It was a crooked smile, but it was still there.
Kaiba almost looked like he had years ago, his face lit with the pure and joyful smile of a child. It made the cold man seem like he had always been a warm hearted individual. But of all the things it did, it scared them. Seto's newly claimed "friends" were a little creeped by his smile, save for Serenity.
The pure hearted girl had a smile plastered on her face too, her expression soon reassuring the group, Mokuba and Yugi the first to return the unexpected happiness Seto apparently had.
"Thanks, guys, I owe you all a heap. Especially Joseph. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you, but I'll make it up any way I can. Within reason." Seto crossed his arms, his smile still genuine and child-like, his voice taking on a gleefulness that has never been heard before.
"Seto, did someone time-travel and bring back the ten-year old you?" Mokuba joked as Joey looked to the older Kaiba, a slightly more serious expression carried in his eyes.
"I only ask you stop calling me a mutt…. And that you care for Serenity just as much as you care for Mokuba." Seto nodded as he heeded the words of the older Wheeler, his sister firmly attached to Seto's hand, their fingers intertwined. Tristan and Duke both sighed, they had long lost their chase to Kaiba, just as they'd feared. Mai patted Joey on the shoulder.
"Way to go, big guy. Nice to see that the fists have come down." Yugi laughed,
"Definitely. Joey's all grown up and soon he'll leave the nest." The small boy jested, but everyone just seemed to laugh more.
"Well guys, I think this call for a dinner." Tea suggested, the sunset glowing softly in the background. As the group stared out across the ocean, Bakura reached into the sand, pulling out a seashell.
"It seems the thief king left me the sleight of hand…" Bakura pocketed the shell, it was small and pink.
"That's not too bad though, all things considered." Duke said, bringing the attention of the previous Millennium users to him.
"It could've been worse if he left you the greed he himself had, don't you think? But hey, that was what? A year ago?" Duke's voice trailed off as they started walking back towards the town.
"So how about we all go to that burger joint?" Tristan suggested, his eyes looking up to the sky. Seto shook his head, his arm around Serenity's shoulder, his hand holding Mokuba's.
"You're all coming back to the mansion. We'll eat there, once we have Yugi's Grandpa, if that's okay." Yugi nodded and dashed with Tristan back to the shop to collect the elder Motou.
"Thanks for coming, Mr Motou. I owe you an apology… And a small favour." Seto shook the elder's hand, the other man spoke in a calm voice.
"What ever could you mean, Seto?" The Kaiba pulled a card protector case from his pocket.
"When you're ready, if you place the damaged Blue Eyes White Dragon in this and drop it off at the office in the tower, I'll have Pegasus fix it. I already called him a while ago about it. He was surprisingly forgiving, even though I've caused him severe damage too." Mr Motou chuckled.
"With that voice, Seto, people will react to you in a similar manner to what they do Yugi. They will be willing to see good." Seto nodded and lead the gathered group from the foyer to the prepared tables in the dining hall, which were lovingly decorated with tasteful flowers and plain, yet sophisticated tablecloths.
"Now everyone, let us enjoy our first meal, as friends, rather than adversaries." Seto toasted, and was met with a cheer.
It was a crooked smile, but it held together.
So I was bored yesterday and now my woodcut has a replica Seto Kaiba coat adorning its shoulders. And this was a short fic I thought was fun. Simply put, I don't really know where this would fit in, but this is just a little story, so I see no point in validating too much.
The group that is on the beach (cause apparently that's where they began in this fic) consists of Yugi, Tea, Joey, Serenity, Tristan, Duke, Bakura, Mai, Mokuba and Kaiba. Ishizu, Marik and Odion are back in Egypt.
May your donuts last longer than this fic...