Peggi: I wrote this at about 1:30 in the morning and dedicate this to two people. I dedicate it to Eevee, the one who inspired the feelings behind it, and Riku who is going to be feeling the feelings behind it. To both of them, I love you girls. CUZ YOU ARE THE WIND BENEATH MY WIIIIIINGS!!!. . .and all that mushy stuff.

Disclaimer-I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. We know this because fanficiton is written by FANS. This is fanfiction. I am a fan. Get it? Got it? But you can pay me for it if you REALLY want to. My address is-

Lawyers:...

Peggi:...I mean...R&R!!!

Growing Up
By: Peggi J. Crawford
To: Riku and Eevee
One-Shot

Seto, himself, had never been much of the "dating kind", and so when his little brother had informed him of his first crush, the older Kaiba brother wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Instinct kicked in of both the fatherly and brotherly kinds, both telling him to lock Mokuba away into a very tall brick tower with no windows or doors and throw away the key. Imagining this plan gave him much relief, but the fact of the matter was: his brother wanted to go on dates now, whether he wanted it or not, and there was nothing he could do to stop it! All that was left to do now was accept it. Acceptance was no simple task, but it needed to be done.

The night of the first date had arrived, and as the adoptive parent of the male, it was Seto's responsibilty to get them to and from their date. Seto had cancelled all of his appointments for the evening just to make sure that his most important job of all could be accomplished and he felt nervous as he walked to the door with Mokuba.

Mokuba had to pick his date up. It was his date's parents who would get to ask all of the questions, but Seto would still sneak in a few. He wasn't about to let his brother go out with some strange girl without at least knowing the basics, such as name, age and social security number!

The drive to the "date"s house was a long one, and Seto noticed his little brother fidgeting with the plastic around the stems of the flowers he'd begged his brother to let him pick up.

"It's okay, Mokuba. You look great, the limo looks great. Everything is. . .great."

Mokuba looked up at his brother, "Then why are you so nervous?"

Seto just smiled and tried to ignore the question. The truth was, his little brother was growing up! He didn't want him to grow up. It was all happening way too fast. The thought that soon he would be watching him leave in a limo to prom, then walking him down the isle, then waiting outside a hospital room for a baby (and with any luck it would all be in that order), it was all just too frightening to think about!

The limo stopped outside of a small house and Mokuba stepped out. Seto watched as his brother walked up to the door and knocked a few times. A girl about Mokuba's height opened the door and a man and woman stepped onto the porch, smiling. Even from the limo, Seto could see that the little girl was blushing, and even more importantly, he could see the look on her parents' faces. They were just as upset about their little girl growing up as he was about his brother growing up.

It had to happen eventually, but why so soon? Why did he have to start dating? Couldn't he do something less dangerous? Like drugs? Or drinking? Dating could lead to insanity, heart ache, or worse! Love! Love was wonderful but it hurt so badly sometimes and Seto never wanted his little brother to feel that kind of hurt. Mokuba had been too young to remember it, but when they had been sent to the orphanage, it had been over this hurtful kind of love.

Their father, their biological father, had comitted suicide, and although Seto had loved their father, he resented him. Why hadn't he loved them the way that Seto had loved him? What if whoever Mokuba married didn't love him as much as he loved her?

Seto felt tears in the back of his eyes, burning like fire but as he had done for the past 13 years, he held them so far back that no one would know that they were there even if they were looking him straight in the eyes.

Growing up can be tough, but having to watch someone grow up is even harder.

Peggi: I know that it was pretty short and it could've been better, but it was TO THE POINT. I think Kaiba is becoming my favorite character to write for because there's this other side to him that you don't see on the show that I can bring out in my stories! FYI, in the REAL version, their dad did kill himself. But 4 Kids is evil and censored it.

Riku: Something dedicated to ME? But I don't even read fanfics! Or watch that much anime!

Peggi: But you are my Riku, and I am magically going to make you read this one because I'm just that awsome! Plus I dedicated this to you since in a few years your baby boy will be starting SCHOOL and then HE will be dating :P so I figured this was very fitting.

Eevee: So how is this dedicated to me?

Peggi: . . .BOYS HAVE COOOOOOTIES STAY AWAY FROM THEM! If you date a boy, Eevee, you will get pregnant, and you will die.

Mokuba: WAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

Peggi: . . .oops. . .please send in reviews! Oh, and btw, yeah, the way this really does enter my life through Eevee is because she's my younger cousin as you all know I'm sure lol (with all the fics I write for her lol) and one day she'll probably want to start dating. And then I'll be paranoid and concerned just like Seto was in this fic. It's not easy watching someone you worry about and love grow up! All of you parents and older siblings out there, you know EXACTLY what I mean!