Coming of Age
AN: Bad author, very bad author! I meant to update and didn't, went through a fit of depression and didn't update (humor is hard to write in that condition), then got lazy and didn't update, then had finals and didn't update... In any case, I'm sorry. I assure you I'm punishing myself; hair shirt, fasting, and such... the long awaited chapter five, A Simple Game
Later, after the party, Mokuba would feel stupid. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Why wouldn't you serve rum punch at a thirteen-year-old's birthday party? It had been Seto's idea. Ever since he'd seen Pirates of the Caribbean he had been fond of rum, though Mokuba wondered if it was an unprecedented sweet-tooth or a desire to be on an island with a drunken Johnny Depp. But either way, there was large bowl of rum punch sitting on the refreshments table. Mokuba filled his third glass, glancing surreptitiously at his watch. 9 o'clock. Guests would start leaving soon.
Despite Seto's promises several suits were present, looking about at the mass of kids around them, rather confused and clutching brandies like security blankets. Most of Mokuba's school had been invited and were currently milling about looking for their host or had given up completely and were chatting with their own friends. Presents had been gathered and opened by the servants and recorded so that Mokuba could send out form letters thanking everyone individually. Several cakes had been consumed as well as at least seven bowls of the rum punch.
By ten o'clock only a few select people would remain as the guest of honor: Yugi, Joey, Serenity, Tea, Tristan, Duke, Bakura, and Mai. They would stay all night and engage in amusing activities planed by Seto and Mokuba. Mokuba was a little nervous about Seto and Company molesting him during the night, but was reassured when Joey and Tristan were found by one of the maids in the pantry. Amidst her shrieks about the improper uses of Redi-whip and vegetable oil it hit him that they would be too busy with each other to bother him.
10 o'clock came and the ballroom emptied out leaving the eight guests of honor and their hosts. Seto moved to the front of the room, bringing Mokuba with him. Mokuba recognized the beginnings of a speech and tried to pull away, but Seto held him fast.
"Today my little brother is 13..." he started out.
"Always gotta be about him, even at Mokuba's party." Joey slurred out. Apparently he had drunken a large percentage of the seven bowls of rum punch. Seto glared, but Joey continued. "Seriously, even when we're-"
"Joey, shut up." Yugi hissed.
"-fucking each other's brains out-"
Serenity squeaked and moved closer to Mai, who put a comforting arm around her. Mokuba wish he could join them in their huddle of femininity. That didn't come out right, he thought. I don't want to be feminine...
"-he's gotta be all dominant and 'it's all about me and when I get off.' Yugi knows what it's all about."
"Joey!" Yugi's eyes widened in horror.
"Friendship, that's what it's all about!" Joey proclaimed proudly. Yugi heaved an audible sigh of relief that the story of his sex life was not about to be revealed at a birthday party.
"Aw, Joey." Tea hugged him. "So as a friend, would you film Kaiba's 'dominance' for me?"
There was an awkward silence in which Joey tried to figure out how a girl had suddenly become glued to his arm. What ever had happened to Tristan?
"Well, thank you, Joey for that, ah, transition. We're going to play some games, one of which is the hokey-pokey. That's what it's all about." Seto said composedly, pointedly ignoring Tea.
"That's not exactly a game." Mai pointed out, wrinkling her nose in distaste.
"Not usually, no. But I've arranged a set of rules for it. We'll each pick a servant. They do the actual dancing. We'll vote on the worst dancer and who ever gets the most votes loses. Their master-"
"Dominance freak!" Joey cried.
"-loses a piece of clothing." Seto finished.
"Ooo, reality show-slash-strip hokey-pokey! I'm so excited!" Tea giggled.
"Roland!" Seto snapped, glaring ineffectually at the tittering teenage girl.
A line of burly men marched in behind Roland, who was sweating profusely.
"Mr. Kaiba, sir, are you sure we need to do this? We're not exactly River Dance... And perhaps the young guest would prefer to dance themselves?" He looked hopefully at the assembled guests who all shook their heads, grinning like a pile of teenagers who were a bit drunk and had had too many sweets (which was what they were). Seto ignored Roland's comment and ordered everyone to choose a dancer.
"Here we go." He said, hitting the music. The stocky body-guards stomped angrily with their right foot in time to the music. Then they spun in a circle, waving their hands as if to say 'look at me and the humiliation I put up with at the hands of malicious but wealthy teens, all for the sake of a paycheck.' After they had finished their dance the guest considered who to vote for carefully. Mokuba felt his dancer performed well enough; the worst was certainly Tea's, who had fallen over with a loud thump as he hopped up and down. Seto voted first.
"Mokuba's." He said firmly. The first nominee stared at his brother.
"Wha..." Mokuba started out, but Joey interrupted him.
"Duke's." Then Tristan.
"Duke's." Next came Yugi.
"Mokuba's." Tea glowed, bouncing on her toes.
"Duke's." It was Mokuba's turn.
"Tea's." Duke smiled.
"Mokuba." Serenity gulped and whispered her choice.
"Tea's." Mai narrowed her eyes, flipped her hair, and spoke defiantly.
"Tea's." It was a three-way-tie between Tea, Duke, and Mokuba. Bakura would be the final vote. With out any hesitation he calmly answered.
"Duke's." Duke pulled off his vest and it started all over again. Despite the fact watching the serious men dance to a children's song was very amusing, Mokuba wasn't having much fun. The body-guards eventually began to get into it, plastering goofy grins on their faces and moving with plenty of enthusiasm. It soon became clear, however, that everyone was voting not on how good the dancer's were, but on whom they wanted to see naked. Tea and the boys voted mostly for him and Duke, though Joey and Yugi lost their socks and shoes and Tristan and Seto were lacking shirts. Bakura's votes seemed almost random. Mokuba and Serenity voted staunchly for Tea or Mai. Mai seemed to be the only one actually playing. Her face seemed somewhat annoyed. Mokuba suspected she knew exactly what the others were doing, but didn't really care.
Mokuba was wearing his jeans and boxers; Duke had just his boxers. They were covered with flaming dice. It was the final vote. Mokuba had just one this round; Mai had three (one of which was her own); Duke had four. Unless Seto voted unexpectedly for Mai, Duke would be the one in his birthday suit.
"Duke's." Seto said impassively.
"You lose, Duke!" Bakura exclaimed as Duke started to remove his last piece of clothing. Serenity shrieked loudly and tore out of the room hiding her face. Every one froze as Duke's boxers fell to the ground. The boys and Tea looked unashamedly. Bakura and Mokuba, trying to avoid the urge to look, locked eyes with each other. Mai was frowning after Serenity.
"What ever do you think that was? She must really have not wanted to see a naked man." Mai said.
"What? Oh." Mokuba tore his gaze from Bakura's brown orbs. "Um. I guess I'd best go look for her. She could get lost."
"I'll go with you. She may need a woman's touch." Mai offered.
"Ah, yeah. Let's go." Mokuba couldn't resist a glance back at the rest of the group, who were still ogling the naked boy. Duke did have a lithe, tan, trim body, Mokuba admitted to himself grudgingly. Not that I find him attractive. His last glimpse of the ball room was not Duke's exposed flesh, however, but Bakura's soft eyes. Now those are attractive, Mokuba thought in the back of his head.
AN: We'll have some fun in the next chapter, I promise. And we'll discover some thing interesting about Serenity too. This story is getting a more serious bent... hope you don't mind. And I modeled the party (gifts, extensive guest list) off of royal functions of the past. Hey, the Kaibas are a fucking dynasty, so why not?