Chapter XXX: Dreams, Nightmares and Reality
Hello again, readers of "The Jedi League of Duelists!"Wow…Thank you, everyone, for making this story my second-most reviewed fic! I'm so glad that the relaunch has seen this story become loved. Thanks to my reviewers, syrusfanatic12dr-fan/mai-lover and Invader101 for reviewing. Again, to everyone who has been reading, thank you and please review! I'd keep going with it anyway, but your reviews are very encouraging!
Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. She checked. She doesn't. She also doesn't own the Nordstrom retail chain. She just has relatives who work there. She also doesn't own any other store.
Author's Notes, some time later: The short dream sequences are now in italics. Some other minor changes have been made as well.
The long black limousine pulled up to the Kaiba mansion at 1:30 PM and the group of seven people in the limo was glad to be there. "So we're really livin' here," Joey said in an awed voice.
"No, Joey, we'll be living in a cardboard box out back," Seto answered in a good approximation of his once-common creepy voice. "Of course we're living here," he added in a much warmer voice. "I can take you on a tour of the mansion if you'd like. But I imagine everyone would like to have some lunch first." And everyone nodded. Marie had made a little bit of everything so everyone could choose what they wanted. Joey, for once, had to go easy on what he ate because he still ached a bit and didn't have much of an appetite anyway.
"This is great," Joey said around a mouthful of Marie's spaghetti. He swallowed and continued, "I don't think I've had stuff this good since…you and Ren were still here, Mom. Do you still remember how to make..?"
"Mama's special raspberry brownies?" Elizabeth asked, smiling. "Of course I remember, Joey. And I can even show you how to make them. If you want to learn, that is."
Joey nodded. "When I was livin' with Dad, I did most of the cooking. Or we sent out for pizza when he wasn't too smashed. Most of the time, I fended for myself." He tried to cover it with his usual tough-guy attitude, but even without powers, the members of that small group could tell talking about it bothered him.
Seto decided to help Joey focus on something other than his dad. "What did you cook? When I started taking care of Mokie on my own, all I knew for sure how to make was Jell-O and ramen noodles. My mom taught me how to cook stuff and I watched, so eventually I was able to make other stuff like her tuna casserole."
Joey grinned at that. "What else do you know how to make? Maybe we could swap."
Seto grinned back and soon they were chatting about the different things they'd made while on their own. Since Joey had been a little older than Seto had been when the former found himself without a mom to do the cooking, Joey had known initially how to make more things. The boys swapped recipes and Joey's spirits seemed to lift a bit. Then Marie brought in dessert and the group enjoyed Mokuba's favorite chocolate mousse of which the raven-haired boy had two helpings.
"You want to see my room, Joey?" Mokuba asked when the group finished with lunch.
"Sure, kid, you got it!" the blonde boy said with a smile. "I bet you've got a real cool room."
"Just wait and see! I can't walk that far yet, can I, big sister?" Mokuba asked Lisa, who nodded.
"Your legs will get stronger, sweetheart, but today, they just are really wobbly. So don't be upset with yourself when you're unable to do something. Just focus on what you can do," the teen doctor said to her future little brother-in-law. Mokuba nodded, smiling.
While Serenity, Mai and Liz headed to their room, Seto, Lisa and Mokuba gave Joey a walking tour of the mansion. "Whoa," Joey said, taking a look at the Olympic-size swimming pool. "Wish my cast was off."
"Scout wants to take it off on Wednesday, Joey, so you'll get a swim or two in. And you're welcome to come over and use the pool. Just give us a call first, all right?" Lisa offered, smiling. Joey nodded. The four went through the main floor and then to the second floor. And then they arrived at Mokuba's bedroom.
"Here's my room, Joey!" Mokuba said happily. "Maybe we can play video games a little later… Are those for me?!" "Those" were some special plush toys on Mokuba's bed. His teddy bear that Darren Hammond had given the little boy was on the big bed, along with Mokuba's own treasured Blue Eyes White Dragon plush toy, a Red Eyes White Dragon plushie, a new Dark Magician, a Dark Magician Girl, a Cyber Commander, an Injector Fairy Lily (Lisa's choice), a Thirteenth Grave plush toy, a Harpy's Lady plush, a St. Joan plush and a Change of Heart plush. "Did everybody get one for me?" When the older teens nodded, Mokuba smiled. "I'll have to tell everybody thanks."
Mokuba beckoned Lisa and Seto and the two sat down on the bed with the little boy while Joey settled into an easy chair. The little boy sat between brother and sister-in-law and lay down so his raven head was resting in her lap. She ruffled his silky soft hair and began to sing softly. It was a melody Seto recognized from Hiyao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky, the melody in the movie opening and when Pazu and Sheeta defeat the evil Mousska. The small boy's breathing became slower and deeper; he was asleep.
Seto slipped off the bed and got it open. Then he helped move Mokuba onto the sheet and then covered him over with the top sheet and blanket. Lisa ruffled Mokuba's hair again, and got off of the bed. "Shall we go see your room now, Joey?" she asked. He nodded and the teens tiptoed out of the bedroom and went down the hall to a room decorated in green.
"Whoa! Man, I'm in a palace!" Joey said, awed. "Thanks for…man, I don't know what to say…all you're doin'… both of you." He was at a loss for words.
"It's okay, Joey," Seto said. "We're glad to do this for you and your family. Want to take a rest for a bit?" Joey nodded, headed over to his big soft bed and got his sneakers off. Then he stretched out on the huge green comforter. "Call us if you need anything." The blonde boy nodded and took a few deep breaths.
"Think he'll be okay?" Seto asked. "He seems a little edgy."
"Seto, he'll be all right. This is a lot to take in and Joey's just getting used to the fact that his life has changed. He's got his mom and sister back," she said softly as they walked down the hall together, "but he also lost his dad and that hurts no matter how the man was."
"Yeah," Seto said softly, his eyes getting a far-away look in them. "I remember the day Mokie and I had to clear out our old house. Even though Dad had changed, it still hurt to lose him. And then…" Seto's eyes became stormy and his fiancée put her arms around him, "The day after…he died, Mokie and I started clearing out the mansion. Some stuff was valuable, so I had it donated. But…his… personal effects were another story. I grabbed a golf club and started smashing, and then Mokuba and I had a big bonfire in the backyard. But I felt so empty afterward."
"Seto, you and Joey are so alike at times, it's scary," Lisa said softly. "Think you can help him when we go to clear out the apartment?"
Seto took a shaky breath and nodded. "I'll do my best. I'll bet it's been a while since it's been cleaned anyway. I'll bring people and we can make sure Joey gets the security deposit back at least." They reached out and sensed Joey. "He's sleeping," Seto said softly.
"It's the medication he's on. That's why he and Mokuba are sleeping right now. They'll be okay." Lisa hugged him softly. "It'll all work out," she whispered. And then Elizabeth, Mai and Serenity had come up the stairs. "They're both asleep," Lisa whispered.
The five people headed downstairs quickly. "Joey fell asleep?" Mai asked softly.
"Yeah, it's the pain medication," Lisa answered. "Both of them are on stuff that makes them sleepy. And they had a rough day today, so that probably helped. They'll be all right."
"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Liz asked.
"Well, if the boys are up to it, we'll go shopping."
"Lisa," Seto said, "I'll take care of Mokie tomorrow. Unless he wants to go with you, I wouldn't mind keeping him home and just having brother time. Is that all right?"
"Sure, honey. I've been thinking you should have some time, just you two."
"Great, babe. Liz, we've made arrangements to have things moved to your new house, but you definitely need some new stuff. Joey'll need a new bed and I'll bet there's a lot of stuff you need replaced," the teen CEO said. "And you three haven't had a lot of new clothes, either, I'll bet. Joey's church suit is threadbare."
"Seto, honey, you and Lisa don't have to…" Liz began.
"We want to do this," Seto countered her. "You deserve it after all you've been through. Lisa'll take you guys out tomorrow. Just enjoy it, all right?"
"I can't say no, can I?" Liz asked, smiling. "So will we just let Joey sleep?"
"I'll wake him at dinnertime along with Mokuba. They need to take their medications and those need to be taken with food. From what the gang tells me, Joey is a pretty sound sleeper, so he'll wake up, eat what he needs and then fall back to sleep. Mokie'll probably do the same thing." Liz nodded. Mai, without a word, walked down the hall to Joey's room. The door was open, and the blonde girl saw her boyfriend stretched out on the green Egyptian cotton-covered duvet. She smiled softly and grabbed a throw blanket, laying it over her love. She tiptoed out of the bedroom and back down the hall.
Y
The wind in his hair was amazing. Joey was flying through the air, the blue sky above him and the city below. But Joey wasn't flying by himself. Carrying him through the clouds was the Red Eyes Black Dragon. Joey could feel Red Eyes' scales on his arms and hands and then he made sure his legs were securely wrapped to the creature. He held up his arms and cheered. Red Eyes roared his approval.
"Joey, sweetie, it's time to wake up. Lisa needs to give you your dinner and your medicine," his mother was saying. The dream broke apart, and Joey felt his mom's hands on his shoulders. His eyes opened.
"Oh, hey, Ma," the boy said. "How long was I..?"
"About five hours. Now let's get you sitting up." And Liz helped Joey eat his supper, a big bowl of chicken soup accompanied by fresh bread and a glass of milk. Joey ate quite a bit and had his pain medication. He went to the bathroom, headed back to bed and was asleep at 8:30 PM.
Y
"Hey, Lisa," Mokuba called, running through the mansion. "Big sister!" He found her in her and Seto's bedroom, watching TV. "Can I watch with you?"
"Sure, sweetie," she said. She looked a little pale, but okay. Mokuba wasn't sure what was going on, but he was relaxed as he cuddled next to her.
"Mokuba…" He could hear his brother's voice. "Mokie, I wish I could let you sleep, but you need your meds."
"C'mon, sweetie," Lisa coaxed. "Wake up." Mokuba opened his eyes to see his brother and future sister-in-law hovering above him.
"I was having a good dream," the small boy said as his brother helped him to sit up. "You were in it, Lisa, and we were watching TV." He told them about his dream and the two smiled. He ate his dinner, macaroni and cheese, ham and broccoli with cheese, and then had his medication which knocked him out almost immediately.
Liz, Serenity and Mai headed to their room shortly after Joey and Mokuba fell asleep and Lisa elected to sleep on the fold-out couch bed in Mokuba's room. "Just in case he wakes up in the middle of the night, he'll need help. Joey might, too, and I don't want to wake you if either of them does," she explained to Seto. "Will you be okay, honey?" Seto nodded.
"It'll be lonely in there without you, babe. I've gotten used to you being in there since last Monday and it's quiet." He pulled her against himself and kissed the top of her head. "Lisa…" She could strongly sense his desire for her at this moment.
"Don't say it," she whispered. "Just think how good it'll be in two weeks."
"I can be patient," he whispered back, smiling and drawing her into a deep kiss that made her weak in the knees. "Good night, Leese."
"Good night, Seto." And with that, Seto headed back down the hall to his and Lisa's bedroom. He opened his bed and for the first time in a week, slept alone. He switched pillows so he could smell her scent, now embedded in the pillow she used for her head. He was soothed by her scent and fell asleep. Lisa, back in Mokuba's room, checked the little boy before she snuggled down in the blankets of her little couch bed.
He'll sleep all night, she thought as she drifted. All things being equal, everyone would've slept that whole night, but it was not going to be.
Y
It was happening again. Seto was seeing it all. Pegasus chasing him, morphing into Kemo grabbing him, and then Gozaburo… Seto was twelve years old again and terrified. "Please just leave us alone," he pleaded. But he felt Gozaburo grab him by the collar. It was all happening again. The beating started and he could smell Gozaburo's favorite brand of scotch on the monster's breath. Seto knew what was coming, and knew that the demon wouldn't be satisfied with simply beating his adopted son on this occasion. A small part of the young man Seto tried to fight the nightmare, but most of him was now that child again… powerless. His dream self fought and kicked as he had that first horrible time, but he knew somehow that resistance was futile… Nooooooo!
Throughout the mansion, the other Jedi kids woke up feeling Seto's panic and quickly raised their mental shields. "Lisa," Mokuba whispered, terrified.
"It's a bad one," she whispered back and got out of bed. Lisa moved to Mokuba's bedside and picked the little boy up. "We have to wake him out of it." She'd seen Seto have bad nightmares before, but this…this was somehow different.
"He's had bad ones like this before," Mokuba whispered. "Lisa…" Without another word, she carried him out of the room. To her surprise, Joey, Mai, Serenity and Liz were coming out of their rooms as well.
"What's going on?" Liz asked. "The girls said it felt like someone was…"
"Seto's having a nightmare, Elizabeth," Mokuba whispered, "and it's a real bad one."
"Leese," Joey groaned softly. They could all feel it and moved down the hall fast. Seto was moaning and pleading in terror. Lisa and Mokuba moved in quickly and got to Seto.
"Seto, honey," Lisa said in a calm voice, grabbing him by the shoulders, "wake up. Honey, you're having a nightmare. It's not real."
"Big brother, it's okay. He's not here anymore. Seto, wake up!" Mokuba shouted. It took a few minutes to wake him from the nightmare, but finally Seto's deep blue eyes opened. He looked at the two people he loved most and pulled into their hug.
"It's all right, you're safe," Lisa said softly as he shook against them, sweaty and with silent tears running down his face. He couldn't talk for a few minutes, he was so shaken. And then he felt a third pair of arms, then a fourth, fifth and sixth pair joining in the hug.
"You're okay, man," Joey said.
"Yeah, you're okay now," the other girls whispered.
Finally, Seto was able to talk. "Thanks, you guys. I'm sorry."
"Seto, you don't have anything to be sorry for," Joey said. "Dude, pardon my French, but you went through hell. Don't be sorry for havin' nightmares because of it. It's okay." Seto, face still the color of cottage cheese, nodded.
Lisa looked around at her future brother-in-law, her future husband's new secretary/ friend's mother, and her friends who nodded in agreement to her unspoken question. "We're all staying in here with you, all right, Seto?"
"Huh?"
"There's plenty of room, honey and I'm glad we put in that fold-out couch in this room," she said softly. "We're not leaving you alone in here." And so at two in the morning, Seto fell asleep between his future wife and his little brother. Liz, Serenity and Mai fell asleep on the fold-out couch bed and Joey fell asleep in a reclining overstuffed chair.
Y
Seto Kaiba awoke at 7:30 AM. For a brief moment, he couldn't remember what had happened the previous night and then it came rushing back. He was between his fiancée and his little brother because they wouldn't leave him. He also saw his friends and friend's mom/secretary sleeping in different parts of his bedroom. They stayed, he thought. So he didn't wake Lisa, the teen CEO turned to Mokuba. "Mokie, buddy, wake up," he whispered. The raven-haired little boy stirred and awoke.
"Seto..?" Mokuba whispered back. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Why don't we get out of bed and get ready for today? Lisa's going to take Joey and the other girls shopping a little later. Would you like to go with them or do stuff today?"
"Are you working, Seto?" the little boy asked quietly.
"I'm going to get stuff done after we eat breakfast, but I don't have any meetings and once I'm done with what I need to do, we can go anywhere we want, okay?"
"Okay. Are we gonna wait until they wake up?"
"No, I'm going to get my stuff from the bathroom and the closet and then we'll get cleaned up and dressed in your room, all right?" Mokuba nodded quietly and so the boys slid quietly out of the bed. Seto picked Mokuba up and carried him quietly down to the little boy's bedroom. Seto then sneaked back to his bedroom, tiptoed into the bathroom and his closet and got what he needed to be ready for the day. He tiptoed back out of the room and headed back to Mokuba's room. "Okay, kiddo, let's get you cleaned up," Seto said.
"Just fill up the bathtub, Seto and I can do the rest. Then you can get a shower," Mokuba suggested. Seto nodded and filled up the bathtub, and then helped his brother get in. When Seto was sure that Mokuba was okay, he got in the shower. The two boys got cleaned up, and Seto got out of the shower, putting a robe around himself. Then he got Mokuba out of the tub and got his bathrobe on him. "Seto?" Mokuba asked when his brother was toweling off his long black hair.
"Yeah, Mokuba?"
"What're we gonna do today?"
"Well, that depends on you, little brother. Scout said we can't tire you out. Maybe I could take you to the Domino Deluxe Amusement Park." Mokuba grinned at this suggestion, so Seto knew it was a winner. "Let's get you dressed and then we'll get a little breakfast. Then we can go up to my office, I'll get my work done as quickly as I can and then we can go to Domino Deluxe." Mokuba nodded again. And so the older boy went to his brother's closet and selected an outfit of blue jeans, a white turtleneck and a red v-neck sweater over the turtleneck. For himself, Seto chose jeans and a blue sweater. After they were dressed, the boys quietly headed to Seto's home office where they worked for a bit.
Lisa Hammond, for her part, awoke at 8:30 AM and she quickly realized she was alone in the big bed. Seto? she sent. Seto, honey, where are you?
Seto sensed Lisa's call and sent back, I'm in Mokie's room. We got up at 7:30 and we're going to work in my office for a bit. Then we're going to go to the Domino Deluxe Amusement Park, babe. He's been wanting to go there for a long time. Good plan?
Good plan, honey. Mokuba? she sent to her future brother-in-law.
Yeah, big sister?
Take it easy today. You need to keep going forward, not in reverse.
Huh?
That means have fun with your brother, but not so much fun that you hurt yourself and set yourself back.
Okay, Lisa! And then the boys went to work, closing communication. Lisa, for her part, sneaked into the closet and bathroom and grabbed what she needed. She got herself cleaned up in her old purple bedroom and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved purple t-shirt and headed back to the bedroom she shared with Seto. By then, the other four people in the room were awake.
"Mornin', Lisa," Joey greeted, as did the girls. "What are we doin' today?"
"We're going shopping, guys, after we're all ready. Joey, let me check your bandages after you get clean, okay?" Joey nodded. And so everyone got ready for the day.
While Lisa, Mai, the Wheelers and the Kaibas were getting ready for the day, Yugi, Tristan, Tea and Duke were in school for the first time since the day Joey's dad tried to kill Lisa and committed suicide. The press, stationed outside the school, saw the kids and shouted questions. But as they had been advised to do, they wouldn't answer. They made it into the school, and Yugi found his classes lonely without Seto and Joey, as did the other three kids. The four met up at lunch and Bakura joined them.
"Hey, everyone," the British boy greeted, still sounding a bit stuffy but much better. "Thanks for checking on me the other day. That was really kind of you."
"Hey, Bakura," Yugi greeted, looking up from the bento box his grandfather had packed for him today. "No problem. Is your dad back yet?"
"No. He's quite busy at the Bamiyan ruins. How are Joey and Mokuba?"
"We'll see them later today. If you'd like to join us, Bakura…"
"I…" And it was here that Bakura's darker half took over, but not enough that the Jedi teens could completely detect the change. "I have an errand to run this afternoon, but perhaps I'll see you later." The darker Bakura made his lighter half look regretful.
"Don't sweat it, Bakura. Maybe you'll be able to hang out with us later," Tristan said cheerfully. While the kids sensed something wasn't quite right with Bakura, they weren't able to sense the switch between his darker half and his lighter half. And so the dark influence let go of control and the gentle presence known as Bakura Ryou returned completely.
At 10:30 in the morning, Lisa, Mai and the Wheeler family were on their way to the Domino Furniture Emporium. "So we're gettin' furniture today?" Joey asked.
"Not just that, Joey," Lisa now explained. "We'll get your furniture, bedding and clothes, too."
"Lisa," Elizabeth said, "are you sure..?"
"I'm sure, Liz. Seto and I want to do this for you three. Mai, you and I are going to have some fun, too, all right?" Mai nodded mutely. In a few minutes, the five people were getting out of the car and heading into the furniture store. Elizabeth had seen her new home and already had an idea of how she wanted the furniture to look. Serenity, too, had an idea of how she wanted her new bedroom to look.
"Mom, what do you think of this one?" Serenity asked, pointing to a lovely white twin bed, a type that she'd always wanted. Elizabeth walked over and examined the bed.
"I think it's lovely, sweetie. Lisa?" the mother called to her boss's future wife. Lisa sauntered over and took a look and then picked up a buy slip. Meanwhile, Joey walked with Mai through the store.
"What do you think of this one, Mai?" Joey asked, pointing to a handsome oak twin bed. Now if Joey had been any other guy (with the obvious exception of her brother and maybe the other guys in the group), Mai might've been suspicious of the question.
"It's nice, Joey," she said, smiling. He sat down on it, smiling.
"It's comfy. C'mon," he said, patting the bed. She sat down to discover the comfortable mattress.
"This is nice," she said, grinning. Joey grinned back.
"I guess this is the one, then." And then Joey called Lisa over and handed her the buy tag for the bed. He also selected the rest of the bedroom set. Elizabeth made her choices for her room and then the group went and paid for the furniture and Lisa arranged for delivery.
"So now what?" the mother asked as she and the teens piled into the car.
"We're heading to get some lunch and then we'll go to the mall. Liz, you, Joey and Serenity could definitely use some new clothes. Joey, you definitely could, man."
Mai grinned. "Mind if I help?" Lisa returned the grin and nodded. "Joey," the amethyst-eyed girl grinned, "you're going to look fabulous when we're done with you!"
"Mai…" He couldn't help noticing the almost hungry gleam in her eyes.
"I don't think you're a fashion reject anymore, hon, but you still could use some new threads."
Joey smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, when ya put it that way, great!"
The five shoppers arrived at the Domino Mall at 12:45 and ate lunch at a burger place. And then, the group walked down to the Domino Nordstrom. "We're…shoppin' here?" Joey asked, gulping and his eyes widening.
"Yeah," Lisa shrugged.
"But…whoa," Joey said, awed.
Serenity smiled serenely at her brother. "That's where we got my dress and shoes, big brother. Lisa's daddy works at one of the Nordstrom stores in Seattle, so it's no big deal."
"Uh…okay," Joey said finally. And so the first place the group stopped was the men's departments. By 2:30, Joey had been outfitted with new shoes, casual wear, dressy attire and a few nice jackets, Mai helping to make sure everything was up to date. And then Serenity and Elizabeth were similarly outfitted, and the mother of two got several new suits for work. At Lisa's insistence, Mai also got some new clothes. Mai had been thinking of changing her wardrobe, but hadn't had the time. Now, though, she got some more modestly cut outfits.
After Nordstrom, the group split up. Mai took Serenity to her favorite beauty salon in the mall while Elizabeth, Lisa and Joey headed to Brooks Brothers. "We're shoppin' here now?!" Joey asked, eyes wide as saucers.
"Joey," Lisa said, "you need some nice new suits. Your old one is threadbare."
"Well, I did get it at Goodwill," he admitted. "Dad wouldn't shell out for a new suit 'cause… well, he said that mutts don't deserve new clothes." He sighed and his mom gave him a soft hug, realizing just how much damage her late ex-husband had inflicted on her son. Joey sensed how much his mom worried and relaxed a bit.
Meanwhile, down at the beauty salon, Serenity Jayne Wheeler was getting her nails done, her hair styled and her make-up done by a cosmetologist. "You guys do a great job on her," Mai commanded.
"Yes, Miss Valentine," the crew chorused. Thanks to her new powers, Mai could sense that the major reason the crew did her bidding was because she spent a lot of money here. Some of the crew didn't like her, though, because she was bossy and demanding.
"Armand?" she asked the head beautician, a handsome blonde man in khaki pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt with an unknown accent.
"Yes, liebschen?"
"Tell me, am I really demanding?" she asked, a pleading look in her amethyst eyes.
Armand took a deep breath, concern in his sea-green eyes. "Miss Valentine, you are a young lady who knows precisely what she wants."
Mai could tell Armand was sugarcoating his response in order to spare her feelings. "Armand, please," she said in a soft voice. "If you really think I've been too demanding, I really want to know." He didn't say a word. He didn't have to. "Then," she concluded, "I owe everyone in this shop an apology." She looked over at Serenity. "I have an example to set." After Serenity was coiffed, polished and made up beautifully, Mai gave each person a big tip and a brief apology.
"What was that all about?" Serenity asked.
"Something I needed to do, hon," Mai answered, putting her arm around the younger girl. Together, they walked back down to Brooks Brothers.
Joey, at this time, stood in front of a three-panel mirror as a tailor made adjustments to his gray-blue suit pants. "Are they comfortable, Mr. Wheeler?" the tailor asked.
"Yes, sir, they're really nice," the blonde boy answered, lifting his arms. Fortunately, the cast he was wearing didn't affect how the suit was fitted. The tailor made a few more adjustments to the suit, and was done. Joey pulled on his regular clothes quickly, and headed out of the room.
"Joey," Lisa asked, "how are you fixed for dress shirts?"
"I've got the one you saw me in and a tan one."
"Okay then, what's your size?" Joey told her and he, Lisa and Elizabeth started looking. They found several dress shirts and were setting them on the counter when Mai and Serenity arrived.
"Hey, guys! Take a look at the new Serenity!" Mai introduced happily. "Gorgeous, isn't she?"
Elizabeth smiled and got a little teary. "My babies aren't babies anymore." Both of the Wheeler kids groaned and laughed.
"Mom!"
"Ma!" Elizabeth wiped her brown eyes and smiled at this reaction from her two children.
"I'm guessing you need some ties, Joey?" Lisa asked, diffusing the tension. Joey nodded, and the girls went looking for ties. They found several and Joey had a wardrobe that would make him look the young gentleman that he was.
"Joey, I could take you to Milan and you could model!" Mai said, impressed.
"Thanks, Mai," he said. Lisa got the group together and started snapping pictures of the group. Elizabeth, at one point, insisted that Lisa join the group in the pictures. The five posed nicely with their shopping bags while someone took a couple of pictures. And then it was time to go home.
The Wheelers, Mai and Lisa arrived back at the Kaiba mansion at 6:30. Seto and Mokuba had arrived home about an hour earlier and the smaller boy was sound asleep in his bed. "Mokie screamed himself hoarse on the Hurricane Fury. He was exhausted and he fell asleep on the way home," Seto whispered as he and his love looked in on the raven-haired little boy. "Was the shopping trip successful?" She handed him several receipts. His eyebrows raised. "I think it was."
"Yeah. Joey's got a new wardrobe, and so do Liz and Serenity. I got Mai a few things, too."
"Great. Let's go have some dinner and then you need to rest up."
"Yeah. I… Seto, tomorrow isn't going to be easy on Joey."
"Yeah, clearing out his apartment won't be easy. It'll be all right, Leese."
"I hope so, honey," she said, and together, they left the sleeping Mokuba. That evening was a relaxing one, but everyone knew that Wednesday would not be.
And that concludes chapter 30, everyone! Today, February 22, is my birthday, and my birthday gift to myself was getting this chapter up! I hope you liked it and stay tuned for chapter 31, "Confrontation." Read and review, everyone!