Rating: K+

#26 If only I could make you mine

"Isn't she beautiful?"

"Big Brother, you're drooling."

"Well, yeah. I mean, come on, look at her! We'd be a perfect match!"

Shizuka rolled her eyes. "So why are you just standing here drooling like an idiot? Go for it!"

"Are you kidding me? Look again, Sis. Totally out of my league."

Shizuka leaned forward, peering through the glass to get a better look. "Oh, I don't know, I think you're selling yourself short. You're not a high school kid with a paper route anymore. You've got two jobs and Yugi's grandfather is giving you room and board pretty cheap, so you must've saved up some money. And you're one of the top duelists in Japan! Live a little, you totally deserve it!"

Jounouchi sighed, looking wistfully through the glass. "Nah, it takes like ten thousand yen to land a baby like that."

"Still…" Shizuka said.

"Jounouchi Katsuya! Are you still ogling that Last Turn card?"

Jounouchi straightened as Yugi's grandfather came into the shop from the back storeroom. "Sorry, Gramps. Just showing her to my kid sister."

"Tch," Grandpa shook his head. "He's been lusting after that card since I got it a week ago," he told Shizuka. "I even caught him kissing the display case the other day."

"That's not true!" Jounouchi protested, but Shizuka laughed.

"Jounouchi, I told you, you're better off with some other card. Even though Last Turn is very rare, it's a gambler's card. Very risky."

"I know, that's just the point! My whole deck is a gambler's deck. I'm a lucky guy, Gramps," Jounouchi grinned, leaning on the glass counter.

"What does it do?" Shizuka asked.

"It's a trap card, one only to be used as a last ditch effort," Grandpa explained, swatting Jounouchi's arm off the counter. "You can only activate it when you have less than one thousand Life Points. You select one monster card on your side of the field and all other cards on the field and in both players' hands go to the graveyard. Then your opponent special summons any monster left in his deck and that monster attacks your monster. Whoever's monster wins automatically wins the duel."

"So if your opponent has any monster in his deck with higher attack points than yours, you lose," Shizuka said.

"Exactly. Its success relies completely upon your opponent having only monsters in his deck weaker than the one you have on the field," Grandpa says.

"You've seen it in action, Sis, remember? Kaiba played it in the Virtual World against Noah."

Shizuka raised an eyebrow at him. "You're saying you want a card Kaiba has in his deck?"

Jounouchi scowled. "It isn't in his actual deck. It was in his virtual deck."

"And didn't he lose that duel?" Shizuka pointed out.

"See, it isn't even a good card for a player with Kaiba's skill," Grandpa crowed.

"Well maybe he's not skilled enough to use a gambler's card," Jounouchi growled. "And it would be a great card to use against a player like him. His whole deck is set up to get all his Blue-Eyes onto the field as quickly as possible. If I had Red-Eyes on the field and Last Turn facedown after he'd played all his Blue-Eyes, I could totally kick his—"

"Jounouchi," Grandpa warned. "Kaiba has plenty of powerful monsters. Most players do. A true duelist relies on strategy and skill and his connection to his cards, not on luck."

"I'm telling you, Gramps, it ain't all luck. This card could save a duel gone bad in one stroke." He looked at it under the counter, mint condition, gold foil print. "I wish I could have this baby in my deck when I go to Nationals," he sighed.

"So buy it," Shizuka said.

"Ten thousand yen, Shizuka. For one card. As opposed to about four-fifty for a whole booster pack."

"So? You have, like, no expenses. Splurge!"

Jounouchi bit his lip. He had to save every single yen he could if he wanted to have enough money to pay for her to go to medical school, and her high school graduation was just a little over a year away. He knew, however, that she wouldn't want him to go without for her sake. "I just don't wanna spend so much in one drop," he told her.

She shrugged. "Then stop moaning over it."

"A guy can dream, can't he?" Jounouchi asked.

"So how's everyone doing?" Shizuka asked. She was stretched out on her stomach on the sofa in Yugi's room—even after living here for seven months Jounouchi could still only think of this as Yugi's room—while Jounouchi was online checking his e-mail. "Anyone coming back for New Year's?"

"I wish," Jounouchi sighed. "Honda's stuck in Okinawa and Anzu's parents are in New York doing the whole American Christmas thing with her. She says they just go nuts during Christmas over there. Everyone gives everyone presents."

"Sounds cool," Shizuka replied. "I wish I could go."

"I'd rather be with Yugi," Jounouchi said. "He doesn't say anything in his e-mails, but I bet it's a tough time for him, being the anniversary of when the other—when Atem left."

"At least his grandfather will be with him," Shizuka said. "When does he leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. And then it's just me running the store by myself until we close up for New Year's and head back to Tokyo."

"Whaddaya mean by yourself?" Shizuka protested, sitting up. "I'm here.'

"Well, yeah, but you're not here to work. You're on vacation."

"I can still help," she said.

"Nah," he smiled, turning away from the computer to face her. "I'm just glad you're here. It'd be a pretty lonely holiday without you."

"It's so cool getting to stay right here with you without worrying about… well, you know," Shizuka said, pulling her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them.

"Forget about him. He's out of both our lives now," Jounouchi said, clenching his teeth.

"Yeah, you're right," Shizuka agreed. "So whaddaya wanna do today since you have the day off for the Emperor's birthday?"

Jounouchi shrugged. "Not a lot of stuff open."

"There's enough snow to build a snowman or something," she suggested.

"Or get your butt kicked in a snowball fight?"

"You wish!"

Jounouchi logged off the computer and they headed downstairs through the shop to go outside.

"Where are you kids off to?" Grandpa asked.

"Just out to enjoy the snow," Shizuka answered while Jounouchi stopped to take another look at the Last Turn card. When she saw him, Shizuka groaned, "Oh, just quit pining and buy it already."

"Nah, Gramps is right, it'd just be a waste," Jounouchi replied with a sigh.

"Did I just hear you say I was right about something? I think I'll mark this day on the calendar!" Grandpa laughed. "Well, you kids have fun. I'll put on some green tea so you can have some when you come in."

"Thanks, Gramps!" Jounouchi waved as he had Shizuka headed out. "Okay, Sis, prepare to be annihilated."

Of course, it was Jounouchi who got annihilated, his clothes soaked through from Shizuka's merciless snowball attacks. As promised, there was green tea hot and waiting when they returned, but Jounouchi needed to change into something dry first. When he returned, there was not only tea but ramen ready for them. Jounouchi sat down next to Shizuka to eat while Grandpa went off to pack for his trip to Cairo.

"I think Yugi's grandpa is the coolest guy ever," Shizuka sighed. "Can we adopt him?"

Jounouchi smiled. "We don't have to. He's already adopted us."

It was when Jounouchi was helping bring Grandpa's luggage out to the taxi late Christmas Eve morning when he saw that the Last Turn card—his Last Turn card—was no longer in its usual place in the display counter.

"Hey Gramps, where's my card?"

"What card?" Grandpa asked, distracted, as he tried to juggle his carry-on bag and a huge care package for Yugi.

"The Last Turn card."

"Since when is that your card? Wasn't it just yesterday you said I was right, that it was a waste?"

"But where is it?" Jounouchi pressed.

"I sold it," Grandpa replied.

Jounouchi blanched. "You sold my card?"

"It wasn't your card."

"But… when? It was here yesterday before Shizuka and I went out, and we was closed for the Emperor's Birthday."

"I sold it this morning," Grandpa replied, setting the care package down on the counter so he could hoist the carry-on bag back up onto his shoulder. "Maybe if you hadn't slept in and had been here when we opened… And I certainly hope you won't be doing that while I'm gone, by the way."

"But… my card! How could you?"

Grandpa sighed. "This is a business, Jounouchi. I can't afford to hang onto every card you develop a sentimental attachment to. A customer was very interested in that card and made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

"You… oh please, you are the most sentimental player in the biz! You still have that taped-up Blue-Eyes that Kaiba tore up."

"True, but I'm still running a business here and that was a ten-thousand yen card. I had to sell it, Jounouchi. You said you weren't going to buy it."

Jounouchi gnashed his teeth. "Nah, you're right. I couldn't afford it. But still, it was nice having it around."

"Well, welcome to the game shop business," Grandpa said. "Now are you going to help me get my bags out to the taxi or do you want me to miss my plane?"

Jounouchi started moving again. "No, definitely don't want you to miss your plane. Say hi to Yuge for me, 'kay? Tell him I wish I could be there, too. I know it's kind of a rough time of year."

"I think he'll be fine, but I'll tell him," Grandpa replied. "If I make my plane, that is."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming."

Jounouchi woke up early Christmas morning because it was his first day running the shop on his own and he didn't want to open late. He let Shizuka sleep in—she was on vacation, after all—and went downstairs to do a little organizing before he opened. When he went to unlock the cash register, he found a small package wrapped in red foil with a big green bow sitting on the counter next to the register. His name was printed on it in Shizuka's handwriting and Merry Christmas written in English below. Frowning, he picked up the package. A Christmas present? What am I, eight?

He pulled off the bow and tore open the paper. Lifting the lid off the box inside, he found a folded up piece of notepaper. When he unfolded it, something fluttered out and fell to the floor. He stooped down to pick it up, turning it over in his hands, and then froze when he saw what it was.

It was the Last Turn card.

Blinking, he stood up and laid the card down on the counter while he read the note that had been folded around it.

Katsuya—

Grandpa told me why you won't buy yourself the card. I can't believe you're saving money for me to go to med school! Well, I don't suppose I should be surprised. You've put me first your entire life, haven't you? I won't try and talk you out of it—you're too stubborn for that. But I can't let you always go without things that are important to you just for me.

Anzu says that in America everyone gives Christmas presents to their friends and family, not just to children, so it seemed right to give you a present. It's such a small thing after everything you've done for me.

And don't worry about the money. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but Yugi's grandpa sold me the card at half price, so it really is a present from both of us. Just don't tell him you know. He still thinks it's a bad card, but he really loves you and wants you to be happy. He really has adopted us, I think.

Merry Christmas, Big Brother. And thank you for everything.

Love,

Shizuka