Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Yu-gi-oh or Yu-gi-oh GX characters. All use of them are strictly for entertainment purposes only. Although I am using characters from Yu-Gi-Oh GX I have fudged the timeline a little to make this work. So please bear with me on that.

Author's note: This is a sequel to "A Day in the Life". I recommend reading that one first as this refers to characters and events that happened in that story.

Chapter 1

Coming Home

'There she is. Is it possible she's grown more beautiful since I last saw her?' That's what he asked himself as he gazed at the woman across the room from him. The woman's well pressed pants and v-cut top accentuated her slender form. And her ebony black hair did well to highlight her deep blue eyes. As she spoke to the children around her she looked up. For an instant he swore that she looked right at him. But since there was no reaction, he must have been mistaken. As he slowly walked toward her, he wondered if she would remember him. His dirty blonde hair was long now, reaching halfway down his back, and he had grown some too. He had changed a lot and he hoped that it would all please her.

She smiled as the last child, appeased with his gift, ran off. She brushed the hair out of her face as another piece of paper was presented to her.

Looking over she saw the blonde haired man. "Aren't you a little old to be asking for autographs?" She asked with a polite smile. A smile that wasn't as genuine as the one she gave the children.

"I'll settle for your phone number." Said the man who was obviously overjoyed at seeing her.

"I'm sorry, I don't give out my number to strangers."

"You really don't remember me, do you?"

She studied his face for a moment. It looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Sorry..."

He took a step forward; "it's me Isabella..."

It scared her that he was acting so familiar. He had no right to call her by her first name. She was beginning to fear that he was a stalker or some fanatic. So when he took another step closer, she made sure to take one back. She was anxious to leave this scene and him, but she didn't know exactly how to do it without causing him to pursue. Her salvation came in a pair of broad shoulders.

All the blonde man wanted to do was touch her. She would remember him then, she had to. But his attempt was cut short by a dark haired man that stepped between them.

"Is this man bothering you?" The dark haired man asked as he bared the way between them.

"I was just talking to her. We're old friends, aren't we Isabella?"

The dark haired man glanced over at her. She only offered him a puzzled look.

"It's obvious the lady doesn't know you. It would be in your best interest to leave."

"I'm not leaving until I get to talk to her." He stretched out his hand once again in an attempt to reach her. This time it was caught at the wrist and restrained by the dark haired man.

"Don't touch her." He said in a low angry tone.

"Simon?"

Both men stopped and looked at her.

"It is you, isn't it?" A real smile came across her face as she finally recognized her childhood friend. She didn't remember his face, but she did remember the scar on his hand. The scar she didn't see clearly until the scuffle. "It's okay," She placed her hand on the man's shoulders and he released his hold on Simon's wrist. "Simon...wow, how long has it been?"

"Five years."

"You were at school, right?"

"Yes, I just graduated."

"Congratulations, your father must be very proud of your accomplishments."

"My accomplishments are nothing compared to yours."

"Oh please, I don't need the flattery; my head's big enough." Isabella joked.

"I'd love to catch up; maybe I could buy you dinner."

The dark haired man was growing tired of this friendly display and tapped on his watch indicating the time constraints. "Oh, I can't." Isabella said with a disappointed face. "I'm already late for dinner with my parents. Maybe some other time?"

"Sure."

"Great. I'll see you later." Isabella smiled as she left. But once her back was to him, she didn't think much more about him.

Simon may have acted all right with the rejection, but really he was devastated. He had imagined the whole scene going better than that. First he had hoped that she would instantly remember him, which she didn't. Then he dreamed that she would be so excited to see him again that she would give him a hug or some other more-than-friendly gesture. But she didn't. In fact it was a pretty cold reception. But then again he did just try and pick a fight with her bodyguard. That wasn't too smooth on his part. But he was always the optimist. He would chalk this up to experience and be sure to make a better impression next time.

The dark haired man escorted Isabella to a waiting car and held the door as she got in. It only took him a moment after entering the car for his interrogation to begin.

"Who was that?" He spoke in a calm clear voice.

"That's Simon Mouto."

"Mouto? As in Yugi Mouto?" A little bit of surprise appeared on his face.

"He's Yugi Mouto's son."

"Strange that I've never seen him before. Does he duel?"

"No, not anymore. He used to though, that's how we know each other. Our fathers used to duel in tournaments and then we were in junior league together."

"It must be a great disappointment to Yugi Mouto that his son isn't a duelist. It's practically his legacy."

"Well, let's just say that Simon's always walked his own way. And he and his father haven't always seen eye to eye."

"That's a tragedy. He could learn a lot from his father."

"Oh and you're the family expert? You won't even talk to your own brother."

The dark haired man turned his head toward the window and pretended to watch as the scenery went by.

"For goodness sakes, Ryo. They're your family. You could at least try."

"I don't want to argue with you again. Can we just drop it?"

"Fine. It's your family...your funeral."

"Damn it, Bella." He was more peeved than angry. "Must you always be right?"

"Gee, I wonder where I got that annoying little trait." Isabella smirked at him. "Let's see, could it be my parents."

Ryo tried very hard not to explode at her. He rubbed his temples as he calmed himself. "If my parents were like your parents, I would be more inclined to see them."

"And yet you still won't have dinner with us."

"That's because I like my job and I want to keep it."

"Oh come on. No one has ever lost their job for having dinner with me." Ryo glared at her from the corner of his eye. "Okay, I see your point. But my family likes you. I know mom thinks you're great. And I'm pretty certain daddy hasn't ordered your beheading yet."

He gave her a slight smile and shook his head in amusement.

"Take a risk; come up stairs with me."

"Not tonight. Those reports need to be on your father's desk first thing tomorrow morning."

"Okay then, you're off the hook. For now. But next time you're coming with me."

The car came to a stop in front of the building. "Have fun," Ryo advised as he leaned over and kissed her. After planting a few more small kisses following the initial big one he asked, "Stop by and see me later?"

"I thought you had reports to do?" Isabella teased.

"I'll have them done before you get there."

"It might be late."

"I'll wait up."

He gave her another deep kiss before she exited the car and headed for the entrance.

"Good evening Ms. Kaiba." One of the security officers said as he buzzed her though the doors.

She gave him a wave in thanks as she made her way to the elevators.

Upon entering the apartment she quickly came upon a man standing in the living room looking over some files. He glanced over at her as she walked toward him.

"You're late."

"Nice to see you too daddy." She smiled and was met by a small smile from him. They embraced and she kissed him on the cheek.

Seto Kaiba hadn't changed much over the years. He had a few crow's feet wrinkles at his eyes and gray hair had started creeping in on the sides of head, but otherwise he looked very much like he did in his youth. He was still lively and dominating, and he never lost the vivid luster in his bright blue eyes.

"I better go tell your mother that you're here." Seto gave her a playful push. He walked to the end of the hall and spoke loudly. "Anna, your very late daughter has finally arrived."

"How come she's only MY daughter when she's late?" The voice from the hallway came closer until the woman emerged. "But when she wins a dueling tournament, she's YOUR daughter."

"Genetics." Seto said bluntly.

Anna smiled and chuckled at him before going over and hugging her daughter. "How are you sweetie?"

"I'm good mom."

When they stood so close together it was easy for Seto to see their similarities. Isabella was a mirror of her mother. Both with jet black hair, although Anna's was straight and Isabella's wavy. Isabella's skin was a shade lighter than that of her mother's, but her Egyptian heritage wasn't as predominate either. And their builds were slightly different. Both thin, but Isabella was of a petite build and lacked her mother's curves or well-endowed chest. The more he studied them; Seto wondered what traits of his she had. But when he saw her bright blue eyes shine on him, he wondered no more.

The meal was started with reminders of upcoming events and business talk. One would think that Isabella, being so young, wouldn't care for such babble, but she greatly enjoyed it. Having grown up with it around the dinner table, this was completely normal for her. And she found the advice helpful, for she did run one of her parent's subsidiary companies.

"Oh, and don't forget about the Apogee Tech buy-out this month." Seto reminded his daughter. "That should help boost your stocks."

"I still believe that if you want to increase the value of Sung Computers you should merge it into Kaiba-Sung Incorporated." Isabella directed her lecture toward her parents. "It's the only logical course of action. I'm sure you've thought about it. Why haven't you done it yet?"

"Tax shelter." Anna said as she took another bite.

"Your mother won't let me." Seto said bluntly as he corrected his wife.

Anna gave him an evil look as Isabella pressed the issue. "What's wrong with it that you don't want it part of the conglomerate?"

"It was my uncle's company." Anna said with a little anger in her voice.

"And he's dead, so what's the big deal?"

Anna didn't know how to explain what transpired between she and him. She wasn't exactly sure if that was something she wanted to tell Isabella. Luckily Seto stepped in.

"Your mother and her uncle had a falling out." He spoke calmly and directly. "He tried to take Sun Oil from her, so in turn, we took Sung Computers from him. As a result the company has always been a..." He looked over at his wife making sure to select the right words, "a sore spot for her."

"He must have been very brave or a complete idiot." Isabella chuckled. "He should have known better than to try and take anything from you two." Anna looked over at Seto and smiled. Their daughter's statement was true in more ways than one. "So how'd you do it? Were you ruthless? Did you tear his guts out with a spoon?" Isabella joked happily.

"Let's just say, he never saw it coming." Seto bragged a little.

"It was a lot of work, but boy was it fun taking it from him." Anna smirked with the remembrance. "The look on his face when I walked into that boardroom...it was priceless."

"I missed an opportunity." Seto teased. "I could have taken pictures."

"Oh darn, we could have scrap booked that." Anna said satirically. "We could have called it 'How I Kicked My Uncle's Ass!' It would have been great."

"Sounds like a made for television movie." Isabella joined in.

"More like an 'After School Special'" Seto joked. That made the whole lot of them laugh.

"Speaking of after school..." Isabella chimed in through the laughter. "Guess who I ran into today? Simon Mouto."

The laughter died down pretty quickly after she said that and Isabella got a quick flash from hr father's eyes before he rested them on his plate. This was another touchy subject for them. Her father never had a grudge against Simon, but he and his father were not on good terms. They had been rivals for so long that Isabella didn't think they knew how to be anything else.

"So how is he? What is he up to?" Her mother asked politely.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to him, but he looked good. His hair's long and he's taller. He's much taller than Mr. Mouto is. I guess he gets that from his mother's side of the family."

"Strange how that works, isn't it." Anna said with a little caution. "He must have finished college by now."

"Yes, he did mention that. Unfortunately I was running late, so I really didn't get a chance to catch up with him."

"I'm sure I'll get all the news from Anzu when she gets back into town." Anna said pleasantly.

"I still think that is hilarious." Isabella nibbled at her food a little more.

"What's that?" Anna smiled.

"That you're best friends with the wife of daddy's worst enemy."

"That's because I knew Anzu before I ever met your father."

"You never did tell me the story of how you and daddy met."

Anna hesitated a second before speaking, "Well, that's a long story..."

"Excuse me." Seto said as he abruptly stood up and walked away.

"I said something wrong?" Isabella asked once her father left the room.

"No, it's not you. He's had a bad day."

Isabella didn't completely believe that. He had seemed fine earlier; it was only after she mentioned the Mouto family that he became upset. Perhaps the rift between them went further than she knew. She made a mental note to not mention them again when in her father's presence.

It would be a while before Seto returned to the dinner table.

Simon stood across the street and peered in the windows of the Game Shop. He could see his father and one of his employees working on something. He didn't really care what as long as they didn't notice him. He made his way around the other side of the store and in through the back entrance that led to the apartment upstairs. He just came for a few things and wanted only to get in and out without being seen. He crept down the hall and into his bedroom, his father's old bedroom from when he was a kid. Simon grabbed some clothes and few personal items, stuffed them in a bag and headed for the door.

"I thought I heard something." Yugi said as his son turned the corner into the living room. Yugi was standing there waiting for him.

"I just came to get a few things." Simon said trying to make his way around Yugi as he blocked the door.

"I left your room the same. I thought you might want to stay here." Yugi was trying hard to reach his son, who didn't show much interest in him.

"I've got other arrangements."

"It has to be better than sleeping on Kyo's couch."

"I just need my space, dad." Simon said with some frustration as he searched for another exit.

"I could use some help with the store."

"I thought that's why you had all those groupies. Doesn't your fan club help you do all that?"

"I'd prefer it if you'd help me with the books. I've never been very good at math...besides; you could put that college education to work."

"I have a degree in advertising not accounting."

"But a degree still makes you smarter than your old man." Yugi followed him around the room. "I'm asking you for your help."

"Fine." Simon turned his back on him and waved lazily. "I'll be by on Thursday." Simon sighed as he headed down the stairs that led to the rear of the store. He didn't pay any attention to the young lady that was tending the store as he left.

"Are you planning on seeing your brother tomorrow?" Anna asked as her daughter prepared to leave.

"That's the plan." Isabella said with a smile.

"Could you give him these?" She handed her some papers. "Tell him I'm sorry I couldn't get them to him sooner. I had to find where I put them."

"What are they?" Isabella said looking over the documents.

"They're some of my mother's recipes. He wanted them for the restaurant."

As Isabella nodded and placed the papers in her briefcase, Seto walked up and embraced Anna from behind. "You're not going to subject that poor boy to your mother's Middle Eastern cooking are you?" Seto said as he planted a kiss on her neck.

Anna swung around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You seem to like it."

"That's because I have no choice." Seto said as he kissed her.

"Eww! If you two are going to make out do it somewhere else and not in the middle of the entryway." Isabella protested.

"Did you just hear something?" Anna mumbled as she continued to neck with Seto.

"Was it an annoying little whine?" Seto mumbled back.

"Uh huh."

"No, I didn't hear a thing."

"Okay! I get the hint." Isabella mocked as she maneuvered around them. "I'm going away. Good bye!"

Anna waved in the general direction of the door, but once she was gone their minds turned to other things.

"Oh, thank goodness she's finally gone!" Anna joked. "Now we can get down to having some real fun."

"What did you have in mind?" Seto gave her a sly look.

"Board games." Anna devilishly smiled at him.

He grabbed her butt and pulled her closer. "The only board game I'm interested in is 'Twister'."

"But you never keep your hands on those little circles."

"Exactly."

Anna giggled uncontrollably as Seto picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her down the hall.