CHAPTER 4: INTERMISSION

Authors note: Mokuba's spirit, his pleading to Seto and the mysterious Ren. I told you it would be a short chapter didn't I? If you haven't realized, that Mokuba has been dead for a couple of day, but this next chapter will take off a year after Mokuba's death. Seto doesn't sell the house but goes back to Domino and begins to finally live when he comes across an old friend, and this will really surprise you, it really will…Well not really, you might have seen it coming or not but what ever. WARNING: Kaiba will be different from what he is now so if you like him as the self absorbed, mean spirited guy then…he doesn't change that part of himself that much but he's a little more fun. Hope you like it!

"Damn I am good!" Seto threw his hands up and cheered at the television. He looked back at Joey and Tristan as they proceeded to throw Seto the money. The two were dressed in Mets hats and shirts, Seto wore a Yankee hat and shirt. Another winning game for the Yankees and another winning bet for Seto.

"Just luck!" Joey said.

"You sound disappointed, and the accusation of luck? Ha! I don't need luck to know that the Yankees are better than the Mets."

"Like I said, just luck."

Tristan shrugged Joey's shoulder.

"This coming from a guy who won almost every duel by good luck."

Seto took a seat on the long leather sofa.

"Okay…that's one hundred from…no! That's two hundred from Tristan and…" He looked at the money. "Fifty from Joey?"

Joey sighed.

"Mai's birthday is in a week and I spent tons of cash getting her that stupid gift."

Seto patted him on the back.

"Oh…so…what'd you get her?"

Joey looked at Seto.

"You know I cant help but wonder how the hell we became such good friends."

Seto shook his head.

"Stop changing the subject."

Tristan opened a beer.

"He's got a point Kaiba." Tristan said. "We used to hate you then somehow we became close friends."

Seto laughed.

"I don't know. I think it happened around the time when Mokuba died. I guess that I opened up to people and since you losers were around I clung to you for support and here we are now." He smiled.

"So we're losers huh?" Joey crossed his arms across his chest. "What a great friend Seto Kaiba is right Tristan?"

"Whatever…The point is that with you around there's finally someone who could shut Joey's big fat mouth!"

"I has been a challenge."

Tristan nodded.

"Yeah well try being a friend of his for more than a year. Hell, I thought that I would kill him but I got used to it…kinda."

"Whatever!" Joey shouted then grabbed his coat. "C'mon Tristan, we gotta get to the airport."

Seto half waved to them both.

"Picking up that sister of yours?"

Joey nodded.

"Yup, I cant wait to see Serenity."

Tristan nodded in agreement as they made their way out the door.

"Me neither, I cant wait!"

Seto Kaiba walked down the streets of Domino almost nostalgic of the old days when he was a spoiled rich teenager. He almost laughed. He remembered so clearly the way he was back then, rude, spoiled, and angry. He wanted so much, back then, to find a purpose in his boring life, that he became what he hated the most: his step father.

Seto had changed very little if any at all. His hair was the same, his eyes were just as blue but a bit more kind and the permanent scowl her wore on his shapely lips had vanished revealing a kind smile. His wardrobe was very different; instead of wearing the usual dark clothing and the long tacky trench, he wore a light blue t-shirt, blue jeans, Nike shoes, and finishing the look with a denim blue jacket. Very ordinary, very drab of someone of his station, very much him.

He looked at the faces of the people, looked into the store windows, he looked at the children with their parents and felt that at last he was home. For a long while after his brother's death and letting Mokuba go and when the visions of the past grew more vivid, he had secluded himself in his grandmothers house, this lasted for six months, until the visions stopped. He took Blue and left the house in the care of the elderly man who owned a flower shop nearby, who rented the house to his daughter. Seto didn't doubt that the house was being properly taken care of.

He turned a familiar corner until he found his destination. A small game shop that looked oddly out of place next to the big buildings around it but gave off a welcoming kind presence. He opened the glass door, heard the bell.

"My, my, if you aren't a sight for sore eyes?" He asked the familiar girl behind the counter in a playful flirtatious tone.

"You always say that Kaiba."

"And you're still as stunning every time I see you."

Tea laughed.

"You're such a flirt." She pointed to the door. "You do know that the shop is closed, don't you?"

He nodded.

"I know, I just wanted to stop by, I have nothing to do at the mansion and I was hoping to take my friends and their beautiful baby boy out for dinner and possibly movie."

"I'd love too go and Bruno would be delighted to be around his favorite adult." She saw Kaiba smile.

"What's that look for?" He asked innocently.

"You don't think that I cant see you spoiling Bruno rotten?"

"I have NO idea what you're talking about." He lifted both hands innocently.

"I think that it's sweet." Yugi walked into the room holding his son in his arms. Yugi had changed dramatically during a year. He was much taller and was a bit bigger in physique, he was tanned his voice was just like Yami's. His son clung to him and gurgled joyfully. The baby had spiked hair, not as dramatic as his fathers, in shape or in color. The baby's hair was dark lavender and his eyes were just like Yugi's.

"Hello Yugi." Seto said then turned his attention at the baby who obviously loved his undying affection. Seto held Bruno and made a funny face. "If it isn't little Bruno." The baby giggle and reached his hands to touch Kaiba's face.

"You'll make quite the father." Tea said. "You really are great with kids."

Kaiba looked away from Bruno to give Tea a sparkling smile.

"I've had lots of practice being around them. Mokuba was almost a baby himself when we went to the orphanage plus there were tons of babies there too."

Yugi sighed.

"Then how did you turn out to be so cold in high school?"

Kaiba shrugged his shoulders.

"Lonely? No that's not it…uh…I was a spoiled brat who had no friends? Yeah that's it!" He joked.

"You did have friends…technically anyway."

Yugi and Kaiba looked at Tea. "What? He did!"

"Anyway," Kaiba turned to Yugi. "if you're not too busy I was wondering if you and your beautiful wife," he shot a look at Tea. "that maybe you'd like to have dinner with me, my treat of course, and see a movie?"

Yugi sighed.

"We can't. Unfortunately we have to go to Tea's parents house and entertain them with my mediocre job and let the evening end with "You could have done so much better." That one is my personal favorite."

Kaiba smirked.

"I'll bet." He returned the baby to his father. "Well I hope you have fun at the Nazi camp…I mean at Tea's parents house." He shot Tea a fake apologetic look. "I'll see you both later and Yugi."

"What?"

He became very grave.

"Don't drag it out any longer and tell them the good news. They'll love you then I'll bet."

Tea sighed.

"I really want to tell them about the merger but he just wont let me."

Yugi shook his head.

"Goodbye Kaiba…I'll see you tomorrow."

Kaiba walked out the shop and made his way down the street back to his parked car. He thought that it would be another boring evening, like all the others where he would look out the window as the sun set and drank his scotch alone and listened to his music. Maybe, he thought, I'll practice on the guitar, violin or the piano? But he was mistaken, his life would change forever.

"If it isn't Seto Kaiba." Said the voice of a sweet dear friend.