Author's note: This is a short and fun fanfic that I felt like writing just because. When I first started doing fanfics, I used to write short fanfics revolving around my OC Cairo and her crazy antics during the holidays/special occasions, so I decided to do one with her father. A lot of readers have taken a liking to her, so hope you enjoy this one. And if you would like to read anymore fanfics with her in it, I'm starting to wrap up Prisoner of the Shadow Realm, so give it a read if you like!

Enjoy!

It is the best sleep he has ever had in quite some time. Even with the storm raging outside, the roars of thunder and the sounds of lightning doesn't stir him out of his deep slumber. After all of the traveling he's done, he can finally rest. No responsibilities, no tasks, no more tournaments. Just rest.

A rather large trophy he won from his most recent Duel Monsters tournament sits on the dresser and nearby is his black luggage that lays on the floor. Getting in so late the previous evening, he didn't have the energy to put anything up.

Feeling motion on his bed, he inhales deeply, but refuses to open his eyes in order to conserve his sleepy state. Probably just Mana getting out of bed, he assumes. She is always the one to get out bed early, though in terms of going to bed, she doesn't hit the hay until well past midnight.

The bed becomes more weighted down and he scrunches up his face as the bed lightly moves. He can practically feel the eyes of someone staring at him even with his eyes closed shut. He flinches, feeling someone poke his cheek and he shuffles so that his back is facing her.

"Not right now, Mana," he grumbles, thinking she may be wanting to get intimate at this very moment. The poking persists and he reluctantly opens his eyes, rolling back over, only to be met by large amethyst eyes that resemble his own. Her eyes are naturally narrowed just like his, but more feminine and they stare blankly into his sleepy ones.

"What are you doing up so early?" he asks.

"Not early."

Blinking a few times to regain his focus, he reaches for his phone to look at the time. It is nearly noon. The dark clouds and rain have totally thrown him off, though he wouldn't have minded sleeping in some more from the jet lag of traveling from America back to Japan.

"Where's your mother?"

"She left to go meet up with Kisara and Téa," the little girl responds. "That gives you more than enough time."

"Time? Time for what?" he asks. He doesn't remember having any obligations today.

The girl with long black hair that far surpasses her back lets out a long sigh. "You forgot."

"What are you talking about Cairo?" At this point, he just wants the child to spit it out, but instead she just looks at him shaking her head as if he should already know what she's referring to. After another moment of staring, he glances at his phone, studying the date that appears underneath the time.

Shoot.

Atem quickly hops out of bed, grabbing some clothes to throw on. Wearing black pants and a black hoodie, he grabs his keys and darts out of the house. How could he have forgotten today of all days? He is the absolute worst husband ever. At least Mana is out and about. But for how long?

Briskly walking down the wet sidewalk, he wonders what last minute gifts he can give to Mana. He's already given her a gold necklace with a ruby in the middle that she still wears to this day, new clothes, the latest DVDs of her favorite anime. How is it possible that his own eight year old remembers her birthday and not him?

Wait.

Cursing under his breath, he turns the opposite direction, bursting back into the house. Before he can even step one more foot inside, there Cairo stands wearing her yellow rain coat and rain boots, staring up at him with that signature blank, unbothered stare of hers. She's already one step ahead of him. When did he become so forgetful? Stupid jet lag. Without another word, he grabs her by the hand and they head to the mall.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. He slides a hand down his face as he walks past different shops within the mall while Cairo plays with her handheld video game, managing to navigate her way through without barely looking up. None of the shops they pass stand out to him and panic slowly starts to set in. Why didn't he plan ahead before his big trip? Had he gotten her a gift in advance, he could still be in bed right now and his daughter wouldn't occasionally be giving him this disapproving look every time he walks into a shop and walks back out empty handed.

"Why didn't you get something while you were away?" Cairo asks, her eyes still locked on her video game. "At least it could've been unique seeing as it would be coming from a different country."

"That would have been the smart thing to do, wouldn't it?"

"Mhmm."

Two hours pass in the mall and still Atem hasn't found anything. He and Cairo stand side by side outside of the mall and he scans the street for anything that would give him a glimmer of an idea for Mana. He follows the sight a bright red convertible that happens to drive by a dealership and he quickly grabs Cairo's hand.

Cairo pouts as she sits in a chair, watching her father talk with an enthusiastic salesman about cars. With her father's status, the salesmen practically fought over the chance to sell a car to him, knowing that he would be able to write a check to pay for the car right off the bat. Being a champion and participating and winning countless tournaments definitely has it perks for sure. That's his job and her mother never has to work a day in her life.

But knowing her mother, she knows they shouldn't be here at this car dealership. All of the traveling he's done in the past month has definitely taken its toll and he isn't thinking straight.

"Dad," she calls out to him, but to no response. Sighing heavily, she calls him a bit louder and he glances over to her, seeing her agitated gaze.

As the salesman walks away to grab some papers, Atem mouths off a 'what?' to which she silently says 'let's go!' with her arms folded and one of her eyes twitching. They quietly engage in a back in forth where they read each other's lips and Cairo attempts to get him to walk away from purchasing the car and he refuses.

She sinks further into her seat, blowing her hair out of her face. The salesman goes to sit back in front of Atem and she sighs in defeat. If he's not going to listen to her, then it's time to take matters into her own hands.

Seeing as her father is now distracted, she slides out of her chair and creeps toward the exit, slowly opening the door and slipping outside where it drizzles.

Even with their amount of money, her mother has always been a simple person. It doesn't take much for Mana to be happy and she believes her father is overthinking it in his tired state. So she decides to help him by getting her mother something she is bound to love.

About a half hour passes by in the car dealership and Atem rests his chin on his hand, staring into space and nodding off after his salesman walks away once again. He just wants to be out of there already. Why does it always have to take all day when it comes to getting a car?

His phone vibrates and he answers it, putting it up to his ear.

"Hey there!" a voice chirps on the other line.

"M-Mana," he stutters and he begins to feel anxious, seeing how late in the day it's getting.

"Whatcha up to?" she asks.

"Nothing, just out to get some fresh air," he fibs.

"Okay, well I'll be home shortly."

Great, he thinks to himself. He looks around for the salesman, but there is no sign of him anywhere and he growls inwardly.

"I'm assuming Cairo is there with you?"

"Yes, she's right—" He looks over to where Cairo should be sitting, only to see that the red chair is empty. His face drops and his heart begins to pound as panic sets in.

"Atem?"

"I'll see you when you home!" he quickly says before hanging up and jumping out of his seat, looking in every direction. He runs out of the dealership, his head turning from left to right to try and find any trace of her, but there is none.

"Cairo! Cairo where are you?!" he calls out, dashing down the sidewalk and dodging people as he does so. He stops at a red light, taking the time to catch his breath and search once more. "Why would she just leave like that?"

He goes back to the mall in hopes that he will find her there, searching through each and every store and every level of the building. But as time goes on, he realizes there is a good chance that she is not there. He walks out of the mall, leaning up against the brick wall and looking up to the dark sky.

Mana would never forgive him if something were to happen to her. But he has no idea where Cairo could have gone. He looks across the street to a small, brightly lit building that sits on the corner. A sweet aroma comes out through its vents and its windows are slightly fogged up. Seeing a small figure standing at the counter, he squints his eyes to get a better look. The girl appears to be grabbing a white box from the worker on the other side of the counter and she turns around, walking out of the door with the box in hand.

Cairo smirks, carefully holding onto the box and looking down at it as she walks. Mission accomplished. Now all she has to do is get it to her father before he buys the car and they can finally go home. With her eyes still lowered, gazing proudly at her 'prized possession,' she crosses the street after she sees the white light of the 'walk' sign from the corner of her eye.

As she's doing this, Atem stands on the opposite side, watching with his eyes widened as a car goes speeding toward her. Outstretching his hand, he calls out her name, warning her of the oncoming vehicle. His legs just can't get him there quick enough and he cringes when he hears the impact and the sound of glass shattering and tires grinding on the pavement.

Slowly opening his eyes, he sees the white box she was previously holding on the ground. Then he looks to the car whose front end is completely totaled. And lastly to his daughter.

The driver of the car, a man dressed in a suit quickly gets out, running over to survey the damages to his expensive car. "No, no, no! My baby!" he yells, clenching his hair. "What the hell did I hit?!" It almost felt like he had hit a solid boulder.

Cairo sits up on her knees after the collision caused her to trip over her own feet and fall to the ground. She gently lifts the flap of the box to look at the cake and she frowns deeply.

Atem runs over to her and kneels down beside her. "Are you alright?" he asks. She doesn't answer. Her head is low and her hair hides her face. Luckily it doesn't appear that she is harmed thanks to a spell she obsessed over about two years ago when she first started learning magic. It was one that gave her an immense amount of strength and durability that far surpassed any kid her age, let alone a human being. It was a difficult spell and only to be used rarely, but due to the fact that it was the only spell she could actually master at the time surprisingly, and she was quite proud of it, she chanted that spell more times than she could count. And it became permanent.

Cairo finally looks at him with her lip poked out. "Mom's present…"

"What?" he asks with an eyebrow arched.

She points to the white box and he peers inside of it. It is a pink, double layered cake with strawberries surrounding it and the words "Happy Birthday" written in a fancy script. The top layer has partially fallen off, smearing on the side of the box and one of the strawberries appears to have shifted from the impact, leaving a trail across the top of the cake.

He looks back to her with realization of what she has done. "Cairo…How did you…?"

"You know mom doesn't like all that material stuff," she gazes up at him with a sad expression. "I know you were probably thinking you've gotten her everything you could think of, so you went with the whole car idea but…well…" She hesitates, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "I don't know…maybe she would have liked the car but..."

Atem sighs and shakes his head. "No, you're right. The car was definitely overboard."

"Yeah, it was overboard," she says bluntly and he chuckles.

"Hey! Who's gonna pay for this!" the angry motorist yells and Atem stands up, helping Cairo up to her feet before picking up the box. The man gasps, realizing who is standing in front of him and he begins to sweat. "Y-You're…"

"Let's go home," Atem says.

"Wait a minute! Where are you going?!" the motorist snaps.

"It would be in your best interest to drive away," Atem says, looking at the man from over his shoulder. "Especially seeing as you ran a red light. Or I could call—"

"No, that won't be necessary! Sorry for the inconvenience sir!" the man says frantically, going back to his car, but not without looking at the girl with a confused as expression as to how she is walking away unharmed.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Atem sighs, sitting down at the table across from Cairo and he leans his head back, feeling a bit defeated. After all that time, he is still empty handed…well partially empty handed. But who would want a messed up cake? No excuse would justify him forgetting her birthday. He's just going to have to take whatever lashing Mana gives him when she gets home.

"Sorry dad," Cairo apologizes, looking at the beat up cake that sits in between them.

"Don't apologize," he replies, sitting up straight and looking at her with a reassuring smile. "You've been a big help today. Good thinking on the cake."

"Well you know mom loves food, especially her sweets," Cairo chuckles.

Atem chuckles as well. "Yes, that is true. Wish I had thought of it to begin with."

"Well you were pretty sleepy. You can blame it on that."

The door opens and Atem gulps. Moment of truth. The spiky, brown haired magician walks in, beaming from ear to ear when she lays eyes on Atem and Cairo, happy to see them after such a long day. "Hey you two!"

"Hi," the both respond simultaneously in a dry tone that causes her to tilt her head.

"What's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, Atem stands up, about to tell her what happened. "Mana I—"

"Is that a cake?" she asks, her eyes going to the partially toppled dessert on the table. She looks closely, seeing the smothered words on there that she can hardly make out. "Happy…happy birthday?" she stutters as she reads it and Atem nods. "Is that for me?"

"Yes," Atem replies. "And I apologize for it's current condition. You see—"

Mana giggles. "You had Cairo carry it, didn't you? You know she can be a bit clumsy."

Atem and Cairo exchange nervous glances. Perhaps it would be best not to tell her what really occurred today.

"Very clumsy, indeed!" Atem plays along and Cairo grunts, though deciding to go along with it as well. Mana dips her finger into the pink icing, getting a small taste and she licks her lips with delight.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dig in!"

"You're not mad?" Cairo asks.

"Cake is cake and this thing's still edible!" Mana replies, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, it's the thought behind it that counts. I'd take this over a car any day! Thank you guys!"

Atem and Cairo laugh nervously as they both go over to the cabinet to get a plate and silverware, vowing to each other to not speak of this hectic day and to keep it between the two of them.

And Atem makes a vow to himself. No more traveling before special days such as this. Last minute gifts just aren't his thing.

But at least this time around, a crisis has been averted and no arguments will ensue.

Sigh of relief.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Hope you enjoyed this short fanfic! I had fun writing it anyway lol. Leave a review and let me know what you think! I might a few short Atem/Mana fanfics as well. We need more Vaseshipping stories, ha.