a tear from the corner of his eye
"Nope," he knocked at his head, "Dis right here is all stainless steel."
"You don't have to keep rubbing it in," Mokuba stood up and brushed the grass off his pants, annoyed, "See ya later."
The pair watched as the boy ran off into the distance, Tristan suddenly feeling a bit guilty for upsetting the kid, "You think we were too hard on the little guy?"
Joey lay back down on the grass and stared up at the sky, "Na man, Mokuba'll get ova it. Gotta thank him one day."
"Why?"
"Cause now, Kaiba won't be makin dem dog jokes at me anymore."
.............oooooooooooooo..................
"It's Serenity isn't it?" Mai draped an arm around the boy's neck, "Ah, young love, when I was your age I never got out much so I never really had my first crush until I became a teen. But I Have to say, you have pretty good taste, Serenity's a very nice girl."
Mokuba stared in awe at the screen flashing the words 'Game Over' as Mai easily beat the high score on that particular arcade game. Who knew her interests stretched beyond that of shopping and Duel Monsters?
The blonde peeked into her coin purse and frowned, "Hmm, no more quarters, all well, I'll just get some more change later," She winked at one of the bus boys as she led Mokuba out of the dimly lit arcade into the sunlight, immediately shielding her eyes from the brightness. "You know, I'm really flattered that you came to ask me for advice even if that first question of yours was a bit out of the ordinary. Guess I can't blame you, growing up with someone like Kaiba and all. No offence."
"Um, it's alright, everyone says that, but that's not what I was askin – "
"You know what a girl really likes? Mai gazed into the shops windows as they strolled down the sidewalk, "A gentleman, someone who's polite, opens doors, pulls out the chair for her, on time for a date; you know that kind of stuff."
"Umm, so why should I care about this?" Mokuba asked as politely as possible
Mai looked shocked for a moment but shook it off, he was only a kid after all, "Because then Serenity will see what a great person you are and she'll like you back."
"Huh? What's this got to do with Serenity?" somehow he made the connection that babies had something to do with girls and felt his interest in the subject slowly slipping away.
The girl only laughed, "Okay I won't mention Serenity in public if it embarrasses you. Now another thing a girl likes is a guy who's romantic."
Mokuba made a face, thinking back to the television shows where everyone said mushy things to each other and sucked face all the time.
"A girl loves it when her boyfriend surprises her with roses or takes her out in the evening to gaze at the stars, or even better, the sunrise" She sighed, "Those kinds of things are considered romantic, get it?"
"Uh huh."
"Also," she smiled watching a couple leave a French restaurant hand in hand, "They like it when guys buy things for them, you know as gifts. It doesn't have to be for any special occasion, it's basically just to show that they care. Treating them out to lunch and dinner also a good way to do it."
Mokuba looked up at her and cocked his head, "So...does Joey do these things for you?"
Mai froze, a deep blush beginning to show through her creamy foundation, "W-what?"
"I said, does Joey do these things for you?"
"Um," she cleared he throat, "J-Joey and I, we're just friends and sort of rivals since we duel each other. But that's it. Hey look," she pointed down the street, "That's my favourite place to shop at; I'll help you find a great gift for Serenity."
Before the boy could reply, he felt Mai dragged him down the street and into a store called Louis Vuitton (©), where everything was so expensive even his brother would hesitate to buy from there just to give the item away. Mai however seemed very generous with her money and began picking out different clothes and make-ups, asking him what he thought went with what. For the second time that day, Mokuba zoned out.
Seven halter tops, 11 leather skirts, six pairs of boots, 14 shades of pink lipstick and a whole load of other miscellaneous articles of clothing (most of which he couldn't identify as tops or bottoms) later, Mokuba wearily dragged himself out of the store behind a very satisfied Mai, carrying four bags in each hand.
He plopped down on a nearby bench and dropped the bags at his feet in exhaustion, trying to catch his breath. At this rate, he'd have to catch her off guard if he was to find an escape.
"See, Mokuba, shopping isn't only about buying things, it's also an art. And like any other types of art, it has to be perfected over time; you'll get the hang of it soon."
That woke him up. If there was anything he never wanted to do again it was shopping and Mokuba realised that if he didn't get out of there that very moment, he was going to regret if for the rest of his life.
"Uh Mai, thanks for...uh... but I gotta go now, it's getting late." He got to his aching feet and hurried away before the girl could reply.
"Wait, Mokuba, you forgot your gift."
"Keep it." He shouted from half a block away
Mai was a bit taken back but brushed it off. She leaned back on the bench and slipped off her boots, "He should have told me that Serenity didn't like yellow."
.............oooooooooooooo..................
Ishizu stood back and marvelled at the new collection of artefacts she'd spend the day setting up. The collection she named 'The Zenana' featured a variety of items used as decoration in an area equivalent to the modern day spa where the queen and her hand maidens would spend their leisure time.
She smiled to herself, remembering the reaction on Yami's face when he found out that not only did he have a queen in his past life but two hundred fifty of them.
Ishizu was about to place the last vase in its place when her vision blurred and she saw an image of Mokuba running towards the museum. The image faded away and she placed a hand over her Millennium Necklace, feeling the warmth of its glow under her finger.
"Hmm, the younger Kaiba is coming this way."
She closed her eyes in concentration.
"With a burning desire to know......"
She knitted her thin eyebrows together forming a crease on her forehead.
"About..."
Her eyes shot open. The last time she explained this to her brother and let him loose with the information, Malik came home past midnight in handcuffs, escorted by four angry policemen who told her he was under house arrest for the following three months.
The only thing that shocked her more was hearing them relay what actually happened. Apparently cucumbers were involved.
So, fearing the fate of the poor child and the wrath of his older brother, Ishizu calmly placed the vase in its place and did the only thing she could think of.
She ran for it.
.............oooooooooooooo..................
Mokuba sat on the curb of a sidewalk, angrily kicking at the rocks around him. They were all liars, each and every one of them and if they weren't lying, he thought back to the empty museum, they were running away from him.
He may have been younger than them, but they didn't have to treat him like an idiot. Even his older brother didn't have the sincerity to tell him the simple truth, instead wasting his energy in making up a story about robots. And be believed it too. Maybe he was as stupid as they thought he was.
"Ow!"
Mokuba turned his eyes from the ground to see Ryou nursing his ankle from where the rock hit him.
"Oh, sorry about that Ryou," he said half-heartedly
"Oh it's alright," the white-haired boy replied, sitting down next to him, "Is something the matter? Why are you here alone, Mokuba?"
"Cause they all hate me and I hate them." He replied irritably
"Who hates you?"
"Them, Tea, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Mai, and my brother, they all hate me so they lied to me. And Ishizu hated me more so she ran from me, she's always in the museum but noooo, she knew I was coming so she took off." Mokuba gave a swift kick at one of the larger rocks, sending it rolling across the street.
Ryou wrapped his arms around his knees, appearing thoughtful, "I'm sure they didn't mean to hurt your feelings. They were probably just kidding around with you."
"All of them?"
"Well, perhaps they were trying to protect you from something. What did you say to them anyways?"
"I asked them," Mokuba leaned towards the teen and whispered into his ear, what little colour on Ryou's face all drained away and he froze.
The boy noticed this and became more irritated, "See, you did it too! Whatever, you can go if you want, don't waste your breath."
/Ha! The brat wants to know that? What the hell has Kaiba been telling the kid?/
"Stop it, yami; it's not something for children to know."
Bakura scoffed /I've known since I was a tot. My parents were hesitant on nothing./
"Well it's not a very comfortable issue to talk about."
/How so? It's simply this: women are put on this planet to serve two purposes, for slavery and se- /
"Yami!"
/What?/
"That's, that's not right!"
/Who are you to tell me what's right and wrong?/
"I'm your hikari. Anyways, things may be that way back in your time but they're different now.
/Too bad indeed/
Ryou tuned his attention to the fuming Mokuba and gave him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Mokuba, it's just that what you said brought back some scary memories."
"Uh huh." The boy looked uninterested
Ryou made himself comfortable and continued despite the younger's indifference. "This happened a few years ago but I still remember the details of it. My father had been injured on one of his expeditions and it was my first time visiting him in the hospital. It was a different one, outside of Domino, so I had trouble navigating through it and got lost. I don't know how, but I ended up wandering into the maternity ward."
"So you got lost, it's scary but not THAT scary." Mokuba turned his attention back to the ground.
"You're right, that's not very scary. It was something else. You see, before I realised where I was, I heard a woman scream. It wasn't just any scream though, this one sounded frightfully desperate and chilled me right down to the bone," Ryou stopped and shivered, "To begin with, I was barely able to identify it as being from a woman. It sounded as if someone was being tortured in the most gruesome way imaginable, continuously without end."
The raven-haired boy looked back up at Ryou, "Really? Then what happened?"
"Well, I figured the nurses and doctors would never do something to a patient that would merit such a dreadful cry, at least not without anaesthetic, so I headed towards the sound, thinking she was in danger. The door to the room was closed but I was positive it was the source of the sound and pounded on the door, demanding to be allowed in." Here Ryou stopped and blushed.
/Baka hikari/
"Shut up!"
"There were people inside but they didn't allow me in and the screaming grew more fearsome so I thought they were the ones hurting her. Well there was nothing I could do after that but stand at the door. My answer came when the door was finally opened and a doctor walked out, his hands covered in blood. I was about to ask him what had gone on but he immediately ask me if I was the father."
"The father?" Mokuba asked, confused
"Yes the father. That was when I heard the sounds of an infant crying and realised what had happened. The woman was giving birth, how I didn't know back then but I know now. A baby grows within a woman's stomach for about nine months before it's fully grown and ready to come out. And apparently, the coming out part was rather painful."
Mokuba nodded, a bit freaked out about what he'd heard, "Oh....."
"Um...yes. Well that's about it."
"Okay then, but just one more thing."
"What is it?"
"How does the baby get into the woman's stomach in the first place?"
.O.o
Meanwhile.........
"What?!?!?!?!" Yami nearly fell off the staircase he was perched on
Yugi nodded slowly, his hand on his forehead, eyes adverted away from the now more 'enlightened' spirit. How his yami managed to coax the information out of him he'll never know, but it was a mistake to do so.
The pharaoh managed to regain his composure and straightened up uncomfortably. He cleared his throat, "I see."
"Um...yeah." Yugi replied
"I can understand why it is such a, as you referred to it, 'delicate issue.'" Yami said gingerly
Yugi nodded, still keeping his eyes away from Yami.
The spirit crossed his arms, "However, this also explains something else I've been wondering about since I regained my memories."
"What?" Yugi was afraid to ask
"The strange noises coming from Priest Seto's chamber at night."
-End-