Whoo...final chapter. This was fun to write! I hope y'all enjoy the last chapter--it's really fun! And happy! And fluffy!
Hooray for fluffiness!

New Friends

Kaiba sat bolt upright in his bed, looking wildly around. The hangings were open. The digital clock on the bed stand read nine o'clock. Morning light filtered into the room through the half-open shades on his window.

Feeling strangely light, Kaiba stood up and opened the window. Outside, the air was crisp and cool. Laughter and shouts echoed up to him from the street below. People were singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs. A soft layer of snow covered everything, sparkling in the morning light.

"Merry Christmas," Kaiba murmured, a smile touching his lips.

Suddenly, he had an idea. He quickly dressed, and darted over to the closet. He almost reached for his usual trench coat—then thought better of it, digging deeper into his closet. He pulled out an evergreen green trench coat with a sprig of fake holly in the buttonhole. Mokuba had bought it for him—only days before he died.

Tears prickled in Kaiba's eyes as he thought of his little brother.

As Iwaku had reminded him, Mokuba had died of cancer a few years ago. Even with all the advanced surgery and medicines Kaiba had paid for, he had still died…

Kaiba fought back his tears, and slipped into the trench coat. He was surprised to find that it fit exactly like his normal one.

He called up the KaibaCorp HQ and told his secretary to tell everyone that they had the day off. She was surprised, but promised to spread the word to other employees immediately.

That done, Kaiba headed out onto the street. He wandered around a bit, enjoying the day as he'd never enjoyed anything before. Everyone and everything was bright and cheerful. The street decorations glimmered in the morning sun.

On one corner, he found the carol group from the night before—minus Shizuka, whom he decided was most likely at Jonouchi's house. The collection box was empty at the moment, which meant they must have just got out there.

Unlike last night, he paused to listen to them sing. There were a few kids who were off-key, but overall, they were pretty good.

Suddenly, he noticed a tall boy with white hair standing at the back of the choir. He winked, and Kaiba caught a flicker of white robes and wings.

He slipped a hundred-dollar bill into the collection box and went his way, smiling to himself.

He continued to walk the streets of Domino city, pausing every now and then to peer into different shops. His mood was jovial and cheerful—he felt better than he had in years. At one of the shops, he saw something that he figured a certain someone would love, so he bought it.

Eventually, he made his way to the park. He sat down on one of the benches and closed his eyes, just enjoying the weather.

With a shudder, he remembered the future of Domino City. No plants anywhere—all steel and concrete.

I won't let that happen, he promised himself.

He heard a rustle of fabric, and cracked one eye open. A boy with chalky blond hair was watching him, the ghost of a smile on his face. Kaiba caught a flash of dark clothes and midnight black wings.

He must have zoned for longer than he thought, because when he opened his eyes again, the sun was farther west. Glancing at his watch, he realized he'd drifted off for two hours—it was four thirty.

There was one place, he decided, that he really needed to go. Slowly, he made his way to the other end of the city—to the Kame game shop.

He had nearly reached his destination when something in one of the shop windows caught his eye. With a little smile, he entered the shop, and bought them. When the clerk asked if he would like them wrapped, he nodded. She then gave him a gold-ink pen to sign his name on a little card. Smiling, he did so.

The girl beamed at him, and he thought he heard the pure trilling of a flute, catching a flicker of a green dress. He exited the shop, package tucked under his arm.

He opened the door to the game shop carefully, so as not to disturb the bells tied to the doorjamb. He slipped in, shut the door, and crept towards the kitchen. Almost as an afterthought, he slipped his gifts behind all the other presents under the Christmas tree. He halted right outside the kitchen door, listening.

"…to Seto Kaiba."

As in his visit with Touza, all motion ceased in the kitchen. The same words were exchanged as before.

This time, though, in the moment of silence that followed, Kaiba stepped into sight, chuckling. "I'm touched."

Everyone jumped. There was a tinkling of glass as Shizuka accidentally dropped her cup.

Malik stared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"And how did you get in?" Honda demanded.

Kaiba shrugged nonchalantly. "The door was open. I was just careful not to ring the bells." He turned to Malik. "And, to answer your question, I'm here for the party."

At this point, everyone in the room was staring at him, slack-jawed.

All except Yuugi. He carefully set his Dark Magician plushie on his chair, and then ran up and gave Kaiba a big hug.

Kaiba was startled, and it showed on his face. Jonouchi sniggered. Everyone else sweatdropped.

"I really have been a bastard, haven't I?" Kaiba said, slowly and thoughtfully.

Yuugi backed off a little, nodding gravely. That sent everyone into gales of laughter.

Well, everyone but Jonouchi. He marched up to Kaiba and pointed 'the accusatory finger' in his face. "I still don' trust ya."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Don't, then," he said irritably. "I didn't come so that I could figure out who hates me and who doesn't. We already know that everyone in this room happens to hate and distrust me. So, if you don't mind, I'll stand right here and watch you guys have your party."

He cast a sideling glance at Yami. "Unless someone in particular wants me out of his house, which I can understand if he does."

Yami's face, which had an expression of surprise on it until now, broke into a grin. "Of course you can join us, if you'd like!"

"What!" Jonouchi exclaimed.

"You can't be serious!" Honda said at the same time.

"You're joking!" Bakura exclaimed.

"I'm serious," Yami said gravely. "Kaiba came of his own free will, so he deserves to have a place at this gathering."

Kaiba grinned. "Oh, I need to talk to you," he said, jabbing his finger at Yami. "It's about your job."

Everyone fell silent. Yami fidgeted nervously. "What, right now?"

Kaiba shrugged. "If you want. Come over here, in the shop…"

Yami followed him, anxiety in his eyes. "Yes?"

Kaiba looked him square in the eye. "Mind if I cut to the chase?"

"N-Not at all," Yami stammered nervously.

Kaiba's face relaxed into a grin. "You're my best employee, and I've been paying you too little."

"But I—wait a minute, what?"

Kaiba laughed. "I'm raising your salary. This place really needs some work."

Yami stared at him for a moment. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. "You really are a different person!"

Kaiba shrugged, still grinning. "That I am. Now, I think you'll be wanting to tell the rest of the dork squad the good news, so let's get back to them, shall we?"

Yami nodded, and darted back into the kitchen. Kaiba followed, still smiling.

Suddenly, Yuugi looked up. He yanked on Yami's sleeve, pointed at the tree, and began jumping up and down.

Yami nodded, and looked around. "I think Yuugi would like to open presents now. Do you guys agree?"

Shizuka grinned. "Sure!"

Everyone else nodded. With a grin, Yuugi dove at the pile, pulling presents off one at a time and passing them to Yami, who read the nametags and tossed them to their owners.

Kaiba watched from his corner, a small smile on his face. They were really enjoying themselves.

Eventually, Yuugi came to the two presents in gold wrapping paper that had been pushed behind the tree. One was lumpy and oblong, and the other was thin and rectangular. He picked up the lumpy one, looked at the name, and then showed it to Yami.

Yami's eyes widened momentarily, and then his face broke into a grin. "To: Yuugi Mutou—From: Seto Kaiba."

Yuugi smiled brightly at Kaiba, and then tore off the wrapping paper with gusto. Inside was a Dark Magician Girl plushie. He held it close for a minute, then ran over and hugged Kaiba.

"Can't…breathe…runt!" Kaiba gasped. Everyone collapsed into laughter as Yuugi backed away, a sheepish expression on his face.

Yami reached under the tree and pulled out the final present. His face broke out into another grin when he read the name tag. "To: The Whole Dork Squad—From: Seto Kaiba."

Kaiba grinned. "Hey, it was easier than writing out everyone's names. Here—I'd better do that one."

Yami passed it to him. He tore the paper off, revealing a black box with a plastic lid. Inside, lined in a row, were ten rings of silver, with different colored stones set in them. There was also a sheet of paper. Kaiba opened the box, pulled out the paper, and began to read.

"These are the Rings of Friendship. Each color refers to a different pillar of emotion in a group—the things that tie you all together."

Kaiba pulled out the ring with an opal on it, and gave it to Yuugi. "White is for Innocence—that openness and honesty that makes you so loveable."

The ring with the ruby on it went to Yami. "Red is for Bravery—you will do anything to shield your friends from harm, even if it meant sacrificing yourself."

The yellow topaz went to Jonouchi. "Yellow is for Loyalty—you are honest and true, and have no qualms about speaking your mind."

The rose quartz went to Shizuka. "Pink is for Empathy—you are aware of the way others think, and are able to calm them down with a single word or action."

The emerald went to Mai. "Green is for Attitude—you have a lot of it, but every group of friends needs some kick to it."

The amethyst went to Anzu. "Purple is for Togetherness—if there are ruffled feathers around, you are the one who soothes them. You act as the twine that keeps the group from falling apart."

The smoky quartz went to Malik. "Grey is for the Loner—the one who is still cautious of the friendship, but is beginning to open up."

The sapphire went to Honda. "Blue is for Trustworthiness—no matter how much pressure, you would never reveal a friend's secret to anyone."

The quartz crystal went to Ryou. "Clear is for the Emotionalist—you wear your feelings on your sleeve, and are more often than not the reason friends end fights. They can see it upsets you greatly."

The carnelian went to Bakura. "Orange is for the Prankster—you love to joke around, but sometimes you can't seem to figure out when the joke's up."

Kaiba set the box down on the table. "That's all of them."

Everyone was silent for a few moments, admiring their new rings. Ryou glanced absently into the box—and started. "Kaiba, you forgot one!"

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba scoffed. "There are only ten!"

Yami picked up the box. "He's right—there's one more in here."

Kaiba blinked as Yami pulled an eleventh ring out of the box. It was set with what looked like obsidian.

Anzu grabbed the paper from off the table, and ran a finger down the list of colors. She laughed out loud. "Guys! Come and read what it says!"

All the others gathered around behind her, reading. Kaiba just watched them suspiciously. He could have sworn there were only ten rings when he bought the box.

"You think we should?" Shizuka asked.

Jonouchi nodded vigorously. "Heck yeah. It fits 'im perfectly."

Yami grinned. "Heads up, Kaiba!" He tossed the ring.

Kaiba caught it, and held it in the palm of his hand as Yami read the passage aloud.

"Black is for the Outcast—the one who had never experienced friendship until joining the group of friends. Sometimes bitter and often angry at nothing in particular, you're hard to be around, but it's possible to soften up among new friends."

Kaiba stared deep into the dark obsidian, thinking. He had a second chance; he was going to use it.

Bakura elbowed Ryou. "Now, baka! Do it now!"

Ryou blushed. "Now!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, now, tonchiki!"

Ryou blushed even harder. Mumbling to himself, he pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket, and chucked it across the room at Anzu. She caught it, and opened it. Inside was a beautifully crafted diamond ring.

"Since we were on the subject of rings, anyway," Ryou mumbled, his face already as red as a tomato.

There was dead silence for a few moments, as everyone looked between Ryou and Anzu.

Anzu beamed at him. "Of course, Ryou."

Everyone burst out into applause.

"This calls for a celebration!" Malik yelled above the noise. "Drinks all around! Break out the wine!"

"I don't have any," Yami proclaimed smugly.

Malik growled at him.

"I do have Sprite, though. You can pour us some of that."

Malik's face lit up, and he darted off to the kitchen to pour everyone glasses of Sprite.

Yuugi sat quietly in a corner with his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl plushies, watching as his friends—including Kaiba—congratulated Anzu and Ryou. He stood up and walked over, smiling at them.

"Kami-sama bless," he said, slowly and clearly.

All motion ceased. Everyone stared at Yuugi, who was beaming proudly.

Yami slowly moved forward. Kaiba saw tears brimming in his eyes. "Yuugi…you…spoke…?"

Yuugi thought for a moment, and then nodded proudly. "Yes."

With a glad cry, Yami hugged him tightly. Everyone else joined in—even Kaiba found himself entangled in the group hug.

So this is what real friendship feels like, he thought contentedly. I'll never let myself fall again—never. I swear it.

He felt a moment of vertigo, and then Iwaku, Touza, and Shourai were standing there, in all their ethereal glory. The happy shouts around him died to a murmur.

"You have done well by our lessons," Iwaku said quietly. "Stay well."

Touza nodded. "Remember to do everything in your power to preserve happiness and health."

Shourai just looked at him, conveying a grave sort of pride.

And then the three of them were gone, replaced by Otogi.

Something was different about him, though. His eyes no longer held that haunted look—and the chain was no longer bound to his ankles.

"Kaiba!" he laughed, his eyes bright. "My old partner! I'm free!"

Kaiba smiled softly at him. "I'm happy for you."

Otogi beamed right back at him. "Not as much as I am for you—you've been saved from everything I went through."

Suddenly, he was gone. Sound rose to its usual level, and Kaiba realized that Yuugi was tugging on his sleeve.

"Friends?" the shorter boy asked quietly.

Kaiba smiled at him. "Friends. Now, let's go see if there's any Sprite left, neh?"

OWARI

So? Was it any good? I did tell you it was gonna be fluffy!

Review, please! Cookies all around!