Chapter Four: Brother VS Brother.
Mokuba Duels Seto.
"That's very good Shippo, you're a fantastic artist." Pegasus said encouragingly as he sat with Shippo out on the veranda. Shippo was drawing on a pad of paper.
"Thanks." He replied with a smile. "Inu-yasha and Kagome don't seem that impressed by my pictures though. Especially Inu-yasha. He couldn't care less about them and when I try to show them to him, he just goes 'Feh' and leaps up into a tree where I can't bother him."
"That's awful, Shippo, an artistic spirit such as yours should be encouraged and nurtured by his family."
"Well, Inu-yasha and Kagome really aren't my family, and I suppose neither are Sango or Miroku. I just sort of hang around them and they take care of me. My real mother and father have been dead for a while now." Shippo told Pegasus.
"That's so sad." He said. "So you don't have any family?"
"Nope, not a single living relative." Shippo replied. "Finished!" He lifted his pencil from the page and Pegasus beheld a wonderful caricature of himself, complete with Millennium Eye, and everything. It was then that Pegasus made his decision on the matter. If Shippo had no family, and he was such a fantastic artist, the he was going to give Shippo the opportunities that he otherwise wouldn't have."
"Shippo, we're friends now, aren't we?" Pegasus asked him.
"Sure, now that I know that you don't want my soul for one of your cards." Shippo laughed. "I like you Mr. Pegasus, you're an outrageous guy, but you've got some style about you. That's more than Inu-yasha has. He's just mean all of the time."
-------------Scene Break-------------
"You what?!" Kaiba yelled.
"I want to adopt Shippo," Pegasus repeated later as the party in the main house started winding down. It was almost time for the kids to be ushered in, and Kaiba was looking forward to seeing how well the prospective parents mingled with the kids. But now, Pegasus had come to him with the most outrageous, preposterous request in human history.
"You hardly know him, he only just got over being afraid of you, and to top it off, he's not even human. He's a demon for goodness' sake!"
"I'm not one of those people who thinks race matters, Kaiba boy," Pegasus argued. "I mean, look at you and Mokuba. You too are hardly cut from the same cloth. And isn't this whole party to give kids to loving homes?"
"He is not one our orphans," Kaiba said, "Besides, he has a family. He hangs out with Inu-yasha and that crowd."
"A crowd of friends is hardly a family," Pegasus countered. "He's being raised by teenagers! He needs structure, balance, guidance; he needs a true father and a stable home. Not to mention an education. And I can give him all these things and more."
"It's ludicrous," Kaiba spat..
"What's ludicrous Big Brother?" Mokuba said, as he lead Yugi and his procession.
"This Pretentious Idiot wants to adopt Shippo," Kaiba said.
"WHAT!?!?!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Me?" Shippo asked. "You want to adopt me?"
"Of course," Pegasus said to Shippo, "I'm like you, Shippo. I don't have any family either. We're both alone as far as families are concerned. And I couldn't ask for a better son than you."
"Gee," Shippo said.
"But, but he's with us," Kagome said, coming forward and picking Shippo up. "We've been taking care of him just fine."
"Shippo, aren't you tired of fighting monsters and living off charity?" Pegasus asked the fox cub.
"I don't know," Shippo said. He squirmed and jumped form Kagome's arms, and said. "I really gotta think about this." And the kitsune went off to the house.
"Pegasus, if you must adopt top make pathetic life mean anything, then take one of the other kids; they need homes just as badly, and I guarantee they won't cost as much time or be as much trouble as he his. That little fox has been nothing but a troubles burden to me ever since I laid eyes on him!"
"That's it Seto." Mokuba said, outraged by his brother's outburst.
"Mokuba, what are you saying?" Kaiba asked.
"I'm saying that I'm tired of your always putting down my friends and being so mean and nasty all of the time. You've become a heartless monster and I'm sick of it Seto. The children from the Orphanage came here for a good time and maybe even find some loving parents and Shippo's an Orphan just like the rest of them. Pegasus wants to give him a home and by golly if that's what Shippo wants then I stand behind them one 100."
"Mokuba, that little demon has poisoned your mind. Remember that we always promised to be close and that it was just you and me against the world?" Kaiba asked.
"Well it not just us against the world, Seto, we've got friends now. Yugi and the others are our friends, even if you're now ours."
"What are you saying to me?" Kaiba demanded once again. "Are you choosing Yugi and his pathetic bunch of misfits over me, your own brother?"
"Seto, I'm saying that it's time for you to come to your senses and there's only one way to do that. Seto, I hate to do this, but that pride of yours is getting in the way of our happiness. I challenge you to a duel!" Everyone gasped. They couldn't believe that loyal little Mokuba had actually just challenged his big brother to a Duel Monster match on tonight of all nights.
"Mokuba, I can't. I- I just can't. I won't duel you."
"Why not?" Mokuba demanded.
"Because, outside of our family game nights I only duel my enemies, Mokuba, and I destroy my enemies. Please, don't make me duel you like this."
"I'm sorry Seto but if you ever want me to respect you again then you'll face me tonight in a duel monsters match. Otherwise, I'm going back to the orphanage with the rest of the kids, and we won't be brothers anymore." Kaiba couldn't believe what his little brother had just said. He'd actually choose to be a poor homeless orphan again than live with him as he was. Was the way he was really so bad? Had he truly lost his way as Mokuba had said.
"Mokuba." Kaiba said. "Fine, you've got your match, but I warn you that I will have no mercy. Not even for a brother."
"I suppose that's one thing we still have in common." Mokuba replied as he turned his back on Kaiba and walked away.
"Guys, we've got to do something about this." Little Yugi said. "Halloween is supposed to be a fun time of the year, not a time for family members to be feuding with each other."
"What can we do though?" Tea asked.
"We can start by knocking some sense into Pegasus and Shippo." Inu-yasha said.
"Hey you don't think that Shippo would really want Pegasus to adopt him do you?" Sango asked her friends.
"I don't know, maybe Shippo would be better off." Miroku said to them. None of them could believe it either.
"What the h---- are you talking about Monk?" Inu-yasha demanded.
"What I mean is that Shippo and Pegasus have obviously gotten to know each other and bonded with each other on a father and son level. It would be wrong to tear them apart like this. After all, Shippo is a child and he is an orphan." Miroku explained.
"Hey, Shippo's ours." Kagome objected. "He's like a son to Inu-yasha and me."
"What are you talking about?" Inu-yasha demanded of Kagome. "That little rat's nothing but trouble. He's no son of mine."
"Exactly, he's no son of any of us." Mikroku went on to say. " Since Shippo's real father and mother are dead we've been taking care of him, but just look at how terribly dangerous his life is when he's with us. He faces death every single day and he barely is able to manage when we're out demon hunting. Maybe it's better if he has a stable home where he can go to school and be a normal kid for a change." No one there wanted to argue with him any further. Miroku was right, they supposed, Shippo did deserve better than to be drug around all over the Feudal Era where he was in harms way all of the time. Also, it was Shippo's choice to make, and that they could not deprive him of.
"If that's what the little fuzz ball wants, let him go." Inu-yasha said, letting his hurt feelings out. For in fact he had come to think of Shippo as a son after all that they had been through with each other. But if Shippo wanted something else, then he wouldn't get in the way, and he wouldn't let it bother him. He'd seen family members come and go before. He was used to the people he loved leaving him.
"So guys, we've still got the problem of the Kaiba brothers dueling." Joey said. "As much as I'd like to see Kaiba get his butt kicked by someone less experienced than him, brothers fighting just isn't kosher."
"Yeah guys," Agreed Serenity, "We can't let Seto and Mokuba do this, it will destroy one of them, and I care for them both too much to allow either of them to hurt the other."
"But is there anything we can do to stop them?" Asked Rebecca.
"I don't know, but we should at least try." Yugi said.
--------Scene Break-------
Shippo sat in the upstairs sitting room and contemplated his predicament He liked Pegasus, and it was a tempting offer. The thought of having a family again, having someone to love and take care of him instead of browbeating him like Inu-yasha did.
"Yeah," Shippo said aloud. "How many times has he struck me on the head? Too many." Then, another memory popped into his head. He was sitting with Inu-yasha as the han-you cleaned his sword. Then, Inu-yasha handed Shippo the Tetsusaiga's sheath. Something he never let anyone else do. "That's right," Shippo said, "Inu-yasha let me clean the sheath of the Tetsusaiga. And he kept the dagger I gave as a present, too. Mr. Pegasus is fun and all, but can I really turn my back on my friends. On my family? Cause as weird as they are, they're the closest I have to a family." Then, Shippo knew what to do.
----------Scene Break-----------
"Come on, Mokuba, are you really going to duel your own brother?" Rebecca asked.
"Yes I am," Mokuba replied, "It's the only way he'll learn."
"But come one, Mokuba," Yugi said, "Surely this can be settled some other way?"
"No. I'm tired of Seto always putting down my friends, and he's always so serious all the time. He doesn't have fun anymore, he hardly ever smiles, and it's all because of that pride of his. You guys weren't around back then, but, Yugi, once upon a time, Seto used to smile all the time. He used to believe in things like magic and hope and faith. Now, whenever someone shows him anything new, he thinks they're selling something. Just look at how he treated Rebecca the first time I brought her over to play. 'What's your angle, kid?' were the first things out of his mouth. I'm not putting up with it anymore. Someone has to make him stop."
"Does that someone have to be you though?" Yugi asked.
"Seto's dueled and dueled and dueled against you and so many other people. And all that ever does for him is make him worse. But he's never had to duel against me before. At least not over something so serious. If this doesn't work, then nothing ever will. I've got to make Seto see that there's more to life than just business. That's what this party is supposed to be about."
Yugi sighed and said, "If that's your decision, Mokuba, then I can't stop you."
"You know that Kaiba has been kind of a jerk to me," Rebecca said. "I hope you cream him, Moki."
Yugi sighed again. "I hope the others are having more luck than I am."
-----------Scene Break-----------
"Please, think about this," Serenity pleaded with Kaiba as he sat, fine tuning his deck.
"I have," Kaiba said matter-of-factly, "Mokuba's turned his back on me; on our family. Now it's up to me to bring him to his senses. Maybe losing a serious duel will show him that there's more to life than just fun and games. Something I should have taught him a long time ago, but apparently I've been remised."
"But he's you BROTHER!" Mai said. "Are you really gonna crush him like you do your other opponents?"
Kaiba placed his duel disk around his wrist, and loosened his cape from around his neck. It fell to the floor like a discarded tissue. He looked straight ahead as he replied, "If that's what it takes."
-----------Scene Break-----------
Children and adults crowded around the windows and the doors, and looked outside as the Kiaba brothers faced each other out on the back lawn. Their closest friends watched with pale faces and heavy hearts.
"Are you ready to eat your words, Seto?" Mokuba asked his older brother.
"I won't have to," Kiaba said, "But I promise you this, before tonight is over, you won't be an innocent child anymore. I'll make a man out of you yet, if it's the last thing I do."
"Draw!" Mokuba yelled. The tow drew cards form their decks, and Mokuba announced, "I play the Masked Dragon in attack mode. Next, I lat down one card, and end my turn."
"Already making mistakes," Kaiba said as he drew a card. He couldn't believe it! No one had ever drawn such an incredible first hand. He had Kaiser Sea Horse, all three Blue Eyes, Lord of Dragons, and now he had a Flute of Summoning Dragons. 'I'll finish him off quickly,' he thought.
"I play Lord of Dragons," Kaiba declared, "And I also play the Flute of Summoning Dragons, allowing me to summon two dragons from my hand. Now, I call forth the awesome might of two Blue Eyes White Dragons!" The disk almost erupted with the power of the Dragons coming forth, their wings outspread and their jaws open in white fury.
"No way!" Joey said from the sidelines. "He gets them out on his first turn!?"
"That has to be the luckiest hand ever," Tristan added.
"My turn," Mokuba said. "With Lord of Dragons on the field, I get to play my own Flute of Summoning Dragons. So now I call Seiyaru, and with the cost of 1000 life points, I equip him with the Mask of Brutality." The large pink and white dragon materialized before them, and roared at the Blue Eyes, who both roared back, eager for the challenge. "But I don't think I'll take the risk of destroying one of your Blue Eyes just yet, Seto, so I'll use my dragon to keep you from summoning another one. Seiyaru, attack Lord of Dragons!" Seiyrau roared again, and flew to the sky, the Lord of Dragons looked up, searching for his enemy, then it stood still in terror as Seriyaru charged at lightening speed, opened it's great jaws, and with a blast of sparkling fire, the Spellcaster was gone, taking with him 2300 of Kiaba's life points.
'He depleted over half my life points in a single turn?!' Kaiba was astonished. Not even Yugi was capable of something like this. "You'll regret this, Mokuba," Kaiba said to his brother. He drew and said, "I play Kaiser Sea horse in attack mode and lay a card facedown. Now, I command my Blue Eyes to attack your Masked Dragon!"
"You forgot about my facedown card, Seto," Mokuba said. "Activate my Mask of Weakness!" suddenly, a horned mask flew up and cover the Blue Eyes' face. It roared and batted at the mask, but it wouldn't come off. So finally, the Blue Eyes spouted blazing white lightning in all directions, hitting the Masked Dragon and causing 900 points damage to Mokuba, leaving his life points at 2100.
"Nice move, Seto," Mokuba said, "But not good enough. Because when you destroyed my Masked Dragon, you activated it's special ability. I get to play Troop Dragons form my deck, and since it counts as two monsters, I get to sacrifice them both to play Serpent Night Dragon #2!" for a brief instant, two dragons in armor appeared, but then vanished as a snakelike violet dragon took slithered up form beneath the ground and flew up into the air. "Now I attack your Sea Horse with Seiyaru!" As Seiyaru flew up and dove down to attack, Kaiba flipped his trap.
"Activate Negate Attack!" Kaiba shouted. A great white barrier appeared around the Seahorse, and it's force threw Seiyaru back against the ground and destroyed it. "Is that the best you can do, little brother? Cause now it's my turn. And I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse, as per it's special ability and summon my third Blue Eyes!"
"Hold on, Big Brother," Mokuba said, "Seiyaru's special ability lets me lay one more card face down before I end my turn," and a card appeared on the field in face down defense position.
"Are you done? I am. Prepare to get the worst reality check of your life, Mokuba. I summon my third and final Blue Eyes! And I order the first Blue Eyes to attack your face down card!" 'There'll be plenty of time to take out his Serpent Night Dragon #2 after this.' he thought.
"The reality check is yours, Seto, cause you're about to lose. Because my face down card was Hade- Hane!" as Mokuba said this, a axes appeared from nowhere, and hurled themselves at all three Blue Eyes', sending them back to Kaiba's hand.
"NO! This can't be!" Kaiba cried.
"It is, Seto," Mokuba said. "Now that your turn's over, I can attack with my Serpent Night Dragon #2, and take out the rest of your life points," Immediately, the Dragon slithered and swirled forward, and wrapped itself around Kiaba, digging it's claws into him as it roared and sucked the life energy and points form him. Kiaba's counter plummeted to 0. Then, the dragon disappeared, and Kaiba dropped to his knees.
"I win," Mokuba stated.
"I don't believe it," Kagome said from the side. "Mokuba actually won against his brother!"
"Incredible man," Tristan remarked.
"Feh, I don't know what the fuss is about," Inu-yasha said, "Kaiba's not so great."
"No, but that Mokuba's a force to be reckoned with. Hey Yugi, next tournament, his will be the deck to beat."
"Everyone be quiet," Yugi/Yami said. The spirit and the boy had switched during the duel. "Don't say a word. This duel is not over."
"But, Kiaba's life points are at 0," Tea said.
"Nevertheless, there's still one hand to be played." Yugi/Yami said.
Mokuba walked over to his defeated brother, and held out his hand. Kaiba looked up and swatted it away. "I don't need your help to stand up. You won, so leave me alone."
"Seto, I'm not some duelist off the street; I'm your BROTHER, now let me help you."
"You're my brother in name only," Kaiba said angrily. "I hope you're happy, because you just destroyed the last shred of my pride and dignity! How can I go back in there and face those people after losing like this?"
"Just walk in," Mokuba said. "Who cares what they think? Seto, please, open your eyes."
Kaiba looked up, and felt his heart stop. As he looked at the face of his younger brother, he wasn't so little anymore. In fact he seemed to tower over him just then. His usual happy face was downcast, clouded in sorrow. Did his own look like this? Did he exude unhappiness and pain, as well? Suddenly, he felt his mind - no, his soul - begin to wake up. He felt something he hadn't felt in him since when he was a child, and again after he had won Serenity's heart. He felt… peace.
"What do you say, Seto?" Seto and Mokuba looked at each other for another beat, then, he took Mokuba;s hand, and the boy pulled him up. And at last, the two brothers, truly together again, hugged each other.
-----------Scene Break------------
At that very moment, as the crowd around the doors and windows began to cheer, Shippo squeezed his way out.
"Hey guys, what'd I miss?" Shippo asked.
"Only the duel of the century, kiddo!" Joey said.
"Mokuba won against his brother!" Rebecca squealed. "It was awesome!"
"Oh, I missed it?" Shippo asked, disappointed.
"Uh, Shippo, we kind of have something else to settle," Kagome spoke up.
"Oh, you mean do I want to go lie with Mr. Pegasus," Shippo said casually. "I have to say, I'm pretty tempted. But the truth is, there's a much more deserving person in there than me."
"What?" Pegasus asked. Shippo took his hand, and pulled him to the door. Shippo pointed to a small corner where there sat a lonely little boy, coloring on a napkin.
"It's really good," Shippo said, "Better than my stuff. See," Shippo held up a napkin.
Pegasus took it and exclaimed, "It's Funny Bunny! My favorite cartoon character!"
"His name's Ichiro, and he lost his parents a few years ago. Plus, he's really interested in Duel Monsters.
----------Scene Break----------
Ichiro sat at a table while the other kids and grown up gathered around the doors and windows. Ichiro concentrated on his latest drawing, inspired by the duel outside. Then, a girl named Anita walked up, and looked over his shoulder.
"What's that?" Anita asked him.
"It's a Duel Monsters card," he said with pride.
Anita squinted at he drawing, then said, "That's not like any card I've ever seen," she said skeptically. "Are you sure it's a Duel Monsters card?"
"Well, not yet," Ichiro looked down at his masterpiece. It was his new friend, Shippo, in his costume, holding up his hands in a V for victory. "But someday, it will be."
The End
------------Authors' Note-------------
Bluerain: We hope you enjoyed this cute story, now,
Bluerain and Sir Larry: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!
"That's very good Shippo, you're a fantastic artist." Pegasus said encouragingly as he sat with Shippo out on the veranda. Shippo was drawing on a pad of paper.
"Thanks." He replied with a smile. "Inu-yasha and Kagome don't seem that impressed by my pictures though. Especially Inu-yasha. He couldn't care less about them and when I try to show them to him, he just goes 'Feh' and leaps up into a tree where I can't bother him."
"That's awful, Shippo, an artistic spirit such as yours should be encouraged and nurtured by his family."
"Well, Inu-yasha and Kagome really aren't my family, and I suppose neither are Sango or Miroku. I just sort of hang around them and they take care of me. My real mother and father have been dead for a while now." Shippo told Pegasus.
"That's so sad." He said. "So you don't have any family?"
"Nope, not a single living relative." Shippo replied. "Finished!" He lifted his pencil from the page and Pegasus beheld a wonderful caricature of himself, complete with Millennium Eye, and everything. It was then that Pegasus made his decision on the matter. If Shippo had no family, and he was such a fantastic artist, the he was going to give Shippo the opportunities that he otherwise wouldn't have."
"Shippo, we're friends now, aren't we?" Pegasus asked him.
"Sure, now that I know that you don't want my soul for one of your cards." Shippo laughed. "I like you Mr. Pegasus, you're an outrageous guy, but you've got some style about you. That's more than Inu-yasha has. He's just mean all of the time."
-------------Scene Break-------------
"You what?!" Kaiba yelled.
"I want to adopt Shippo," Pegasus repeated later as the party in the main house started winding down. It was almost time for the kids to be ushered in, and Kaiba was looking forward to seeing how well the prospective parents mingled with the kids. But now, Pegasus had come to him with the most outrageous, preposterous request in human history.
"You hardly know him, he only just got over being afraid of you, and to top it off, he's not even human. He's a demon for goodness' sake!"
"I'm not one of those people who thinks race matters, Kaiba boy," Pegasus argued. "I mean, look at you and Mokuba. You too are hardly cut from the same cloth. And isn't this whole party to give kids to loving homes?"
"He is not one our orphans," Kaiba said, "Besides, he has a family. He hangs out with Inu-yasha and that crowd."
"A crowd of friends is hardly a family," Pegasus countered. "He's being raised by teenagers! He needs structure, balance, guidance; he needs a true father and a stable home. Not to mention an education. And I can give him all these things and more."
"It's ludicrous," Kaiba spat..
"What's ludicrous Big Brother?" Mokuba said, as he lead Yugi and his procession.
"This Pretentious Idiot wants to adopt Shippo," Kaiba said.
"WHAT!?!?!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Me?" Shippo asked. "You want to adopt me?"
"Of course," Pegasus said to Shippo, "I'm like you, Shippo. I don't have any family either. We're both alone as far as families are concerned. And I couldn't ask for a better son than you."
"Gee," Shippo said.
"But, but he's with us," Kagome said, coming forward and picking Shippo up. "We've been taking care of him just fine."
"Shippo, aren't you tired of fighting monsters and living off charity?" Pegasus asked the fox cub.
"I don't know," Shippo said. He squirmed and jumped form Kagome's arms, and said. "I really gotta think about this." And the kitsune went off to the house.
"Pegasus, if you must adopt top make pathetic life mean anything, then take one of the other kids; they need homes just as badly, and I guarantee they won't cost as much time or be as much trouble as he his. That little fox has been nothing but a troubles burden to me ever since I laid eyes on him!"
"That's it Seto." Mokuba said, outraged by his brother's outburst.
"Mokuba, what are you saying?" Kaiba asked.
"I'm saying that I'm tired of your always putting down my friends and being so mean and nasty all of the time. You've become a heartless monster and I'm sick of it Seto. The children from the Orphanage came here for a good time and maybe even find some loving parents and Shippo's an Orphan just like the rest of them. Pegasus wants to give him a home and by golly if that's what Shippo wants then I stand behind them one 100."
"Mokuba, that little demon has poisoned your mind. Remember that we always promised to be close and that it was just you and me against the world?" Kaiba asked.
"Well it not just us against the world, Seto, we've got friends now. Yugi and the others are our friends, even if you're now ours."
"What are you saying to me?" Kaiba demanded once again. "Are you choosing Yugi and his pathetic bunch of misfits over me, your own brother?"
"Seto, I'm saying that it's time for you to come to your senses and there's only one way to do that. Seto, I hate to do this, but that pride of yours is getting in the way of our happiness. I challenge you to a duel!" Everyone gasped. They couldn't believe that loyal little Mokuba had actually just challenged his big brother to a Duel Monster match on tonight of all nights.
"Mokuba, I can't. I- I just can't. I won't duel you."
"Why not?" Mokuba demanded.
"Because, outside of our family game nights I only duel my enemies, Mokuba, and I destroy my enemies. Please, don't make me duel you like this."
"I'm sorry Seto but if you ever want me to respect you again then you'll face me tonight in a duel monsters match. Otherwise, I'm going back to the orphanage with the rest of the kids, and we won't be brothers anymore." Kaiba couldn't believe what his little brother had just said. He'd actually choose to be a poor homeless orphan again than live with him as he was. Was the way he was really so bad? Had he truly lost his way as Mokuba had said.
"Mokuba." Kaiba said. "Fine, you've got your match, but I warn you that I will have no mercy. Not even for a brother."
"I suppose that's one thing we still have in common." Mokuba replied as he turned his back on Kaiba and walked away.
"Guys, we've got to do something about this." Little Yugi said. "Halloween is supposed to be a fun time of the year, not a time for family members to be feuding with each other."
"What can we do though?" Tea asked.
"We can start by knocking some sense into Pegasus and Shippo." Inu-yasha said.
"Hey you don't think that Shippo would really want Pegasus to adopt him do you?" Sango asked her friends.
"I don't know, maybe Shippo would be better off." Miroku said to them. None of them could believe it either.
"What the h---- are you talking about Monk?" Inu-yasha demanded.
"What I mean is that Shippo and Pegasus have obviously gotten to know each other and bonded with each other on a father and son level. It would be wrong to tear them apart like this. After all, Shippo is a child and he is an orphan." Miroku explained.
"Hey, Shippo's ours." Kagome objected. "He's like a son to Inu-yasha and me."
"What are you talking about?" Inu-yasha demanded of Kagome. "That little rat's nothing but trouble. He's no son of mine."
"Exactly, he's no son of any of us." Mikroku went on to say. " Since Shippo's real father and mother are dead we've been taking care of him, but just look at how terribly dangerous his life is when he's with us. He faces death every single day and he barely is able to manage when we're out demon hunting. Maybe it's better if he has a stable home where he can go to school and be a normal kid for a change." No one there wanted to argue with him any further. Miroku was right, they supposed, Shippo did deserve better than to be drug around all over the Feudal Era where he was in harms way all of the time. Also, it was Shippo's choice to make, and that they could not deprive him of.
"If that's what the little fuzz ball wants, let him go." Inu-yasha said, letting his hurt feelings out. For in fact he had come to think of Shippo as a son after all that they had been through with each other. But if Shippo wanted something else, then he wouldn't get in the way, and he wouldn't let it bother him. He'd seen family members come and go before. He was used to the people he loved leaving him.
"So guys, we've still got the problem of the Kaiba brothers dueling." Joey said. "As much as I'd like to see Kaiba get his butt kicked by someone less experienced than him, brothers fighting just isn't kosher."
"Yeah guys," Agreed Serenity, "We can't let Seto and Mokuba do this, it will destroy one of them, and I care for them both too much to allow either of them to hurt the other."
"But is there anything we can do to stop them?" Asked Rebecca.
"I don't know, but we should at least try." Yugi said.
--------Scene Break-------
Shippo sat in the upstairs sitting room and contemplated his predicament He liked Pegasus, and it was a tempting offer. The thought of having a family again, having someone to love and take care of him instead of browbeating him like Inu-yasha did.
"Yeah," Shippo said aloud. "How many times has he struck me on the head? Too many." Then, another memory popped into his head. He was sitting with Inu-yasha as the han-you cleaned his sword. Then, Inu-yasha handed Shippo the Tetsusaiga's sheath. Something he never let anyone else do. "That's right," Shippo said, "Inu-yasha let me clean the sheath of the Tetsusaiga. And he kept the dagger I gave as a present, too. Mr. Pegasus is fun and all, but can I really turn my back on my friends. On my family? Cause as weird as they are, they're the closest I have to a family." Then, Shippo knew what to do.
----------Scene Break-----------
"Come on, Mokuba, are you really going to duel your own brother?" Rebecca asked.
"Yes I am," Mokuba replied, "It's the only way he'll learn."
"But come one, Mokuba," Yugi said, "Surely this can be settled some other way?"
"No. I'm tired of Seto always putting down my friends, and he's always so serious all the time. He doesn't have fun anymore, he hardly ever smiles, and it's all because of that pride of his. You guys weren't around back then, but, Yugi, once upon a time, Seto used to smile all the time. He used to believe in things like magic and hope and faith. Now, whenever someone shows him anything new, he thinks they're selling something. Just look at how he treated Rebecca the first time I brought her over to play. 'What's your angle, kid?' were the first things out of his mouth. I'm not putting up with it anymore. Someone has to make him stop."
"Does that someone have to be you though?" Yugi asked.
"Seto's dueled and dueled and dueled against you and so many other people. And all that ever does for him is make him worse. But he's never had to duel against me before. At least not over something so serious. If this doesn't work, then nothing ever will. I've got to make Seto see that there's more to life than just business. That's what this party is supposed to be about."
Yugi sighed and said, "If that's your decision, Mokuba, then I can't stop you."
"You know that Kaiba has been kind of a jerk to me," Rebecca said. "I hope you cream him, Moki."
Yugi sighed again. "I hope the others are having more luck than I am."
-----------Scene Break-----------
"Please, think about this," Serenity pleaded with Kaiba as he sat, fine tuning his deck.
"I have," Kaiba said matter-of-factly, "Mokuba's turned his back on me; on our family. Now it's up to me to bring him to his senses. Maybe losing a serious duel will show him that there's more to life than just fun and games. Something I should have taught him a long time ago, but apparently I've been remised."
"But he's you BROTHER!" Mai said. "Are you really gonna crush him like you do your other opponents?"
Kaiba placed his duel disk around his wrist, and loosened his cape from around his neck. It fell to the floor like a discarded tissue. He looked straight ahead as he replied, "If that's what it takes."
-----------Scene Break-----------
Children and adults crowded around the windows and the doors, and looked outside as the Kiaba brothers faced each other out on the back lawn. Their closest friends watched with pale faces and heavy hearts.
"Are you ready to eat your words, Seto?" Mokuba asked his older brother.
"I won't have to," Kiaba said, "But I promise you this, before tonight is over, you won't be an innocent child anymore. I'll make a man out of you yet, if it's the last thing I do."
"Draw!" Mokuba yelled. The tow drew cards form their decks, and Mokuba announced, "I play the Masked Dragon in attack mode. Next, I lat down one card, and end my turn."
"Already making mistakes," Kaiba said as he drew a card. He couldn't believe it! No one had ever drawn such an incredible first hand. He had Kaiser Sea Horse, all three Blue Eyes, Lord of Dragons, and now he had a Flute of Summoning Dragons. 'I'll finish him off quickly,' he thought.
"I play Lord of Dragons," Kaiba declared, "And I also play the Flute of Summoning Dragons, allowing me to summon two dragons from my hand. Now, I call forth the awesome might of two Blue Eyes White Dragons!" The disk almost erupted with the power of the Dragons coming forth, their wings outspread and their jaws open in white fury.
"No way!" Joey said from the sidelines. "He gets them out on his first turn!?"
"That has to be the luckiest hand ever," Tristan added.
"My turn," Mokuba said. "With Lord of Dragons on the field, I get to play my own Flute of Summoning Dragons. So now I call Seiyaru, and with the cost of 1000 life points, I equip him with the Mask of Brutality." The large pink and white dragon materialized before them, and roared at the Blue Eyes, who both roared back, eager for the challenge. "But I don't think I'll take the risk of destroying one of your Blue Eyes just yet, Seto, so I'll use my dragon to keep you from summoning another one. Seiyaru, attack Lord of Dragons!" Seiyrau roared again, and flew to the sky, the Lord of Dragons looked up, searching for his enemy, then it stood still in terror as Seriyaru charged at lightening speed, opened it's great jaws, and with a blast of sparkling fire, the Spellcaster was gone, taking with him 2300 of Kiaba's life points.
'He depleted over half my life points in a single turn?!' Kaiba was astonished. Not even Yugi was capable of something like this. "You'll regret this, Mokuba," Kaiba said to his brother. He drew and said, "I play Kaiser Sea horse in attack mode and lay a card facedown. Now, I command my Blue Eyes to attack your Masked Dragon!"
"You forgot about my facedown card, Seto," Mokuba said. "Activate my Mask of Weakness!" suddenly, a horned mask flew up and cover the Blue Eyes' face. It roared and batted at the mask, but it wouldn't come off. So finally, the Blue Eyes spouted blazing white lightning in all directions, hitting the Masked Dragon and causing 900 points damage to Mokuba, leaving his life points at 2100.
"Nice move, Seto," Mokuba said, "But not good enough. Because when you destroyed my Masked Dragon, you activated it's special ability. I get to play Troop Dragons form my deck, and since it counts as two monsters, I get to sacrifice them both to play Serpent Night Dragon #2!" for a brief instant, two dragons in armor appeared, but then vanished as a snakelike violet dragon took slithered up form beneath the ground and flew up into the air. "Now I attack your Sea Horse with Seiyaru!" As Seiyaru flew up and dove down to attack, Kaiba flipped his trap.
"Activate Negate Attack!" Kaiba shouted. A great white barrier appeared around the Seahorse, and it's force threw Seiyaru back against the ground and destroyed it. "Is that the best you can do, little brother? Cause now it's my turn. And I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse, as per it's special ability and summon my third Blue Eyes!"
"Hold on, Big Brother," Mokuba said, "Seiyaru's special ability lets me lay one more card face down before I end my turn," and a card appeared on the field in face down defense position.
"Are you done? I am. Prepare to get the worst reality check of your life, Mokuba. I summon my third and final Blue Eyes! And I order the first Blue Eyes to attack your face down card!" 'There'll be plenty of time to take out his Serpent Night Dragon #2 after this.' he thought.
"The reality check is yours, Seto, cause you're about to lose. Because my face down card was Hade- Hane!" as Mokuba said this, a axes appeared from nowhere, and hurled themselves at all three Blue Eyes', sending them back to Kaiba's hand.
"NO! This can't be!" Kaiba cried.
"It is, Seto," Mokuba said. "Now that your turn's over, I can attack with my Serpent Night Dragon #2, and take out the rest of your life points," Immediately, the Dragon slithered and swirled forward, and wrapped itself around Kiaba, digging it's claws into him as it roared and sucked the life energy and points form him. Kiaba's counter plummeted to 0. Then, the dragon disappeared, and Kaiba dropped to his knees.
"I win," Mokuba stated.
"I don't believe it," Kagome said from the side. "Mokuba actually won against his brother!"
"Incredible man," Tristan remarked.
"Feh, I don't know what the fuss is about," Inu-yasha said, "Kaiba's not so great."
"No, but that Mokuba's a force to be reckoned with. Hey Yugi, next tournament, his will be the deck to beat."
"Everyone be quiet," Yugi/Yami said. The spirit and the boy had switched during the duel. "Don't say a word. This duel is not over."
"But, Kiaba's life points are at 0," Tea said.
"Nevertheless, there's still one hand to be played." Yugi/Yami said.
Mokuba walked over to his defeated brother, and held out his hand. Kaiba looked up and swatted it away. "I don't need your help to stand up. You won, so leave me alone."
"Seto, I'm not some duelist off the street; I'm your BROTHER, now let me help you."
"You're my brother in name only," Kaiba said angrily. "I hope you're happy, because you just destroyed the last shred of my pride and dignity! How can I go back in there and face those people after losing like this?"
"Just walk in," Mokuba said. "Who cares what they think? Seto, please, open your eyes."
Kaiba looked up, and felt his heart stop. As he looked at the face of his younger brother, he wasn't so little anymore. In fact he seemed to tower over him just then. His usual happy face was downcast, clouded in sorrow. Did his own look like this? Did he exude unhappiness and pain, as well? Suddenly, he felt his mind - no, his soul - begin to wake up. He felt something he hadn't felt in him since when he was a child, and again after he had won Serenity's heart. He felt… peace.
"What do you say, Seto?" Seto and Mokuba looked at each other for another beat, then, he took Mokuba;s hand, and the boy pulled him up. And at last, the two brothers, truly together again, hugged each other.
-----------Scene Break------------
At that very moment, as the crowd around the doors and windows began to cheer, Shippo squeezed his way out.
"Hey guys, what'd I miss?" Shippo asked.
"Only the duel of the century, kiddo!" Joey said.
"Mokuba won against his brother!" Rebecca squealed. "It was awesome!"
"Oh, I missed it?" Shippo asked, disappointed.
"Uh, Shippo, we kind of have something else to settle," Kagome spoke up.
"Oh, you mean do I want to go lie with Mr. Pegasus," Shippo said casually. "I have to say, I'm pretty tempted. But the truth is, there's a much more deserving person in there than me."
"What?" Pegasus asked. Shippo took his hand, and pulled him to the door. Shippo pointed to a small corner where there sat a lonely little boy, coloring on a napkin.
"It's really good," Shippo said, "Better than my stuff. See," Shippo held up a napkin.
Pegasus took it and exclaimed, "It's Funny Bunny! My favorite cartoon character!"
"His name's Ichiro, and he lost his parents a few years ago. Plus, he's really interested in Duel Monsters.
----------Scene Break----------
Ichiro sat at a table while the other kids and grown up gathered around the doors and windows. Ichiro concentrated on his latest drawing, inspired by the duel outside. Then, a girl named Anita walked up, and looked over his shoulder.
"What's that?" Anita asked him.
"It's a Duel Monsters card," he said with pride.
Anita squinted at he drawing, then said, "That's not like any card I've ever seen," she said skeptically. "Are you sure it's a Duel Monsters card?"
"Well, not yet," Ichiro looked down at his masterpiece. It was his new friend, Shippo, in his costume, holding up his hands in a V for victory. "But someday, it will be."
The End
------------Authors' Note-------------
Bluerain: We hope you enjoyed this cute story, now,
Bluerain and Sir Larry: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!