Chapter Eleven:
Yugi blinked blearily as his alarm clock screeched him awake. He reached over and shut it off, scrubbing a hand across his eyes. He threw back the covers, sitting up on the edge of the bed. He stretched, then looked down at his stomach. He still wasn't quite big enough to show through the loose-fitting shirt of his pajamas, but he knew he was getting there. He smiled, reaching down to rub his stomach.
"Morning, baby," he said.
He would have to think of a name. He couldn't call it 'baby' for much longer, especially when he knew the gender. But what name would be best?
Did he want a boy or a girl? Did it matter? He didn't think so. At this point, all he cared about was having a healthy baby. He would do his best, follow Dr. Kuribayashi's advice and the advice of the baby books to their fullest.
Still, he needed a name.
Yugi considered and discarded names as he went into the bathroom and undressed for a shower. He had no references to choose from, so he went down the list as best he remembered of the names of his classmates from school, but none seemed to fit right, boy or girl. This would be more difficult than he had thought.
Once nude, Yugi stepped on the scale and studied the returned number. Eight pounds in gained weight, since he'd become pregnant almost four months ago. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but he did notice that his bump was getting obvious to the naked eye, now. He touched it again, wondering when he would feel the baby kicking, wondering what that would feel like.
After the shower, Yugi headed downstairs and got breakfast from the cook. He would get the baby books from the library today and read them, before going to class. That was another thing he'd need to think about- school. He'd have to give up the classes, most likely. Traveling while pregnant would get harder, he knew that, and of course he couldn't start showing while in public. Still, he would wait for now; getting half his classes would be better than none, and with Seto gone, he needed more to fill his days. He couldn't constantly drop in on Yami and Joey, even if he knew he'd be welcome anytime.
Once breakfast was over, Yugi got into his car and headed to the library to get the recommended books on the list Anna had given him.
In the library, he walked around helplessly, unsure where these particular books would be. He didn't want to stop and ask anyone either, feeling self-conscious as he perused the shelves. At last he located the pregnancy books in the reference section, looking down at the list in his hands and reading the titles on the spines. Thankfully, the library had four of the five Anna had suggested, and he took them all from the shelf.
At the checkout counter, Yugi was glad for the new technology that allowed a library member to checkout their own books electronically. He didn't want to have to deal with a librarian. He was probably being paranoid, but at this point, he felt it was better safe than to be sorry.
At home, Yugi immediately headed upstairs and curled up in the armchair in the sitting room of the bedroom suite he shared with Seto. He set the other three books down on the side table and picked up the fourth, balancing the book on his folded legs and opening it. He started reading and was quickly absorbed. The book started out by assuring the reader that pregnancy and birth, while scary, were as natural as time. The line made Yugi snort wryly, but he continued reading. He had no idea that there was so much involved in pregnancy, far more than he had ever imagined, and a lot of it made him uncomfortable. Not only was some of it downright gross to read, but he worried about what was in store for him. Most of this seemed to be only possible for a woman, but he had no idea what to fully expect for himself, and that worried him.
Yugi was so absorbed in reading that he jumped when his phone started ringing. He set the book aside and dug his phone out of his pocket. The display told him Seto was calling. Pleased, he flipped it open.
"Hi, Seto!"
"How are you feeling?"
Seto's sounded a little fuzzy, but Yugi could still hear him perfectly, and he felt a jolt of pleasure at hearing his voice.
"I'm feeling fine," Yugi said truthfully. He glanced at the books sitting on the side table. "I was just reading. How are you?"
"Fine," Seto said. "The jet's sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off to London."
"Oh. Did you ever make a decision about the children's game from Industrial Illusions?"
"Yes. Kaiba Corp will be backing it."
Yugi smiled to himself, fiddling with the edge of the curtain in the window by the chair. He wasn't surprised, of course. It was for children. But all he said was, "That's nice."
"I hope to be home in two weeks."
Yugi sat up straighter, heart accelerating with both fear and delight. "Early? That's wonderful!" Then he wondered about the reason. "Isn't it?"
"Canada and Australia have dropped out, and Munich canceled it's Game Expo."
Seto meant the day where German Duel Monsters fans would get a chance to attend a convention to meet the executives of game companies and have Q and As on current and upcoming games. Yugi smiled again, knowing that Seto had not been looking forward to that day, so it was no loss.
"Well, it's probably for the best," he said. "Making your fans curl into balls and cry is not good for business."
"If they're fans of mine, they'd expect it," Seto retorted.
Yugi chuckled, shifting position in the chair and looking toward the baby books again. "I miss you, Seto. I'm glad you're coming home early."
"Are you sure you're feeling well?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Why do I have to be sick to miss you?" But of course Seto was just deflecting the sentimentality.
"I'll be home on the fourteenth."
It was the first. Yugi sighed in frustration, but nodded into the phone. "Okay."
Over the phone came the sounds of the pilot of the private jet asking Seto to turn off his cell phone while they took off. Yugi didn't want Seto to go, but he knew he had to, so he said goodbye with reluctance.
"I love you, Seto."
"I love you, too."
The call was disconnected the instant the final syllable was out of Seto's mouth. Yugi lowered his phone, looking at it with a resigned smile, but suddenly the words "Call Ended" displayed on the screen looked horrible. To Yugi's surprise, tears filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He let the phone tumble from his grasp to land on the carpet with a muffled thud and buried his face in his hands. Shoulders shaking, he sobbed in the silent room, pulling his legs even more tightly against himself, his tears flowing freely. His sudden distress surprised him, but he missed Seto so much. He didn't want to think about another two weeks without him.
It took a few minutes, but finally Yugi's sobs lessened and he raised his head, wiping his eyes and sniffling. He looked down at his abdomen and wondered if that had been the cause.
'Of course. Mood swings," he thought.
Embarrassed, he got up, picked up the cell phone, set it on the side table besides the books, and went to the bathroom, where he blew his nose and washed his face. When he lifted his head, he looked himself in the mirror, and wondered if he could handle this. The crying had come on him suddenly, and he knew he was in for more like it down the road.
Yugi sighed and left the bathroom, returning to the chair by the window and picking up his book again. He returned to the chapter he'd been reading, and was soon engrossed again.
An hour later, Yugi set the second book down and uncurled, wincing as cricks made themselves known to him. He got to his feet and stretched out, then walked stiffly across the room. He was hungry, and he needed a break from reading the baby books. The two he had read through had a lot of the same information and advice, but he thought reading them had been worth it. They gave him advice about the amount of weight he probably should be gaining, though he resolved to ask Kuribayashi for sure, advice about the best ways to get extra protein and fat in his diet if he needed it without resorting to junk food, urged him to exercise throughout his pregnancy, and explained things like false labor. He wasn't any surer what would apply to him, but it was probably a good idea to learn it all anyway.
Down in the kitchen, he made himself a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk and set down at the dining room table. He was halfway through when Mokuba came home. Still wearing his book bag, he greeted Yugi shortly as he passed through the dining room and into the kitchen, then returned with a glass of soda and a bag of potato chips. He slammed his book bag down on the dining room table, which made a terrific noise and made the dishware rattle.
"That's pretty heavy, isn't it?" Yugi asked.
"Yeah," Mokuba growled, stuffing a handful of chips into his mouth before pulling out his math textbook and letting it thunk on the table. The text was huge, and even without it the book bag didn't seem to be diminished much. "It probably weighs thirty pounds."
"You shouldn't be carrying all that weight on your back."
"I don't have a choice." Mokuba crammed more chips into his mouth. "They load us with so much homework, I have to bring them all home every night."
Yugi frowned. Mokuba was preparing for his tests to get into high school next year, and Yugi remembered them being difficult and intensive, but he didn't remember having to carry this much book weight around. Had it really changed so much in such a short time?
"Do you need any help with your schoolwork?"
"No."
"Are chips and soda all you're going to have for dinner?"
"Yes." As if to emphasize, Mokuba stuffed in another large handful.
Yugi frowned again. "You should probably eat something better than that."
"Who asked you?" Mokuba snapped. "Damn, Yugi, lay off."
Taken aback, Yugi fell silent. The teenager's temper had been nastier than usual the past few months, and Yugi tried to be understanding. He knew Mokuba was going through puberty, struggling to keep his grades up, and had a super genius brother to compare himself to. Yugi himself had never been so rude or temperamental, but he knew it would be unfair to judge Mokuba against himself. As Joey had put it when Yugi had mentioned problems with Mokuba to him, he was "one of a kind."
"I can make you something," Yugi tried again.
"Are you my mother now?" Mokuba snarled, slamming his math book closed. He got to his feet, shoving the math book back into his book bag.
Yugi shifted in his chair a little, trying to keep his stomach well from view. "You don't have to talk to me like that. I'm just trying to help."
"No one asked you to." Mokuba swung his book bag onto his back, visibly bracing against the heavy weight. He paused a moment, glaring at Yugi. "Why are you sitting like that?"
Yugi was hunched forward a bit, arms together in his lap. He was tenting his shirt, blocking the view of his stomach. He knew, intellectually, that his bump, while visible when he was shirtless, had not yet grown enough to protrude through his clothes, but emotionally he was worried anyway. He shook his head.
"No reason. I'm just a little cold." The number of lies Yugi had told in his life had been increasing dramatically over the past few weeks.
"Then go put on a sweater or something, jeez."
"Mokuba, that's enough. I've only tried to be polite since you got home."
Mokuba turned away, leaving the soda glass and empty chip bag on the table. He stalked out of the dining room. Yugi sighed, relaxing his posture, then got to his feet. He cleaned up the table with resignation, though his feelings had been hurt by Mokuba's disrespect. He hoped the teenager would grow out of it soon.
"Baby, you better not behave like that," he murmured under his breath as he carried the dishes and trash into the kitchen.
He really did need a name. Maybe a baby name book would have some helpful names listed. He would have to pick one up when the next time he was out. He could try the internet, but an actual book would probably be better. Though it would surely be easier to decide once he knew what he was having.
The idea sent shivers down his spine. He had seen the face, heard the heartbeat. To know it's gender would make even more real than it already once, make it his child to his heart and mind even more strongly. To give it a name would be tremendous.
He needed to plan. He was already almost four months pregnant. He would have to get baby things, set up a room for it, on top of picking out a name and learning everything he could.
Yugi trotted upstairs to the third floor and wandered around the capital I-shaped third floor, considering. The suite he shared with Seto took up an entire top 'bar' of the letter while Mokuba's took up the entire bottom one. That left the long connecting hallway, which was made up of six bedrooms, four baths, two linen closets, a morning room, a study, and a tiny alcove that housed the attic access.
Yugi stood in the hallway, trying to decide. Of course he would want the baby close, but with modern conveniences like monitors and cameras, that hardly mattered. He would rather choose the best room rather than the closest. The room on the left next to the suite faced the west and the front of the property. A giant oak stood right next to the window, and in high wind, its branches would screech against the glass, disturbing or frightening the baby. Or, worse, in a storm, break through. The room on the right faced the east and the back of the property. It overlooked the gardens and the small lake, but it was officially the morning room, and so wasn't ideal, in terms of floor plan, as a bedroom. No closet, and the air vent was smack in the best place to put a crib. Next to the morning room was a linen closet, and after that, another guest room, across the hall from the study. This one had a sakura tree outside, not too close.
Yugi walked to that door and opened it. The room was sparsely furnished, with plain white walls, drab furniture, and sheer, tan curtains. Still, it had potential.
"What are you doing?"
Yugi jumped and spun around. Mokuba was standing in the hall, holding a cell phone and glaring at him.
"Just… looking in here."
"What for?"
"No reason."
Mokuba rolled his eyes and stalked past. Yugi watched him go, then sighed. He didn't think he could deal with Mokuba right then. If his emotions were about to go haywire on him, he didn't want to lose it and let something slip. Not to mention being around the constant hostility a teenager could give would just make his erratic emotions worse to begin with. It was time to go home. He hadn't been to the Kame Game Shop to stay a night in nearly three weeks. His family knew of his relationship with Seto, accepting it to various degrees, but he still was officially a resident of the Game Shop.
Yugi went into his room with Seto and started packing. Most of the stuff was stuff to stay, but he made sure to get his cell phone, the computer, the baby books, his wallet and keys, and shrugged into his jacket. He looked at the empty bed and felt the sadness rush over him again. Shaking his head, determinedly telling himself that Seto would be back soon, he closed the door on the empty room and left. Maybe constantly being around people would be better for him.
Of course, there was the growing bulge to consider. But how big could it get in two weeks?
Yugi's mother greeted him happily when he stepped in the door. She hugged him and kissed him, nearly making him have a heart attack over worrying she would feel the baby bump, but she either didn't notice or chose not to say anything.
'Relax, or you really will have a heart attack,' he told himself. 'Stressing out like this can't be good for the baby.'
"Welcome home, Yugi, honey," she said, stepping back and letting him in.
"Hi, Mom. I'm sorry I haven't been home in a while."
His mother smiled, leading him into the kitchen after he set his small amount of luggage on the floor in the living room. The baby books had been stuffed into the side pouch of the computer case, and hopefully would go unnoticed.
Grandpa was at the kitchen table when they walked in. Mrs. Moto was the most accepting of her son's relationship with another man, though she obviously worried about his choice. Yugi believed she thought Seto would break his heart one day. Grandpa accepted it as long as he didn't have to talk about it. And Yugi's father, who had rarely been around for Yugi anyway, pretended it hadn't happened.
"Hello, Yugi," Grandpa said when Yugi walked in. "Have you seen Yami lately? There's another piece of papyrus that's turned up I wouldn't mind him having a look at."
Yugi smiled, sitting down at the table while his mother busied herself getting him something to eat. He knew better than to argue with her, so he just accepted it.
"I see him all the time. I can call him-"
"No, no, don't bother him. Just mention it to him next time you see him face to face. It's from the same area, but a different time, I believe, so maybe he can read this one. I don't have it on me, at any rate."
"So, Yugi, how are your classes going?" his mother asked.
They spent the next few hours catching up. When dinner was over and Yugi was up in his room, the baby books stuffed under his mattress, and on the computer catching up on schoolwork, he was surprised and ecstatic to hear the familiar ding of a message from Seto. He brought it up.
"Hi, Seto!"
"I wanted to tell you I arrived safely in London."
"Good. I'm glad, and thank you for letting me know."
"Why are you at the Shop?"
Seto could see the room behind him. Yugi fiddled with the pencil he'd been using to do math problems on the notebook beside the laptop. His silence might as well have been a large neon sign.
"What happened?"
Yugi sighed and told him of his conversation with Mokuba. Seto scowled.
"I'll have a talk with Mokuba."
"No, Seto, don't. He's just having a bad time."
"That doesn't give him the right to talk to you like that."
"It's his house, not mine. I'm just a guest there. Maybe he doesn't like me being there. I probably shouldn't be, when you're not there."
"It's *my* house, and you can be wherever you want to be. Mokuba is not going to treat you like that, regardless of whether he's having a bad time."
"Don't start a fight with your brother over my sake. I'm here now, and I can stay here a few days. Maybe that'll help."
Seto shook his head. "You're too soft, Yugi. He'll hear from me."
Yugi sighed, knowing that there was no real point in trying to change Seto's mind. "Okay."
"I suppose he's still up. Probably on his own computer, too. I'll talk to him now. Have a good night, Yugi."
Seto signed off before Yugi could reply. Yugi closed his eyes and let his head fall back as he leaned against the chair back. He really hoped he wasn't about to be the cause of a fight between the brothers. Not to mention that Seto didn't seem to realize that yelling at Mokuba would just piss him off at being 'told on' by Yugi and that would just make it worse.
Yugi opened his eyes and turned back to his math. He had no choice. He'd learn of the outcome of this mistake soon enough.
tbc…
A/N: Wow, nearly six weeks. That's horrible. But sometimes it happens. I really hope I can count on my readers to stick with me. Sometimes getting stuff updated just doesn't work out. Please review, I really appreciate it. Jaa.
