Other than the fact that I had entirely too much fun working on this one, there's not really much to say to start it off. Is it irony that I seem to be having the most fun writing "normal" scenes, in this story that was built on magic? Maybe. I think it's probably just a sign that I hit on the right tone for things in the original "Good Intentions" story. Magic was a big part of what made Yu-Gi-Oh! interesting, but for me it was always the people that stole the show.

I've been working with my creative partner on fleshing out the over-arching plot of this project. Unlike "Blue Eyes, Violet Eyes" and the original "Good Intentions" story, this one has a planned ending.

But just the same, you know the old yarn: it's not about the destination. It's about the journey.


"Don't give me that look," Yuki said. "You're the one who said you wanted to stop coughing. Obviously tea isn't doing the trick. Now, either you take a dose of this, or I'll give one to you. Those are your choices."

Mokuba pouted, threw his blanket over his face, and declared gravely, "I abstain. Let me die."

Yuki sighed, turned and looked at the doorway. Seto stood there, leaning against the frame, eyebrow raised and lips curved into an amused half-smirk. He reached out, wordlessly requesting the bottle of cough syrup and the spoon that Yuki currently held in her hands. She surrendered her articles of torture. "He's going to tear his own throat out," she said, "but he says this medicine tastes like rotten Kool-Aid and refuses to take any."

Seto chuckled. "Mokuba, you know full well that the medicine you want is grape-flavored sugar water that's no better than fresh Kool-Aid. It won't help anything. Take that blanket off your face."

Still pouting, the black-haired boy tossed his blanket down and huffed. "I won't let the devil-woman poison me."

"And what about me? Am I permitted to poison you?" Seto asked.

Mokuba stuck his tongue out at his brother and flopped onto his side, turning his back to them. He quickly succumbed to yet another coughing fit, moaning and retching until he had to toss himself around to the other side and vomit into the trash can on the floor.

Yuki spied a softness in Seto's somehow stern amusement. The elder Kaiba stepped over, sat down on the edge of the black-haired boy's bed, and rubbed his back. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's get you feeling better, okay?" He prepared a spoonful of medicine and presented it. Mokuba groaned pitifully, took the proffered dose, grimaced, and fell back against his pillow. "There. Now, you get some sleep," Seto said. "I'll have lunch ready by the time you wake up. You let me know if you're hungry."

"Ngh," was all Mokuba could offer.

Seto leaned over and kissed the boy's forehead. "Sleep, my little one," he whispered, and pulled up Mokuba's blanket, stopping just short of tucking it under his chin. Mokuba offered the faintest of little smiles—obviously placated for now—let his head fall to one side, and closed his eyes.

The elder Kaiba stood, grabbed the trash can, and strode out of the room without a comment or even a glance at the other two occupants; nonetheless, it was silently understood that to stay any longer in Mokuba's room was a grave offense, and neither Yuki nor Sotaro wanted to see the man return to his previous, dangerous, self.

Sotaro headed to the library; Yuki saw that he was situated before finding her husband in their current living space; he was sitting on the edge of the bed looking pensive and irritated. Yuki quirked an eyebrow. "Training not go as well as you wanted?" she asked.

Kohaku shrugged. "Don't really know, to tell you the truth. Today was all about drills and 'keeping loose and vigilant.'" The man tossed himself backward and stared at the ceiling. "You look happy. Unless I miss my guess, you've yet again brought out the best in someone, and I'm about to learn just how wrong I am about them."

Yuki smirked, not unlike Seto might have, and made her way into the room. She shut the door behind her. "You need to stop acting surprised when that happens, Ko. You're too angry, is what you are." She sat down beside him. Kohaku pulled himself back up and leaned against his wife, letting out a long-suffering sigh. "This is about the first day, isn't it? At the store."

"I'm no lightweight, and he tossed me like a six-year-old angry with his teddy bear. That man's had serious, deadly training."

"Which is exactly what we need, if we're going to survive." Yuki patted Kohaku's leg. "You weren't looking at his face, Ko. That day, when he came storming in demanding answers, he wasn't angry. He was . . . terrified."

"How can you be so sure?"

"With what I've seen today? Ko, you should see him and Mokuba-kun together. It's . . ." Yuki smiled, put a hand up to her mouth, and let out a giggle that was almost a sob. "It's magic."

"You're just a soft touch," Kohaku said. "You can't hold it together around a sick kid, no matter who it is."

"That's the thing, Ko! So is he! Seto, or Mister Kaiba, or whatever you want to call him—I don't even know what I'm supposed to think. He's been so . . . gentle. Now, I know what else you're thinking about. You heard about his little sojourn to Mokuba-kun's school, didn't you?"

Kohaku nodded. "Yes."

"It reminded you of Uncle Koji, didn't it?"

". . . Yes."

"It's not like that!" Yuki looked positively radiant. "Just give it a while, okay? I'm sure he'll warm up to you eventually, just like with me. He hasn't scowled at me once today."

"Yes, well, you're you. Besides, what do you mean, he hasn't scowled at you today? Is that supposed to be a good thing?"

The happiness tempered itself a bit, turning pensive. "With him, I think it is."

Kohaku sighed. "Kind of odd, isn't it? The idea that . . . he's our boy."

"Not so odd, after today," Yuki said. "I think you'll start seeing it, if you look. Have some patience, hm?"

". . . Fine."


The thing about cough medicine tasting like rotten Kool-Aid? Yeah, that one's from personal experience. Don't let Kool-Aid stay out too long, folks. It is the precise opposite of a good idea.

And with that, I bid ye farewell for now. I'll see you next time.