Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Responses:

Yami Silverdramon: The fact that Yami isn't there is actually a pretty important part of the story, but I understand your disappointment. Don't worry though, he will be mentioned quite often, and the memory of his presence is always lurking in the background.

Setosbluedragon: Thank you for your encouragement, and I'm glad you like the idea. Hopefully, once I develop the plot a little more, you'll like it even better.

Thanks for reviewing (both of you!) and I hope to keep you entertained.

Warnings: Oh, yeah. I forgot, there's some language in this chapter. Tell me if you think I should up the rating, I don't want to offend anyone.

The Art of War

"An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not." -Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Sun Tzu,

Joey woke up at 2:45 in the afternoon the next day. Sunlight was streaming in through his small dusty bedroom window. He glanced around his trashed room, his blond mop of hair looking like he had just been electrocuted. Throwing off his flimsy blanket, he slowly sat up and stretched. Standing up, he scratched his bare chest, and tripped over his shoes and belt on his way to his 'cleanish' pile of clothes by the door.

Quickly and quietly, he slipped on a white t-shirt, yesterday's jeans, and a mis-matched pair of socks. After running a hand through his hair, he picked up his sneakers and truck keys, and silently inched his bedroom door open. Tip-toeing out into the hallway, he stealthily slipped through the small apartment; past the kitchen, through the living room, past his father's bedroo-

-Creeaaakkk-

He stopped breathing and stood completely still, his eyes wide and locked on his old man's door, watching for movement for several moments. Nothing. His nerve shattered, Joey took off running for the door like a scared rabbit, carelessly slamming it behind him before he flew down the two flights of stairs to the ground level of the apartment building, and shot for his dilapidated pick-up truck. Throwing open the door, he practically jumped into the drivers seat, jammed the key into the ignition, and was screeching down the block before he'd closed the truck door.

He stopped breathing and stood completely still, his eyes wide and locked on his old man's door, watching for movement for several moments. . His nerve shattered, Joey took off running for the door like a scared rabbit, carelessly slamming it behind him before he flew down the two flights of stairs to the ground level of the apartment building, and shot for his dilapidated pick-up truck. Throwing open the door, he practically jumped into the drivers seat, jammed the key into the ignition, and was screeching down the block before he'd closed the truck door.
The office was darkened, the blinds covering his giant plate-glass windows were shut tight, and the main light was off. A brown-haired man sat at the luxurious mahogany desk, the screen of his open laptop casting shadows across his already imposing figure. Another man stood in front of the desk, standing rim-rod straight and seemingly assured, but at closer inspection one would notice how profusely he was sweating, and the way his whole body seemed to be extremely tense.

"Mr. Kaiba, we have the latest on that up-and-coming duelist from South Africa. Apparently, he hopes to someday challenge you, sir."

"I see. And does this amateur hope to challenge Yugi Motou as well?" Seto Kaiba asked softly, mal-intent creeping into his tone.

"Uh, well..... yes sir."

"Before or after?" Kaiba asked, obviously restraining the volume of his voice as his dark-blue eyes flashed dangerously.

"I-I'm afraid I don't understand the question, sir." His employee replied very quietly, as if he was trying to calm a wild beast.

"Does he hope to challenge Yugi Motou before or after he challenges me!?" Kaiba growled, rising halfway out of his chair and bracing himself against the edge of the desk with outstretched arms.

His employee spoke hurriedly. "Well, uh, after sir, but I'm sure it's only because Mr. Motou has retired from dueling, and you are a far more prominent-"

"Enough. Leave me." Kaiba commanded, not even looking at his employee.

Without even a word or backward glance, the poor terrified man practically fled his boss's office.

The CEO of Kaiba Corporation sunk back down into his large leather office chair and held a long-fingered hand up to his temple in frustration.

"So this is what I've been reduced to. Practice for Yugi Motou!" Kaiba let out a deep hollow chuckle.

"My skills haven't diminished. I am still as great as I ever was. Better even. So why does Yugi still outrank me? The Pharaoh is long gone. Yugi should not be able to beat me!" Kaiba muttered, propping his elbows on the desk with his head in his hands.

"He's doing this on purpose. He knows I want to challenge him for the title of King of Games. He has to know. He's just afraid. H-he just wants to hold onto that last fading glimmer of adequacy that Atem gave him. He's... he just......"

Kaiba fiercely shook his head and slammed his fists onto the desk. "He will duel me, and I will defeat him. I don't care what it takes. I am Seto-fucking-Kaiba -fucking- and I get whatever I goddamn want!"

However, immediately after this affirmation, he laid down his head in his arms on the desk and felt his tear ducts tingle as liquid struggled to escape from them. "I-I think..... there just... might be... something.... wrong with me." Seto Kaiba whispered to himself, pressing his forehead against the cool mahogany, and closing his eyes tightly.

The clear blue sky surrounded Domino Beach, allowing the sun to bathe the area in it's happy rays. About 50 or so stands were planted on the beach, far enough from the shore to let the vendors feel comfortable displaying their livelihoods, but far enough from the family areas to not make visitors feel imposed upon. The family areas with picnic tables were mostly cleared out, except for the odd drifter, and a worried looking brown-haired girl.

Tea Gardner sat at a metal picnic table wearing a light blue skirt, black sleeveless shirt, and sandals. Checking her watch for the third time, she hoped that Joey was just running late, and that he hadn't decided not to meet her after all and neglected to call. Unless.... there was something wrong. Someone could have hurt him, or captured him or-or.......

She stopped herself. That was the past. Things like that didn't happen anymore. They were leading perfectly normal, average, boring teenage lives. And today was a perfectly normal day. No magic, or danger, or heart-breaking decisions to make that could decide the fate of the world. That was all in the past now.

Sighing, she checked her watch again. 3:24. Maybe Joey wasn't coming to meet her. Surely he would have called. Maybe he overslept. Yeah, he probably just overslept. This was Joey after all. ......But what if he hadn't? What if he'd gotten in a wreck or something? Or someone got to him, someone with a grudge from back when they were still with Ate-

"Hey! Sorry I'm late! I overslept." A voice called out behind her.

She turned around with a sigh and a smile, too relieved to be angry at him.

The blond boy jogged up towards her kicking up the sand under his sneakers as he ran on the beach. She stood up as he stopped in front of her, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Ya aren't mad, are ya?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head, and wincing.

"No, I'm not mad. But I was starting to get a little worried." She replied, grabbing his wrist and leading them towards a cluster of stands. "We've gotta hurry up. Most of the venders are gonna close up at five, so we don't have much time."

"O-okay." Joey replied, allowing the girl to drag him across the beach. "Have ya seen anything you think she'd like?"

"Lots of things. Some of the stuff here is pretty cool. There's a guy who makes suits of armor out of pop cans!" Tea exclaimed, letting go of his wrist and pointing to a table with a vaguely human shaped aluminum conglomeration hanging beside it on a coat rack.

"Er, you think Serenity would want something like that?" Joey asked, cocking his head to the side in askance.

"Nooo.... I just thought it was interesting. Come on, lets walk around and check out the different stands. There has to be something here she would like." Tea suggested, flashing Joey an exuberant smile.

The two of them walked through the crowd, taking in the different stands. Some objects that were being sold were unique, some were cool, and some were just plain weird. After about half an hour they still hadn't found anything just right, so they decided to get something to drink and ended up back at the picnic table they'd started their venture at.

After taking a chug of his large soda, Joey sighed, and looked around at the beach. "You know, I used to bring Serenity out here all the time when we was kids." He had a soft, whimsical smile on his face. It wasn't a very common expression for Joey to make.

"So you both have a lot of memories out here?" Tea asked, not exactly sure how to respond.

"Yeah..... Maybe someday we can come out here again." He grinned at her. "But we're both a little too old to build sandcastles, now."

"Nah, you can never be too old to build sandcastles. Same with snowmen, and believing in Santa Clause." Tea replied with a wink.

"Santa Clause? You're kidding, right?" Joey asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"No. I met him once, when I was a little girl." Tea said, deadpan.

Joey smiled and shook his head. "Tea, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but Santa ain't real. It was probably someone dressed up as him." He reached over the table and jokingly patted her hand.

"Hmm.... Well, now that you mention it, Santa Clause does look a lot like my dad." Tea mused, pretending to think it over.

After they finished their drinks, Joey watched as some of the venders were beginning to look antsy. "What time is it?"

Tea glanced at her watch. "Quarter after 4. Wanna go take another look at the stands? We couldn't have seen them all."

"Yeah. I just gotta find something for her!"

They once again got caught up in the crowd, exploring all the odd little knick-knacks people were selling.

"See, I wanna get her somethin' she'll really like. Somethin' special." Joey announced, trying not to lose Tea in the crowd.

"I'm sure she'll like whatever you give her, just because it's from you. That alone makes it special." Tea encouraged, her eyes shining.

Joey shrugged and looked down at his feet as he walked. "Yeah, I know. But it's just that Serenity and I don't get ta see each other all that often. I wanna get her somethin' that'll remind her that I'm thinkin' about her, even if I can't be there."

Tea's head tilted, and she couldn't help but smile. "Aww, Joey, that's so sweet."

Joey chuckled bashfully. "Don't go tellin' nobody."

"You have my word. And don't worry, you'll find something for her, I promise."

"Thanks Tea." Joey replied, as a stand to the far right of those gathered caught his eye. He began walking over to it as Tea followed. There were a couple dozen sand filled objects scattered on the table, each one different.

"Hourglasses?" Tea asked, noticing the interested glint in Joey's eye as he looked them over. The seemingly bored vender immediately perked up at the two potential teenage customers.

"All custom made. Each one is completely unique." The man said, waving a hand over his products.

"Huh." Joey picked up one filled with rainbow colored sand, turned it over and set it back down. "Where do ya get the sand?" He asked the vendor.

"Everywhere and anywhere. These are all custom made." He repeated again, as he picked up a lime green one with red sand. "This sand is from a beach in Fiji. I dyed it myself." He picked up a white one with red and blue sand. "This sand came from a child's sandbox in Washington D.C." He set them both down. "I can make a completely customized hourglass with any type of sand. Any size, any design, satisfaction guaranteed. Are you interested?" The vender finally asked, with a hopeful smile.

Joey and Tea looked at each other. Tea shrugged. Joey turned back to the vender and nodded. "How long does it take you to make one?" Joey asked.

The vender frowned. "With the business I've been getting today, I can probably have it done in less than a week. Yours is the first order I've had all day."

Joey narrowed his eyes and fixed the vender with an intimidating look. "How much does it cost?"

"Uh, from $75 to $250." The vender casually replied.

"Two hundred fifty dollars!" Joey exclaimed, taking a step back.

Tea placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to buy one. We can find something else for Serenity."

"Nah, I can't. This is perfect for her." Joey turned to her and held up a finger for the vender to wait a minute. "See, I'm thinkin' maybe I could have the sand from here put in it. You know, since Domino Beach means so much to both of us." Joey explained.

"Well, you don't have to get the most expensive one. Do you have $75?" Tea whispered back, feeling bad for the vendor as he longingly watched the crowd pass by his stand.

"I've got $290. Besides, if I'm gonna get my sister somethin', I'm gonna get her the best. The price just shocked me is all." Joey replied, not meeting her eyes.

"Well, just because you have it doesn't mean you can afford to spend it. You know that if you need help covering it, I'd be happy to-"

"No, Tea, that ain't necessary. I got the money, and I can deal with the rest." He interrupted gruffly.

"Okay." She said softly, looking away from him. Noticing Tea's wounded expression, Joey sighed.

"I appreciate the offer, but I got it covered. Now come on, help me pick a design." Joey suggested, with an apologetic smile.

Joey and Tea spent another twenty minutes sorting through all the various designs for hourglasses. Eventually, Joey decided on a turquoise painted one with yellow tinted glass, with beach balls and seashells etched into the wood.

"Hey, could ya like, engrave the wood with some kinda personal message?" Joey asked, noticing how some of the hourglasses had quotes professionally carved into the ends.

The vender nodded enthusiastically. "Of course. Did you have something in mind?"

Joey, scratched his head and blushed. "Well, not right now, but could ya gimme a couple a days?"

"Oh, no problem! I can give you my number, and you can just tell me over the phone. It usually takes me a few days to get to the actual engraving anyway."

"That's great!" Joey smiled widely, and handed the vender $250.

"Oh, but, where would you like your sand to be from?" The vender asked, as Joey signed his personal information onto a receipt.

"From here. This beach."

"Ah, fantastic! I can collect some after I close the stand. It should probably be delivered to your home on, Tuesday, say?" The vender confirmed, grinning as he gave Joey his copy of the receipt.

"That's perfect. I'll give you a call about the engraving." Joey said, turning to leave with Tea.

"Alright. Thank you for your patronage!" The vender called out as they left the expo area.

Joey couldn't keep the grin off his face as he and Tea walked to the beach parking lot. He got Serenity a birthday present! And a great one! Sure it was expensive, (too expensive...) but it was worth it! Now all he had to do was think of something to have carved into it, which wouldn't be a problem, since Serenity was his main source of inspiration anyway. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest, and couldn't wait to see how much Serenity liked her gift.

He threw an arm around Tea's shoulders as they walked. "Ya need a ride home, Tea? It's the least I can do to repay ya for helping me out today."

"Thanks Joey. I'm just happy I could be of use." She replied, smiling as he unlocked the passenger door to his truck and let her in.

After Joey dropped Tea off at her house, he decided he go by Yugi's and ended up staying the night.

Joey stared in the dark at Yugi's bedroom ceiling from his position on the floor in a sleeping bag. He smiled to himself as he pictured the look on his little sister's face when she laid eyes on his gift.

'I may not have any electricity in a few days, but at least I did something for somebody I care about. Now all I gotta do is avoid the old man until I get my next paycheck....'

Author's Notes: Hehehe. Can anybody figure out where this is going? For the record, as you know, this takes place after the manga & anime, but it also takes place before Kaiba establishes his little dueling school. Hopefully, this should be fun to read for all. (I've been obsessively watching way too much Kill Bill.) Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review.