Thanks to everyone for the great reviews! Oh, and to make this clear (cause I couldn't find a way to write it into the story) This story takes place a year from the battle city tournament. Duke had disappeared off to England to show off his new style of gaming. It turned out to be a big hit in western European countries and he became rich fast. The constant offers from girls and groupies went to his head, changing him as you've all seen. This didn't happen over night, but it did happen. Sorry to all the Duke fans, but it always struck me that fame would go to that boy's head. A new attitude and arrogance brought on by inflation of ego is a horrible horrible thing, and it could happen to the best of us. (And yes, Kaiba has indulged every once in a while )
Once again thanks for the reviews, and I hope I didn't bother any of you too much by the change in Dukes behaviour.
Chapter 12
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"Hey Ren, sign my cast!" Joey's voice rang loudly in the small room.
"I can't believe you're excited about this." Mai folded her arms, holding up her head with one of her hands. Serenity took one of the sharpie pens and scribbled her name onto the cast.
"I'm just glad he's ok." She said, looking up at Mai.
"He could have been killed." She said almost speaking in a whisper.
"What . . .Happened?" Mokuba asked, coming around the bed to Joey's side. Joey hadn't realized he was there, and upon looking around the room, he noticed that Kaiba loomed in the back, by the doorway.
"Heh, long story." Joey said, ruffling Mokuba's hair.
" . . . was it the same guys who hurt Serenity?" 'and Seto' Mokuba didn't smile or play around the point.
" . . .Yea. Yes it was." Joey looked away from the boy.
"Why?" Mokuba's question turned everyone's attention to Joey. "Why do they keep doing this? Why do they keep hurting people?" tears lined Mokuba's eyes and Serenity gave him a hug from behind.
"No!" Mokuba pushed her away. "No more comforting! No more 'saving' me from the truth! These guys need to be stopped! Someone needs to do something!" Mokuba attempted to keep his eyes tightly shut, but upon feeling a stronger hug that he couldn't wriggle out of, he opened them again.
"Someone will." Kaiba promised his little brother. "I think Wheeler needs some rest. We should go now."
White specs fluttered down just outside the window, reminding Serenity that the apartment wasn't very well insulated. Pulling a warm blanket over her shoulders, she continued to watch the snow form a blanket over the town. It was amazing how just a little snow could make the worst sections of town look like a cozy winter village.
She smiled as some kids took up the opportunity to drag their younger siblings through town on a sled, probably headed for the nearest hill. She had just begun nodding off when her cellphone buzzed, tickling her awake.
"Hello?" She resumed gazing outside as she listened to her phone.
'We're going to Egypt!' Yugi's voice called excitedly through the phone.
"What?" Serenity felt a smile creep across her face.
'Egypt! Next Monday!' He sounded like a kid going to Disney World, but Serenity figured it was because of Yami.
"Next Monday? But we have school-"
'It's a field trip!' Yugi cut her off. 'Kaiba's running for class president and the art students weren't gonna vote for him just because he's rich, so he funded the whole trip and he's coming along with a few other select kids!'
"Wait . . .Kaiba's running for class president?" She could hear Yugi laugh on the other side of the phone.
'That's not the point Serenity! We're going to EGYPT!' She could hear his excitement so fully that she wanted to start laughing as well. They chatted a bit more before they hung up, mostly because Yugi wanted to call a few other people, and Serenity started dialing another number.
'Hello?' Mokuba sounded like he just woke up.
"Hey, Moki, I figured you'd want to know something about your brother . . . unless you already know-"
'Know what?' His voice was full of mischief. Apparently it's hard to hide when you're half awake.
"You didn't hear? The leading candidate for the senior class president is the one and only Seto Kaiba." She said, drawing out the effect as long as possible.
'WHAT!?!" Serenity yanked the phone away from her ear, trying to keep her eardrums intact.
"I was surprised too." She said, giggling.
'Seto,' she overheard through the phone, ' You're running for class president???' Serenity held back another giggle.
'Who's on the phone?' She heard Kaiba's voice now, and he wasn't happy.
"Gotta go Moki, Bye!" She hung up quickly before she could hear or say anything else. Excitement bubbled up, making her giggle at seemingly nothing. She had meant to ask Mokuba if Kaiba had really funded a trip to Egypt. She giggled a bit more as she got up and searched for things to pack.
Winter vacation was always beautiful, and normally Serenity couldn't get enough of it, but this year the break from school took way too long. Thoughts and images of the pyramids and Egypt flew through her mind, and she smiled without even realizing it. EGYPT! Serenity had barely ever gone on field-trips because they tended to cost bus fare or something else. Thanks to the Class President, she could go this time.
Excited was the weakest term to attach to the girl. Friends and family visually noticed her daydreaming a lot more recently, and laughed and joked when she didn't snap out of it for a while. She couldn't help it.
The small sub shop was buzzing with people trying to get a quick bite for lunch before returning to work. Joey wanted to go back to the usual pizzeria, but after several vetoes, decided that the sub shop was an ok substitute.
"Hey, ya think it's gonna be like Stargate?" Joey asked from his wheelchair. "Ya know, maybe you'll find a ZPM or somethin!"He said getting a bit to excited himself.
"A what?" Serenity asked, giggling.
"You know, a ZPM, Zero Point Module!" He replied.
"Uh . . .sorry Joey, I-"
"C'mon Ren! Remember? We watched the whole series last summer!" Serenity smiled sweetly.
"Uh . . .sorry Joey, I do remember the series, but . . .I wasn't really paying attention to it . . ."
"Aw, Ren!" Joey began trying to explain the show and the relativity of his reference, but was only met with laughs and jokes.
"Didn't know you were a science fiction fan Wheeler." A famous voice called from behind their booth. Kaiba had been half turned around at his small one person table, and looking over the edge of the booth. "And I suppose you're the one to thank for Mokuba finding out about the Class President?" he asked, turning to Serenity.
"Uh . . . you shouldn't keep secrets from your little brother." She said, trying to avoid answering. Kaiba's eyes narrowed.
"And you can keep secrets from everyone else?" Serenity shifted her gaze away and remained silent.
"Hey, Kaiba that's enough." Tea said glaring at him, and putting an arm around Serenity. Tristan did the same on the other side which just made him twitch.
'what's wrong with me this time?' Kaiba asked himself, responding to the internal twitch. He decided to ignore them and spend the rest of his lunch break in peace.
"Serenity," He heard Tristan call. "you up for that movie tomorrow, or did you not want to go?" Kaiba stiffened.
"What? What movie?" Wheeler's annoying voice rang.
"I wanted to see Monsters Vs. Aliens." Serenity replied.
"Yea, and I offered to take her." Tristan added, sounding all 'innocent'. Kaiba's stomach, at that point, decided to disagree with the sub that he had chosen.
"Serenity, I don't think I like the idea of you dating Tristan." Joey said matter-of-factly. For some reason Kaiba agreed.
"I'm just going to a movie. You go to lots of movies with Yugi. Are you cheating on Mai with Yugi?" She asked, provoking laughs. It sounded like someone had spit out their drink. Someone else, Mai, Kaiba presumed, gasped jokingly
" . . . Fine. So long as it's not a date." Joey said stubbornly. Kaiba found himself agreeing again.
' . . .Why do I care?' Kaiba asked himself. Lately, now that things have settled down, he's been regressing back to his usual behaviors. He still chatted with Serenity here and there, but his responses became shorter and colder. She didn't mind, getting used to his 'new' old behavior. But now, for a reason he couldn't quite figure out, he's found himself eavesdropping on their conversations.
Not wanting to let it bother him anymore, he decided to finish lunch in his office.
"I'm finally going to Egypt." Yami paced Ishizu's office. "I've been waiting so long to go. I can get a body. My own body. Privacy. . . .Not that Yugi's bad company . . ."
"I understand." Ishizu smiled at him. Seeing the Pharaoh so excited, as if he was still a child was a warming sight. " And what do you mean ' I'm going to Egypt'?" She asked. " It should have been 'We'. We're going to Egypt." Yami's jaw dropped.
"You . . .You're going too?"
"You didn't expect to go alone, did you?" She smiled again, this time, a bit of mischief snuck through. Yami wasn't used to Ishizu being mischievous, but the question pushed it's way to the front of his train of thought.
"This is a school field trip." He thought aloud to himself and to her.
"Yes, and what would a field trip to another country be without a guide? Besides, You're going to need help if you are to disappear and go off on your own agenda." She said, again smiling. Yami could tell that she was almost as excited as he.
The meeting with Ishizu ended with an excited, happy note. The day had been going extremely well.
Yami walked along the sidewalk bordering a river that ran through a park. The water was reflecting the sunset, turning it orange, pink and red. Watching the mirrored effect of the sky, the water and the white, snow covered trees between them could make quite a beautiful painting.
'If only I'd brought my canvas . . .'
A snap and flash startled him out of his trance.
"Pretty huh?" He heard Tea behind him. Upon turning greet her she handed him a Polaroid picture of the sunset.
"Thanks Tea. What are you doing with a camera out here?" She laughed a bit.
"Well, last week I went to a career fair . . .and I think I want to be a photographer. Maybe If I get good enough, Joey and Mai will let me do their wedding." She smiled, holding the camera up to take another picture.
"That would be great. Maybe you could cut him a deal. He's not exactly rich." Yami said, thinking aloud again.
"Well, I figured, so long as I got to put them in a portfolio, I could probably do it for free." She snapped a few more pictures and put them in her backpack. "It's getting colder. WE should really get home. Besides, you don't want to catch a cold before the big trip do you?" Yami froze.
"I . . .I have to get home." Tea laughed at how frazzled he was and headed home.
"Big brother?" Mokuba wandered the halls of the mansion, wondering where his brother could be. After checking his work phone, cell phone, home office, bedroom, and the kitchen, he still had no idea. "Big brother!!!" He called again, louder this time. Still no answer. Mokuba decided to give up and explore the mansion as he had done as a child.
One hallway turned into another, and then another and then another. Eventually all of them looked the same until he didn't quite know where he was.
"I got lost . . .In my own house . . ." Out of boredom Mokuba shrugged it off and began to open doors. 'closet, closet, storage, pantry?, old bedroom, old bedroom, library??? since when did we have a second library?' Mokuba thought inspecting each room thoroughly. He decided to browse the library's contents. 'All these books are about weapons . . .bombs . . .cannons . . .this must be Gozaburo's old library.'
" . . . Entertaining yourself?" Kaiba's voice crept from behind him, making him jump a little.
"How come when I try to find you, you're nowhere to be seen, no matter how hard I look, no matter how long I look, and no matter where I look. You're Not There. But the second I'm doing something I'm not supposed to, you show up??? What the heck?" Mokuba said angrily, raising his voice. Kaiba lifted one eyebrow, trying not to smile.
"Simple. You couldn't find me because I didn't want to be found."
"And when I'm doing something bad?"
"Well, when I took over the company the first thing I created was a piece of technology that sent out an electric beacon every time you did something I programmed it to think as 'bad'. I had it implanted in you a week later, implanting the receptor part in myself." Kaiba smirked as Mokuba's eyes grew.
"You couldn't have . . ."
"Remember when you cut your wrist playing in the garden? I had the doctors implant it while they were stitching you up."
" . . .You're lying!" Mokuba jumped up at Kaiba, who responded by wrestling the little boy in jest.
"Why would I lie? You have all the facts!" He said, trying to tickle the wriggling boy.
"I know you're lying! Your smirk always pulls to the left when you lie!!!" Mokuba said between gasps for air and giggles. Kaiba stopped abruptly.
" . . .really?" He had no idea. He watched as Mokuba nodded slowly below him, shrugged, and continued tickling him.
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I have to apologise again for the lack in updating speed. Wow, this one took forever. I had serious writers block, which is weird, cause I've got a lot to write about. Huh . . . .
Well, anyways, read review and enjoy!