A/N: This is Amber again. The following chapter was written by me, and is much uh..different than the previous insert. It's not first person, it's sometime later, and it's mostly about Pegasus. It's also fairly boring, IMO, but I figure the two need a wedding, and here's the prequel to said wedding. The content is extremely mild here, G, but the overall rating will remain R
It will get better later, I promise! Just endure some details and we can get to the funny..I hope you like the part with Yuugi =) My co-author and I have stuff planned for the future which will either make you laugh till your sides split or make you scream in terror and give you nightmares forever...depending on your level of insanity =)
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Gazing into the ornate Victorian mirror, the intricate design of a golden border inlaid with a thick opal of silver, Pegasus sighed heavily.
This is going to be a disaster of the greatest magnitude.
It was not a prediction really, but more of a slight nervous fear which hung in the back of his head. He knew he shouldn't even *think* such thoughts, and he wanted to be optimistic, he really did, and up until this final day he had been sufficiently so. The past few weeks had passed by in a dizzy whirl, with planning and business, and hardly any time to sit and think, but there had been the constant implication that this would all be for the best, and he had not been concerned in the slightest.
Well, that was of course until this very morning, when he had awoken splayed under the silken sheets and suddenly all he could think was
By Ra, Osiris, and Horus, WHAT am I getting myself into?!
All the things which had before seemed so rational and well-thought-out now seemed silly and ridiculous. He envied Kaiba, who didn't seem at all bothered. Well....no, actually he did seem bothered, but only because "bothered" was a part of Kaiba's perpetual demeanor, just as grumbling was his way of talking and complaining was his way of showing affection. But as he only seemed mildly irritated with life, not irate and ready to murder the nearest creature, Pegasus took it as a sign that he was quite content and pleased.
In truth, this whole thing had snow-balled out of control and gone to become a proportion and magnitude which neither had originally desired or intended. Seto, in fact, had originally not been keen on the idea of any kind of official doings, be it ceremony, papers, or other.
"There's no use for it." He had said with a definite edge of finality to his voice. " It would be wasted time and effort that I could put to better use working on technological projects, which would, unlike these fairy-tale dreams, bring about something worthwhile. I like you and visa versa. We don't need some stupid papers or trite silly wedding rituals to verify feelings. I've already staked my claim, and that makes it legal enough for me."
At that, Pegasus had rolled his eye over his partner's stubborness. "While I do *truly* appreciate your sentiments, Kaiba-boy, and am flattered that you would care for me enough to declare yourself my owner, I do believe we are no longer in the Paleo-lithic age and consequently, some degree of civility and formal proceedings seems necessary. I'm as against the idea of frills and fancy gatherings as you, but we should at least buy the proper papers...."
At that, Kaiba had merely grunted and exited the room to pursue some trivial tinkering, and Pegasus had smiled, knowing that he had achieved the closest thing to victory possible under the circumstances.
Once alone, Pegasus sighed again, taking note of something for the first time. "Alana?" He called into the hallway. "Dear woman, if you are going to spy on my private conversations, please at least have the courtesy to step into the room and vent your opinions on me afterwards."
The young maid, one of his many palace servants, stepped in from the hallway a bit timidly, but obviously near the boiling point with excitement as a wide smile spread across her fair features. "Spying, Master Pegasus? Why, I was just taking my time to thoroughly clean your furniture...."
At this, he raised an eyebrow keenly. "And a good job you must've done, Alana, for I heard you dusting that vase for the past twenty minutes or so."
Cornered, she would deny it no longer. Uh-oh...here it came...
"Master Pegasus!" Squealed the young woman, her wanton enthusiasm bursting over into a near-giggling fit, as she bounced up in down in scarcely-contained excitement. "Oh, a wedding, it shall be most delightful! I can just imagine..."
Seeing the stars in her eyes, and fully recognizing the fairy-tale wedding ideals that went along with them, Pegasus quickly felt the need to amend her hopeful wishes.
"No, no, my dear." He stated practically. "Nothing of the sort, in fact. We are simply going to purchase the proper documents, that's all and nothing beyond this. Nothing glamourous or fancy, I'm afraid."
The response was a confused blink. "Master Pegasus....? You cannot be serious!" Exclaimed the girl, suddenly downcast.
He simply shrugged.
"But Master! You are certainly rich enough to have a most extravagent wedding, so why would you want to miss out? Why would you want to squander the opportunity to profess your love in some beautiful setting, having a day to remember for the rest of your life? You wouldn't regret it, I assure you!"
He exhaled in the form of a sigh and furrowed a bit. Who knew the little maid could be so stubborn? Of course, it was not uncommon for the fair sex to harbor fantasies of an idyllic wedding for themselves, and it seemed that this girl was projecting this, hoping to vicariously experience something of the merriment and bliss. (Of course, it may also have been that she was hoping to get some ideas for her own possible future marriage...)
"You don't understand." He explained. "I do not wish to have a newspaper field day. Can you see the tabloids if they got wind of this?..."
Once more, the girl's eyes lit up with newfound euphoria. "Oh, please, sir! Let me plan it for you! I have friends who have had weddings before, and I know a thing or two about the subject myself. I just can't bear to see you not taking advantage of what could be the best day of your life. Just trust me, I'll make it a day to remember for you, if you will permit me. Trust me, it'll be a *private cermony*" She had winked then, as though she were an expert on marriages and everything that went into them.
For some reason, and he could not logically understand why, Pegasus had ultimately consented. Perhaps it was the intensity of the girl's desire, her vivacious drive, or the fact that her argument sounded rather nice. In retrospect however....he realized at length that though well-meaning she might be, she was hardly qualified. Those "friends who had weddings" turned out to also be friends who suffered divorces, and despite her claim to know "a thing or two" about the subject, the simple fact remained that she didn't want something sensible. She wanted GRAND and she wanted EXTREME, and Pegasus, as well as Kaiba, hardly knowledgeable enough on marital matters to know better, had gone along with her ideas and pretended that they knew what they were agreeing to.
Alana, wanting to make the set-up as big of a pomp as humanly possible, had seen to it that the lawn behind the castle was decorated and ornamented to a ridiculous degree, with large useless shapes and pretty frilly things, and for some reason that Pegasus could not fathom (and by this point it was too late to reject), she had been bent on the idea of buying various tropical birds to place in the wetland area of the gardens (where the entire event was to be centered). "It will be so perfect..." She kept explaining.
Oh yes, quite perfect indeed. On the fated day, one of those Spring days where the weather was unpredictable, a strong breeze came up from the eastern shore of the sea, rising to a nasty gust. In a few moments, half or more of the decorations had found their way down the hill and near or into the ocean. But on the other hand, the varying assortment of birds had seen to it that the whole yard was re-decorated....in a far different fashion.
So much for the dream setting.
For the post-wedding banquet, Pegasus had hired a fancy French chef to prepare numerous rare (and expensive..of course) delicacies. Not that Pegasus intended to eat any of them himself, because he would surely be too excited (or just plain jittery) to eat, and Kaiba wouldn't have anything to do with such foods either, for according to him, "I don't eat anything I can't pronounce." (*and for this comment, he had earned a good helping of French swears, which it was also unlikely that he could pronounce....*)
Originally, the whole situation was supposed to be very private, with only the couple, immediate family (all one of them), and servants attending, while the rest of the world remained none the wiser. But of course, following suit with everything else, fate (or Mokuba rather, who had been strictly told not to tell anyone, and immediately thereafter "accidentally" slipped and informed everyone at school...) had seen to it that this wouldn't be the case.
Since everyone now knew and would probably find some way of viewing the spectacle (whether their presence was desired or not..), it seemed reasonable to save face and just invite the leeches. (At least this way they wouldn't come bitterly)
Yugi, originally, had not been especially interested, as it was something that did not concern matters of his grandfather or dueling, the only two things which held his interest for a prolonged period of time. But Joey had persuaded him, insisting that he "gots to see dis", and once Yugi was satisfied, the rest of the peanut gallery (Tea, Tristan, Ryou) had of course followed.
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As Pegasus stood in preparation, just anxious moments away from his much-anticipated entrance, he thought over the invitations and a certain new tension grew in his mind. Yugi...surely he would be here, but how would that go over? Would Yugi still be bitter over what Pegasus had done to him in the past? The colorful young boy didn't really seem to be the type who would hold a grudge, but nevertheless, how could Pegasus hope for a casual conversation with him?
"Hello, Yugi-boy. How's your grandfather faring these days? Sure hope that little soul-stealing incident didn't tax his heart too much.."
He cringed. No, no, that wouldn't do at all. Of course, he reflected in an attempt to reassure himself, he had grievously mistreated Kaiba as well, hadn't he? And look where that ended up.
Besides....Pegasus thought with a smirk, even if Yugi did harbor some great spite against him, what was the most sinister thing the boy could do? Bite his knees? Yes, Yugi did have the exact measurements to wreak havoc on the shins...if provoked...
Well, at least he felt somewhat better about *that*...but still, other misgivings readily presented themselves. In his state of increased worry, the man had already probably succeeded in consuming a bit more fruit juice [Amber: =)] than was really appropriate. He didn't feel drunken or dizzy, or impaired in any way...yet. But what if his faculties slipped a bit during some crucial moment? Wait, what was he thinking? THIS WHOLE DAY WAS A CRUCIAL MOMENT! Oh no, yet another thing to be concerned with....
*Psst, Pegsy, snap out of it! You've got a wedding to attend...yours, and as the *other* star of the show..... you guessed it, they'll all be looking for you to show up, stand around awhile, repeat the same two words a bunch of times, and then walk off with a big goofy smile. Customs... don't understand 'em, just do em.*
*...Huh? Are you my Yami or something?*
*How could I be your Yami? You don't think you woul've noticed me before?. But nevermind that! Your mission, should you choose to accept it (and they always do, I've watched all the movies thankyouverymuch...), is to haul your psuedo-aristocratic cartoon-watching bum out the door and down the aisle, walking fearlessly past a bunch of creepy gawking people who smell exceedinly funny and will probably ruin what's left of your lawn before the day is done. You must then stay awake long enough to survive the heinous torture of standing still for a prolonged period of time as a person you hardly or don't know reads long boring stuff for half of eternity. Overcome the first two obstacles, fake the well-mannered-host long enough to amuse the simpleminded folk when reception time comes, and then take a breather and retire into the sunset. BARBADOS, WHEE!!*
*.....Okay, that did *NOT* reassure me at all. I take it you're one of the byproducts of my alleged insanity?*
*Seems quite possible*
*.....*
*NOW! I pity da foo' who don't make haste!"
*Hm, so...one of the voices in my head is Mr T?*
*Twould appear to be the case.*
*I would've never suspected...*
*You learn something new everyday...HEY! Stop changing the subject!*
*Am not.*
*Are too.*
*...Bleh*
"Master Pegasus?" A voice interrupted his inner arguments. Oh, thank Ra...there was no telling how horrible the ensuing argument was going to have been...
Croquet stood in the doorway. Pegasus huffed in mock indignation.
"Croquet? Where have you been? I'm waiting for news..how are things faring out there?"
A sweatdrop appeared on the back of the other man's head.
The single amber-coloured eye narrowed. "Wellllll...?"
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Yuugi squirmed a bit in his seat. Above, a portentous gathering of dark clouds had assembled. (Springtime, go figure.)
"C'mon Yug, you're not tellin me you're worried bout a little rain?" Inquired Joey, who sat beside him greedily gobbling the contents of some wedding dish which Yuugi didn't recognize as any food he'd ever seen before...
Yuugi fretted. "Well, I mean..I don't want to get my cards wet..." He fumbled through his pocket and began stroking the small shapes lovingly.
"Gee, Yuugi! You brought your cards here? You are really unhealthily addicted, y'know. But I think the real reason you don't want a storm is cuz.." And at that moment he prodded the shorter boy with a playful jab of the elbow. "I think it's really cuz a little water absorbtion would make yer hair so damn heavy that your little neck would snap!" And following this he made a few gestures and nosies to further indicate the point.
Yuugi's face turned ghastly pale with a green undertone.
"Relax, bud..I'm jes kiddin...uh, that wouldn't really happen... would it? Uh...anyway, you gotta lighten up..with Tris here outta it, you're all I gots left to hang with..."
Unsure of what exactly Joey meant, Yuugi peered over, only to see Tristan sitting two seats away. He had fallen into a most quiescent slumber, as a steady line of saliva ran down to his chin from his lip. Iintermittent noises of "Glghgrrp.." and "Ughfleh" arose and the shark-haired boy slouched heavily...in five minutes he would have fallen completely out of the chair and be lying in a crumpiled pile on the lawn.
"Hey!" Exclaimed Yuugi, upon taking sight of this. "Tristan! That...isn't nice!"
Unfortunately, as Yuugi cringingly realized immediately aftering saying this, the words "not nice" triggered an instant automatic reaction from Tea, who so far had been standing behind him and trying to wink heavily in Yuugi's direction..unbeknownst to him, of course.
"TRISTAN WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?" Exclaimed the girl, before she had even gotten a glimpse of the situation. Tristan stirred with a snort and yawned. "Oh, I cannot believe this! Do you not realize that we are coming here to honour the presence of a friend, a friend of that friend, and a friend of the friend's friend?! Remember, above all else we must follow the sacred vows of our very important special beloved magnificent friendship which is also very good....and ..and did I mention that it's not nice to do bad things or say mean..*blah blah blah*...."
--Major sweatdrop goes here--
Eventually, after a good solid ten minutes of circular rambling on the value of friendship, Tea swallowed and got a perplexed look. Fortunately, if Tea repeated the same thing enough times, she always seemed to lose track after a while, confuse herself, and then shut up altogether.
"Oh Yuugi..I just noticed the divine scenerary here!" Yuugi briefly paused to wonder at how Tea could have *just* noticed when they had been at the island for quite near an hour's length now... "So romantic, don't you think, Yuugi? All these..flowers..and...uh, lacy things..and golden stuff..and oh Yuugi, isn't it just the most glamorous setting ever? I sure hope *my* wedding can be as exceptionally wonderful!"
As she said this, she glared hard at Yuugi with a most suggestive and frightening smile, the sort of smile Yuugi could only remember seeing on people when they had red noses and floppy shoes to go with it.
--Sweatdrop like hell--
"Hello everyone!" Piped a new voice amidst the conversation, a soft-spoken cutesy voice whom everyone had no trouble recognizing as their good little friend Ryou! (Yes, the same little Ryou whose Yami is a raging psychotic evil bastard, but that's irrelevant, ain't it?) As everyone turned to give the new presence recognition, Ryou smiled one of his characteristic so-damn-sugary-your-teeth-will-rot grins and gave a small playful wave. "And hey to you as well, Tea. I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying and I believe you should know that over there"--he pointed to a group of stern-looking businessmen, obviously Kaiba Corp employees--" I heard those friendly chums speaking about you...and how you...eh, had an outfit which make you look like you would be a good person to befriend. I saw quite a few ...friendly smiles..in your direction. Care to go make new friends?" Ryou flashed his most convincing, most-pleaing smile.
Tea's cornflower-coloured eyes lit up with newfound excitement. With a final flirtatious grin at Yuugi, she turned and giddily bounced off in the direction Ryou had alluded to.
"Cheerio." Mumbled the little white-haired teen as he turned his attention to Yuugi and was met with a dizzying smile of relief and "you-saved-me-from-certain-doom" gratitude on his friend's behalf. "So...Yuugi," he began, "sorry if I showed up late. Some odd chap on the boatride made us late, screaming "DON'T WORRY, MY FATHER! I WILL SMITE THE OCEAN FOR TAKING YOU!" and then dived off and tried to harpoon a school of amberjack. We yelled at him to get back in, but he insisted on putting up a rather embarrassing melodramatic scene, only to be stung by a jellyfish for his efforts. I was very nearly ready to just dive into the water and swim the rest of the way over here..I probably would've arrived just as quickly had I done so..anyway, how have you been? Is there a lot of excitement here?"
Yuugi instinctively began to glance around the scenerary. It might have been a very beautiful setup had not the weather but so impossibly dreary, and the wind so rough.
"..Well, we're just waiting now, basically." Said the boy. "But I'm sure this will be..eh, a sight like no other we've seen before. I tried to get Grandpa to come, but he said he would have no part in the fruity-demon-scum-from-hell's wedding. I told him that that was a rather harsh thing to say, Kaiba is not that bad. He went over a rant about how in his day, you walked fifteen miles in the snow through a pyramid full of scorpions and over burning lava pits, just in order to get to get to your wedding, and after that, he said the true hardships would begin. And he also said he didn't want to miss the Golden Girls marathon today. Oh well. At least I've got you guys here..."
"Hey, wouldja check dat out!" Exclaimed Joey at once, jabbing Tristan (who was dozing once more) sharply in the rib. Tristan grunted and shook his fist, but it was doubtful that Joey noticed. Following the direction of his pointing index finger, the gang of friends gazed upwards to the balcony, whereupon stood none other than Seto Kaiba. A robe...he was wearing a robe, the same colour as his eyes if not a bit darker... Cold ice blue orbs scanned the surrounding, calculations, sharp opinions and thoughts, precise courses of future decisions, all made in an instant. That was Kaiba.
Undaunted by the rigid sharpness of the brunette's glare, Yuugi bubbled over with an amiable purple-puppy-dog-eyed smile and waved enthusiastically. Standing aside him, Ryou said nothing but assumed his friend's friendship offering would be futile, if even noticed.
Kaiba did not respond.
"What's he doin'?" Joey whispered ..loudly, into Yuugi's ear.
Not deigning to respond, Yuugi kept waving, trying more fervantly and bouncing a bit. "Heya Kaiba!" He called out. "It's me, your friend, Yuugi!"
Ryou slapped his forehead. There was no way a three-foot-tall guy like Yuugi could ever hope to get the attention of anyone standing up high.
Much to his surprise, however, Yuugi's raucous yelling did seem to make an impact. The figure far above them turned to give a condescending/indifferent glance to the small spot of wiggling purple.
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Hey..who woulda thunk? He's wavin at ya, Yug!"
Ryou scratched the side of his shaggy white mane. *Great Scott!* "Um, guys, I could be mistaken, but I don't believe that's a wave..at least not the kind you're thinking of...."
Yuugi, too naive to understand Ryou's implication, just grinned stupidly. "Well, folks, I never thought it'd happen, but Seto Kaiba just gave me an offering of friendship."
Ah..well, thought Ryou, he seemed so hopeful and proud, why spoil it?
As abrubtly and mysteriously as he had come out, Kaiba turned and walked back into the palace, his steady gait unchanging as always.
"Hey Ryou!" Called Tristan, clumsy wiping his mouth with his jacket sleeve. "Your ...raging psychotic evil Yami bastard half isn't going to be making an appearance today is he? Because.." --putting his hands on his hips and huffing his chest up to twice it's normal size-- "I don't know that I'll be in the mood to go so easy on that maniac today, I mean, hey, did you see me back in the dungeon? I was great, huh?"
The tar-brown eyes blinked in confusion. Today could be a long day......
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Croquet stared at his Master, not entirely sure how to react to this whole fiasco. On the one hand...it was delightful that his master had found happiness and was no longer sunken in the depths of despair, red-faced and sobbing into his funny bunny plushie on a nightly basis. No longer moping the halls with a dark circles under both his normal and Millenium Eye...no, that was in the past. But as Croquet watched him now, as his boss turned to look at his backside in the full-body mirror, scrutinizing his robe for any little wrinkle, well....it did seem a little *unusual*, even considering this was a guy who watched cartoons and performed feats of mind-blowing Millenium Shadow Magic..
...but, Croquet decided, he was too loyal, had worked here too long, and got paid too well to worry if Pegasus wanted a slightly eccentric marriage proceeding. More power to him...but then that ruffian boy he was marrying better treat him well and make sure he was always sufficiently happy, or else...well, there were plenty more balloon boulders lying around, mazes, a dungeon, and hey, if that didn't work, Seto could always be locked up and forced to watch hours of rerun Funny Bunny episodes until his mind melted away and he was driven to insanity...Ra knew Croquet had seen far more of that crazy pink rabbit than most human beings could hope to endure...
"Yoo hoo~Croquet? Can I ask you something before we head out?"
Behind his expensive shades, one of Croquet's eyebrows raised up. What could this be about?
"Eh...of course, Master Pegasus, you can ask anything of me...but I really doubt there's anything I can tell you that you don't already know twice as much about..."
Pegasus chuckled. "Oh no, Croquet. Nothing like that. It's an opinion I request of you."
An...opinion? "Uh, oh well, yes, whatever you desire Master Pegasus.."
"And you will be honest with me? No sugar-coating? Please, Croquet, this is a dire matter of the utmost importance and seriousness."
Croquet simply nodded, the muscles of his neck growing tense. Surely Pegasus wasn't having second thoughts....
"Alright..." Pegasus sighed heavily... "Now, level with me..."
.....
"Does this thing make me look fat?"
Had Croquet not been holding the door open, it was highly likely he would have gone tumbling over.
"Master Pegasus..."
"Well?"
"No sir, no not at all."
"Are you being frank with me? Entirely truthful, you're sure?"
"Yes sir..."
"Now by not fat, do you mean marginally plump yet not obese? Or perhaps overly filled out but not rotund in the middle? What about stout? Stocky? Chubby, perhaps?"
"...Uh..."
"Oh, you're right! This is probably sewn to the wrong size!"
Croquet felt the need to offer some help. Without thinking, he blurted...
"Nonsense, Master Pegasus. You make a lovely bride...that is, I mean, as far as guys go, though I do not look at them, but if I did, then I would say you seemed ..uh, suitable."
From the look of shock on the other's face, along with a quick shot of fiery amber glow, Croquet knew he had made a mistake somewhere along the line... he was all-too-familiar with the "I'm-having-cartoon-withdrawels-and-not-happy-so-get-your-sorry-kuriboh-outta-here" look, as he had called it in short terms....it was not unlikely that a Pegasus temper tantrum would follow...
"BRIDE?!" He spat the word in disbelief. "Croquet..! You know better! This is not that sort of a wedding, it's not about bride and groom! We see each other as equals, myself and Kaiba~boi..Blue Eyes..Seto. This is a situation of pure mutual respect and understanding."
"Right..yessir I understand..."
...
".....You still think of me as the bride, don't you?" Pegasus pouted cutely. "Ridiculous! Ra, I'm not feminine in the least." --Said he whilst tossing his hair and grabbing his hips in indignation--
"Well..it's just..your robe, sir."
"What of it? Kaiba is wearing a blue one. It's only white because white goes best with my hair!"
"Yessir.."
Pegasus, still doubting that Croquet's opinion had changed much, opened his mouth for further protest, but was interrupted by the sound of faint giggling nearby. Raising his head to peer beyond Croquet, Pegasus saw for the first time that a growing number of female servants, bridesmaids (or so they thought of themselves..), were piling around in the hallway outside of his room. Every last one held a hand to her mouth, trying desperately (and without much success) to hold back a tide of snickers.
Oh great, thought Pegasus, what was this new twist?
A very roughed-up Kemo appeared at the door, panting in exhaustion. He was more than little dirty, his sun-glasses hung half-off awkwardly, and his jacket looked tattered...even the sharp point of his hair looked broken
"Sorry Master Pegasus!" He stammered, staggering forward. "I tried to hold them back, but all my years of security training failed me...there were too many of 'em! They were rabid, they ambushed me.....sorry again, sir!"
Oh, for the love of Ra!
"Ladies!" Called Pegasus, "I need to ask that you all begone immediately or I shall send every last one of you to the Shadow Realm!"
The threat only provoked a further round of giggles.
Pegasus turned and huffed.
"Ah, come now Master Pegasus, you know we couldn't resist seeing you before the big moment. It's only the groom who isn't supposed to peek!" Alana made her way to the forefront, the expression on her face as disgustingly sweet as any Yuugi or Ryou could muster.
"You don't understand, I am *not* the...aw, nevermind...think whatever you will of it." He sighed in defeat.
"So, your outfit is almost complete..but where's your halo? And I must ask..." Alana smirked mischeviously, "What are you wearing under there?"
The silver-haired billionaire's face turned a shade of pink almost as dark as the suit he usually wore. "My dear.." He mumbled. "..I seriously doubt that etiquette would say that such a question is appropriate on a man's wedding day.."
--Chuckles--
"Ohhhh, so it's like that, eh? Well then, Mister Kaiba, I suggest you hurry up and get out there! It looks like a shower is coming on!"
Pegasus blinked. What did she mean by that ambiguous little remark? Wait..white robe..deficiency of undergarments..rain...#*@#$#%!
He turned to all the gleaming eyes facing in his direction. "Why are you still lingering? Please, go ahead and make your way out..."
...No response..just creepy smiles..
"Alright, I know what this is about." Pegasus gave a broad and playful grin. Might as well play along... "You ladies are just jealous because none of you have the hips to pull off this robe, whereas ~I~ on the other hand, am looking quite stylish! Admit it! You could see me on the front page of Glamour or Vogue, couldn't you? I can't help it that I'm a trendsetter..." Following the little speech, he offered some silly poses that got a warm reception of laughes, applause, and a whistle or two. If there was one thing that could be said of Pegasus, he wasn't afraid to poke fun at himself....
Before turning to leave, Alana gave a quick peck on his cheek. "Good luck, Max." Said she in pleased somberness. The assortment of females followed her as she made an exit, some turning to take in a final look. After all, it wasn't something they'd see everyday...
Pegasus took one final check, one last examination, to satisfy himself that nothing was amiss, and then he turned to Croquet.
"Ready, Master? But there's one more thing, though..you might have it covered.."
"Hmm~? What do you mean, Croquet?"
"Eh, well, I don't know how much little traditions are important to you. But..what of that Something Old/New/Borrowed/Blue thing?"
Pegasus laughed heartily. "Oh, Croquet! You didn't truly believe I could overlook those little details did you?"
Croquet waited in patient silence for further explanation.
"Well, I'm getting something New. A New husband. Borrowed and blue both cover the same item. Do you know of what I'm speaking, Croquet? ~I'll give you a hint! It's a favorite card of my future spouse!~"
"Blue-Eyes-White-Dragon? Very thoughtful of you, sir."
"Mmm-hmm, and if Kaiba~boi wants it back, he'll have to search for it. It's in my robe."
"....? I didn't know those had pockets, sir?"
"Now Croquet? Who said anything about pockets?"
"...! I see, sir."
"As for the old...well.." Pegasus glared at Croquet and narrowed his eye sneakily... "*ahem*.."
"Ha! That's quite enough, sir. I get your dirty little implication, you evil fiend, you...." --Glance at the clock-- "It's time, you can't keep them in suspense forever..."
As the silk of his attire brushed the floor softly, Pegasus moved to join Croquet in the doorway, and arm-in-arm they crossed the looming passage of the hall.
Unusual to his generally stoic demeanor, Croquet seemed to be repressing snickers which desperately wanted to be emitted.
"Whatever is the matter with you?" He was finally asked of.
"It's just.." He put his hand to his mouth, "I can't believe my little girl is all grown-up!"
Unable to control it further, the primary servant doubled-over with a burst of laughter. He got a mild punch in the back and a dirty look for his comment, but it really didn't seem to matter. This was going to be great....
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Seto grunted. He didn't like this in the least. Not that there were many things that he really *did* like, except dueling, Mokuba, his company, and Pegasus...but he especially disliked, loathed, abhorred, and otherwise hated this little predicament.
Firstly, Yuugi was here. Yes, he had known previously that Yuugi was invited, but that didn't make it any more pleasant. The little spiky-haired goody-goody wasn't necessarily the most horrible thing in the world, but his followers were sure to turn this into some scene from a crazy Shakespearian comedy...and then, Seto would have to find interesting ingenius methods of reducing them to pulp.
Beside him, Mokuba was struggling over some game on his new Gamebody Advance(TM). "Awww! I died again!" He exclaimed grumpily. "That's the 14th time on that level!" When Seto failed to even comment, Mokuba raised his head to give a peculiar look. The boy was at that age where he was hitting adolescence, and as a natural consequence, becoming very preoccupied with himself. Nonetheless, he still noticed that his brother was behaving unusually. After all, normally Seto would've at least scolded him for playing with a piece of technology made by a rival company..but today, nothing!
*Wow* Thought Mokuba, *Usually he only focuses on something like this when he's dueling. He must really be going full force on this one...*
"Big Brother..?"
Seto regarded him.
"How do you feel about this, Mokuba?"
Mokuba was taken aback. It was the first time his brother had spoke since...well, awhile!
The boy shrugged. "I'm here to support you, Seto."
Silence.
"That's it? That's all? You don't have any more opinions? That's unlike you, Mokuba."
Mokuba squirmed nervously.
"Well..ah, if you're happy, I'm happy. Pegasus is funny..I mean, I don't think *I'd* date him, but..y'know, I'm 12, right now breasts are the most important quality to me so....yeah..." He flushed. That last part had just sort of slipped out..true though it was...
Seto watched him through his periphreal vision. At the very least, no one could say the boy was dishonest.
"But do you like him as a person? I like the fact that he does have a lot of ass."
The kid's eyes shot open. "What did you just say?!"
"Huh? What's wrong, Mokuba? I said I liked his class."
"..That is *not* what you said!"
Seto rolled his cerulean eyes. "Mokuba, I think I would know what statements come out of my own mouth. I am a literally a genius. Don't act strange on me."
*Oh sure* Thought Mokuba, *I'M the one acting strange..yeah..*
"Let's get out of here." Added Seto. "I want to get this over with before all hell breaks loose..believe me, if given time, it will." He piddled with the contents of his suitcase for a moment more, finding the cards somehow relaxing..an odd change since a duel could usually flare a temper like nothing else...it was killing time before the ceremony, it was anxiousness...
All things considered, he was well-composed. But then, when was Seto Kaiba not well-composed?
"Come on, Mokuba." He said simply, as he turned and strode with firm alacrity out the door. For a few seconds, Mokuba didn't even realize his brother had left...he lingered on the couch fiddling with the task of overthrowing demons and big skeletal things.
As he died...again, he suddenly bolted up and ran after his elder sibling, calling yells of "Hey! Wait! Big Brother! No fair!" In his haste, the miniature best man quickly grabbed up the small square box which delicately held the incredibly valueable little trinket....the ring Seto would give to Pegasus... a most beautiful circle of tri-coloured gold braided in celtic knotwork with inlaid diamonds encircling the frame....unbelieveably expensive, but money was of no matter to Seto.....
...And as Mokuba raced after his brother, he also didn't notice that the lid was not entirely shut..for earlier that day he had been peering at the wonderous item and left the case the tiniest bit cracked open....
..And Mokuba also did not notice the minute sound at his feet, the brief tinkling which lasted for but an instant....as gold struck marble.....
*************************************************
A/N: *Whew* Okay guys, Amber is officially tired =) I wrote all that and *still* haven't gotten thru the bloody wedding! Well, I hope you liked..kinda liked..sorta, maybe, possibly? Anyway, thanks in advance for reading! I hope I can update it again in a few days, maybe even a day or two =)
And btw I know Ryou was saying British stuff, but I know he's not British in the Japanese version so please don't jump on me for that. I was just making fun of his dub comments ^_^
It will get better later, I promise! Just endure some details and we can get to the funny..I hope you like the part with Yuugi =) My co-author and I have stuff planned for the future which will either make you laugh till your sides split or make you scream in terror and give you nightmares forever...depending on your level of insanity =)
******************************
Gazing into the ornate Victorian mirror, the intricate design of a golden border inlaid with a thick opal of silver, Pegasus sighed heavily.
This is going to be a disaster of the greatest magnitude.
It was not a prediction really, but more of a slight nervous fear which hung in the back of his head. He knew he shouldn't even *think* such thoughts, and he wanted to be optimistic, he really did, and up until this final day he had been sufficiently so. The past few weeks had passed by in a dizzy whirl, with planning and business, and hardly any time to sit and think, but there had been the constant implication that this would all be for the best, and he had not been concerned in the slightest.
Well, that was of course until this very morning, when he had awoken splayed under the silken sheets and suddenly all he could think was
By Ra, Osiris, and Horus, WHAT am I getting myself into?!
All the things which had before seemed so rational and well-thought-out now seemed silly and ridiculous. He envied Kaiba, who didn't seem at all bothered. Well....no, actually he did seem bothered, but only because "bothered" was a part of Kaiba's perpetual demeanor, just as grumbling was his way of talking and complaining was his way of showing affection. But as he only seemed mildly irritated with life, not irate and ready to murder the nearest creature, Pegasus took it as a sign that he was quite content and pleased.
In truth, this whole thing had snow-balled out of control and gone to become a proportion and magnitude which neither had originally desired or intended. Seto, in fact, had originally not been keen on the idea of any kind of official doings, be it ceremony, papers, or other.
"There's no use for it." He had said with a definite edge of finality to his voice. " It would be wasted time and effort that I could put to better use working on technological projects, which would, unlike these fairy-tale dreams, bring about something worthwhile. I like you and visa versa. We don't need some stupid papers or trite silly wedding rituals to verify feelings. I've already staked my claim, and that makes it legal enough for me."
At that, Pegasus had rolled his eye over his partner's stubborness. "While I do *truly* appreciate your sentiments, Kaiba-boy, and am flattered that you would care for me enough to declare yourself my owner, I do believe we are no longer in the Paleo-lithic age and consequently, some degree of civility and formal proceedings seems necessary. I'm as against the idea of frills and fancy gatherings as you, but we should at least buy the proper papers...."
At that, Kaiba had merely grunted and exited the room to pursue some trivial tinkering, and Pegasus had smiled, knowing that he had achieved the closest thing to victory possible under the circumstances.
Once alone, Pegasus sighed again, taking note of something for the first time. "Alana?" He called into the hallway. "Dear woman, if you are going to spy on my private conversations, please at least have the courtesy to step into the room and vent your opinions on me afterwards."
The young maid, one of his many palace servants, stepped in from the hallway a bit timidly, but obviously near the boiling point with excitement as a wide smile spread across her fair features. "Spying, Master Pegasus? Why, I was just taking my time to thoroughly clean your furniture...."
At this, he raised an eyebrow keenly. "And a good job you must've done, Alana, for I heard you dusting that vase for the past twenty minutes or so."
Cornered, she would deny it no longer. Uh-oh...here it came...
"Master Pegasus!" Squealed the young woman, her wanton enthusiasm bursting over into a near-giggling fit, as she bounced up in down in scarcely-contained excitement. "Oh, a wedding, it shall be most delightful! I can just imagine..."
Seeing the stars in her eyes, and fully recognizing the fairy-tale wedding ideals that went along with them, Pegasus quickly felt the need to amend her hopeful wishes.
"No, no, my dear." He stated practically. "Nothing of the sort, in fact. We are simply going to purchase the proper documents, that's all and nothing beyond this. Nothing glamourous or fancy, I'm afraid."
The response was a confused blink. "Master Pegasus....? You cannot be serious!" Exclaimed the girl, suddenly downcast.
He simply shrugged.
"But Master! You are certainly rich enough to have a most extravagent wedding, so why would you want to miss out? Why would you want to squander the opportunity to profess your love in some beautiful setting, having a day to remember for the rest of your life? You wouldn't regret it, I assure you!"
He exhaled in the form of a sigh and furrowed a bit. Who knew the little maid could be so stubborn? Of course, it was not uncommon for the fair sex to harbor fantasies of an idyllic wedding for themselves, and it seemed that this girl was projecting this, hoping to vicariously experience something of the merriment and bliss. (Of course, it may also have been that she was hoping to get some ideas for her own possible future marriage...)
"You don't understand." He explained. "I do not wish to have a newspaper field day. Can you see the tabloids if they got wind of this?..."
Once more, the girl's eyes lit up with newfound euphoria. "Oh, please, sir! Let me plan it for you! I have friends who have had weddings before, and I know a thing or two about the subject myself. I just can't bear to see you not taking advantage of what could be the best day of your life. Just trust me, I'll make it a day to remember for you, if you will permit me. Trust me, it'll be a *private cermony*" She had winked then, as though she were an expert on marriages and everything that went into them.
For some reason, and he could not logically understand why, Pegasus had ultimately consented. Perhaps it was the intensity of the girl's desire, her vivacious drive, or the fact that her argument sounded rather nice. In retrospect however....he realized at length that though well-meaning she might be, she was hardly qualified. Those "friends who had weddings" turned out to also be friends who suffered divorces, and despite her claim to know "a thing or two" about the subject, the simple fact remained that she didn't want something sensible. She wanted GRAND and she wanted EXTREME, and Pegasus, as well as Kaiba, hardly knowledgeable enough on marital matters to know better, had gone along with her ideas and pretended that they knew what they were agreeing to.
Alana, wanting to make the set-up as big of a pomp as humanly possible, had seen to it that the lawn behind the castle was decorated and ornamented to a ridiculous degree, with large useless shapes and pretty frilly things, and for some reason that Pegasus could not fathom (and by this point it was too late to reject), she had been bent on the idea of buying various tropical birds to place in the wetland area of the gardens (where the entire event was to be centered). "It will be so perfect..." She kept explaining.
Oh yes, quite perfect indeed. On the fated day, one of those Spring days where the weather was unpredictable, a strong breeze came up from the eastern shore of the sea, rising to a nasty gust. In a few moments, half or more of the decorations had found their way down the hill and near or into the ocean. But on the other hand, the varying assortment of birds had seen to it that the whole yard was re-decorated....in a far different fashion.
So much for the dream setting.
For the post-wedding banquet, Pegasus had hired a fancy French chef to prepare numerous rare (and expensive..of course) delicacies. Not that Pegasus intended to eat any of them himself, because he would surely be too excited (or just plain jittery) to eat, and Kaiba wouldn't have anything to do with such foods either, for according to him, "I don't eat anything I can't pronounce." (*and for this comment, he had earned a good helping of French swears, which it was also unlikely that he could pronounce....*)
Originally, the whole situation was supposed to be very private, with only the couple, immediate family (all one of them), and servants attending, while the rest of the world remained none the wiser. But of course, following suit with everything else, fate (or Mokuba rather, who had been strictly told not to tell anyone, and immediately thereafter "accidentally" slipped and informed everyone at school...) had seen to it that this wouldn't be the case.
Since everyone now knew and would probably find some way of viewing the spectacle (whether their presence was desired or not..), it seemed reasonable to save face and just invite the leeches. (At least this way they wouldn't come bitterly)
Yugi, originally, had not been especially interested, as it was something that did not concern matters of his grandfather or dueling, the only two things which held his interest for a prolonged period of time. But Joey had persuaded him, insisting that he "gots to see dis", and once Yugi was satisfied, the rest of the peanut gallery (Tea, Tristan, Ryou) had of course followed.
--------------------------
As Pegasus stood in preparation, just anxious moments away from his much-anticipated entrance, he thought over the invitations and a certain new tension grew in his mind. Yugi...surely he would be here, but how would that go over? Would Yugi still be bitter over what Pegasus had done to him in the past? The colorful young boy didn't really seem to be the type who would hold a grudge, but nevertheless, how could Pegasus hope for a casual conversation with him?
"Hello, Yugi-boy. How's your grandfather faring these days? Sure hope that little soul-stealing incident didn't tax his heart too much.."
He cringed. No, no, that wouldn't do at all. Of course, he reflected in an attempt to reassure himself, he had grievously mistreated Kaiba as well, hadn't he? And look where that ended up.
Besides....Pegasus thought with a smirk, even if Yugi did harbor some great spite against him, what was the most sinister thing the boy could do? Bite his knees? Yes, Yugi did have the exact measurements to wreak havoc on the shins...if provoked...
Well, at least he felt somewhat better about *that*...but still, other misgivings readily presented themselves. In his state of increased worry, the man had already probably succeeded in consuming a bit more fruit juice [Amber: =)] than was really appropriate. He didn't feel drunken or dizzy, or impaired in any way...yet. But what if his faculties slipped a bit during some crucial moment? Wait, what was he thinking? THIS WHOLE DAY WAS A CRUCIAL MOMENT! Oh no, yet another thing to be concerned with....
*Psst, Pegsy, snap out of it! You've got a wedding to attend...yours, and as the *other* star of the show..... you guessed it, they'll all be looking for you to show up, stand around awhile, repeat the same two words a bunch of times, and then walk off with a big goofy smile. Customs... don't understand 'em, just do em.*
*...Huh? Are you my Yami or something?*
*How could I be your Yami? You don't think you woul've noticed me before?. But nevermind that! Your mission, should you choose to accept it (and they always do, I've watched all the movies thankyouverymuch...), is to haul your psuedo-aristocratic cartoon-watching bum out the door and down the aisle, walking fearlessly past a bunch of creepy gawking people who smell exceedinly funny and will probably ruin what's left of your lawn before the day is done. You must then stay awake long enough to survive the heinous torture of standing still for a prolonged period of time as a person you hardly or don't know reads long boring stuff for half of eternity. Overcome the first two obstacles, fake the well-mannered-host long enough to amuse the simpleminded folk when reception time comes, and then take a breather and retire into the sunset. BARBADOS, WHEE!!*
*.....Okay, that did *NOT* reassure me at all. I take it you're one of the byproducts of my alleged insanity?*
*Seems quite possible*
*.....*
*NOW! I pity da foo' who don't make haste!"
*Hm, so...one of the voices in my head is Mr T?*
*Twould appear to be the case.*
*I would've never suspected...*
*You learn something new everyday...HEY! Stop changing the subject!*
*Am not.*
*Are too.*
*...Bleh*
"Master Pegasus?" A voice interrupted his inner arguments. Oh, thank Ra...there was no telling how horrible the ensuing argument was going to have been...
Croquet stood in the doorway. Pegasus huffed in mock indignation.
"Croquet? Where have you been? I'm waiting for news..how are things faring out there?"
A sweatdrop appeared on the back of the other man's head.
The single amber-coloured eye narrowed. "Wellllll...?"
--------------------
Yuugi squirmed a bit in his seat. Above, a portentous gathering of dark clouds had assembled. (Springtime, go figure.)
"C'mon Yug, you're not tellin me you're worried bout a little rain?" Inquired Joey, who sat beside him greedily gobbling the contents of some wedding dish which Yuugi didn't recognize as any food he'd ever seen before...
Yuugi fretted. "Well, I mean..I don't want to get my cards wet..." He fumbled through his pocket and began stroking the small shapes lovingly.
"Gee, Yuugi! You brought your cards here? You are really unhealthily addicted, y'know. But I think the real reason you don't want a storm is cuz.." And at that moment he prodded the shorter boy with a playful jab of the elbow. "I think it's really cuz a little water absorbtion would make yer hair so damn heavy that your little neck would snap!" And following this he made a few gestures and nosies to further indicate the point.
Yuugi's face turned ghastly pale with a green undertone.
"Relax, bud..I'm jes kiddin...uh, that wouldn't really happen... would it? Uh...anyway, you gotta lighten up..with Tris here outta it, you're all I gots left to hang with..."
Unsure of what exactly Joey meant, Yuugi peered over, only to see Tristan sitting two seats away. He had fallen into a most quiescent slumber, as a steady line of saliva ran down to his chin from his lip. Iintermittent noises of "Glghgrrp.." and "Ughfleh" arose and the shark-haired boy slouched heavily...in five minutes he would have fallen completely out of the chair and be lying in a crumpiled pile on the lawn.
"Hey!" Exclaimed Yuugi, upon taking sight of this. "Tristan! That...isn't nice!"
Unfortunately, as Yuugi cringingly realized immediately aftering saying this, the words "not nice" triggered an instant automatic reaction from Tea, who so far had been standing behind him and trying to wink heavily in Yuugi's direction..unbeknownst to him, of course.
"TRISTAN WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?" Exclaimed the girl, before she had even gotten a glimpse of the situation. Tristan stirred with a snort and yawned. "Oh, I cannot believe this! Do you not realize that we are coming here to honour the presence of a friend, a friend of that friend, and a friend of the friend's friend?! Remember, above all else we must follow the sacred vows of our very important special beloved magnificent friendship which is also very good....and ..and did I mention that it's not nice to do bad things or say mean..*blah blah blah*...."
--Major sweatdrop goes here--
Eventually, after a good solid ten minutes of circular rambling on the value of friendship, Tea swallowed and got a perplexed look. Fortunately, if Tea repeated the same thing enough times, she always seemed to lose track after a while, confuse herself, and then shut up altogether.
"Oh Yuugi..I just noticed the divine scenerary here!" Yuugi briefly paused to wonder at how Tea could have *just* noticed when they had been at the island for quite near an hour's length now... "So romantic, don't you think, Yuugi? All these..flowers..and...uh, lacy things..and golden stuff..and oh Yuugi, isn't it just the most glamorous setting ever? I sure hope *my* wedding can be as exceptionally wonderful!"
As she said this, she glared hard at Yuugi with a most suggestive and frightening smile, the sort of smile Yuugi could only remember seeing on people when they had red noses and floppy shoes to go with it.
--Sweatdrop like hell--
"Hello everyone!" Piped a new voice amidst the conversation, a soft-spoken cutesy voice whom everyone had no trouble recognizing as their good little friend Ryou! (Yes, the same little Ryou whose Yami is a raging psychotic evil bastard, but that's irrelevant, ain't it?) As everyone turned to give the new presence recognition, Ryou smiled one of his characteristic so-damn-sugary-your-teeth-will-rot grins and gave a small playful wave. "And hey to you as well, Tea. I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying and I believe you should know that over there"--he pointed to a group of stern-looking businessmen, obviously Kaiba Corp employees--" I heard those friendly chums speaking about you...and how you...eh, had an outfit which make you look like you would be a good person to befriend. I saw quite a few ...friendly smiles..in your direction. Care to go make new friends?" Ryou flashed his most convincing, most-pleaing smile.
Tea's cornflower-coloured eyes lit up with newfound excitement. With a final flirtatious grin at Yuugi, she turned and giddily bounced off in the direction Ryou had alluded to.
"Cheerio." Mumbled the little white-haired teen as he turned his attention to Yuugi and was met with a dizzying smile of relief and "you-saved-me-from-certain-doom" gratitude on his friend's behalf. "So...Yuugi," he began, "sorry if I showed up late. Some odd chap on the boatride made us late, screaming "DON'T WORRY, MY FATHER! I WILL SMITE THE OCEAN FOR TAKING YOU!" and then dived off and tried to harpoon a school of amberjack. We yelled at him to get back in, but he insisted on putting up a rather embarrassing melodramatic scene, only to be stung by a jellyfish for his efforts. I was very nearly ready to just dive into the water and swim the rest of the way over here..I probably would've arrived just as quickly had I done so..anyway, how have you been? Is there a lot of excitement here?"
Yuugi instinctively began to glance around the scenerary. It might have been a very beautiful setup had not the weather but so impossibly dreary, and the wind so rough.
"..Well, we're just waiting now, basically." Said the boy. "But I'm sure this will be..eh, a sight like no other we've seen before. I tried to get Grandpa to come, but he said he would have no part in the fruity-demon-scum-from-hell's wedding. I told him that that was a rather harsh thing to say, Kaiba is not that bad. He went over a rant about how in his day, you walked fifteen miles in the snow through a pyramid full of scorpions and over burning lava pits, just in order to get to get to your wedding, and after that, he said the true hardships would begin. And he also said he didn't want to miss the Golden Girls marathon today. Oh well. At least I've got you guys here..."
"Hey, wouldja check dat out!" Exclaimed Joey at once, jabbing Tristan (who was dozing once more) sharply in the rib. Tristan grunted and shook his fist, but it was doubtful that Joey noticed. Following the direction of his pointing index finger, the gang of friends gazed upwards to the balcony, whereupon stood none other than Seto Kaiba. A robe...he was wearing a robe, the same colour as his eyes if not a bit darker... Cold ice blue orbs scanned the surrounding, calculations, sharp opinions and thoughts, precise courses of future decisions, all made in an instant. That was Kaiba.
Undaunted by the rigid sharpness of the brunette's glare, Yuugi bubbled over with an amiable purple-puppy-dog-eyed smile and waved enthusiastically. Standing aside him, Ryou said nothing but assumed his friend's friendship offering would be futile, if even noticed.
Kaiba did not respond.
"What's he doin'?" Joey whispered ..loudly, into Yuugi's ear.
Not deigning to respond, Yuugi kept waving, trying more fervantly and bouncing a bit. "Heya Kaiba!" He called out. "It's me, your friend, Yuugi!"
Ryou slapped his forehead. There was no way a three-foot-tall guy like Yuugi could ever hope to get the attention of anyone standing up high.
Much to his surprise, however, Yuugi's raucous yelling did seem to make an impact. The figure far above them turned to give a condescending/indifferent glance to the small spot of wiggling purple.
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Hey..who woulda thunk? He's wavin at ya, Yug!"
Ryou scratched the side of his shaggy white mane. *Great Scott!* "Um, guys, I could be mistaken, but I don't believe that's a wave..at least not the kind you're thinking of...."
Yuugi, too naive to understand Ryou's implication, just grinned stupidly. "Well, folks, I never thought it'd happen, but Seto Kaiba just gave me an offering of friendship."
Ah..well, thought Ryou, he seemed so hopeful and proud, why spoil it?
As abrubtly and mysteriously as he had come out, Kaiba turned and walked back into the palace, his steady gait unchanging as always.
"Hey Ryou!" Called Tristan, clumsy wiping his mouth with his jacket sleeve. "Your ...raging psychotic evil Yami bastard half isn't going to be making an appearance today is he? Because.." --putting his hands on his hips and huffing his chest up to twice it's normal size-- "I don't know that I'll be in the mood to go so easy on that maniac today, I mean, hey, did you see me back in the dungeon? I was great, huh?"
The tar-brown eyes blinked in confusion. Today could be a long day......
---------------------
Croquet stared at his Master, not entirely sure how to react to this whole fiasco. On the one hand...it was delightful that his master had found happiness and was no longer sunken in the depths of despair, red-faced and sobbing into his funny bunny plushie on a nightly basis. No longer moping the halls with a dark circles under both his normal and Millenium Eye...no, that was in the past. But as Croquet watched him now, as his boss turned to look at his backside in the full-body mirror, scrutinizing his robe for any little wrinkle, well....it did seem a little *unusual*, even considering this was a guy who watched cartoons and performed feats of mind-blowing Millenium Shadow Magic..
...but, Croquet decided, he was too loyal, had worked here too long, and got paid too well to worry if Pegasus wanted a slightly eccentric marriage proceeding. More power to him...but then that ruffian boy he was marrying better treat him well and make sure he was always sufficiently happy, or else...well, there were plenty more balloon boulders lying around, mazes, a dungeon, and hey, if that didn't work, Seto could always be locked up and forced to watch hours of rerun Funny Bunny episodes until his mind melted away and he was driven to insanity...Ra knew Croquet had seen far more of that crazy pink rabbit than most human beings could hope to endure...
"Yoo hoo~Croquet? Can I ask you something before we head out?"
Behind his expensive shades, one of Croquet's eyebrows raised up. What could this be about?
"Eh...of course, Master Pegasus, you can ask anything of me...but I really doubt there's anything I can tell you that you don't already know twice as much about..."
Pegasus chuckled. "Oh no, Croquet. Nothing like that. It's an opinion I request of you."
An...opinion? "Uh, oh well, yes, whatever you desire Master Pegasus.."
"And you will be honest with me? No sugar-coating? Please, Croquet, this is a dire matter of the utmost importance and seriousness."
Croquet simply nodded, the muscles of his neck growing tense. Surely Pegasus wasn't having second thoughts....
"Alright..." Pegasus sighed heavily... "Now, level with me..."
.....
"Does this thing make me look fat?"
Had Croquet not been holding the door open, it was highly likely he would have gone tumbling over.
"Master Pegasus..."
"Well?"
"No sir, no not at all."
"Are you being frank with me? Entirely truthful, you're sure?"
"Yes sir..."
"Now by not fat, do you mean marginally plump yet not obese? Or perhaps overly filled out but not rotund in the middle? What about stout? Stocky? Chubby, perhaps?"
"...Uh..."
"Oh, you're right! This is probably sewn to the wrong size!"
Croquet felt the need to offer some help. Without thinking, he blurted...
"Nonsense, Master Pegasus. You make a lovely bride...that is, I mean, as far as guys go, though I do not look at them, but if I did, then I would say you seemed ..uh, suitable."
From the look of shock on the other's face, along with a quick shot of fiery amber glow, Croquet knew he had made a mistake somewhere along the line... he was all-too-familiar with the "I'm-having-cartoon-withdrawels-and-not-happy-so-get-your-sorry-kuriboh-outta-here" look, as he had called it in short terms....it was not unlikely that a Pegasus temper tantrum would follow...
"BRIDE?!" He spat the word in disbelief. "Croquet..! You know better! This is not that sort of a wedding, it's not about bride and groom! We see each other as equals, myself and Kaiba~boi..Blue Eyes..Seto. This is a situation of pure mutual respect and understanding."
"Right..yessir I understand..."
...
".....You still think of me as the bride, don't you?" Pegasus pouted cutely. "Ridiculous! Ra, I'm not feminine in the least." --Said he whilst tossing his hair and grabbing his hips in indignation--
"Well..it's just..your robe, sir."
"What of it? Kaiba is wearing a blue one. It's only white because white goes best with my hair!"
"Yessir.."
Pegasus, still doubting that Croquet's opinion had changed much, opened his mouth for further protest, but was interrupted by the sound of faint giggling nearby. Raising his head to peer beyond Croquet, Pegasus saw for the first time that a growing number of female servants, bridesmaids (or so they thought of themselves..), were piling around in the hallway outside of his room. Every last one held a hand to her mouth, trying desperately (and without much success) to hold back a tide of snickers.
Oh great, thought Pegasus, what was this new twist?
A very roughed-up Kemo appeared at the door, panting in exhaustion. He was more than little dirty, his sun-glasses hung half-off awkwardly, and his jacket looked tattered...even the sharp point of his hair looked broken
"Sorry Master Pegasus!" He stammered, staggering forward. "I tried to hold them back, but all my years of security training failed me...there were too many of 'em! They were rabid, they ambushed me.....sorry again, sir!"
Oh, for the love of Ra!
"Ladies!" Called Pegasus, "I need to ask that you all begone immediately or I shall send every last one of you to the Shadow Realm!"
The threat only provoked a further round of giggles.
Pegasus turned and huffed.
"Ah, come now Master Pegasus, you know we couldn't resist seeing you before the big moment. It's only the groom who isn't supposed to peek!" Alana made her way to the forefront, the expression on her face as disgustingly sweet as any Yuugi or Ryou could muster.
"You don't understand, I am *not* the...aw, nevermind...think whatever you will of it." He sighed in defeat.
"So, your outfit is almost complete..but where's your halo? And I must ask..." Alana smirked mischeviously, "What are you wearing under there?"
The silver-haired billionaire's face turned a shade of pink almost as dark as the suit he usually wore. "My dear.." He mumbled. "..I seriously doubt that etiquette would say that such a question is appropriate on a man's wedding day.."
--Chuckles--
"Ohhhh, so it's like that, eh? Well then, Mister Kaiba, I suggest you hurry up and get out there! It looks like a shower is coming on!"
Pegasus blinked. What did she mean by that ambiguous little remark? Wait..white robe..deficiency of undergarments..rain...#*@#$#%!
He turned to all the gleaming eyes facing in his direction. "Why are you still lingering? Please, go ahead and make your way out..."
...No response..just creepy smiles..
"Alright, I know what this is about." Pegasus gave a broad and playful grin. Might as well play along... "You ladies are just jealous because none of you have the hips to pull off this robe, whereas ~I~ on the other hand, am looking quite stylish! Admit it! You could see me on the front page of Glamour or Vogue, couldn't you? I can't help it that I'm a trendsetter..." Following the little speech, he offered some silly poses that got a warm reception of laughes, applause, and a whistle or two. If there was one thing that could be said of Pegasus, he wasn't afraid to poke fun at himself....
Before turning to leave, Alana gave a quick peck on his cheek. "Good luck, Max." Said she in pleased somberness. The assortment of females followed her as she made an exit, some turning to take in a final look. After all, it wasn't something they'd see everyday...
Pegasus took one final check, one last examination, to satisfy himself that nothing was amiss, and then he turned to Croquet.
"Ready, Master? But there's one more thing, though..you might have it covered.."
"Hmm~? What do you mean, Croquet?"
"Eh, well, I don't know how much little traditions are important to you. But..what of that Something Old/New/Borrowed/Blue thing?"
Pegasus laughed heartily. "Oh, Croquet! You didn't truly believe I could overlook those little details did you?"
Croquet waited in patient silence for further explanation.
"Well, I'm getting something New. A New husband. Borrowed and blue both cover the same item. Do you know of what I'm speaking, Croquet? ~I'll give you a hint! It's a favorite card of my future spouse!~"
"Blue-Eyes-White-Dragon? Very thoughtful of you, sir."
"Mmm-hmm, and if Kaiba~boi wants it back, he'll have to search for it. It's in my robe."
"....? I didn't know those had pockets, sir?"
"Now Croquet? Who said anything about pockets?"
"...! I see, sir."
"As for the old...well.." Pegasus glared at Croquet and narrowed his eye sneakily... "*ahem*.."
"Ha! That's quite enough, sir. I get your dirty little implication, you evil fiend, you...." --Glance at the clock-- "It's time, you can't keep them in suspense forever..."
As the silk of his attire brushed the floor softly, Pegasus moved to join Croquet in the doorway, and arm-in-arm they crossed the looming passage of the hall.
Unusual to his generally stoic demeanor, Croquet seemed to be repressing snickers which desperately wanted to be emitted.
"Whatever is the matter with you?" He was finally asked of.
"It's just.." He put his hand to his mouth, "I can't believe my little girl is all grown-up!"
Unable to control it further, the primary servant doubled-over with a burst of laughter. He got a mild punch in the back and a dirty look for his comment, but it really didn't seem to matter. This was going to be great....
--------------------------
Seto grunted. He didn't like this in the least. Not that there were many things that he really *did* like, except dueling, Mokuba, his company, and Pegasus...but he especially disliked, loathed, abhorred, and otherwise hated this little predicament.
Firstly, Yuugi was here. Yes, he had known previously that Yuugi was invited, but that didn't make it any more pleasant. The little spiky-haired goody-goody wasn't necessarily the most horrible thing in the world, but his followers were sure to turn this into some scene from a crazy Shakespearian comedy...and then, Seto would have to find interesting ingenius methods of reducing them to pulp.
Beside him, Mokuba was struggling over some game on his new Gamebody Advance(TM). "Awww! I died again!" He exclaimed grumpily. "That's the 14th time on that level!" When Seto failed to even comment, Mokuba raised his head to give a peculiar look. The boy was at that age where he was hitting adolescence, and as a natural consequence, becoming very preoccupied with himself. Nonetheless, he still noticed that his brother was behaving unusually. After all, normally Seto would've at least scolded him for playing with a piece of technology made by a rival company..but today, nothing!
*Wow* Thought Mokuba, *Usually he only focuses on something like this when he's dueling. He must really be going full force on this one...*
"Big Brother..?"
Seto regarded him.
"How do you feel about this, Mokuba?"
Mokuba was taken aback. It was the first time his brother had spoke since...well, awhile!
The boy shrugged. "I'm here to support you, Seto."
Silence.
"That's it? That's all? You don't have any more opinions? That's unlike you, Mokuba."
Mokuba squirmed nervously.
"Well..ah, if you're happy, I'm happy. Pegasus is funny..I mean, I don't think *I'd* date him, but..y'know, I'm 12, right now breasts are the most important quality to me so....yeah..." He flushed. That last part had just sort of slipped out..true though it was...
Seto watched him through his periphreal vision. At the very least, no one could say the boy was dishonest.
"But do you like him as a person? I like the fact that he does have a lot of ass."
The kid's eyes shot open. "What did you just say?!"
"Huh? What's wrong, Mokuba? I said I liked his class."
"..That is *not* what you said!"
Seto rolled his cerulean eyes. "Mokuba, I think I would know what statements come out of my own mouth. I am a literally a genius. Don't act strange on me."
*Oh sure* Thought Mokuba, *I'M the one acting strange..yeah..*
"Let's get out of here." Added Seto. "I want to get this over with before all hell breaks loose..believe me, if given time, it will." He piddled with the contents of his suitcase for a moment more, finding the cards somehow relaxing..an odd change since a duel could usually flare a temper like nothing else...it was killing time before the ceremony, it was anxiousness...
All things considered, he was well-composed. But then, when was Seto Kaiba not well-composed?
"Come on, Mokuba." He said simply, as he turned and strode with firm alacrity out the door. For a few seconds, Mokuba didn't even realize his brother had left...he lingered on the couch fiddling with the task of overthrowing demons and big skeletal things.
As he died...again, he suddenly bolted up and ran after his elder sibling, calling yells of "Hey! Wait! Big Brother! No fair!" In his haste, the miniature best man quickly grabbed up the small square box which delicately held the incredibly valueable little trinket....the ring Seto would give to Pegasus... a most beautiful circle of tri-coloured gold braided in celtic knotwork with inlaid diamonds encircling the frame....unbelieveably expensive, but money was of no matter to Seto.....
...And as Mokuba raced after his brother, he also didn't notice that the lid was not entirely shut..for earlier that day he had been peering at the wonderous item and left the case the tiniest bit cracked open....
..And Mokuba also did not notice the minute sound at his feet, the brief tinkling which lasted for but an instant....as gold struck marble.....
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A/N: *Whew* Okay guys, Amber is officially tired =) I wrote all that and *still* haven't gotten thru the bloody wedding! Well, I hope you liked..kinda liked..sorta, maybe, possibly? Anyway, thanks in advance for reading! I hope I can update it again in a few days, maybe even a day or two =)
And btw I know Ryou was saying British stuff, but I know he's not British in the Japanese version so please don't jump on me for that. I was just making fun of his dub comments ^_^