"So you will see to it that this kid stays confined to his room or have him moved out of the castle till our departure?" Odion asked.
"Ryo, will you make certain that you and Mokuba stay clear of this gentleman and the King that he will be escorting? Try not to bother them." Yami said seeing Bakura and Ryo.
"Yes, sir. We will be certain to stay away." Ryo said.
"I apologize Master Atemu, I didn't see the child knock or I wouldn't have allowed him to disturb you." Bakura said.
"It's perfectly all right. Mokuba didn't hurt anything." Yami said.
"I'm sorry but this will not due. The king is deathly afraid of children!"
"So what he never sees his own?" Yami asked.
"Of course he does. He's on the ground level and sees them from the top of the stairs. They are not allowed to come any closer." Odion said.
"That's stupid, so what you're saying is that if we don't lock Mokuba in his room your king will refuse the treaty agreement? I promise Mokuba won't bother him."
"That I cannot say. I cannot speak for the king's wishes. All I can tell you is that he hates children and therefore wouldn't want this child running and screaming throughout the castle."
"Mokuba's not that kind of kid and even if he was, this is his home, you have no rights to come barging in and telling us what to do." Yami said.
"Yes, well I am simply expressing the king's demands and the main demand is no children near him."
"Perhaps if he'd spend more time with them he'd see their not evil monsters."
Mokuba giggled a little. Yami looked down and smiled. Then he started to scratch his chest in a light tickle. Mokuba giggled a bit more. Being gone so long and then hearing shouting Seto and King Kujaku came out to see what was happening.
"What's happening out here, Master Atemu?" Seto said hating to have to address him formally like this, but they were in a formal setting so he had no choice.
"Odion was just informing me that little Mokuba here will have to remain locked in his room until they leave."
"That's ridiculous. I won't have it!" Seto said.
'Why not? Between my old room in the basement and my new room upstairs I'd much rather be locked in upstairs.'
"I do not like children. I don't even socialize with my own children." King Kujaku said.
"It's all right my king honestly. Mokuba and I, with your permission of course, were planning to go into town and get some board games and a couple of balls to throw around. We can get enough board games to last the weekend."
Seto didn't like it at all! He made a promise the day he took Mokuba away from that horrible home that he would NEVER be locked away again.
"I told Mokuba they could go as long as he stayed close to Sir Ryo."
Seto sighed and walked around Yami and bent down beside Mokuba. "You don't leave his side for any reason all right?" Seto asked sternly.
Mokuba nodded his head.
"You be very careful, understand me?"
Mokuba nodded.
"Why do you baby him?" King Kujaku asked.
Seto never much cared for this king before and now he was only giving him more reason to hate him! "He was abused in his old home and I want to make sure he stays safe."
"I thought you said he was a street orphan." Odion said.
Yami wasn't sure how to answer but Seto realized that that was Yami's cover story. So he decided he'd just play along.
"He was." Seto said standing up. "But do you really think he always lived on the streets? He has whip marks on his back to prove that he was being abused."
"You never bothered to find out where he belonged and return him?" King Kujaku asked.
"Just because you don't give a damn about children doesn't mean the rest of us don't. No, I never bothered to look for his family. There was more than enough evidence to prove to me he was being mistreated and I wasn't going to leave him alone or return him to the hell hole he had run away from." Seto said, looking him in the eye.
King Kujaku was not used to anyone standing up to him. He didn't like it but at the same time was highly impressed.
"I'm impressed, King Kaiba. No one in the history of my reign has ever had the courage to stand up to me like that. I must say I hated every minute of it!"
'Great, I hope this isn't him telling me we're going to war!'
"However I admire such traits. Let us continue with our business shall we." King Kujaku said.
Seto sighed. He knew he'd dogged a bullet then. He knew better than to cuss out kings from other countries. However, Mokuba was a sensitive subject. So, when this man started in on locking him away and how he basically shouldn't give a damn about him he let his temper get the best of him when it shouldn't have. The king could have easily been insulted and declared war.
"Yes, let's." Seto said, relaxed and started stroking Mokuba's hair. "If you will just wait inside we shall be with you shortly."
"Very well then." King Kujaku said as he and Odion walked back inside.
Once the door closed, Yami hit Seto's arm.
"Ow what was that for?" Seto asked.
"How many times have I told you to keep your temper in check when around other members of the royal society?"
"Oh and I suppose that wasn't you that was arguing with Odion?" Seto asked.
"Alright so we both have to learn to control our tempers." Yami said. "We best get in there before they begin to wonder if we ran off."
"Okay, Mokuba you stay close to Ryo while you're in town and be good." Seto said, kissing his forehead.
"Okay big brother." Mokuba said, taking Ryo's hand.
"Here you are Ryo, that should cover everything." Yami said, handing Ryo some money.
"You didn't have too. I would have bought them." Ryo said.
"Yes, well we feel it's our responsibility to do so. Yami and I should have bought some when we were in town but we didn't think of it." Seto said.
"All right, Thank you." Ryo said then took Mokuba and left.
"You know I don't why I tell him to be good. It's not like he'd be bad." Seto said.
"True. Poor thing is probably still terrified of getting beaten if he's not." Yami said.
Seto and Yami returned to the royal chamber to continue discussions on the new treaty.
x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x
It turned out Ryo had been wrong about a library being in the town. They had a giant bookstore that bought, sold and traded books. But they didn't loan them out.
"Excuse me but you don't have any learn to read books do you?" Ryo asked.
"No, sir the only ones out are used strictly in schools." The man at the counter said.
"Thank you, where are the first grade and lower level books?"
"Over in the back to your right."
Ryo had found several books with just pictures and words and some numbers and words. He bought them figuring they would be good to start with and when the kid had mastered them they could trade those in for different ones.
Then they went to the toy store. They found Shizuka working the counter.
"Oh hello." Shizuka then noticed Mokuba hanging off Ryo. "Oh, hello there little one. I remember you. You were one of the kid's listening to my story the other day. You're friends of my grandfather Sugoroku."
Mokuba smiled and nodded.
"My name is Ryo and this is Mokuba."
"My name is Shizuka."