So I don't own anything, obviously...
To start with, wow its been forever since I last updated, if you read it before sorry! I really have been busy with real life, I'll explain in my authors not at the end!
It didn't take long before they reached the park. Mokuba lead the way to a large field looking back at his older brother for a moment.
"I'm gonna go okay?" He said fiddling with a piece of his hair, god we can't talk to each other at all can we?
"Alright I'll see you later today, have fun." Cause you think I wanna make your life miserable so you don't really believe anything I say anyway.
"Okay, later." And he was off. Seto sank down against a tree watching the younger boy disappear into a crowd of other kids in uniforms. At least he looks happy with them, in this world he is a normal happy kid who resents his siblings, so why couldn't Seto let him be that? He already knew the answer before having to think, he wanted what they had, maybe neither of them was ever really happy but they had each other and in their world that was all that mattered.
"Hey Seto are you okay?" He didn't even have to look up to know perfectly well who was talking to him after years of being tortured by the other boy and his happy go lucky friends it was all to clear to him.
"Yeah I'm fine Yugi." He said unconvincingly as he stood up still leaning against the tree.
"Fighting with your brother again?" He looked out to soccer field where Mokuba was giving one of his team mates a high five.
"Not really, were just not talking to each other. Hes a fan of his birthday I guess."
"Well I wouldn't blame him really after what happened to you guys last year on his birthday." Gardener was talking now. Yippy I can't wait for the joy that spending the day with these idiots will hold, he though as he looked back surprised to find that there was only three people waiting for him, Yugi, Gardener and Bakura. Where were the other happy freaks then? Seto tried to rack his brain for a time he had seen Yugi free of his three person entourage. Then there was another question, what had happened last year? He remember a slight mention of it at breakfast but no one went any farther into it.
"Are you ready to go? And what are we getting for him?" Bakura asked as they all began to walk towards the path that ran through the middle of the park.
"I have no ideas, your guess is good as mine." Seto said bitting back a mean comment that he was about to shot at the paler boy. Yugi smiled back at him.
"Of course we're gonna help you out Seto, we've been friends since like second grade." He said. Really? He looked over the three other teenagers he was walking with, friends? I've had friends since I was little? He knew that he'd never even thought about why people cared about something like that, but in a world where he had nothing else he could almost, real emphasis on almost, understand why other people did.
"I know." He lied looking down at his feet while he walked something he was not very used to doing, but it was better then trying to keep up a conversation with these people much as they seemed to care for him. "Where are we going?"
"The mall, we figured there were enough stores there that we're bounded to find something that he would like, are you sure your alright Seto?" Yugi asked. Yeah I love finding that my worst enemy is suddenly my best friend, and my brother has decided I'm dirt.
"Yes just thinking about something, don't worry about it okay?"
"Of course, you would obviously tell me if it mattered that much." The smaller boy said with a smile turning back to the other two members of their small group. Looks like I've found something bearable about this world they are definitely less annoying then they were before, he thought as they entered the sliding doors of the Domino City Mall.
"Pick a number between one and six." Gardener said to Bakura.
"Four, what is the point of this."
"We're going to start looking on the left side of the second floor, since we have no idea what we want to get him I figured a random start would at least get us moving rather then wasting time standing here in the entranceway." She explained simply beginning to walk into the crowd. He had to hand it to her the girl knew how to command a group of men, he thought as the three of them moved quickly in order to keep up with her.
The small group walked in silence past the rows of stores, looking in every once a while to see if it seemed like the kind of place that the younger boy would shop. Seto was at a serious lose, he had trouble knowing what to get the Mokuba in his world on his birthday and they spent every waking moment together, it would be near impossible to buy a kid he had known a sum total of six hours anything! Yugi seemed to know what he was looking for, so just this once Seto was willing to let the smaller boy be in charge not that he wasn't all the time anyway.
It was at this moment that he realized something was different about the other boy, where was that Egyptian puzzle he always wore? It was so a part of the Yugi he knew that it seemed almost like the kid was missing a limb, could he not have it in this world? Wouldn't that mean that he wasn't the king of games here? Maybe thats why we all spend our time together here, he had come to notice that he was obviously not as famous as in his own world, and it seemed Yugi wasn't either. So this is what it feels like to be your everyday, normal outcasts, he thought miserably.
"Lets go in here." Yugi said pointing to a bookstore not far from where they were walking. "I remember talking to him about a book series last time I was at your house, maybe you could get him the last few books."
"Thats a good idea, lead the way." Seto said motioning for Yugi to walk at the front of the group, the smaller boy smiled at him and walked through the archway into the store. God I really am becoming pathetic being here!
"This is it I believe, just let me..." Yugi trailed off looking past his three friends.
"What is it Yugi?" Gardener asked.
"Oh great, of course they would be here." Muttered Bakura. Seto raised an eyebrow about to question, but instead he followed their gazes to a group not far from them. Oh now thats interesting, he thought, it seems their not so lovey dovey here are they? Wheeler and Taylor were leaning dramatically against a bookshelf, Devlin twirled a strand of hair through his fingers eyes wandering over a pack of older girls and that irritating Valentine woman was reapplying lipstick in a compact.
"What the hell does it matter if those idiots are here?" Seto asked not seeing why the other three were so distressed, what harm could they really be?
"Those idiots happen to torture us everyday at school, unless you've forgotten all of a sudden." Bakura said sliding down to the floor obviously hoping that the other group didn't notice him. Useless losers like Wheeler and Taylor picked on him in this world!? There were things Seto could handle, being best friends with Yugi Moto was one thing, but this was crossing the line! No way was he going to let them walk all over him no matter how much of a freak he was here.
"Well if its a fight they want, then thats what I'll give them." He said simply moving from behind the bookshelf to walk towards the others.
"What are you doing!?" Hissed Yugi getting up from his spot on the floor to chase after him.
"I'm going to show those loser that they should chose who they pick on more wisely." He said stopping in front of the group of teenagers. Valentine was the first to notice them.
"Oh and it was such a good day, must the nerd squad be everywhere in this city." Seto was sickeningly reminded of himself by that statement, God do I really sound that stupid when I talk!?
"Can we help you losers with something?" Wheeler said with a smug grin on his face.
"As a matter of fact you can help me, but your gonna have to step a closer." The blond raised an eyebrow throwing a smirk to his friends and stepped towards Seto and Yugi. It was obvious by how hard he fell that he was not expecting the brunette to punch him square in the face. Joey flew back slamming into both Duke and a bookshelf.
"What the..!!" He snarled pushing himself back up with little regards for the black haired boy on the floor. "I suppose your think your real smart freak boy!"
"Actually I know I am, which is more then you can say, you Neanderthal!" Wheeler made a disgusted face.
"What did you call me?" He spat raising a fist. "Oh never mind, your dead!" The blond slammed his fist at the taller boy, though not fast enough as Seto moved out of the way Joey ran straight into yet another metal shelf. The blond rounded again, this time hitting Seto directly in the chin. Yugi jumped in between them.
"Stop it now! We're gonna get kicked out of the store!" He yelled placing a hand on Seto's chest to keep him from lunging at the other boy. None of Joey's friends seemed to care all that much about what he was doing, Taylor was on the floor with Devlin and Valentine was back to checking herself out in the mirror. To say the very least Wheeler had better taste in friends in his world, at least Tea and Yugi, no matter how annoying they were, cared a little.
"This isn't over Wheeler, if you don't leave us alone at school I swear I won't stop next time, and you know as well as I do that I would win." He sneered letting Yugi pull him back to the other two.
"Holy crap I still can't believe you did that!!" Bakura said as they left the store, with the books Yugi had suggested in hand.
"I know, what made you decide to do that all of a sudden Set?" Tea asked twirling a piece of her auburn hair nervously.
"He deserved it, Wheeler needs to know whose in charge since it definitely isn't him and those weirdos." He hissed knowing that these kids were not used to him ranting on about other people as he would have at home.
"Well next time lets do that in a place we can't get kicked out of, shall we?" Yugi said running a little to keep up with the three taller kids. "Though it was impressive I never knew you were any good at fighting."
"That was nothing I promise." He said slipping the bag over his wrist as they walked out of the mall. "I think we should head back to the park, I'm pretty sure Mokuba's done by now." They nodded in agreement and began to walk.
"Oh god what happened to you Seto!?" Mokuba asked stopping short in front of them as he surveyed his older brother's cheek.
"He decided to beat the crap out of Joey Wheeler at the mall." Bakura said laughing at the expression of pure shock that covered the younger boy's features. He looked at his brother again.
"Hm, he didn't hurt you to bad this time." Ugh this time, Seto thought realizing that meant there had been another time when he had obviously lost to the third rate freak.
"No I think I did worst." He promised. "Are you ready to go?" Mokuba nodded tightening his ponytail and slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
"Bye guys!" He yelled back at the field, the other kids shouted good byes as they headed down the path.
"We'll see you two later, we said we'd help my grandfather out after we went out." Yugi explained to them. Seto waved slightly not really looking back as they continued down the path in silence. They remained this way until the park was completely out of view then the younger boy spoke.
"Sorry about this morning." He said looking down at his shoes which he was grinding into the ground.
"What are you sorry about?"
"You remembered that it was my birthday, and you were even nice about it. I'm sorry for being an asshole it was uncalled for, I mean its not your fault what happened last year." Mokuba muttered still looking at his feet.
"Its alright, I don't mind you being mad at me even if its a stupid reason." He said.
"I'm not really mad at you Seto, I'm mad at dad..." He said sucking in his lip. How appropriate really, its seems no matter where we are its fathers that are the root of all our problems.
"I know." He lied. "At least this year is better then last right?" The younger boy nodded his dark head.
"I don't think it could be worst, dad can't leave us every year now could he?" Seto nearly stopped, but fought to keep his shock from being apparent on his face. Their dad had left the family on Mokuba's birthday last year!? "Its not like you guys could have known he would do that, so don't feel bad about having to be out of town, at least your all here this year, and it even seems like you bought me something." He said with a half smile.
"Yeah I did." Seto said shifting the bag to his other wrist. He had been out of town for some reason, and their father left? No wonder the kid was so reluctant to enjoy his birthday, but at least it wasn't life in the Kaiba household. At least here no one would really hurt him.
"Hey Seto."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks." He wasn't totally sure what he did, but he smiled anyway.
"Anytime little brother."
Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter, its longer then the others so I am hoping that somewhat makes up for my total lack of updates for a year! The last year has been really crazy which is why I haven't had as much time to think about my writing. I got married and am now the Stepmother of three little boys, a pretty full time job! Besides which I'm also still in school. I'm gonna try and update, as I don't think this story will be to much longer and I would love to wrap things up. Thanks for understanding and I would love to hear what you thought!
Arra