Dear Yuko13,

You have been a genuinely awesome fan of my work! Thank you! I hope new year keeps you writing your amazing fanfic (which I am enjoying reading immensely!)

Have a great Christmas, and all your kind words make me want to write more,

I hope this is to your liking...

RanulfFlambard4

Mokuba's bedroom door flew open. "Mokuba, where's the laptop?"

Mokuba rolled over in his duvet, too tired to answer.

"Mokuba. The laptop." Seto looked at the lump of covers.

"Go away, bro..."

"No Mokuba. Where's my laptop?"

Mokuba sat up and looked at his alarm clock, "Seto... it's 6am!"

"Yes. Time for me to start work. But I can't do that without my laptop."

Mokuba cocked his head to the side and smiled, "But... today's the 27th?"

Seto shrugged, "So?"

"It's Julia Kaiba's family do. And we did get an invite..." Mokuba's smile grew wider.

Seto stared, "We're only part of the Kaiba family through adoption... They don't want us there."

Mokuba shrugged, "Yeah, well, the car's leaving at ten, and we're going." Mokuba flopped back down on to his pillow.

Seto stared, trying to say something, but unable... He couldn't go to Auntie Julia's Christmas party! They hadn't been since Seto was ten and had offended half of Gozaburo's relatives! "Mokuba... I can't.."

Mokuba groaned and rolled out of bed, "Sure you can. Come on, we'll go get breakfast in that huge dining room you never use." Mokuba had shoved his slippers on and was now shuffling off.

Seto stood, staring, before following Mokuba downstairs.

Seto sat eating breakfast (something he never usually did) just staring at Mokuba.

"What?" Mokuba glared.

"Why, Mokuba? WHY?"

Mokuba shrugged, "Because Christmas day wasn't exactly awesome..."

Seto frowned, Christmas day, he had worked the morning, got his chefs to do a huge roast dinner for lunch which he and Mokuba had eaten, mainly in silence, and then he had offered the leftovers to his workers as a 'treat'. Yes, he had made them work Christmas day, but they were paid double...

"I... I'm sorry if it wasn't all you wanted..."

"Well." Mokuba sighed, "I thought if we went to a family party... well... I'd get a present."

Ishizu's words floated back to Seto and he shuddered. He meant to buy his little brother a gift... truly he did... But time always seemed to run out...

Mokuba hoped down from the table and walked off to get ready, "Oh, by the way, bro." He turned round, "All your electrical items will be returned to you tomorrow."

Mokuba grinned and walked out as Seto shot an icy glare after him.

"Mr Kaiba sir?" Roland had appeared from behind him.

"Hmm?"

"The letter you sent off for testing has come back. Results say that the item contains no dangerous substances."

Kaiba took the letter Ishizu had given to him, those few days before Christmas. He carefully took out his letter opener and sliced the top open. She'd told him to open it Christmas day, but it was still being tested then...

He peered inside. Inside was a chain, a small, elegant chain. He carefully pulled it out, and a little note dropped on his plate as he did so.

Time is running out, Seto.

Kaiba frowned. He looked at the chain, and hung on the end was an hourglass. This wasn't a threat, he knew that straight away. This was a warning.

Kaiba moved to the bottom of the stairs and looked up, "Mokuba. Get ready quickly. We're going early to this party."

Time is running out... Seto looked across the car at Mokuba... He's eleven already... And I'm the closest family he's got. I never went to one of his school plays, or his carol concert... Maybe she's right...

"So... why the jumper?"

Seto looked down at his front. The bright blue jumper with a huge Christmas tree with red pom pom baubles on was ridiculous, but... "Auntie Julia sent it to me two years ago... This is the first time I've worn it."

"It makes you look kinda... weird... Without your big coat you lose a fair bit of shape..." Mokuba giggled, "But it's nice to see you in something colourful!"

Seto folded his arms, he felt really stupid.

Time's running out... Just... smile?

The car pulled up at the front of the huge white mansion their adoptive aunt lived in. Julia stepped outside and stared as the two boys hopped out the car.

"That can't really be my Mokie and my Settie can it?" She clasped her hands over her mouth, "Good gracious I haven't seen you both in... how many years?!" She rushed down the marble steps and flung her arms around them both. She was dressed entirely in pink, and her ginger hair was knotted up ridiculously on top of her head, "Come inside Settie, Mokie, you can play with Reginald!"

Mokuba was ushered off by their aunt to play with her eldest son, while Mokuba was dragged through throngs of people vaguely related to the Kaiba family.

"Hello, all!" Their aunt pushed in to a circle, "This is Seto, Gozaburo's, rest his soul, eldest adoptive son." She looked round and whispered loudly, "The one who turned KaibaCorp in to a gaming company."

Seto rolled his eyes as some pushed a huge glass of mulled wine in to his hand.

"So!" some random relative hounded him, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

How long does it take for one's love life to be brought up in a family gathering... "I don't really have time for one." He smiled apologetically.

"Oh! You should meet my daughter! She's..." The lady nattered on, the rest of the group nodding and agreeing, Seto was finding it increasingly hard to listen.

"How's Gozaburo then?" An older lady smiled.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, "Dead..."

"That's nice." The lady nodded and continued her conversation with the man next to her.

The others in the circle shuffled awkwardly for a moment.

"I love your jumper." Someone piped up.

"Oh yes, very fetching."

Kaiba grimaced, "It's not the sort of thing I usually wear, but..."

"Where's Mikaba?" the lady next to him smiled up with a toothy grin.

"Mokuba... He's... erm..." Seto wished he did know where Mokuba was, then perhaps he could have a sensible conversation with someone...

"Ooh look!" Seto was grabbed by the arm, "This is your cousin, Stephanie!" Julia threw him at a tall, blonde girl, "You two should dance!"

Before Seto even had time to protest he was practically thrown on to the dance floor with the poor girl.

"Come on!" She smiled brightly, and whisked Seto away in to an awkward waltz.

"I'm... sorry." Seto tried to duck out, he was so embarrassed.

"What for?" Stephanie grinned and kept a tight grip on him. "I bet we're the best couple on the floor!"

Seto did not like the thought of being a couple...

"It's funny!" Stephanie continued, "We're related and we haven't even met before!" She had an annoying tone to her voice. It was too harsh and jolly.

"No, we're not."

Stephanie frowned, "What?"

"We're not related. Only by adoption." Kaiba glared.

"Oh." Stephanie found Seto had slipped out of her arms and was walking briskly across the floor to some empty seats, where he hoped she wouldn't follow him.

He stretched his jumper off over his head and sat down, mortified by everyone in the room.

He sat there for about ten minutes, no one talking to him until Mokuba came up to him with a giant pink bow in his hair.

"Mokuba, what happened?"

"Aunt Julia happened. Can you get it out?" Mokuba looked a little teary. "She thought I was a girl."

Seto sat his little brother in front of him and worked the bow gently out of his hair, "There you go, Mokuba."

Mokuba stood up to face him, "Can we go home?"

Seto smiled a little, "Yes please, Mokuba."

They weaved their way through unwanted relations to the huge front doors and slipped silently out.

"I don't think anyone's going to miss us..." Kaiba hailed Roland for the car.

"Bro..."

"Hmm?"

"I promise I won't make you go to some stupid party next year."

Seto smiled and pulled Mokuba closer to him, "No, Mokuba. I promise to give you a proper Christmas next year."

Mokuba looked up at him and smiled, he really believed he would.

Time's running out, Seto.

Hello all!

It's a little late out today because I had to go in to town to pick up cheap Yugioh cards on the market place, so only good reasons! That one was for Yuko13, and remember guys, keep on requesting! Now people are on things like second requests, I'm going to move first request chapters forward so it's fair, but all requests people have asked for will be done, I promise!

Keep on smiling, and have great Christmases, unlike poor Seto there. Hope none of you feel like that at your family dos!

RanulfFlambard4