Christmas specials? What?

xxxMidKnightxxx

(set in the universe of my story W is for Wartime, post Dawn of Dragons but pre KC Tournament)

"Seriously?"

"Yes we're serious, why wouldn't we be?" Yugi asked, confused as to why she was so opposed. They really DID want Kaiba to come to their Christmas party this year, he was their friend. The strange thing is that Kisara and Mokuba seemed to react the same way when trying to rope them into a scheme to get Kaiba to come.

Willingly or not.

"I just didn't think you'd want him there, he's not the… um… most festive guy"

Anzu raised an eyebrow, Mokuba had said almost exactly the same thing. Didn't they want Kaiba to come? The two were always begging the man to go and spend a little time in the outside world, why were they rejecting an opportunity for him to do just that?

"Listen, as crazy as it sounds, Rich-Boy is our friend, and we want to celebrate Christmas with him." Jou shrugged, as Honda and Yugi nodded.

Kisara sighed, "Look, I will help you guys regardless, but I don't want him bringing down your mood." Honda laughed and slapped his hand on Kisara's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we've thought it through, we have a plan to make him have a good time."

"What is it? Are you going to spike his drink?"

"Nooo…" Jounochi mocked a guilty tone, smiling at her. "We're just gonna make him feel welcome, he hasn't been having such a great time recently, but I think he's opened up a little bit and we just want to take advantage of his, let's say, better-than-normal mood." Kisara raised an eyebrow in question, to which Jounochi quickly finished, "by that I mean, he hasn't been as much of a dick."

"I dunno, sometimes that's hard to tell."

"Listen E-um, Kisara, sorry" Yugi shook his head and smiled apologetically, the transition in her names still had a hiccup period in him, "we really want him to come. Really, really. Will you help us?"

"Don't worry guys," Kisara smiled deviously, "I got this."

Seto Kaiba looked at his brother, the boy was lying on his stomach watching the television, a normal happening around this time of day, however, there was a slight difference in his brother's attitude. Though the cartoon was a comedy, Seto couldn't help but notice the slight frown on his brother's face. He was hiding something, and for him to be hiding it from Seto, it had to be something to do with the geek squad. They probably wanted him to attend some god-forsaken Christmas party, and you didn't have to be the lord to know that Seto Kaiba did not want to go.

"What's wrong, Mokuba?" he said, shuffling a stack of papers that he had just signed and filing them neatly into the 'out' tray. The boy jumped and looked up at his brother, smiling innocently.

"I'm fine, bro. Why do you ask?"

Seto narrowed his eyes, and tilted his head to the side. "Mokuba what's-"

"I really don't know what you mean," Mokuba reassured him.

"Mr. Kaiba" the intercom on Kaiba's desk spoke, "There's a Kisara here to see you." Seto Kaiba rolled his eyes. Of course, Mokuba was acting strangely, and now an out-of-the-blue visit from Kisara, this was definitely a device from the geek squad. Kaiba pushed down the button on his receiver, "Send her in then" and with that a beanied and scarfed-to-the-nines Kisara walked through the mahogany door towards his desk.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kaiba" she mocked, sitting herself down in a chair in front of his desk. At that moment, Mokuba's phone beeped, "Oh, hey Mokuba" Kisara greeted, having not seen the boy on the couch when she had walked in. Mokuba smiled apologetically at the two.

"Hey bro, can I go and get lunch with Yugi and his gang?" Seto Kaiba sighed, and looked past Kisara to his brother.

"Mokuba, if you lie down with dogs, you'll wake up with fleas."

"That wasn't a no…"

"It's fine, you can go"

And with that Mokuba was out the door, sparing a half-nod to Kisara before leaving. Kisara turned back around to the desk, where Kaiba had already started to type on the computer, as usual, generally ignoring her presence. "Aww, not happy to see me? I'll have you know that I skipped out on decorating the Christmas tree, which is my favourite by the way, just to come and argue with you."

"About what?"

"Coming to the Christmas party that the gang is throwing, which I'm sure you're already suspicious of."

Kaiba sighed and glared at her. Was she serious? She knew that he hated the nerd herd, and that every second he spent in their idiotic presence was a physically painful and mentally strenuous activity.

"Would it help if they said they missed you?" Kisara added with a childish pout, resting her elbows on the desk, and knitting her fingers. He ignored her.

"What if I made you a proposition?" She sighed, folding her arms over her body. Kaiba snorted.

"You can't out-business me, Kisara. Nor could you sway any decision I would make. The answer is no."

"What if I said please?"

"No"

"Pretty please?"

"Your childish tactics mean nothing to me." Kaiba went back to his computer. She couldn't win, and by the look on her face, she knew it. He was far too stubborn to submit to any probing that she could deliver. After a little while, Kisara sighed in defeat.

"Good chat, Kaiba."

As she was about to excuse herself from the desk, her phone rang. "Yeah Jou?" she answered, slowly excusing herself from the chair. "Huh? Oh I'm in the Kaiba Corp. building, why?" She smiled apologetically at Kaiba, who was still tapping at the keyboard and wasn't paying the slightest attention, so she rolled her eyes and started walking out. "Yeah I was just talking to him… no he's not coming. You were right, doesn't have it in him."

She smiled, though her back was turned to him, she could tell that Kaiba just started to listen in. She pulled open the door, "Fine, fine, whatever you win. I don't think it's very fair to be called a "loser" for having a little faith in someone." She stepped out, and closed the door. Holding a finger up to the receptionist who was about to ask her if she needed to be escorted out to the bus stop. "Yeah, yeah "I, Kisara Tatsumi, am a fool for ever believing that Seto Kaiba would spend an hour at a Christmas party. You, Jounochi, are the god king of space, and are right in this situation as you are in most other Kaiba-related situations." Yada, yada, yada. Whatever. Did you want something or not?" Kisara asked, cocking her to head to listen for movement inside the office, waiting to see if Kaiba was going to come over and get her. Seeming as it wasn't going to happen she walked toward the elevator, "Alright I'll be there, see you soon Jou" she said, snapping the phone shut.

She stabbed the down button, and folded her arms to wait, if she knew Kaiba as well as she thought that she did, she knew that the man wasn't going to just ignore the opportunity to prove Jounochi wrong. Just as the elevator was about to arrive, the already highly-strung secretary dashed over, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Ms. Tatsumi, um, sorry." The lady huffed, "Mr. Kaiba wants to see you." Kisara pretended to be shocked, and then smiled, and walked back into Kaiba's office. He had his arms crossed on the desk, and sat straight, looking at her.

"What's this about that mutt being right?" Kisara shrugged her shoulders, closing the door behind her.

"I dunno, we just had a bet that's all." Kaiba, gestured to a seat, which she took hesitantly, feigning ignorance as to what this was all about.

"What bet?" he probed, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean, what bet? I bet that you would come, just for an hour, and he said that you wouldn't, and I'm gonna quote directly here, "Have the balls or the patience to come, because you are-" you know, you get the picture." Kaiba smiled, and sat back in his chair.

"Nice ploy, but I'm not going to fall into that trap." Kisara frowned.

"I'm sorry? What trap?"

"How convenient you got a phone call right after we finished talking, and excellent lack of detail. I'm a businessman, Tatsumi, I know the games." Kisara strained a laugh.

"Ha ha! Guess you got me," she fake smiled, and got up to leave. "He really did say those things though," she said, before walking out.

So, Seto Kaiba was clever enough to outsmart plan A. So what? Kisara was a clever girl, and she knew that manipulating a master manipulator wasn't going to be an easy feat. She hadn't even expected plan A to work anyway. She supposed it was time to bring out the big guns, time for plan B.

Before Kisara left she had one thing to do, "I see you've picked your side, comrade" Kisara said to Mokuba, walking into his office. Mokuba nodded, of course, he wasn't going to miss out on an opportunity for his brother to have some social time. Kisara cleared the top of Mokuba's desk and place the note from her pocket on top. "Have you relayed with Isono?" Mokuba nodded again, and Kisara smiled.

Everything was in place.

"So what would you like for lunch?" she smiled deviously at the boy, who returned her grin.

"Cake, definitely cake."

Yugi, I have a question.

Yugi blinked and turned to the pharaoh, who stood cautiously by, eyeing the Christmas tree that his vessel was decorating.

"What is it Pharaoh?" Yugi answered politely, hanging another bauble and reaching into the box.

Why are you decorating this tree, and another thing, why is there a tree inside your house? Yugi laughed. Of course, the Pharaoh didn't know Christmas, in fact, he seemed a little self-conscious about the whole ordeal.

"I don't really know the whole story Pharaoh, but I think it's so that Santa knows where to put the presents."

Santa? Presents?

"Santa is a guy who rides around in a sleigh that is pulled by reindeer. The legend is that on Christmas Eve he comes down your chimney and leaves presents for the children that have been good under the Christmas tree, after that he climbs back up the chimney and rides to the next house, and he gives presents to all the kids in the world"

That sounds a bit um, is creepy the word you use? The Pharaoh frowned in concentration, the new words and traditions of the future jumbling up in his mind from time to time. Yes that's right, that sounds a bit creepy Yugi, not to mention that it'd be impossible to get to every single child in the whole world.

"I suppose he could utilise some time zones Pharaoh. Oh, and yes you're right, I suppose it is a little bit creepy." Yugi hung a few candy canes before turning to the ghostly image of his counterpart, who was still looking on at the tree. "Did you want to hang some things Pharaoh? It is your first Christmas after all." The Pharaoh looked at Yugi, and a nervous look came over his face.

I would, yes, but I'm not sure where to but the ornaments, is there a pattern?

Yugi laughed, and forcibly switched with his reluctant partner. The Pharaoh found himself at the base of the tree, a tiny angel in his hand.

"Yugi, you can't just do that! Where do I put this?" He held out the miniature figure to his shorter self, who stood by his side.

Wherever you want pharaoh. The Christmas tree doesn't have "rules" the smaller man laughed, and gestured to a plain spot on the tree. What about there? He grinned, as the pharaoh very delicately placed the ornament on the tree. After he was sure it was secure, he stepped back, cautious not to knock anything over, and smiled.

Great work Pharaoh! Yugi congratulated, smiling at his counterpart. The Pharaoh was grinning ear-to-ear.

"I like Christmas, Yugi" he affirmed, before searching for more ornaments inside the box, finding only one.

Okay, this one does have a rule. Yugi explained, as the pharaoh pulled a glittery star from the box. The pharaoh hesitated, cradling the star and looking at the projection of his friend.

"What are the rules?"

This one has to go at the very, very top, also, it has to go on last, so check to see if there is any other ornaments around. The Pharaoh checked diligently, before confirming that there were no ornaments with his partner. Yugi laughed, and nodded his head in agreement, so the Pharaoh proceeded to gently affix the star at the top of the tree.

Awesome job! Yugi beamed, as the Pharaoh sighed in relief. Thank god he hadn't messed that up, he didn't want to ruin his first, and possibly last Christmas.

"Thanks Yugi" the Pharaoh chuckled in relief, folding his arms and staring up at the tree.

"Awesome work on the tree, Yug!" Jounochi bounded in, looking up at the tree. He turned to his pal, finding the Pharaoh standing in his place. "Oh sorry Yami, I didn't know it was you from behind." He corrected, stepping back to look at the tree again.

"Wow, it looks great!" Added Anzu, carrying a bowl of biscuits she had made into the room and setting it on the table. "Well done, Pharaoh!" she added. The Pharaoh beamed, he was so happy that his friends found that his two ornaments were done well.

"Yugi did most of the work, you should thank him instead." The Pharaoh confessed, switching his place with Yugi.

"Oh nonsense! You did a great jo- Oh, he's gone" Honda stopped himself, setting a bowl of chips on the table. Yugi smiled at his friend.

"Oh don't worry, he can still hear you, he says thank you."

Jounochi nodded, then paused as he briefly glanced out the window.

"Hey, do you think that Kaiba will actually come?"

Anzu's mouth became a thin line, furrowing her brow in thought, Yugi shrugged his shoulders.

"I just can't imagine he'd be too keen, is all." Jounochi continued, before slowly walking out of the room to fetch more lollies and chips for the party.

"Well even if he doesn't come, I think we should try and be his friend. I think we've been getting through to him lately." Anzu sighed, looking out at the KC Building through the window.

"I agree, Kaiba may think he doesn't want us or need us, but deep down I think he's a little lonely, and that makes him tough to deal with, you know?" Anzu grinned, Yugi was immature sometimes, but he was very wise, and he had great morals. He was a good kid.

"Best kidnapping ever!" Mokuba laughed, exiting the theatre with a giggling Kisara in tow. They had been hopping around the city, from the arcade to the cinemas, filling the day with fun until the evening. Kaiba wouldn't even think that his brother was missing yet, in fact, Kisara would be surprised if the busy CEO even realised that it was 4:30 with her little "distractions" in place, but in about half an hour, he'd suspect something was up.

"There's still half an hour, Mokuba, what do you wanna do?" Mokuba stood still, paused in thought for half a second, before grinning. "Why don't we visit Mahad and Mana? They celebrate Christmas, right? Oh!" an idea sprung upon the boy.

"Why don't we ask them to join us?"

Kisara smiled, and dialled up Yugi "Hey, I was wondering if it would be okay to invite Mana and Mahad to the Christmas party?"

"The more the merrier!" chirped the young man on the other end of the line.

"Excellent, I'll let you know either way." Kisara snapped the phone shut, and grinned at Mokuba. "Can I get a best Christmas ever?" Kisara shouted to the sky. The boy whooped in reply and they set off to the condos in Domino's west.

"SHUSH SHUSH! HOLD YOUR HORSES I'M COMING!" Shouted Mana from the other end of the house. Loud thumping was heard from inside, as the brunette jogged to the door and threw it open. "Kisara! And Mokuba! It's great to see you both!" Mana hugged her visitors respectively and offered them a way in. Both guests politely took their shoes off at the door and stepped inside.

"Kisara, it's lovely to see you" an old lady smiled.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Mahotsukai, it is lovely to see you as well." Kisara bowed and put an arm around Mokuba, who had gone into hiding behind the doorway. "This is Mokuba." Kisara explained, pulling him forward. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Mahotsukai," Mokuba bowed respectfully.

Mrs. Mahotsukai pulled Kisara aside, who gestured for Mokuba to go on.

"He is a very polite young gentleman! Unlike his brother, what a rude man!" Mana's grandmother whispered in Arabic, sticking up her nose. "Tell me, why do you spending so much time with such a rude individual? You aren't dating are you?" Kisara reeled, shocked at getting such a personal question straight off the bat.

"No Grandma! Are you reading those Magazines again? You know they lie." Mrs. Mahotsukai sighed in relief and stroked Kisara's shoulder affectionately.

"I'm just looking out for you pet." Mrs. Mahotsukai smiled, Kisara shook her head at the old lady and smiled.

"Yes Grandma" she obliged, and bowed politely before joining her friends in the back foyer.

Mahad spun a card around in mid-air between his hands, demonstrating a simple magic trick to Mokuba, who had a card in his own hands and was looking down at it, bewildered as to what to do. "It's all in the spin, Mokuba" explained Mana, as she flicked her wrist, causing the card to hover in mid-air for a second before she gained control of it and hovered it between her own hands. Mokuba shook his head.

"I can't do that, I'm not magical." Mana and Mahad looked at each other and laughed.

"You definitely can Mokuba, you just gotta BELIEVE!" Mana giggled, waving her hands in the air. Kisara wandered over, swiping a hand over the top of the card between Mana's hands, catching the invisible thread in the process.

"Yes Mokuba, believe! It's all in the heart of the cards!" She mocked, holding the card out to Mokuba and revealing the wax ball on top.

"Hey! No fair! You guys were setting me up to fail!" Mokuba laughed, as Mana and Mahad removed the wax strips from behind their ears. Mana smiled and shrugged her shoulders, and Mahad ruffled Mokuba's hair with a guilty smile.

"We just wanted to be cool" Mana whined, sitting down on the outdoor couch.

"You're already cool," Mokuba reassured her, causing Mana to squeal and lock Mokuba in a tight hug.

"You are just the cutest thing ever! I love you Mokuba! I love you, I love you, I love you!" Mokuba mock coughed.

"You're… suffocating… me…" he joked, causing Mana to release him.

"Speaking of suffocation, would you guys like to come to a party tonight?" Kisara asked, suddenly remembering her greater purpose of the day. Mana bounced up and down on the chair, and looked at her brother. Who shrugged his shoulders and nodded.

"Woo hoo! Christmas is the best ever!" Mokuba shouted, smiling widely at Kisara, who nodded her head in agreement and grinned. Now it was just Kaiba she needed to reel into the party.

Just then a thought dawned on Kisara, a way to back up plan B?

"Mana…." Kisara whispered to the friend behind her slyly.

To say that KaibaCorp. HQ had been busy today had been an understatement. Ever since Kisara had left, the phones had been ringing non-stop with bogus callers, and every machine had started going haywire, from the second-floor coffee machine brewing exactly 8 cappuccino's into the one cup to the duel robot singing Christmas Carols non-stop.

Then, suddenly, at exactly 5:00pm the phone lines stopped, the cappuccinos had stopped brewing and the duel robot relented it's rendition of the "12 Days of Christmas." It had only taken him 10 minutes to work out exactly who to blame after the sudden ceasefire, and he was going to kill her next time he saw her. As he started to put all of his Christmas paperwork into the briefcase at his side, an empty feeling dawned on him.

Mokuba.

He had gone out to lunch nearly 5 hours ago, and hadn't called Seto to update him on anything. He should be back by now. He pressed the button down on his intercom.

"Isono, has Mokuba gone back to the mansion?"

Isono did his best to sound flustered, just as master Mokuba had instructed.

"No sir."

"He hasn't called you?"

"No sir."

Kaiba frowned, it was unlike Mokuba to be away from Seto for so long, especially on Christmas Eve when they got to spend the most time together.

"Perhaps sir, he just went back to his office." Isono suggested, as per the instructions

Kaiba grumbled, he wouldn't have been in there for so long by himself. Perhaps he was beta testing the game that was set to go out in Easter? Even then, he would have played it in Seto's office. Casually, Seto stepped out, past his secretary who was packing up her office for the day, and walked the short stretch of hall to Mokuba's office. He peered inside. Empty. He was about to turn and leave, until a small note on his desk caught his eye. A Christmas hat was drawn poorly on the cover, and the words "Skype. 5:15" written in Kisara's tidy cursive.

Oh, you have got to be kidding.

By the time Seto had stalked back, in a blaze of fury, the clock on his laptop ticked over to 5:15, and the tune of Skype's incoming call notification. At the end of his patience, Kaiba hovered over the decline button. In the interest of his brother, however, and in the rare chance that this wasn't a trick and Mokuba was really in trouble, Seto obliged and answered the call.

His brother sat on a wooden chair in a barren room. Initially, Seto's eyes grew in alarm, until he realised that Mokuba wasn't bound at all, and was in fact sitting comfortably and didn't seem panicked.

He should be, with the relief that washed over Seto came irritated rage. Mokuba wore a Christmas sweater, a Christmas hat dangling haphazardly off of his head, threatening to fall off and release Mokuba's long hair.

"Help Seto! I've been Christmas-ed!" Mokuba laughed. Seto almost growled, and was about to yell at his brother, until the true perpetrator of his problems stepped out of the shadows behind Mokuba's chair and leaned against it.

"That's right Kaiba, if you want to see your brother within the next 4 hours, I suggest you be at the Kame game shop as soon as possible."

Kaiba felt a headache beginning to form between his eyebrows. He glared at Kisara, who sported an equally ugly sweater in red and an equally askew Christmas hat.

"Kisara, I swear to you, the next time I see you-"

"-which will be in an hour with all that Christmas traffic."

"You've got to be kidding, I'm not going anywhere near this ridiculous Christmas party."

"Sure you are, because if you don't I'll force your brother to eat so much pudding he'll explode, or, more likely, just be really sick."

Seto grit his teeth.

"I'll see you in an hour!" Kisara merged back into the shadows, laughing.

"Please come Seto, at least to pick me up and take me back home because I want to spend Christmas Eve with you."

Seto sighed and went back to his mask of stoicism. "I'll be there in an hour to pick you up."

Mokuba huffed, but smiled at his brother, leaning forward to switch off the Skype call.

Isono had gone home to be with his family on Christmas Eve, which left Seto to drive to the Motou residence to pick up Mokuba alone. The city streets were almost empty, with fairy lights twinkling overhead. The CBD had put up a large tree this year, which twinkled in his rear view mirror. The radio in Kaiba's car started up the second Christmas song, and so he proceeded to turn it off with a short huff. It was a short drive to the Motou's but stretched with post work commuters all desperate to get home. When he finally reached the game shop, he couldn't have been more ready to leap out of the car. He tramped through the snow up to the door, and knocked on it. Inside the blaring of Christmas music could be heard, and a few people laughed. He knocked again, irate, only to be met once again to sweet nothing. On his third attempt, the door swung open before he had hit the door and the young lady inside grinned at him.

"Totally got you, didn't I?"

"I'm going to kill you."

"It's a pleasure to see you, too. Merry Christmas, Kaiba." Kisara beamed, letting the man in the house. Before she closed the door, she sent a wink to Mana who was creeping up on Kaiba's car.

"I'm only here for my brother." Kaiba deadpanned, glaring at the girl as she ducked around him. Kisara laughed.

"Of course, he's in the back room, follow me."

Kaiba reluctantly followed Kisara through the gameshop to the back, where Yugi's house was. He'd never been inside it before, with its cosy, tiny interior becoming more squashed with the small group of people within it. Anzu and Mahad spoke together, both flashing smiles at Kaiba and telling him hello. Honda and Jou both offered Kaiba a drink as he passed through, Kaiba declining both with colourful insults. Finally, after passing the food table and Kisara offering him a cookie, which he unpleasantly declined, he reached the TV room. Yugi and Mokuba were locked in a fierce Street Fighter battle. Both Mokuba and Yugi furiously mashed buttons until Mokuba's character finally K.O'd Yugi's.

"Take that King of Games!" Mokuba laughed, grinning at Yugi who seemed to be stuck in shell-shocked silence. Kaiba couldn't help but let out the smallest of smiles, before wiping the grin off of his face.

"Mokuba, your brother's here for you." Kisara reluctantly broke off the festivities by gesturing with her head toward Seto, who had his arms folded.

"But it's best of 3!" Mokuba whined to her, but Kisara simply shook her head sadly.

"You've already won twice anyway."

Mokuba pouted, but collected his things and stood by his brother's side. Kaiba's eyes didn't hide his bemusement, but he did his best to maintain a poker face.

"I'll see you after Christmas then, Mokuba?" Kisara said, leading the brothers back through the game shop. Kaiba shot an angry glare at Kisara, no way was she coming near Mokuba in the foreseeable future, but Mokuba grinned to the contrary.

"Of course. Enjoy Christmas!"

"You too." Kisara smirked at Mokuba and winked, who returned the wink as Kaiba opened the door and froze.

"What. Have. You. Done?" was all he managed to say before wheeling around.

Mokuba peered around to his side, before letting out a barely audible "Uh oh." This made Kisara freeze, and join Kaiba at his side.

His shiny silver car was almost completely buried in the snow, with only the top fraction of the windows visible. Kisara leaned back and grit her teeth, shaking her head.

"Nothing."

Kaiba leaned forward, towering over her not believing her for a minute.

"What have you done?" he repeated, furious. Kisara backed away from Kaiba who backed her against a wall with quick, long strides.

"Nothing! I'm serious!" she squeaked, and in her defence, a huge pile of snow fell from the roof, sloshing over the game shop's porch. Kaiba didn't want a bar of it.

"You get my car out now."

"How do you propose I do that?"

"I don't care. Dig it out with your bare hands."

"It's not my fault that it snowed."

"Just on my car? Really?"

"Nature sucks."

"Get my car out." Kaiba growled, and Kisara ducked under his arm and walked out onto the porch. It was chilly outside, and snow was piling up all over the place. Kisara gave Seto an imploring look, before heading out through the snow to survey the car. Oh yeah, it was properly stuck alright. Kisara hadn't meant for this to be the case. She specifically remembered saying "Snow in the wheels a little so he has to stay for a bit and then maybe he'll stay for good." But no, Mana had gone overboard this time. She attempted to come back inside, but Seto blocked the doorway.

"My car is still buried."

"I'm getting a shovel."

"I said to dig it out with your bare hands."

Kisara and Seto glared at each other for a few minutes, before Kisara finally sighed and turned away.

"Go back into the house and have something to eat at least, I'm going to be out here for a while."

"I'm going to make sure that you don't try to cheat."

"What am I going to dig it out with? A Swordstalker figurine? The shovel's in the house, which you're free to guard if you're in there."

Mokuba tugged on his brother's sleave. "Come on, I'm hungry, and I know you haven't eaten either." He coaxed, leading his brother away. He shot back an apologetic look to Kisara, who shrugged and smiled at Mokuba.

Inside the house, the pep squad were talking amongst each other, laughing and eating cookies, of which Mokuba tentatively handed one to his brother. Seto accepted it, taking a bite and surveyed the room. The tree was decorated haphazardly, with candy canes sported on several of the highest branches. The star atop the tree shone with LED lights, like the one Seto had when he was a kid. The mansion had no Christmas tree to be put up, and there hadn't been one at the orphanage. Seto observed it almost as an oddity, remembering sitting around it when he was very young, and then never sitting at it again. Mokuba handed him something else, and he looked down at the cup before registering it in his daze. "Coffee" Mokuba said, and smiled as he pointed at the little stick sitting in it, "and cinnamon." Seto took a sip, the cinnamon smell putting him back down memory lane. When his brother was just a baby, and his father had wrapped him in a new Christmas swaddle while his elder son sipped a hot chocolate with a cinnamon stick. He was really out of it, Mokuba could tell, because it was the first time Mokuba had seen his brother smile for so long before trying to hide it.

Seto was sitting by Mokuba's side, cross-legged, watching the chess match between his younger brother and Honda. Honda wiggled his eyebrows at Mokuba, before moving his rook. "Check," he grinned at the young boy. Mokuba smirked, and moved his Queen to take the rook, putting him in "checkmate." Honda sighed, and shook his head, and Mokuba grinned at Seto, who smiled back.

"You're an idiot."

"Shut up."

"You lost to a kid!" Jounochi laughed at his friend, who wrinkled his nose.

"He's really good!"

"And you're really dumb!" Jounochi laughed. Honda swatted him, and raised an eyebrow.

"You play him then."

"Nah, I only play duel monsters."

"He'd beat you at that as well, without too much trouble." Kaiba smirked, before adding, almost as an after-thought, "a monkey could duel you without too much trouble."

Jounochi's face reddened.

"Alright, time for presents." Anzu announced, Jounochi forgot his insult in the sudden excited confusion.

"What?"

"Kisara was telling me that her family would open one present each on Christmas Eve as their family tradition, so I thought that it'd be nice if we did that to, since we are her new family." Anzu explained, and the rest of the gang bobbed their heads in agreement.

"Speaking of, where is Kisara?" Mahad noted.

"She's still in the kitchen, but she heard what you said and thinks that's really nice of you." Mana called from the kitchen doorway.

Kaiba snapped to attention. In the kitchen? What was she doing in there? He turned to berate her for not still digging his car out before a box was placed in his hands by Anzu.

"This one's for you," she said, turning to Mokuba and handing him a much larger, rectangular box that rattled in Mokuba's hands. "This one is yours, Mokuba."

Kaiba put the box into his pocket, before turning to the kitchen. Anzu stopped him again, holding up two more packages to Kaiba. "If you're headed to the kitchen, could you give these to Mana and Kisara?"

Kaiba nodded, only half hearing her, he stalked to the kitchen and stepped into the doorway. Kisara was soaking her hands in warm water, they were an angry red like the tip of her nose. The rest of her body was completely saturated from head to toe, and she was shivering. Mana was closing an oven that had a small plate of dinner in it.

"You're supposed to be unburying my car."

"It's unburied." Kisara said flatly, swishing her fingers around in the water and wincing in pain.

"You're dinner is almost reheated," Mana told her, "I'll go get some clothes from your place, since it's not too far."

"Don't bother, I'm gonna have to head home anyway. I think I'm getting sick."

Kaiba watched the girls exchange like he was no longer in the room, before realising the presents were still in his hands. He put one on the counter beside Kisara, before holding one out to Mana.

"Thanks!" both girls said to him, though Kisara had sounded pointedly more lethargic.

"Have you opened yours?" Kisara asked him, trying to take her mind off of her defrosting fingers. Kaiba took the package from his trench coat pocket and placed it on the counter beside hers.

"You should open it, Kisara spent a long time picking it out." Mana said, despite the alarmed warning glance shot at her. Intrigued, Kaiba peeled the card from atop the wrapper. He opened the card, a green and red hand made one,

Kaiba,

I'm sorry for buying Mokuba a gumball machine, but he really wanted it, and he's hard to refuse when he gives you that look. You know the one. Anyway, you're a great big brother, and as of late, a great friend.

Merry Christmas!

Kisara

Mana was carefully opening Kisara's present for her as she gingerly dried her wet fingers and flexed them. A new silver bracelet was around Mana's wrist, and tinkled when she moved. Seto undid the wrapping paper around his gift and revealed the small black box. A piece of paper with R.I.P Your Watch, Sorry I smashed it! fluttered out, and Seto let that smile he didn't realise was there creep back onto his face. The watch was silver with a navy band, and a small Blue-Eyes was engraved on the back side.

"Do you like it?" Kisara began hesitantly, "because if you don't then-"

"Kisara." Seto quieted her, fastening the watch, "I like it."

Kisara breathed out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you had a good time, I'm glad you came." Kisara smiled, clenching and unclenching her fingers.

"Huh?"

"You've been here for 3 and a half hours, it's almost 10 o'clock." Mana laughed, unfastening the package around Kisara's gift.

Kaiba suddenly felt the strange wash of guilt flood over him as he realised just how awful he'd been. He'd never felt this kind of guilt before and it unnerved him. She was dripping from head to toe from the melted snowflakes and her nose was running like a tap, and all she'd really wanted was for him to come to the Christmas celebration that he'd stubbornly declined. For what? He'd had fun and enjoyed himself and more importantly, so had Mokuba.

Kisara saw the conflict in his eyes and looked down at her saturated self.

"Oh don't worry about me!" she laughed, sniffing, "I'm fine!" Mana held up Kisara's present in front of her eyes. An empty glass photo frame with Christmas detailing was placed into her hands. Kisara smiled.

"I don't have anything to put in it!" Kisara laughed, setting the frame aside. Mana shook her head.

"Of course you do! You two come here." Mana said, skipping out of the kitchen. "Okay guys, bunch up!" She sang, picking up her polaroid camera and sitting down in front of the group. Everyone assembled around the couch Mana had placed herself in front of.

She narrowed her eyes at Seto and Kisara, still standing by the doorframe.

"Come on, Blueship, we haven't got all night!" She called to the both of them, Kisara narrowed her eyes in protest.

"I'm dripping wet. I'll mess up the carpet."

"It'll dry."

"I'll get everyone near me wet." Kisara protested.

Seto shrugged off his trench coat and handed it to Kisara, but rather than taking it, stared at Seto in alarm. Before she could tell him otherwise, he had practically thrown it at her. "I'll mess it up!" she hissed at him, handing it back.

"Do whatever you like with it, it's your present."

Before Kisara could protest further Kaiba had gone to stand beside Mokuba. She draped the heavy purple coat around her dripping self and went to stand by the other side of the couch, but Mana swatted her legs. "There's already too many people on that side" she explained, and cut off her friend's suggestion to simply turn the camera with a warning glare. Kisara took up the space beside Seto and Mokuba.

"I hate photos," she whispered to him.

"Me too." He agreed as Mana yelled out.

"EVERYONE SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

A slightly older Kisara dropped her things into the moving box. She paused as her fingers were pricked on the edge of broken ceramic, and picked up the old chipped photo frame. She laughed, turning it around so that the man putting her clothes away could see.

"Do you remember this?"

Seto groaned, nodding his head.

"I remember the panel beating bill."

She stretched out her foot and tapped him with it, pulling a face.

"I almost lost my fingers that night, you jerk! The panel beating bill? Ugh!" she snorted, turning the photo frame back around to herself. Mana's head covered mostly the bottom half of the screen, hiding the fact that Honda was in the middle of kicking Jounochi, whose face was slightly blurry as he was about to turn around and belt his friend. Anzu was stuck between a smile and telling the boys off, while Yugi smiled and watched the woman. Mahad was mid eye-roll, and Mokuba was laughing at the antics. Seto and Kisara had managed to look the most abnormal out of the lot, her smiling like it was just a regular photograph, dwarfed in his big purple coat, and him in a slight scowl without any Christmas-accoutrement attached. Mana had drawn a picture of the Pharoah and his silver sphinx paper-weight present, and stuck it on the background.

"Are you going to be sentimental all day or are you going to help me pack up your things."

"Can I not just savour the moment?"

"I want you moved in by sun down."

"I own maybe 2 things, Seto, and it's midday. At this rate, I'll be moved in by 1."

"At this rate you won't have moved in by Christmas."

"Shush you."

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you have a stellar one and a stellar New Year!