Chapter 3 – Christmas Eve Arrivals
Sorry for the long time between updates and for all of the fluff. I was feeling kind of homesick when I wrote it and it made me feel better. Thanks for all of the great reviews. Now it really is time to get back to the plot… I've combined parts of my original chapter 3 with what I had written for chapter 4. The flashbacks are from chapter 3. And yes, I know I skipped a day. That chapter 3 was complete fluff. If you really want to read it, email me and I'll send it to you.
As the title states, it is now Christmas Eve and everyone is coming over for the party. What chaos ensues? Well, read on and find out.
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Wednesday, December 24, 5:59 p.m. Téa's house… Zero hour has arrived… The Christmas Eve party is about to begin…
DING DONG DING DONG
DING DONG DING DONG
Wow, they were actually on time, she thought. Not early and not late. Amazing. This should be one for the Guinness Book of World Records. Then again, it could have something to do with the fact that they had to bring their own food. She'd had enough of cooking for the last few days. Tonight's menu consisted of whatever they decided to bring to eat and share with everyone else. Her dessert currently sat in the fridge, the chocolate coating on the cheesecake needing a little bit of time to cool.
Taking a quick glance around the living room as she headed for the door, she could see that everything was in place. The decorations were all up, the tree was lit and the window looked great. The window. Hmm, she'd had fun doing that with Seto. And he and Mokuba were coming over shortly as well.
Opening the door, she stepped back quickly just as a red and green wrapped box fell right where she had been standing. "Hi guys," she said, brightly, ignoring the narrow escape. Probably one of Joey's, judging by the half a role of Scotch tape that covered the ends of it.
"Sorry 'bout dat, Téa," Joey apologized, scratching his head sheepishly as he grinned innocently at her. Of course, since he had to pick up the box, he was the first one through the door. And the first thing he did was check the couch in the living room.
"No problem, and Joey, he's not here yet." Téa grimaced slightly, knowing exactly what he was doing without having to take a look behind her, "He called and said he'd be a little late. They'll be here about 6:30 or so."
"Wait a sec… he has your phone numba'? What, didja give it t' him or sometin'?" Joey's eyebrows rose in question as he looked to her for an answer. Something about the trip at the mall was still bothering him. He knew he had seen Kaiba head into The Gap. Téa hadn't been very straightforward in her answers as well. Not that she'd been lying, but she hadn't told them everything. His sixth sense could notice these things. Too bad it didn't help him get girls more.
Flashback… Domino Heights Mall… December 22, 3:59:59 p.m. in the food court…
And there they were, her friends, seated around a table sharing a huge plate of French fries with ketchup, gravy and mayonnaise. Disgusting. All that fat and cholesterol they were happily consuming. They were going to eat themselves into a heart attack.
Well, no worse a reaction than when they found out about her and Seto. One disaster avoided.
"Hey guys, sorry if I'm a little late. Got caught up in shopping and lost track of time." At least no one could comment on the rush of heat to her face since she was breathing a little heavy. Hopefully they thought that she'd run to meet them here.
"Wa' so' pries?" Joey asked, his cheeks bulging like a squirrel's with his mouth full of food, which he sprayed on the table a little, as he talked.
"Eww, Joey. Swallow first please." Téa gave him a disgusted look and he managed to look embarrassed as he hastily chewed his mouthful and swallowed.
"Yeah, man. That's gross. Say it, don't spray it." Even Tristan, who was usually as manner less as Joey, found it sickening to watch the blonde haired teen devour fries and gravy. Yugi just sighed in exasperation. He loved Joey like a brother, but sometimes his manners truly left something to be desired. Yami locked himself in his soul room, muttering about the lack of grace, sophistication and elegance in the 'modern day'.
"I said, 'Want some fries?'" Joey asked once more, his mouth now clear of any possible flying debris.
"No thanks, I had a chicken sandwich and a salad earlier. So Yugi, what is a good idea for a present for your Grandpa. I can't think of anything to get him." Téa's winning smile didn't fool Yugi. She had deliberately changed the subject. Normally, she'd be ranting about what all of that grease was going to do to their arteries and such. Even though she liked fries as much as they did. Suspicions were still mounting. Something was going on.
"Before we get to that, could you answer me one question?" Yugi asked as innocently as possible. She looked startled at his request but nodded her head, the blush finally receding from her cheeks as she took a seat at the table, placing her bags on the floor by her feet. Joey and Tristan leaned forward, ready to pounce on whatever Yugi had to say.
"Were you just in The Gap doing some shopping?" Dead silence at the table. All French fry eating had stopped as they waited a second for Téa to respond. Think fast, she thought to herself. She didn't really want to lie to them, they were her best friends after all, but she didn't want them to find out about her and Seto this way either. What to do?
"Yeah, I wandered in there a little bit ago, but the screaming kids were too much for me to handle." It wasn't a total lie. The screaming kids had been annoying but she'd just tuned them out and concentrated on her shopping. And she hadn't said that she'd left the store either. That question was nicely handled. What else were they going to throw at her?
"Didja see Kaiba in der at all?" Joey asked, running his hand through his blonde mane. He had seen her. No more blonde jokes from Tristan about his hair colour from now on.
"Kaiba? … No…Why?" Just an omission of truth here. She technically, very technically, hadn't 'seen' him in The Gap. Only in the fitting rooms. She'd known it was Seto by the smell of his aftershave. And they hadn't asked about the fitting rooms themselves, just The Gap. Yugi's eyebrows narrowed. He could tell she was hiding something. At least she wasn't lying, not directly anyways. The shifty eyes would have been a dead giveaway, except when they played cards. She ruled at the 'poker face'.
"Are you sure, cuz Joey swears that he saw you and Kaiba walk in there…?" Tristan added. Great, no more joking about Joey's blonde nature. Not like that was a big loss. There was always his stuttering in front of girls, his lack of manners, his fashion sense, his haircut – or lack of one… the list was endless.
"I think I'd know Kaiba if I saw him, don't you Tristan, after all of the crazy stuff that's happened to us over the last few years?" She looked him pointedly in the eyes and he had to turn away from the intense look she gave him. He hadn't meant it to sound like an accusation against her. Sigh. Dealing with girls was never easy. "Now, Yugi, if you could answer MY question for a change… what's with the questions today anyways?" She gave each one of them a good, long stare before Joey finally swallowed and opened his mouth to speak.
"Well, it just… it seemed…" Joey started to say. There really was no nice way to phrase it so he blurted it out. "We tink dat Kaiba is harassing you. I mean, de way he jus' showed up at yer house de other day. And I tought I'd seen him head inta The Gap jus' a minute or two afta you did. So… is he? Harassing you I mean?"
"Kaiba is by no means 'harassing me'. If he was, don't you think you'd know about it by now? Besides, I think that I can handle him. He doesn't scare me. You all act as if he's going to turn into an evil monster or something and try to eat me. He's not that bad. You just have to know how to deal with him." Total truth here. He wasn't harassing her or bothering her in any way, except for the way she reacted to his presence. And she didn't consider that harassment at all. She knew exactly how to 'deal with him' as well. Téa hoped they bought it and just dropped the whole twenty questions game with her. She was running out of omissions of truth to give them. They were getting way too close to the mark.
"Okay Téa, it's just that we're worried about you. You will tell us if he ever bothers you though, won't you?" Yugi's voice was soft. Whatever she wanted to hide was her own business. It probably had something to do with Christmas presents anyways. He certainly didn't tell her everything that was happening in his life. Only the stuff that dealt with having to save the world and all.
End flashback…
"Well, duh, it is listed in the phone book. I'm not that hard to get a hold of," she replied. Joey rolled his eyes and breezed passed her into the living room, carrying an armload of presents, including the one he'd picked up, and a backpack on his shoulder. Everything he needed for a sleepover was in there. Including a can of shaving cream for Mr. Moneybags, he thought gleefully to himself, just in case he actually did show up.
Tristan and Yugi also made their hellos, finally, as they filed in after Joey. They, too, were burdened with presents and backpacks as well as suspicious minds. The three of them had talked it over on the phone yesterday and all of them agreed that there was something fishy going on between Téa and Kaiba. Joey had a new idea. If Kaiba wasn't harassing her, he figured that Kaiba was trying to get close to her then, pretending to want to be friends and all, so he could get a read on Yugi's cards before he challenged him to another duel. A duel that Kaiba would lose, of course. Yugi was, after all, the King of Games. Yugi thought back to the night they'd spent decorating the house and his questions about the pendant that still hung around her neck. That was the key. Would Kaiba do something so low as to 'pretend' friendship with Téa, who was kind, open and caring to everyone, just so that he could get the inside scoop for a strategy to beat him? Could Kaiba stoop so low? Yugi didn't think that it was possible but Joey and Tristan had loudly, and quite vehemently, stated it for absolute truth during that phone call. Yugi still wasn't so sure that Kaiba could be that dishonest. Cold, cruel and arrogant, definite yes but he couldn't picture Kaiba as the kind who could 'pretend' anything well.
At least their plan was in place and ready to go. Operation Keep Away. Joey's brilliant suggestion.
Téa finally closed the door behind them before she followed Yugi and Tristan into the living room so they could drop their armloads of presents off under the tree.
"So, how are you Téa? I didn't hear much from you yesterday. Just your quick message to remind me to bring pennies over," Yugi said, putting aside all of his suspicions. This was Téa, his best friend since kindergarten.
"Great, couldn't be better," she replied happily. She'd seen a shadow cloud his eyes for an instant before it had vanished, his bright violet eyes shining through once more. She knew, then and there, that he knew something was up. Joey and Tristan had applied themselves to arranging the presents nicely under the tree and they were doing a pretty decent job, for a change. They were talking to each other but she couldn't hear a word they were saying. Probably about food or girls.
"You know, I look forward to this sleepover every year," Yugi mused, slinging his backpack off his shoulders. Kneeling beside it, the clasp came undone easily and he rooted through it, obviously looking for something. Téa leaned forward a bit and glimpsed his pyjamas before she smiled. Blue flannel with stars and moons on them. The same ones he'd worn at the last sleepover they'd managed to have before the world went crazy.
"So do I, Yugi. It makes me feel like a kid again." Her smile grew brighter and Yugi flushed, remembering the first time they'd ever had a Christmas sleepover.
Yami took a peek at that first memory and chuckled knowingly. His aibou had already been smitten with her back then. Who wouldn't have been, Yami thought, when she'd shown up on his doorstep in a pink and white-trimmed winter jacket and long brown pigtails tied in bright green ribbons, a cherubic smile on her lips.
'You liked her even then, Yugi,' Yami commented. 'Your memory of her is covered in shimmering stars.'
'Yeah, I did,' Yugi answered, his mind voice sounding wistfully sad. 'And I'll never be able to tell her how I… how WE feel about her. I'm too scared of the consequences.'
Yami lowered his head, his brilliant amethyst eyes closed and a bittersweet sigh passed his lips before he whispered, 'I know. Even after 5000 years, nothing has changed when it comes to love and friendship.'
'What do you mean?' Yugi looked at the Spirit, waiting for an answer.
'The line between the two is fragile. The risk in crossing it is great. What if you lose the one and never gain the other? Is it worth it? There is no return once that line is passed.'
Yugi felt his heart beat strangely at the words of his darker half. Every one was true. He didn't want to face the possibility of losing his best friend. She'd been there for him too many times, cheering him on in the face of the greatest evils and the greatest odds, to even wish their bond to be broken like that. Having her as a friend would be enough. Would have to be enough.
Yami nodded at the decision.
They both suspected that she didn't feel the same way. Had suspected it since the night of the last party on Saturday. The pendant that glittered around her neck, fire engulfing ice, and the glow that surrounded her told them as much. Maybe Kaiba wasn't pretending friendship with her. Maybe there was something more going on there that she wasn't telling them about. Mental sigh. As long as she was happy, he'd be happy for her too. If it were true, then it was one battle that Kaiba would never know he'd won.
Yugi shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind and concentrating once more on the here and now. He wasn't going to let these thoughts bring him down. It was CHRISTMAS, a time of joy and happiness. A time to be spent with friends and laughter. And he was surrounded by that already, judging by the look of Joey and Tristan under the tree. No doubt, they were planning something for Kaiba.
"Yugi?" Téa asked a second later, seeing the faraway look in his eyes. Waving a hand in front of his face, she said, a little more loudly this time, "Earth to Yugi!"
"Sorry, Téa. Just thinking about our first Christmas sleepover," Yugi replied, getting back to the task of rooting through his pack once more. Two large plastic bowls appeared a moment later. "Macaroni and potato salad. And I made them myself. Grandpa didn't help this time. Especially after that last incident with the rice dish he tried to make."
She shuddered involuntarily. That had been one nasty meal. And they'd all pretended that they loved it just so they wouldn't hurt Grandpa's feelings. "Great. Now, let's go see what Joey and Tristan brought for dinner," she said, taking the bowls from Yugi's hands so he could re-zip his pack.
"Don't bother, Téa. They ordered the usual," Yugi replied, his bag zipped once more and over his shoulder. Hearing her groan, he smiled widely. "You know those two. They can't boil water without burning it."
"I know, I know but something other than meat-loaded, no veggies in sight, greasy, delicious, sloppy pizza wasn't what I had in mind when I said tonight's dinner was potluck," Téa responded dryly. Those two and their boundless fascination with pizza. It was going to be the death of them one of these days. Shaking her head, she headed for the kitchen to start getting everything ready. Yugi, with nothing else to do, followed her, knowing she was going to need some help. As long as he didn't have to get anything from the higher shelves, he'd be fine.
DING DONG DING DONG
DING DONG DING DONG
"And dat should be de pizza guy. Tristan, get out yer wallet. It's your turn t' pay." Joey rubbed his hands together gleefully.
"What? No way, dude. I paid at the arcade yesterday, remember? It's your turn." Tristan stood up and dusted his knees off, more out of habit than from actually thinking they were dirty. Téa was… passionate… about keeping the house clean. The earful she'd given Joey Monday at the mall about his 'inattentiveness' in cleaning up the veggie mess from Saturday sprang to mind.
Joey's face fell. He'd forgotten about his gluttonous feast the night before. "Oh, right."
DING DONG DING DONG
DING DONG DING DONG
"I don't care whose turn it is to pay. Could one of you PLEASE get the door?" Téa exclaimed from the kitchen, just before a small crash resounded throughout the living room. A muttered curse came from the vicinity of the kitchen and Joey chuckled to himself as he headed for the front door. Time to pay the piper, or in this case, the pizza guy.
Pushing the latch down with one hand, he reached into his back pocket with the other. Consequently, he didn't really pay attention to who was on the other side as the door opened before him. It was Wednesday. So it was probably Les from the pizza place. Will worked on Tuesdays and Thursdays. "So uh, how much do I owe ya?" Joey asked, well-worn wallet finally in hand, as he started to look up. His eyes focussed on the belt buckle before him, the colour changing with the twinkling of the Christmas lights that were lit up outside. A Blue Eyes White Dragon belt buckle to be exact. He frowned. Since when did the pizza guy start wearing one of those?
"You don't have nearly enough in there to pay me to be around you for the night," a cold, arrogant voice replied. Joey's eyes travelled upward slowly, taking in the flare of a white trench coat, black jeans and a red sweater. Ice blue eyes glared at him as he finally saw, really saw, who was standing before him. It wasn't Les, or even Will.
Shit.
"Kaiba? You actually showed up?" Joey couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice.
"I was invited to this little get together," Seto smirked, his arms folded over his chest. Mokuba peaked out from behind Seto's waist and smiled at Joey.
"Hey Joey, we're here for the sleepover, too. Téa invited us when we came over Saturday for the decorating party."
No sugar rush tonight. Seto had watched him like a hawk all day. Corn flakes with no sugar on top. A ham, lettuce and cheese sandwich with soup. All healthy food, his big brother said. They'd even brought over a huge chef's salad, which Seto had made with his own two hands, even the dressing, for the potluck dinner. How boring! He prayed that Téa had something sweet for dessert.
Mokuba also carried a huge bag of pennies as per her instructions yesterday, just before Seto had driven her home. That's why he was walking a little lopsided. The pennies were in his coat pocket.
Yesterday, Mokuba thought and flushed red.
Now he really knew better than to burst into his brother's office unannounced. What he remembered seeing made him shiver a little. The wind might have had something to do with that as well.
"C'mon Joey, let us in. It's cold out here," Mokuba pleaded, "And this thing is heavy."
"What? Oh yeah," Joey replied and moved aside to let the Kaiba brothers enter.
Seto swept inside, ignoring the look Wheeler gave him, and let his eyes roam around the living room. The retriever sat on the couch, looking dumbfounded as usual. His eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed. Where were Téa and the shrimp?
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Téa heard Joey's exclamation and Seto's subsequent remark even in the kitchen amidst the clean up of the mug she'd dropped. That was the crash heard round the living room a minute before. Dinner on Saturday hadn't really mellowed him out at all, it seemed. Well, everyone was going to have to learn to get along sooner or later. Sooner preferably.
Yugi looked across the kitchen at Téa as she dumped the remains of the mug in the garbage and saw that glow he'd seen earlier around her intensify drastically at the commotion that was happening in the living room.
Ninety-nine percent confirmation of their suspicions. His heart finished breaking in silence as he turned his violet gaze downto the green-edged plates he was holding. A single, unshed tear glittered in the corner of his eye as he mourned the loss of what would never be.
Hearing Téa move towards the living room, he composed himself quickly and followed her.
Wiping her hands on a dishtowel she'd grabbed from the counter, she walked into the front room, wondering exactly what she was going to see. It had gone awfully silent in there since Kaiba had shown up.
Coming around the archway, she stared in surprise. No one was in a chokehold yet. There were no swords or fists waving maniacally. Nothing but silence. Tristan had moved from the couch to stand behind Joey and glare daggers at the elder Kaiba. Joey stood to the side of the front door, watching as Seto smoothly closed the door behind Mokuba before removing his familiar coat. Mokuba stood quietly beside his brother, holding a huge silver bowl covered in plastic wrap. Looking at Mokuba, she couldn't help the immediate crimson tint that appeared on her cheeks. Was she ever going to be able to look at him without feeling that she'd traumatized the younger Kaiba for life?
Flashback – yesterday, Seto's home office, 3:21 p.m.
"Remember, you asked for it," came her silken reply. Her hands grasped the edges of his now-unbuttoned shirt and pulled them aside, his golden-pale skin bared for her viewing. Perfectly, absolutely, amazingly beautiful. He shivered slightly as the cool air of his office caressed his skin. The shirt she held, however, didn't stop at his shoulders as he'd expected. Exerting a little more effort, Téa pulled it over his shoulders and down his upper arms to his elbows, effectively trapping them against his sides.
Seto's eyebrows rose in surprise when he found himself unable to do anything except waggle his hands uselessly. "You conniving little…" he laughed as she smirked at him. What a turn on this was, too. About as good as the 'binding legal agreement' they'd concluded on her couch a few nights before.
"You look absolutely…delicious," she commented, letting her fingers trail lightly over his collarbone. "I wonder if you taste as good as you look?" she murmured softly, a finger gliding up his neck and back down again. That fascinated look in her eyes had him gulping for air. What was she planning now that he was her 'prisoner'?
Neither of them heard the office door creak open or see the black-haired, younger Kaiba come stalking into the room.
Mokuba's slippers made not a whisper of sound as he tread stealthily across the beige carpet towards his brother's desk. The chair he always sat in was facing the window. Must be trying to work out some design problem or other. He always did that when he needed to think.
Creeping around the corner of the huge mahogany desk, Mokuba thought he heard some sighs and groans. Big brother must be really stuck with the problem. His tie was even on the desk, well half on and half off the desk, as if it had been carelessly thrown there. Seto never took off his tie unless he was really frustrated. Hopefully he wouldn't get too mad at Mokuba for surprising him like this. He was home almost an hour early from the birthday party. He would have stayed longer but Jonas, the birthday boy, had gotten sick all over the living room carpet after eating six slices of birthday cake and four huge scoops of ice cream. Jonas must have thought he could outdo Mokuba for sugar intake.
Well, he'd been proved wrong, Mokuba thought smugly to himself.
Crouching down low behind the black leather chair, he took a deep breath, still hearing weird noises. Shrugging his shoulders, he grinned. This was going to be good. He hadn't surprised his brother like this in a long time.
"SETO!!!!!! I'M HOME!!!!!" Mokuba hollered at the top of his young lungs as he sprang out from behind the chair. The sight that greeted his eyes made him blanche to a shade beyond white. Téa, the girl he looked up to as a big sister, the girl who had saved his butt countless times, was half-naked on top of his brother Seto, who was also half-naked. It didn't bother him to see his brother in a state of undress. They were, after all, brothers and had taken baths together when they were little. But Téa? Okay well, she wasn't completely naked but that shirt she was wearing didn't leave much to the imagination. AHH TMI! Too much information, especially for his young, although not completely innocent, mind. He screwed his eyes shut. That was disgusting! Seto was kissing a GIRL! It didn't matter that it was Téa – she was still a girl! He didn't know what to do. Should he leave? Should he stay? Should he try to get the two of them apart? Eww, yuck, gross, disgusting!
"MOKUBA!!" Seto yelled, not quite as loudly as his younger brother did. Somehow, Seto managed to shrug his shirt back on, not bothering with the buttons, as Téa jumped off his lap into a heap on the floor. Mokuba had scared the hell out of her and she had reflexively reacted. Not that she'd intended to land in a mess on the floor. That had just happened. She never was very graceful when someone came in screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs that they were home. Note the slightly sarcastic tone.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" With that final scream, Mokuba turned around as fast as he possibly could and made a beeline for the office door. His scream still echoed down the hall.
And to think, all of this had happened in less than five seconds.
Téa picked herself up off the floor quite gingerly. She had seriously bruised her pride. Sigh. Nothing was ever easy. Looking over at Seto, she saw that she wasn't the only one blushing a plum red.
End flashback…
"Kaiba, Mokuba. Glad you could make it but I thought you'd said 6:30…" Téa left the statement hanging as Seto's icy gaze settled on her. The steely glint in his eyes warned her that he wasn't happy. Not happy at all. Something must have happened at work.
What was she blushing about, Seto asked himself. Was something going on that he didn't know about? And why was that little Yugi flushed too? Jealousy reared its head and his blood flowed hotly through his veins. What the hell was going on here?
"I finished work a little early. Are we interrupting something important?" was the curt, clipped reply.
What was with that tone of voice? He hadn't spoken to her like that since her visit to his office. Furious red once more. Her first visit to his office, she mentally amended, a week ago yesterday.
Yugi watched the whole exchange and his thoughts were a little scrambled. If what he thought was true was really true, then why was Kaiba behaving like this? He'd been so… so… nice to Téa, heck all of them, Saturday night but now the 'old' Kaiba was back.
"No, not at all. I'm happy to see you here a little earlier than planned. All work and no play makes Kaiba a dull boy," she replied brightly, flashing him a big, innocently friendly smile. And a wink that no one else saw.
Seto gave himself a mental shake. This was Téa. She would never do anything to betray him. Why was he getting all jealous of Yugi? The two hadbeen friends forever. It was only natural for the two of them to spend time together. A deep breath calmed the fire racing through his body and the suspicions were forced down with only a little effort.
A glance down at his younger brother finally clued him in. The red both Téa and he sported was identical. But while she just looked embarrassed, he was grinning fit to kill and the way he was bobbing his head back and forth reminded him of yesterday's events.
And Mokuba's parting taunt as they headed towards the garage so he could drop her off at home.
Flashback – yesterday, Seto's kitchen, 3:48 p.m.
"Now, don't forget the pennies. They'll be very important for tomorrow night. A couple hundred each should do." She smiled at him as she adjusted her jacket on her shoulders as he opened the door to the garage.
"No problem. I'll just raid Mokuba's piggy bank. He has a stash of them in there. I think he plans on bankrupting the world of pennies." They both chuckled at that. "Let's go. The sooner I get you home, the sooner I can get revenge on that little scamp."
Neither of them saw the 'little scamp' hiding out behind the island in the middle of the kitchen. Until, that is, they heard:
"Seto and Téa sitting in a tree…
K-I-S-S-I-N-G…
First comes LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE
Then comes marriage…"
"Mokuba…" Seto started, his voice deceptively calm and controlled. That tone of voice only meant one thing.
Big trouble when his big brother came home.
End flashback…
Hence the reason for no cereal and a healthy lunch that day. Revenge isn't always sweet.
With that glance, everything became crystal then.
Calling himself 'idiot' in six languages, Seto turned to the younger Kaiba and took the bowl out of his hands, ostensibly to let him take off his coat. The ulterior motive was to get Téa into the kitchen and have a more private chat with her.
"Thanks, big brother." The huge winning smile Mokuba threw at him made Seto want to laugh on the spot. The mischief-maker knew exactly what had gone through Seto's mind. Mokuba could read him like a book.
"You're welcome, Mokuba."
Joey, meanwhile, looked quickly at both Kaiba and Téa. Judging by her freaked out expression, something wasn't quite right. What, he didn't have a clue but he had a really good guess.
Something to do with Kaiba. He wasn't being as nicey-nice as he'd been on Saturday. Maybe Téa hadn't yet told him what he wanted to know about Yugi's deck. Well, Operation Keep Away would keep it that way.
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Whew, finally done. This is, of course, just a set up for the rest of the chapters that are coming. The reason for the pennies will be explained next chapter. Hehehehe.
Feel free to leave a review and tell me how you liked, or hated, this chapter. The plot bunny went on vacation for a while and forgot to tell me when she'd be home. Hence, the reason for the long wait between updates.
Enjoy!
Aphrael21 ;)