Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, Rurouni Kenshin, Record of the Lodoss War, Stargate SG-1, Robotech, etc, etc…you know the drill
Chapter 1: Reunions
They walked into Burger World and looked up at the clock. It read 12:00pm…
Aoshi raised an eyebrow and smirked in triumph. Misao just laughed
"One of these days…" she teased. She pointed to where Anzu (Sano's baby sister) was jumping up and down and waving wildly at them. Aoshi smiled at her then put a protective arm around Misao and lead her inside, all the while glaring at any teenage boys attempting to get anywhere near her.
They quickly made their way up the stairs to the tables where the others were sitting. Aoshi was pleasantly surprised to find all his friends there already. He shook hands with Hiei, Kuwabara and Yusuke. Kenshin and Sano he hugged, and Keiko and Kaoru hugged him as soon as they released Misao. Since Anzu was the baby she got away with throwing herself on Aoshi and planting a kiss on his cheek. He chuckled softly and ruffled her hair as he put her down…
"It is good to see you little Miss Anzu!" he greeted warmly
"Thanks! It's good to see you too Lord Aoshi!" she answered energetically, a big grin on her face. He frowned at the use of Misao's nickname for him. The others laughed…
"Whaaat! It suits you!" she defended perkily then she turned towards Kurama yanked him out of his seat and dragged him towards the jukebox. Aoshi just shook his head and took up a seat near the stairs to keep intruders away from their little impromptu party with his deadly glare.
He watched as the others, with the exception of Hiei, got up to join Kurama and Anzu as they danced. He made light conversation with Hiei as they looked around Burger World taking note of the growing number of people entering the establishment. Nobody ventured up the stairs, but there was a group of teenage boys Aoshi kept a particularly close eye on. Two of them looked like they might be brave enough to try and get past him and knowing Misao she would probably let them.
There were two tall boys and two short boys. The one with red and black spiky hair had his back turned and seemed to be talking on his celphone paying no attention to what the others were doing. The other three craned their necks to look in their direction.
He looked straight at them and gave them his scariest glare. The short one with glasses went pale and quickly looked away, the other two turned towards each other and talked excitedly. A couple of waitresses brought their food at the same time the boys received theirs. Misao who deposited herself on his lap blocked Aoshi's view for a moment; she gave him a kiss and said she'd be right back. He watched as she and Kaoru descended the stairs then returned to his observance of the crowd.
"Hey Aoshi! Did you know that those are Anzu's classmates!" said Sano pointing to the four boys Aoshi was glaring at earlier
"Hey Sano, are those the ones giving Anzu a hard time?" asked Kenshin joining Aoshi, Hiei and Sano by the stairs.
"What! Little Miss Anzu is being harassed by those boys!" exclaimed Aoshi getting up from his seat, Hiei got up and moved closer to where Anzu was dancing subtly assuming bodyguard mode.
"Well…not so much harassed really…more like teenage romance angst! But I just can't figure out which one is the cause," responded Sano trying to mollify him mindful of how dangerous Aoshi could be in "family defender" mode.
All three watched as one of the boys turned and froze, his face alternating between sorrow and anger. He was looking at Anzu who was still dancing with Kurama.
"I know that boy…that is Takeshi's son, Yugi," he said softly, recognizing the boy instantly, the boy was practically a clone of his father! The others nodded their agreement. The boy finally turned away and picking up his backpack rushed out of the restaurant
"Well, at least we know now who the culprit is. Let's go find out what's going on!" declared Sano. Kenshin followed…
"Coming Aoshi?" they both asked. He moved to follow, but shook his head and pointed out the alarming rate at which Burger World's clientele was growing
"Umm…perhaps you should stay here, that you should!" Kenshin suggested
"Yeah! Uh…we'll tell you how it went" Sano called out back to him as they rushed to follow Yugi
Aoshi nodded in response and returned to watching the crowd paying particular attention to the boys he and Sano had been watching. Anzu stopped dancing and went to stand next to him by the stairs; she was about to ask him what he was looking at when her face lit up with joy
"Hey Guys!" she yelled, waving enthusiastically.
Aoshi watched as the three boys he had been glaring at turned towards her and yelled her name in unison. She waved them over and they nearly tripped over themselves in their hurry to reach Anzu. She introduced them to everyone and Aoshi was impressed by the fact that the two tall ones, the blonde one named Jonouchi and the brunette called Honda didn't seem perturbed by the combined might of Hiei and Aoshi's glares. They also seemed to know a great deal about Aoshi and his friends' Olympic records, which served to lessen his doubts about them…a little.
After the introductions Misao went to sit next to Aoshi to eat her food as everybody else began to settle in around the table. Meanwhile Anzu and her friends talked. They seemed to be discussing the possible whereabouts of their friend Yugi. A subject he was interested in too. He had not seen Yugi, his mother or the Kame Game shop in over ten years and he felt slightly guilty of that negligence now. He had been diligent in keeping a correspondence with Yugi's mother and sending Yugi a birthday present every year, but had always found an excuse to stay away from the shop and its painful memories. This weekend he promised himself that he would make time to go and visit Mrs. Mutou…
"What's wrong?" Misao asked softly, puzzled at the more-serious-than-usual look that had suddenly darkened Aoshi's face
"Nothing…Just thinking about old times…" he replied softly, brushing a lock of hair gently away from her face as he pulled her close for a light kiss.
"Man, some guys have all the luck!" He heard Jou say and he couldn't have agreed more as he lengthened his kiss.
"Hey! Break it up you two!" Kaoru shrieked at them "This is a family restaurant! There are children here!"
Misao laughed as Aoshi broke away and glared at her. Kaoru just glared right back and all conversation at the table stopped in anticipation of a verbal battle. Misao was about to intervene when Jou chimed in…
"Hey! Peace out! Don't drag us into this!" Jou piped in holding his hands up in a placating gesture
"Yeah! We're neutral parties here!" Honda agreed a tad nervously.
"Besides, it ain't like there doin' anything we haven't seen or done before" Jou added with a mischievous wink
"True," agreed Honda smiling. But both boys were visibly relieved when Aoshi smirked and Kaoru sighed, letting the matter drop
"Where is little Anzu?" he asked changing the subject
"She went to find her brother and Kenshin," answered Hanasaki timidly. Aoshi nodded in response as Misao and everyone else went happily back to their food
"Yo! Kaiba alert…" said Honda softly, but not outside of Aoshi's hearing range. He got up from his chair and went to go look noting the slight edge of concern in Honda's voice
"Seto and Mokuba Kaiba," he confirmed as he watched the two boys walk in and make their way to the to-go counter
"Hey, you know those guys Aoshi?" Jou asked
"I met the elder brother briefly when I met his father Gozaburo," he answered stiffly
"Ugh…Gozaburo…super psycho number one, lucky you!" Honda said sarcastically. Aoshi smirked in response to the colorful description of Gozaburo and nodded in agreement.
"Well, I don't much like Seto, but he takes good care of his little brother, that's gotta make him way better than the old man!" Jou pointed out
"Yes it certainly does," Aoshi agreed thoughtfully. Jou put his thumb and index finger in his mouth and let out an ear splitting whistle…
"Yo, Mokuba!" Jou called out and waved him over.
Both brothers looked up and normally Seto would've sneered and ignored the mutt, but instead his eyebrows rose in surprise as he recognized the tall man standing next to Jou and Honda. Before he could think of how to react to the presence of Aoshi Shinomori, Mokuba was already happily bounding ahead, making his way towards the stairs. Seto had no choice but to reluctantly follow…
"Hey Mokuba! Want you to meet some new friends!" Jou called out amicably as the younger Kaiba bounced up the stairs followed by his brother. Jou, Honda and Hanasaki who wasted no time in introducing him to the girls first, greeted Mokuba enthusiastically. They greeted Seto with a forced politeness. Seto approached cautiously, eyeing Aoshi with suspicion. The man had once been set upon destroying Kaiba corp. after all and he wasn't sure were Aoshi stood on that ground now.
Aoshi sized up the young man and decided he would make the first move.
"Mister Kaiba, it is good to see you again," he greeted in a polite, business-like manner. Not to be outdone Seto moved purposefully forward and extended his hand…
"Good to see you too, Mr. Shinomori" Seto responded,
"Just call me Aoshi," he said as he returned Seto's firm handshake.
"Then it's just Seto," he countered
"Oh cool you guys know each other!" Mokuba piped up coming towards his brother
Seto introduced his little brother to Aoshi and Aoshi returned the courtesy by introducing Seto to all of his friends. Then Mokuba pulled his brother aside and the two conferred quietly for a moment. Once they were done, Mokuba turned back to the others, just as Anzu was returning, and invited everyone to continue the party at the Kaiba mansion. There was a unanimous agreement to move the party, especially when they leaned over the railing and saw how many people were massing already outside of Burger World chanting Misao's name.
Kurama got on his phone to tell his friends where to meet them at the same time that Kaoru got on her phone and told Kenshin where they'd be. Aoshi took point with Seto half a step behind him still refusing to be outdone. Kuwabara and Hiei took up the rear of their little group. Effortlessly, they lead everybody through the crowd towards the parking lot.
Misao waved cheerfully at the crowd as Aoshi put a protective arm around her, slipped on his sunglasses and headed towards his car. Hiei and Kuwabara followed with Jou tagging along. The others jumped in the Kaiba limo, with the exception of Honda, who jumped on his motorcycle saying he'd meet them there after he picked up his girlfriend.
The ride was short and uneventful with the Kaiba limo leading the way. Aoshi nodded in approval of Kaiba's new security systems as they arrived on the compound. There were many upgrades as far as he could tell. It would be much harder to get in now in comparison to when he and Jack had stormed into Kaiba mansion several years ago.
He rolled his eyes when he noticed that an SUV behind them was carrying the Fab five. Misao rolled down the window and waved at them. They all jumped out of their vehicles as they came to a stop in front of the house and entered.
Carson and the others made their way straight towards Aoshi as the others emptied out of the Kaiba limo.
"Very nice Aoshi! Those colors just suit you so well!" Carson drooled checking Aoshi out
Aoshi growled irritated at Carson as he continued commenting on how hot Aoshi looked today.
"I just love to see good-looking men who aren't fashion challenged!" Carson finished enthusiastically, lightly stroking the collar of Aoshi's jacket.
"Hey! Hands off! He's mine!" Misao called out playfully swatting away Carson's hand and barely restraining her laughter. Carson winked at her as he lifted his hand away from Aoshi's collar.
"You on the other hand are a Greek tragedy!" Carson exclaimed horrified as Seto joined them. Misao and Little Anzu nearly died laughing
"What is with all these buckles? They're so last decade!" he whined and launched into an explanation about why the white jacket just wasn't the right color for him and why the buckles were so not retro chic, what colors would suit him best, what types of clothing accentuate his best assets etc, etc. All of which, Aoshi observed with alarm, was not being well received.
'I better help him,' Aoshi thought as he saved the Fab Five's fashion expert from impending doom by challenging Seto to a game of Go. Seto's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of a match against Aoshi. He turned away from Carson and barked at an unsuspecting servant to fetch his Go board. Aoshi glared at Carson one last time before walking away.
'You owe me!' he thought irritated.
He heard Misao laughing as Carson said, "Somebody check the thermostat! Those two are making this room way too hot!"
"You know the sad part is he's already taken," Jai interjected sadly
"Very taken!" agreed Misao cheerfully
"Yeah, and by the time the other one is of legal age he'll be taken too!" Carson added in disappointment as the others voiced their agreements walking towards the opposite side of the room
"HA! Seto Kaiba! Fat chance of that!" Anzu commented sarcastically. Aoshi thought he saw a flicker of hurt cross Seto's face as they walked towards a small table in the far end of the room. He made a mental note to address the comment with Anzu later. A servant asked him what he wanted to drink and watched Seto's eyes widen in surprise when he asked for a simple iced green tea. Seto ordered the same…
Aoshi watched the intense young man sitting across from him as servants placed a Go board and their iced teas on the table between them.
'Seto Kaiba, not so long ago I had been just like him,' mused Aoshi
Once upon a time he had been obsessed with being the best, the strongest of the Shinomori men. To avenge his friend he would have gone to any lengths. To prove that he was the strongest, to restore his great-grandfather's legendary name and to prove himself worthy of it, he would have done absolutely anything…
Not so long ago…
At little Mokuba's request, Misao commandeered the Kaiba mansion's piano and began to sing:
The way that you…embrace me with your strong and powerful arms,
your haunting words keep me close to everything about you…
'Funny how priorities change,' he thought as he looked in the direction that Misao's lovely voice was coming from
Romantic in ways…
In ways that almost tear apart my heart
Can't let you go…don't you know…
Seto studied the man in front of him. When he had first met him he had wanted to be just like him and make Gozaburo shiver. Now it seemed he no longer was the intense man he'd once secretly idolized. He was disappointed…
"I don't understand," said Seto thoughtfully as he set up the board "you were once the most feared man in Japan, the most hardened criminals shivered just at the mention of your name. Even Gozaburo…" he stopped, his blue eyes looking into powerful green eyes.
'No!' Seto suddenly realized, 'he's still that man, but he's changed, he's gained something powerful!' His previous disappointment was banished in an instant! He wanted to about know this man! He was much more powerful than the Aoshi he'd met long ago in Gozaburo's office!
"So… 'How can the most feared man in Japan be content running his father's company and being bodyguard and lover to Japan's Pop music princess?' you wonder…" Aoshi finished for him sounding slightly amused, his jade eyes turning back to rest on the group of kids huddled around the piano listening to Misao.
Misao's voice rose:
Io sono prigionera…I'm captive in your gentle hands…
I'm prisoner of your soulful eyes, your special smile
We'll never part…
Seto nodded in answer, his eyes darted about looking for Mokuba. Aoshi pointed towards the piano,
"Your brother is over there," he informed Seto guessing correctly who the young man was looking for. Seto's searching eyes settled on the knot of people surrounding it. That idiot mutt Jonouchi was standing next to the keys blocking their view! Using the millennium Rod, Seto sent him a slight mental suggestion to shift to one side, allowing both him and Aoshi a clearer view. Mokuba was sitting next to Misao watching her with childlike adoration.
Aoshi smiled as his beloved's face came into view. Her sweet voice drifted towards him, soothing him as it always did…
If the morning sun should free me…It really wouldn't let me go…
I'd still be caught inside your love,
Can't rise above,
The chains of your heart…
The sound of applause drifted towards them as Misao ended her song and got up from the piano. He watched her closely as she bowed and thanked everyone for listening. Mokuba was jumping up and down, talking excitedly, trying to get her to sing some more, but Misao politely refused.
Aoshi noticed with amusement that Mokuba's behavior as evidenced by Seto's frown, did not sit well with the elder Kaiba brother. Misao leaned over and whispered something to Mokuba, which made the boy smile and skip away happily. Seto's frown deepened…
Misao looked around the room and spotted Aoshi, she waved and smiled. He responded simply with one of his smoldering looks and a sexy little smirk he saved only for her. She blushed as her mind conjured up the images of last night and this morning's "activities" at the sight of that smirk. She smiled and winked at him as Kaoru pulled her away towards the other guests.
"Do you really want to know?" Aoshi asked finally turning his attention back to Seto and piercing the young man with one of his trademark serious looks.
"Yes," replied Seto eagerly, his curiosity piqued. They tossed a coin to see who went first. Seto won the toss…
A rush of memories flooded his mind…
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