Sarah: More reviews to be answered! I feel so loved!
Fushicho Hime: ^_^! Stop being so nice! My story isn't the best one out there! Read fics by Princess Ria, K.H.T and RunningInCircles- THOSE are the best ones out there ^_~
A Watcher: Those 10 chapters in "Daddy's Little Girl" aren't as long as the ones I've been writing in "Asayake," trust me. ^_~ Hey, do you watch the Highlander TV series?
yugi4ever: ^_^!
Lily of the Shadow: I'm continuing, I'm continuing!
Icy Embraces: Thanks Girl!
And now, on with chapter 6: Shopping Spree, Part One!
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"Saya, come here." Saya slowly walked towards Seto, looking down at the floor. She had just slid down the railing on the stairway leading from the second floor to the first, so she figured she was in trouble for that.
"Gomen ne, Sonkei," she said softly. "I won't do it again!" Seto shook his head and placed his fingers under her chin, lifting her head up to look at him.
"Don't worry about that," he said, a smile curling his lips. "Mokuba does it all the time- just be careful, okay?" Saya brightened instantly and nodded her head happily.
"M'kay!" She had only been with Seto and Mokuba for three days and was still learning what she could and couldn't do in the Kaiba Household. Sliding down railings was okay. Drawing a mustache on Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon Mural, on the other hand... wasn't. But, it had washed off, so he wasn't too mad at her. He'd only grounded her from the Gamecube for the rest of the night... which was now over... meaning she could play Sonic Mega Collection again! She was about to run off and find Mokuba, so they could tackle Sonic the Hedgehog 3, when Seto knelt down in front of her.
"Saya," he said. "Why don't you go back upstairs and change your clothes?" Saya gave him a confused look before glancing down at her clothes: pink denim bib shorts worn over a white t-shirt with pink frills on the sleeves. On her feet was a pair of pink slip-on shoes and white socks with pink frills at the top (A.N: Special thanks to LouAnn Fox, who designed Saya's outfit! ^_^). She blinked a couple times then looked back up at Seto.
"You want me to put my pajamas back on?"
"No," Seto replied. "But you've been wearing these clothes since... well, since you got here. So, I want you to put on a different set... something besides your pajamas."
"Okay- where do I find them?" Seto raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean 'where do I find them'?"
"The only other clothes I got are my pajamas, and you told me not ta put them on..."
"You don't have anything besides this and your pajamas?" Saya shook her head.
"Nope, I don't." Seto let out a sigh.
"Mokuba," he called. "Come on, we're going to the mall." A few seconds later, Mokuba slid down the railing and walked over to Seto and Saya.
"But, Niisama," he said. "You hate the mall- why are we going there?" Seto looked down at Saya.
"We have to get Saya some clothes," he told Mokuba. "Tell the driver to bring the limo around front." Mokuba nodded.
"Okay, Niisama!" With that, he ran out towards the garage, saying something about checking out the arcade while he was there. Seto shook his head, then felt a tug on his coat. He looked down at Saya, who had a questioning look in her face.
"Sonkei? What's a mall?"
I so did not sign up for this.
You adopted a six-year-old girl. Of course you signed up for it.
She was supposed to have CLOTHES with her. I wasn't supposed to have to buy them... at least not yet! Sorcerer Seto let out a sigh.
I don't see what the big deal is, he told his reincarnate. You take the child to this mall place, get what she needs and that's then end of it. There was a pause. Kaiba?
I don't know what she needs... Another pause.
YOU DON'T KNOW?!
Hey, I'm a BOY remember?! MOKUBA is also a BOY! I have never had to deal with GIRLS before!
Once again, if you'd take to women...
SHUT UP!
Saya held tight to Seto and Mokuba's hands, acting as brave as possible. There was nothing but crowds in this "mall" place. She hated large crowds- they scared her. They always had... ever since the night her parents died...
"Mommy? Daddy?"
"The girl's waking up, everyone back off!" Saya opened her eyes- people were standing around her, crowding her. The rain was pouring down and she could see lightning strike in the distance, followed by a loud clap of thunder. She looked to her left- she could see some men pushing two beds away from her- her parents were on them.
"No!" she cried, trying to get up. "Mommy! Daddy! Come back!" She couldn't get up. A man held her down... the people got closer... her parents got further away... "COME BACK!"
Saya squeezed Seto's hand tight and stopped walking. Seto looked down at her, confused.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I don't wanna go in," she said. "Let's go somewhere else."
"What are you talking about, Saya?" asked Mokuba. "The next mall is more than an hour away. Even if we do go there, it's not as..."
"No mall," Saya forcefully. "I wanna go home." Seto raised an eyebrow. Something about the mall was scaring her.
"Sorry, Saya," he told her. "We have to get you some clothes for school. Don't worry, we'll be in and out as fast possible." Saya shook her head.
"YOU can go in. I'LL wait here." Seto shook his head and picked Saya up. "Sonkei! Put me down!"
"No. We're going shopping. End of story."
Mokuba had run off as soon as they went in, with Seto telling him to check-in in an hour. Saya, on the other hand, stayed as close to Seto as she possibly could, clinging tight to his hand.
"Calm down, Saya," Seto said. "It's just a mall."
"I don't like it," she replied, trying to drag him back out the door. "Can we go home, please?" Seto shook his head.
"Saya, you need clothes. We're not leaving." He heard her scowl and looked down to see an angered look on her face.
"Fine."
"Well, she's certainly starting to act like you." Saya smiled, happily.
"Hi Anzu!" Seto groaned. His karma was finally getting even with him- not only was Anzu in front of them, but she also had Yugi Moto with her. Things couldn't get much worse.
"Hey Kaiba," Yugi said before looking at Saya and smiling. "And you are?" Saya narrowed her eyes at Yugi, not sure if she liked him or not.
"Saya Kaiba." Yugi continued to smile and nodded.
"Oooh, you're the new little sister. I'm Yugi Moto." Saya kept her eyes narrowed, prompting Yugi to look over at Seto. "Why are you guys here?" Seto narrowed his eyes, matching Saya's.
"We should tell you because?" Yugi was about to say he was just wondering, when Saya spoke up.
"I think I'm being punished." Anzu looked down at her, puzzled.
"Why do you think that, Saya?" she asked. Saya looked up at her, an unsure look on her face.
"Seto has this really awesome looking Blue-Eyes White Dragon mural on the wall," she said. "And... I kinda drew a mustache on it." Yugi burst out laughing and Anzu tried to hold hers in. "It came off!"
"I don't think he's going to punish you for that, Saya," she said soothingly. Saya shook her head.
"I dunno, he was REALLY mad..."
Yami looked through Yugi's eyes at Saya, cursing his memories... well, lack of memories.
Yugi, have we met her before...?
Nah, came the reply. Why?
I'm...imagining things, then... Yami sighed sadly. He'd hoped this child was part of the past he'd lost, but apparently it was just wishful thinking... at least that's how it seemed until he heard the voice.
Hello... Yami. It took a lot for Koujo not to call him Dad, but she managed. There was no reason to call him a name that made him uncomfortable... even if it broke her heart.
Koujo, he replied after a moment. I'm... sorry about... Koujo didn't let him finish, which he was thankful for- he didn't know what to say anyway.
She's my light, if she looks familiar. Her name is also Koujo... but Kaiba has christened her Saya.
Ah. Koujo decided not to say anything else to Yami... she didn't know what to say anyway.
"So, why are you here, Kaiba?" Anzu asked. "Other than school, you never interact with the outside world." Seto scowled at her... but he really couldn't find a reason not to tell her the truth.
"To get her clothes." Saya muttered something under her breath- Anzu was able to pick out the words "nothing," "wrong" and "mine".
"Saya," she said. "How about I take you shopping?" Saya instantly brightened.
"Okay!" Anzu smiled back and looked at Seto.
"If that's all right with you, Kaiba." Frankly, it wasn't all right with Seto, but considering he didn't know half the things he needed to buy, having Anzu around might be a good thing... for once.
"That's fine."
Make the Pharaoh come out! cried Sorcerer, a hint of playfulness in his voice. He would die to see Yami in the mall- it would be the ultimate form of entertainment.
Forget it. Seto replied. It's torture enough with just his damn light.
Seto felt something tug on his coat, prompting him to look down. Saya was looking up at him, a worried look on her face.
"What's wrong, Saya?"
"Sonkei, you're coming with us, right?" Seto smiled at her, nodding.
"Of course." As Saya smiled back at him, Seto could feel someone staring at him- Anzu. "What?" She smiled.
"Sonkei, eh?" Without waiting for an answer, she started off. "Come on, I know just the store." Seto and Saya instantly followed her... but Yugi stayed behind.
Yaaaami...
What? came the suspicious reply. Yugi didn't say anything. Instead, he switched with Yami, giving him control of his body. WHAT THE HELL?! YUGI THIS ISN'T A DUEL!
Try to look around some, Yugi replied. You need to get out more anyway.
"Oh, hell no," he muttered... then noticed everyone leaving without him." Wait, don't leave me here!" He ran up behind Saya, who turned to look at him... and noticed the difference between him and Yugi. "What?"
"WAAAAH!" Seto instantly looked over, wondering who had done what to Saya. When he saw Yami, he let out a groan.
You had to joke about him coming out, didn't you? Sorcerer burst out laughing
Damn right I did. By this time, Saya was crying her eyes out and people were starting to look.
"No!" Yami exclaimed. "No, no, don't cry!"
"Shit, Yami!" cried Anzu. "You scared her!
"I didn't mean to!" He paused. "It was Yugi's fault!"
Oh, sure it was. Saya darted behind Seto, a teary glare on her face, directed at Yami. Seto put an arm around her, also glaring at Yami.
"Shhh," he said. "Calm down- the idiot's not going to hurt you." Yami flashed a glare at Seto, which received a whimper from Saya.
"No," he agreed. "I'm not going to hurt you! See?" He separated from Yugi, appearing as a ghost next to him. "Calm down, please?" Saya's eyes widened more. "Oh man, don't scream…"
"Dumbass," muttered Seto. Yami looked over at him, glaring.
"Well, I can't think of any other way to explain!" He looked back down at Saya, who had seemed to calm down a bit. She looked right into his eyes… and blew him a raspberry.
"Thbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb!" Yami just stared at the child, a blank look on his face. Anzu giggled softly. Seto, on the other hand…
"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!" Yami sent a glare his way, then possessed Yugi once again.
"You think that's funny, do you?" he asked Saya. Suddenly, he picked her up and started tickling her, causing her to laugh hysterically. Seto watched, his arms crossed in front of him.
"I should send him packing," he thought to himself. "But Saya seems happy… God, I'm rearranging my life for some kid…" He smiled. "And in a strange way… I like it."
"Sonkei," cried Saya, catching Seto's attention. "Make him stop!" Seto looked over at Yami, still glaring.
"Yami, quit it."
"Yeah, Yami!" Saya echoed. "Quit it!" Yami chuckled and set Saya back down, grinning at her.
"Well then," he said. "I never did introduce myself, did I? But you've already learned my name." As Saya smiled back, Yami stood up and looked around. "So what exactly IS this place?"
"It's the mall," Anzu told him. Yami nodded and looked around again.
"Looks like hell to me." Saya nodded her agreement. After a moment, Seto did the same.
"I agree," he admitted. "I'm here on desperate measures."
"Well, here we are," Anzu said, stopping in front of a store.
"Hey!" Saya said happily. "This is the store from that song!" Seto looked down at her, confused.
"Huh?" Saya looked back up at him, grinning.
"You know!" She started to sing. "He works at Hot Topic, his heart's microscopic. She thinks that it's love, but to him it's sex! He listens to Emo, but Fat Mike's his hero. His bank account's zero- what comes next? Same song, different chorus.... It's stupid, contagious! To be broke and famous- can someone please save us from Punk Rock 101? My dickies, your sweatpants, my spiked hair, your new Vans. Let's throw up on rock hands for Punk Rock 101!" Anzu, Seto and Yami just stared at her. "What?"
"Why do I let her listen to that stuff?" Koujo asked herself. Seto took one look inside the store and shook his head.
"Oh, NO fucking way," he said. "NO fucking way in hell." Saya let out a gasp.
"Sonkei said the "f" word..." Yami started to chuckle.
"He's said worse, Saya," he informed her. "Trust me. Most of the time it's directed at me for some odd reason… care to explain that one, Kaiba?" Anzu chuckled.
"Chill out, Kaiba," she said. "They have kids stuff here." Seto shook his head.
"She is NOT wearing ANY of this stuff." Saya, apparently, had other ideas- she ran right into the store. "Saya!" Seto chased after her, followed by Yami and Anzu.
"We could always hit the nearest card shop," Yami said. Seto scowled at him as he took Saya's hand.
"We're here for CLOTHES!" He paused. "...Although I'd rather go to the card shop." Saya nodded happily.
"Me too!" Yami chuckled.
"The girl has taste I see."
"We're here for clothes," Seto said angrily.
"You JUST said…
"I take it back, damn it!"
"Can we go to the card shop later?" Saya asked, a pleading look on her face. "Please?" Seto looked down and smiled.
Holy shit, aibou! cried Yami. Kaiba smiled!
Yes, I see that…
"Yes!" Yami said aloud, not waiting for Seto to answer.
"Maybe," Seto countered.
"Ignore him, Saya," Yami said with a grin. "He has no idea what he's talking about." Seto looked at Yami, scowling.
"Don't corrupt my sister." Yami couldn't help but notice how Saya's eyes lit up when Seto said "sister."
"Corrupting?" he asked. "Who's corrupting? Certainly not me."
Meanwhile, Anzu and Saya had gotten sick of listening to Seto and Yami and were browsing through the clothes.
"I like these!" Saya said happily, showing Anzu the outfit she'd picked out. "C'I try it on, can I?" Anzu looked at what Saya had chosen- a pink baby doll t-shirt with a picture of Kagome from Inuyasha on it, along with the words "Shuuren Miko" (A.N: Roughly (REALLY roughly): "Training Sorceress") and a matching plaid skirt- and smiled.
"That's cute, Saya," she said, thinking there was no way Seto could argue with that. "Why don't you try them on?" Saya beamed happily.
"Okay!" With that, Saya pushed past Seto and Yami and ran into the dressing room. Seto raised an eyebrow and looked over at Anzu.
"Am I going to like that outfit?" he asked her. Anzu smiled.
"You'll have to wait until she comes out."
Saya came out a few minutes later and skipped right over to Seto, smiling like there was no tomorrow.
"Sonkei, do you like it?" she asked, excitedly. "Do you like it, huh?" Seto smiled and rubbed the top of Saya's head, messing up her hair.
"Looks great, Imouto." Saya's smile widened. Imouto: little sister. That was the best thing Saya could ever hear.
"Can we go to the card shop now?"