The next morning Ishizu announced her engagement at work. Not to her surprise, none of her coworkers were interested, except in the price of the ring. But upon hearing that she didn't know, and the stone being of modest size, everyone left to flock the girl who'd just broken up. An engaged man was a taken man, but one freshly broken up was free game.
She could hardly work for all her thought were on the wedding! The date was set for December 23, a little more than month away. Relatively short in time, but both Ryou and her didn't want a big wedding and bother were very excited. Instead of making notes on the newest arrival of artifacts she doodled designs for wedding gowns and wrote down color schemes. From color schemes she thought of one of the most important parts of the wedding: her brides maids and even the Maid of Honor! Of course, there were only three girls she could really think of as friends, the girls from Battle City : Tea, Mai and Serenity.
One thing led to another, and before she knew it the day was half over. During her lunch break she began to write a guest list. Ishizu wrote Seto's name, scratched it out, but then after some thought wrote it again, only to scratch it out once more. "I'll let Ryou decide…" and she dreamily thought of him.
--
"Make sure you get the corners, Ryou!" Grandpa said as he switched the sign in the front of the shop from 'Open' to 'Closed', "Tell Yugi I'll bring him back some lunch as well." He chuckled and closed the door, humming as he went down the street. Ryou had asked to work at their shop, and he was graciously granted a job. Now he did Yugi's chores, like mopping the floor, and watched the shop whenever Yugi and Grandpa went to visit tournaments. However, most tournaments had settled down seeing as the holiday season was in action. Ryou had yet to tell Yugi of his engagement to Ishizu, but that opportunity was heading down the stairs.
YAWWWN. STRETCH. Yugi Moto descended from his room down to the first level of the gaming shop. "Why is Grandpa leaving so early?" he asked his friend Ryou and rubbed the final sleep from his eyes. Ryou smiled, "Yugi, it's nearly noon!" With this news he awoke, "Really? Oh man, I'm still so tired." Smiling Ryou gently reminded him that's what happens when you stay up all night playing duel monsters with the Pharaoh. But Yugi wasn't listening, he tried to remember something. The silence ate on Ryou, and he finally had courage to ask. "So, uh, Ishizu and I. Well, we're getting" – But Yugi interrupted as he suddenly remembered, "I need to get dressed!" and he dashed back upstairs to change out of his pajamas. "HAS TEA STOPPED BY?" he shouted from upstairs, dressing into his duelist outfit as quickly as possible. "No-Yes," Ryou said, and waved to Tea as she knocked on the front door. He motioned for her to go around back, and he let her in through the kitchen. "Good Afternoon Ryou," she said, "Is Yugi?" – "Here I am," he said, turning the corner into the kitchen.
They greeted and commented on the weather and the time of day. "So, ready to go to lunch?" Tea casually asked, and Yugi nodded. "Oh, Grandpa was going to bring you lunch Yugi," Ryou told him, almost selfishly: he didn't want Yugi to leave; he wanted to tell him about the engagement. "Well," Yugi said slowly as he scrutinized the situation, "Tea and I are going to meet Joey and Tristan for lunch, so. You can my food! See ya!" Together the two left and Ryou waved goodbye. He missed going out with his friends, and it seemed as if he was growing up so much faster than them.
"Why do you even bother with them," his Yami commented, noticing Ryou's lessened pace of mopping the floor. "They are my friends," he replied, although sort of bitterly. He wasn't in the mood to argue with his Yami at the moment. "And, why must you insist on marrying that Ishtar?" it was almost as if he was pouting. Ryou knew that this was bound to come up, "Because I love her." And he truly did, he knew it in his heart – "Well I don't, and I don't see why I should." Yami wasn't one to forgive old grudges easily. It was bad enough that Ryou insisted on working. He could just as easily make just as much by stealing.
"Things will get better," Ryou told himself out loud, finalizing that fact. With the floor all mopped, cards all dusted, and counters all wiped he rested in the kitchen. "Only the wedding, then we'll be moving off to Canada! A new life as a lumberjack," he sighed, dreaming of the pancake filled-adventures he and Ishizu would face, moose outside the windows and Ryou Jr…. Ryou Jr? "Woah," he stopped, "That's a little too much planning."
Thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate it!