Queer As Tachi – Chapter 63
Things seemed to have generally settled down as the year passed into summer, and the official countdown to Yugi’s twentieth birthday began. He may have been standing on the threshold of adulthood, according to the calendar, but he was still young and fun and happy-go-lucky, no matter what sorts of mature responsibilities life was dumping on him. On his birthday, he would legally inherit half of Kame game shop. He was deeply involved in a very adult relationship with his inner soulmate. Yet, the passage of time was not robbing him of his innocence and youthful exuberance. When most people his age would have been planning to go out drinking to celebrate the coming-of-age, Yugi was talking about cake, ice cream, and picnics with his grandfather. It helped that his birthday happily fell on the same date as the full moon this year, so he and his lover made their own personal plans for how they would mark the occasion, but Yugi didn’t plan on staying tied to his bed (literally) all day. Just what he would do with his friends, though, still escaped him.
Joey and Bakura were entering their final exams, and none too soon, as Joey at least was eagerly looking forward to a summer break. He intended to just work and play, while Bakura had signed on for a summer course to help him catch up on his coursework. Very near the beginning of June, Yugi finally got an email from Téa to let him know that she would be home from school on such and such a day and would make herself available to party with him on his birthday. It was a short email, but still the most she had written to him since dropping him a short congratulatory note after the tournament. It seemed that she was going to spend part of the summer volunteering with a traditional dance group in Osaka, to learn folk dancing and other cultural things that she could take with her as experience, but she would at least be in the country and eager to hang out from time to time. He emailed her back to let her know that he hadn’t made plans for his birthday yet, but to keep the 20th open. He chose not to mention the phase of the moon, however.
The day was creeping up on him, but Yugi had no idea what he wanted to do with it. He would have liked something extravagant, considering the milestone, but every idea that came to him was just too small. Unfortunately, many of the old friends and acquaintances he would have liked to invite along were elsewhere in the world, but he knew he could count on his three best friends as always, along with Duke, Mai, Bakura, and naturally, his partner. The last anyone asked him about it, he said he was considering having a picnic in the park because it would be less crowded than the beach, but he still hadn’t confirmed anything. Not that Yami was much help. The pharaoh didn’t care where they went or what they did, so long as he was out of the Puzzle, in his own body, and had the chance to present Yugi with his own gifts privately on their own time. All he did in the intervening days was ask to take control for a short time so he could call up someone and get some help procuring Yugi’s birthday present.
One night in the first half of the month, Yugi was bored enough to pick up his duel disk and hook into the wireless network, half-heartedly taking a couple of duel challenges just for something to do. Yami lurked at the back of his mind but didn’t interfere, allowing Yugi to have a little fun on his own and see how easy it was for him to smack down duelists without the pharaoh guiding every move. There wasn’t much of a challenge available, though, so Yugi sat backwards in his desk chair with his arms hanging over the back, poking the buttons to scroll through the listings in the off chance any recognizable names popped up. Neither Bakura nor Marik were on tonight, unfortunately. He was just about to give up and log off when the duel disk beeped to announce that someone was trying to message him. He glanced at the screen in front of his left eye and gave a start to read, “User Kaiba1 challenges you.”
Yugi hit the button to accept the connection. “Kaiba?” he yelped into the microphone.
Kaiba sounded as smug and superior as always. “So, Yugi. I see you’re finally making it a point to use that wireless connection you paid for. It’s about time.”
Perplexed, Yugi sat up a little, folding his arm over the back of the chair so he could keep the duel disk’s buttons in reach. “This is a surprise. What are you doing messaging me out of the blue like this?”
“Does it matter?” Kaiba sniffed. “I just happened to be online and saw you on for once, and checked your record. You’ve hardly bothered to use your duel disk, your record doesn’t even begin to hint at your abilities.”
“Sorry, I get busy,” Yugi said, not at all sorry. “Come to think of it, it’s kind of odd for you to be on like this, isn’t it?”
“What can I say? Someone had a score to settle with me, so I decided to play along for the hell of it. Needless to say,” he said with obvious delight, “that score remains unsettled.”
Yugi laughed a little. “Is that why it sounds like you’re in a good mood?”
“Maybe.” Truthfully, Kaiba had just finished dueling Shandy yet again, and beaten her for the fourth or fifth time, so it could have explained his mood. Surely, it had nothing to do with the fact that he had gotten laid again the night before – meeting Alastair at a hotel near the airport for a classic one night stand, since that was all the longer he was in town for. “Don’t read anything into it, I’m just messaging you because you’re there, and I’m curious as to whether you’re enjoying the wireless dueling experience.”
“Ahh…” Yugi shrugged. “I like it enough. It’s fun. I just don’t get a chance to use it a lot. And when I do, I don’t always find somebody my speed to duel.” He made a disgruntled face, even though Kaiba wouldn’t see it. “So many newbies keep trying to challenge me, but they’re so inexperienced that it isn’t any fun for me.”
“Yes, a pity, isn’t it?” Kaiba said arrogantly. “You and I are just about the only duelists on the network strong enough to challenge each other, but I’ve got more important things to do than continually duel you just to up my record. There’s a serious lack of world-class duelists online.”
“Well, there’s a few. I’ve dueled Marik a lot. I ran into Rebecca Hawkins once, but the time zone difference makes it really hard to duel anyone in America.”
“You’re not missing anything,” Kaiba grunted. “They’re no better than the rabble here.”
“Oh well,” Yugi sighed. “It’s not like I get the time to duel seriously anymore. And coming up in a couple of weeks, I’m going to have even less free time. I’ll be even more involved with the game shop.”
“Why, what’s in two weeks?”
“My birthday.” Yugi began to smile to himself. “I come of age.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Kaiba said, sounding bored. “It’s about time. I came of age last fall, you’re due to catch up and enter the real world as an adult.”
“Says the guy dueling online with some long-distance rival,” Yugi smirked at him.
Kaiba grunted unappreciatively. “I created this system, I can duel when and where I want. I just don’t, because like you said, there isn’t anyone strong enough to give me a challenge.” He huffed a short sigh. “So, got some kind of plans for your big day? Going out to get drunk with Katsuya?”
“Nothing like that,” Yugi frowned. “I don’t know. I want to do something big, but I can’t think of anything. Téa’s going to be home from school, and Yami’s going to be out of the Puzzle. I have a chance to get all my friends together and I’m totally drawing a blank.”
“Have you been to my amusement park, yet?”
That caught Yugi by even more surprise than finding himself chatting with Kaiba in the first place. “What? Kaibaland? Here? Uh…no, I actually haven’t been there. Just the one in America where you held the Grand Prix.”
Kaiba gave another snort of derision. “No wonder you didn’t think of it as an idea. Or is that too childish? I would have thought it your style, unless by now fucking your imaginary boyfriend has made you too adult to go to amusement parks.”
Yugi rolled his eyes; he should have expected this. “He’s not imaginary, Kaiba, and what do you care anyway? It’s my birthday, I can do whatever I want. And now that you mention it, Kaibaland does sound like a good idea.” He hummed thoughtfully. “I just don’t know if I can afford it. Taking seven or eight people there would be expensive.”
“You do happen to be talking to the president of Kaiba Corporation,” Kaiba said dryly.
Yugi stared into the blinking viewscreen in disbelief. “You would…cut me a deal? Really?”
“If it means getting you to come back again someday and pay full price next time, it’s an investment worth taking,” Kaiba muttered, sounding bored. “The more, the merrier. How many people were you planning on inviting to your little play-date?”
Yugi tapped his finger to his lips as he thought. “Hmm…well, there’s me and Yami, and Grandpa…and then…” He counted them all up and seemed surprised by the number. “I guess, nine. Unless you’re inviting yourself, since it’s your park,” he added with a chuckle, “so that would be ten. Or eleven if Mokuba wants to come, too.”
“I’ll work you out a package deal, but I’m not coming to your party,” Kaiba snapped. “If Mokuba wants to go he’ll have to skip school, but I did promise him something if he passed his entrance exams. Don’t think of it as a gift, either,” he growled. “There’ll be strings attached. I’ll call in some favor someday to recoup the investment. But for now…yes. If you want to go to Kaibaland on your birthday, I can make you a deal.”
Yugi grinned to himself, deciding to let Kaiba be as nasty as he wanted to be – it didn’t cover the fact that he was about to do something uncharacteristically nice. “Well, sure, Kaiba. That sounds like fun. I haven’t been there, but I did kind of want to check it out someday, if I could. I appreciate it.”
Over the voice connection, he could hear some faint noise in the background on Kaiba’s end, like the shuffling of papers or the click of keys. “We have party rooms that can be reserved, I’ll check to see if there’s one available. The package would provide your friends with reduced price tickets, and you’d get in free if you actually went on your birthday.”
“Oh good, because that’s the day I told everyone to set aside.”
Kaiba made a thoughtful noise. “I suppose it would be logical to let your other half also have a free ticket, since he’d be getting in free with you if he was where he belonged.”
“That would be so nice of you, Kaiba, thank you!” Yugi gushed, aware of Yami near him, smiling. Neither of them could believe this was happening.
Kaiba growled again. “I’m not doing it to be nice, so just relax.”
Grinning, Yugi quieted, content to let Kaiba have his way. “Well, Mokuba is invited too, even if you don’t want to come. We’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Fine.” A few more obvious keyclicks, and Kaiba came back sounding rather satisfied. “There, it’s all set up. Even you should be able to afford this package, I’m being extremely generous to a fault.”
“You are,” Yugi said, amazed, “and I’m grateful. If there’s anything I can do for you in return, just let me know. I have no problems owing you a favor.”
“You’re damn right you owe me,” Kaiba muttered. “Get something to write on, I’m going to give you a confirmation number. On the day of your party, go up to the will-call window and give them this number, and they’ll have everything waiting for you. I’ll have someone meet you there to make sure there are no hassles.”
Yugi whirled around in his chair and stretched out to his desk to pull a pen and paper to him, scribbling down the confirmation code and labeling it so he wouldn’t forget. “Awesome, thanks,” he said. “Wow, what a lucky break, running into you online. This sounds like a lot of fun.”
“If luck has anything to do with it, you’re lucky I’m in a good mood,” Kaiba mused. “For that, you can thank the rival I defeated earlier.”
“Oh! That reminds me…did you ever get a rematch against that girl from the tournament?”
Expecting a growl of anger at being reminded of his failure, Yugi was surprised to hear Kaiba chuckle darkly. “Who do you think I smacked down tonight?”
“Ah…well, congratulations,” Yugi smiled. “Sounds like everything is back to normal.”
“Something like that. Well, that was all I wanted to know. You can go back to looking for a challenge. I have work to do.”
“Don’t work too hard,” Yugi chided. “Thanks again, Kaiba. Later.”
The connection terminated with no further pleasantries. Yugi logged himself off the network and pulled off his headset with a sigh, slumping back in his chair. A phantom vision of the pharaoh materialized beside him to share thoughts with him. “Well, that was weird,” Yugi commented toward it.
“I don’t understand it myself,” Yami agreed, “but I’m not about to question it. If Kaiba is willing to be generous just this once, we’ll let him. I don’t count on it happening again.”
“I know.” Yugi grinned up at his partner. “What do you think? Does a day at Kaibaland sound like fun to you, too?”
“I am curious about it,” the pharaoh shrugged. “The last time, we were rather busy with the Grand Prix and didn’t get to look around, much.”
Yugi hopped up out of his chair. “I can’t wait to tell everybody else about it! First thing’s first…” He deactivated his duel disk and set it on the desk before turning to rush out of his bedroom. “I gotta tell Grandpa!”
Yami faded from view as Yugi whisked out of the room to find his grandfather and tell him about the unexpected arrangements he had just made. It was good to see that his young partner was not about to give up on his pursuit of all things fun just because he was turning twenty – Yami wanted to see the amusement park just as much as Yugi. He was very amused to be along for the ride, mentally, as Yugi went squealing to his grandfather about the strange fit of generosity Kaiba had been in. The plan was set, then: the gang was going to Kaibaland.
The night before his birthday, Yugi flopped down in bed right after dinner to take an extra-long nap so that he would be ready at midnight not only for the ritual but for whatever his embodied partner might want to do upon waking. It was a wise move, because Yami intended to start his birthday off right and didn’t even throw on a bathrobe the moment he stepped from the Puzzle. Catching Yugi up in his arms, he favored him with a long, deep, probing kiss that left Yugi breathless and weak. He felt more than heard his partner’s sensual whisper in his ear: “Happy birthday.”
Yugi moaned softly and then grinned. “That’s right,” he whispered back. “It’s after midnight. That means it’s officially my birthday.”
Yami pulled him even tighter against his body, teasing him right through his thin pajamas with a grinding brush of their hips together. “Then, let me be the first to celebrate with you.” He nibbled softly at Yugi’s ear and neck, making him sigh in delight. “The way adults ought to.”
Yugi purred his agreement. “Just not too late,” he warned, feeling a shiver ripple down his body when the pharaoh’s hands slid around to cup his ass and rub their bodies together. “We need a good night’s sleep for tomorrow.”
Yami chuckled deeply. “A lack of sleep won’t stop you from running around an amusement park,” he noted.
“Well, no…” Yugi smirked up at him. “But it might make Joey and Tristan say all kinds of naughty things about why we got no sleep.”
“They’d be right,” Yami shrugged. But he understood, and dragged Yugi into bed with him with the intention of simply giving him a taste of what would surely come later in the day, after the park and their friends had all gone away and left them alone with each other. That much, Yugi wasn’t going to say no to – not at all!
The alarm pulled them out of a refreshing slumber to find themselves tangled up in each other’s arms and legs, with the sheet binding them together rather poorly. Though Yugi had left the skylight open for the pleasantly cool breeze all night, they awoke as hot and sweaty as they had been when collapsing onto each other in the middle of the night and were forced to make a long shower the first order of business. Plans had long ago been made to share rides and meet up at a certain place just outside the gates of Kaibaland, since the park was clear on the other side of town from everyone and that meant Grandpa would have to break out the car. He, Yugi, and Yami were supposed to pick Bakura up on their way, and meet up with Joey, Mai, Tristan, Duke, and Téa before ten. Yami stood back out of the way while Yugi ran around the bedroom picking out clothes for him, something lightweight and casual for the weather and an old pair of sneakers that would be much easier on his feet than his boots. The pharaoh chuckled as he listened to Yugi ramble about sunscreen, lots of walking, needing water, and other concerns of spending the day outdoors at the park. Somehow, they still made it out of the house on time, hanging a sign in the window of Kame game shop that read “closed today due to family business.” Yugi sat in the back seat with his partner and the cake Grandpa had picked up as they pulled up outside Bakura’s flat to find him waiting by a lamppost. Solomon Muto had to smile to himself at the noisy chatter between the boys as they enthused about the party, glancing up once into the rearview mirror to see Yami sitting there quietly, a warm and content look in his elegant eyes. He never said much, regardless, but he seemed to be taking a particular pleasure in listening to Yugi and Ryo enthusiastically discussing the things they had heard about attractions at the park and the still-weird notion that Kaiba had given Yugi some kind of sweet deal to let him have his milestone birthday party there. They were pulling up and parking in the vast lot before they knew it, and joined the stream of families and young people heading towards the gates for their own days of fun. Right on cue, the crowds parted to reveal the rest of the gang standing in a knot beneath the shadow of the giant dragon statue in front of the gates. Grandpa Muto and Bakura carried the cake and presents, allowing Yugi to break from his partner’s side and run pell-mell into them, pouncing on Joey and Tristan first, and then turning to clasp Téa’s hands in his and bounce with her. “You made it, you made it!” he crowed. “It’s so good to see you again!”
Téa beamed happily and hugged him around the shoulders. “Yugi! Happy birthday!”
“Yeah, happy birthday, man,” Joey said, the others all echoing the sentiment.
“Thanks, guys!” Yugi glanced back, then, as Yami glided up to his side and put an arm around him. “I’m so excited! This should be a lot of fun!”
“Good to see you again, pharaoh,” Mai said to him. “It’s been a couple months.”
“Oh, here, let me give you a hand with that, Mr. Muto,” Tristan said behind them, lunging to take the cake.
“Yes, well,” Yami said to Mai, smiling sheepishly, “Marik wanted to see me as long as he was here, last month. It’s difficult to see everybody when I have only one day at a time.”
Mai smiled and then winked at him, signaling him that she had done as he had asked her regarding Yugi’s present. “I’m sure you’ll make up for it today,” she added.
“Pharaoh…” Téa stepped up to him, giving him a slightly awed look. Of all the gang, she had seen him the least – the others had gotten used to this, but she had not. “I, uh…hi.”
“Hello, Téa,” he smiled. “Yugi tells me you’re doing well.”
“Come on, guys!” Yugi interrupted, grabbing Yami’s hand and towing him away so the others would follow, since they all wanted to talk to him. “Let’s go get our tickets and get this day started!”
He looked around and located the will-call window at the far end of the gate, heading straight there while digging the slip of paper with the confirmation number out of his pocket. Behind him, and out of his sight, several of the others surreptitiously passed Grandpa Muto some money, as they had secretly decided of their own accord to pay their own way into the park and relieve him of some of the burden of throwing the party. After all, as long as Kaiba had booked them discount tickets, they could swing it. They came up and stood behind Yugi in a cluster to wait while he got in the blissfully short line and then stepped up to the counter with his confirmation number. “Yes, I, uh…have a special package waiting,” he said to the girl behind the window. “A party package…this is the number.”
“Very well, sir…” The girl looked up his number on her computer, her eyebrow raising only slightly at whatever it revealed before writing something down on a clipboard and turning it to Yugi. “Just sign here at the bottom, I’ll get you your tickets.”
“Okay…” Yugi signed on the blank line, and then grinned as she slid a packet of tickets held together with a rubber band to him. They were just as Kaiba had promised – actual full-day unlimited passes to the amusement park, with the holographic sticker on them for verification. “Wow, cool,” he couldn’t help but gasp.
The girl in the window tore a copy of the waiver he had signed off and handed it over as well, followed by a rubber-banded set of plastic wristbands. “When you go through the gate, they’ll give you wristbands for the tickets,” she explained, “but you’ll need this second one to have access to the party room that has been set aside for you. Lunch will be served at 1 pm, it’s all in the contract you signed there.”
“Lunch?” Yugi wondered. He didn’t remember that being part of the deal. “O-okay…well, how much do I owe, then?”
She told him, and his eyes widened even more. That was no discount, that was a steal! He turned to find Grandpa Muto coming up beside him with the money, and that was that – they were in. Yugi passed the tickets and wristbands around, telling everyone what the girl at the counter had told him. “Dude, we’re gettin’ lunch out of this, too?” Joey exclaimed. “What the hell did you do to Kaiba to get this kind of deal?”
“I don’t know!” Yugi laughed. “But I’m not going to turn it down! All right, does everybody have a ticket and a wristband? Good! Let’s go in, then.”
Being as the park had just barely opened, there was a bit of a line waiting at the gates to have tickets turned into wristbands that would allow patrons unlimited access to the rides and attractions at the theme park, but it wasn’t terrible. Yugi and his party stood around chattering brightly about what they wanted to see the most, deciding that they should go find the party room first and put down the cake and the presents everyone had brought before actually hitting any rides. It was supposed to be a beautiful day, hot and summery, so they were already thinking about the water rides and ice cream vendors. Mai flashed her engagement ring for Téa to see for the first time, eliciting yet another round of questions on whether they had set a date yet. Yami stood among them holding Yugi’s hand firmly, their fingers entwined, as he listened and chuckled with Duke over something. It was joy enough for him to see Yugi so happy, his violet eyes sparkling in the morning sun and hair ruffling just a little in the wind. So occupied, no one paid attention to the girl at the will-call window picking up the phone inside her booth; the confirmation number had been flagged for her to call someone when it was picked up. By the time the gang got to the head of the line and entered the park, pausing to snap their double wristbands on, the person she had contacted was already there waiting to meet them. Yugi turned to lead the way but stopped with a cry of surprise. “Mokuba!”
Mokuba stood in the way with his hands clasped behind his back and an official Kaibaland pass around his neck with his card locket, grinning. Those who had seen him back in December at the regional tournament were surprised to see him yet again looking like he was growing too fast, his thin, gangly limbs outpacing the length of his sleeves, his long, bushy hair pulled back into a ponytail. Of course, he was just shy of fifteen now, so it was only natural that he’d shoot up like his brother sooner or later. “Hey guys!” he called out to them. “Welcome to Kaibaland! Happy birthday, Yugi!”
“Thanks,” Yugi laughed. “So, let me guess – you’re our tour guide today.”
“Yep.” Mokuba shrugged aloofly. “My brother said you offered to invite me to your party, so hey, it saves him having to send some other flunky out here to show you around. You got everything?”
“I think so.” Yugi held out his arm and looked at his wristbands, one purple, one blue. “One for the rides and one for the party room, right?”
“That’s right.” Mokuba turned and gestured to the pack of taller, older kids. “Come on, I’ll show you where that is first, then you can go out and see the park. Maybe if you’re good, I’ll sneak you to the head of the line on some of the best rides.”
“Oo! Count me in,” Joey said, racing up and slinging an arm around Mokuba. “I always did like you better than your older brother.”
“What makes you think I was talking about you?” Mokuba snorted. “Yugi’s the VIP, it’s his birthday.”
Like many theme parks, Kaibaland was set up with several different thematic areas surrounding a central attraction, and some of the best private rooms and picnic halls were located in that central area. Mokuba brought them to a big pavilion with several separate party patios on two levels, and led the way upstairs to a balcony patio that overlooked the main promenade which was already filling up with people. A sign on the door marked it as belonging to the “Muto birthday party,” and Yugi pushed his way through to find a nice, sheltered room in the back where the catered lunch would be set out later, open on one side to a big deck with several round tables, each hiding in the shade of a giant umbrella to keep the sun off. The place had even been decorated with a few balloons and some exclusive Kaibaland-brand drink cups and napkins. Yugi couldn’t stop laughing at how overblown and tremendous it all seemed, and his friends lauded him enthusiastically for picking a great place to have a party. Joey and Téa bellied up to the railing with him to look over and see all the people passing by below. “This is so cool, Yugi,” Téa congratulated him. “I can’t believe you’re getting all this…from Kaiba!”
“I know,” he said with a grin. “I’m going to owe him something, for going to the trouble. I bet a package deal like this costs twice what we paid for it.”
“Hey, perfect.” Tristan appeared on Téa’s other side. “We can throw jellybeans at people from up here.”
“And get kicked out,” Téa warned him.
“Aw, would I do that?”
“Yes you would – you’ve done it before.”
“That was Joey’s fault.”
“Hey! It was not!”
Yugi glanced to either side of him and smiled wistfully. His three best friends from school, reunited at last on his special day. It was a sight to see, since life was taking them all in such divergent directions now that they were all reaching adulthood one at a time. But before he could say anything sappy, Yami snuck up behind him and slid a hand onto his back, gently reminding of his presence. After all, he belonged with them, too. Yugi glanced up and grinned as his partner came to his side, looking over the railing like the others. “What are you all looking at?”
“Nothing in particular,” Joey answered. “Checkin’ out the view. This is really sweet, though. Hey, Mokuba.” He turned and nodded toward the younger Kaiba. “Tell your big bro thanks, would ya?”
“Sure thing,” Mokuba said.
Grandpa put the cake inside the shelter for now, and the miscellaneous packages and bags his friends had brought for Yugi would be safe up there as well, so they could go have some fun for a while. Téa and Mai wisely donned sunglasses and looked askance at the boys for forgetting such a prudent precaution while they crowded around one of the tables, where Yugi had laid out a map of the park. Mokuba hung at his side, pointing things out to them that might be of interest. Nobody cared much for the theatrical shows, they all wanted to go on the roller coasters – except Grandpa. “Ah, there was a time I wouldn’t have batted an eye at those monsters,” he said wistfully, patting his chest. “But these days I don’t think I should chance it. I’ll go on the water rides with you, though.”
“Yeah, you should be careful,” Mokuba offered. “Some of the coasters have warnings about people with heart conditions. They’re pretty fast.”
“Then that’s where I’m going!” Joey enthused. “You can keep your cutesy shows with hack actors dressed up as Duel Monsters. That’s for the kiddies.”
“Wouldn’t that be funny?” Yugi turned to Yami. “If we see a guy walking around dressed up as the Dark Magician, we should get our picture taken with him.”
Yami gave him an exasperated look. “I don’t know,” he said dubiously. “Something about that seems odd, to me.”
“And the dueling arenas are over here,” Mokuba pointed out to finish his verbal tour of the map. “I’m pretty sure all you guys brought your decks. You can actually use them in these arenas.”
“Awesome,” Yugi laughed. “Well, lead the way, Mokuba! You’re the one who helped design this park. Show us the best rides!”
They headed downstairs in a big pack and started off down the paved promenade, looking around in wonder. Yugi and Yami walked hand in hand beside Mokuba, keeping their affections quiet except for that. The pharaoh was distracted by all the colors and sights and sounds, and needed Yugi’s hand in his to keep him from wandering off into oncoming traffic. Yugi turned to Mokuba with a curious look. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think to introduce you to Yami all over again. I know you saw him that one time, but…”
“Nah, it’s okay,” Mokuba assured with a wave. “Seto warned me about it last night. Said I might see him again. I thought he was crazy, but it looks like he was right.” He glanced past Yugi to Yami, who had his head turned in the opposite direction to stare at something outrageous. “That really is him, huh? How often does he get to be like this?”
“One day a month,” Yugi explained. “For twenty-four hours, that’s it.”
“Weird.” Mokuba shot him a grin. “And you guys are like, dating or something?”
“Yeah,” Yugi laughed. “I suppose your brother warned you about that, too.”
“No, he told me about you being…uh, gay…a while ago. I knew that part.” He raised an eyebrow. “I just didn’t know it was with the pharaoh.”
Yugi blinked at him. So, Kaiba had chosen to out him, huh? He didn’t mind Mokuba knowing, it made all of this much easier. “Well, I don’t really go around bragging about it,” he said modestly. “Not a lot of people would understand. At least my friends are all good about it.”
“It’s cool,” Mokuba said. “I don’t care. I mean…it really doesn’t change who you are, does it?” He shrugged. “You’re still the same champion duelist my brother is trying his hardest to beat, right? Having a boyfriend doesn’t make you all of a sudden some kind of alien.”
Yugi smiled at him. “I’m glad to hear that, Mokuba. Thanks.”
“Well, you know. It’s like us. My brother is a kind of celebrity, but he’s always been real careful about letting people know anything about our personal lives.” Mokuba shrugged again, choosing his words so as not to accidentally let his own brother’s secret slip. “Ever since Seto took over KaibaCorp, and everybody wanted an interview with ‘the world’s youngest CEO,’ he’s done his best to keep private things private. I’d guess you want it to be that way, too. It’s nobody’s business who you like.”
Yugi could think of a few private things Kaiba would have wanted to keep private. He glanced back behind them at Tristan and Duke, who were being extremely well-behaved today. They finally had their opportunity to tell Téa about their relationship, but they were looking for a tactful moment and so far, one hadn’t sprung up. Everything had been too much of a whirlwind of activity so far. “I know the rest of the world isn’t so open-minded,” Yugi sighed, “but that’s okay. As long as we’re not bothering anyone.”
“Nope, not bothering me.” Yet, Mokuba glanced aside at him, taking a moment to study the way he and Yami were holding hands. Now that he was actually seeing it for himself, and not merely hearing rumors about it, he might have been bothered, but it didn’t really seem all that odd. Not to mention, his brother’s lecture had gotten through to him in a big way. “All right, here’s where all the big roller coasters are,” he said, changing the subject as they entered another section of the park through a big archway. “The lines are gonna get longer later in the day, so if you want to ride these, you’d better do it now. But the Dragonrider is the most popular one, that line’ll be a mile long, so…” He winked at Yugi. “If you want, I can get you to the head of the line on that one.”
The Dragonrider was the park’s biggest roller coaster, boasting the highest drop of any amusement park ride in the country, a “dragon’s tail corkscrew,” and naturally, the sleek silver and blue paint job of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. No wonder there was already such a long line at it. Being as Mokuba could flash his credentials anytime, the gang decided to split up and head to some of the other coasters first, and anyone who wanted a crack at the Dragonrider would meet back in an hour to take advantage of VIP perks. For the rest of the morning they were scattered all over the park, running into each other at various times and roaming in smaller packs, but each going the way they wanted to see the attractions that appealed to them the most. Yugi had to keep one hand firmly on the chain of the Millennium Puzzle going through the inverted turns on the roller coasters, but it was a very small price to pay for fun. The first coaster left Yami terrified, but he worked his courage back up for the Dragonrider and after that, decided he kind of liked the thrill. Mai didn’t go on any, she claimed they made her sick, so she walked around with anyone else not in line for the rides. Téa stayed with her while some of the boys went with Grandpa on the traditional log ride through the water, because she didn’t feel right getting her tank top and shorts wet with all of them around. Yet, that meant she got volunteered to hold all of their decks while they went on the ride, so their cards wouldn’t get wet. Whatever their choice of entertainment, the gang had a blast, and came back together from all corners of the park for the promised food at one, flashing their bracelets at the KaibaCorp security guy keeping an eye on Mokuba’s comings and goings and storming up the stairs to the patio. A huge catered spread had been laid out in their absence, and the cake set up artfully at the end of the table for them to cut and enjoy when they were finished with lunch. It was almost impossible to believe that this was all included in the package, or that they could thank Kaiba for such extraordinary generosity. Joey still swore there had to be some kind of string attached, but so far, there was no sign of any. Mokuba beamed cheerily at Yugi. “Just think of it as the Kaiba brothers’ birthday present to you.”
“I guess so,” Yugi smiled. “Thanks a lot. All right, gang…let’s eat!”
Those magic words sent Joey and Tristan diving into the buffet, leaving the rest to follow at their own risk. Laughing, chattering, the group of friends filled up their tall Kaibaland cups with soda or lemonade and clustered around the largest of the tables, jockeying for position around the guest of honor. Yugi just wanted Yami on one side of him, where the rest chose to sit was up to them. The sun was high overhead now and peeped through the fringes of the umbrella shading them, but there was enough of a light breeze to make it simply perfect. They were just sitting down on the patio and doublechecking that everyone had napkins or utensils before someone ran back over to the buffet to get more when heavy footsteps on the stairs arrested their attention. To their surprise, Seto Kaiba himself stepped out onto the patio, squinting in the sunshine. He looked to have just come straight from the office, as he was wearing a suit for once and looking very businesslike. Mokuba piped up first. “Hey, big brother! You made it!”
Kaiba sent an aloof look around the circle of friends gathered at the table, not quite acknowledging his younger brother’s greeting. Yugi got up and went to him. “Kaiba! I thought you didn’t want to come?”
Kaiba eyed him warily. “I just wanted to make sure everything was in place. Did you have any trouble at will-call this morning?”
“No, everything was arranged perfectly,” Yugi replied. “Thank you so much, Kaiba. This is great. We’re having a great time, and the food just makes it perfect. I didn’t know that was part of the deal, so thanks.”
A cool half-smile flitted briefly across Seto’s lips. “Not many people realize that Kaibaland is set up to offer all kinds of special packages, it’s not just for little kids. We have a first class catering service, there are even arrangements available for weddings.” He glanced past Yugi, settling not on Joey but on Mai. “Which would probably suit you geeks just fine.”
“Have my wedding here? Thanks, but no thanks,” Mai laughed. “I love Duel Monsters, but not that much.”
“Well, as long as you came all the way from the office to check up on us, why don’t you stay for lunch?” Yugi cheerfully offered. “After all, you provided it.”
“I suppose.” Kaiba glanced around the group one more time before turning smoothly and ducking under the shelter to go fill a plate. Yugi returned to his seat between Yami and Joey, while across the table, some of the others tried to scoot aside and make room for one more. Yet, naturally, when he joined them, Kaiba decided to sit at the next table over, where the umbrella was providing plenty of shade and there was no one to rub elbows with.
The others just went about their lunch as if Kaiba wasn’t there, leaving him to his solitude as he seemed to prefer. He looked as serious and dark as ever, but he had consented to joining his rival’s party for this short span of time of his own will. Yugi gazed across at him curiously, but he was too far away to talk to. The others were noisy and enthusiastic enough to make up for it, chattering about what they had done, what more they wanted to do, and teasing each other over who was too scared to try which ride. At least the Duel Monsters theme park had enough big, scary rides for young adults to enjoy, it wasn’t all soft, safe, family-oriented fare. Before too long Joey and Tristan were jumping up for seconds and thirds, and there was so much food still provided for them that the others couldn’t resist getting more. Téa was just bringing up the idea of finding one of those silly little photo booths and getting some pictures of her friends when Yami politely excused himself, standing up to go and fetch some more food. While he was alone under the shelter, he sensed another’s approach and glanced over his shoulder to find the tall shadow of Kaiba lurking up behind him. He wore a grouchy look, but just averted his eyes and allowed the pharaoh to go in front of him without saying a word. Yami smiled faintly to himself as he reached to spoon some fresh fruit onto his plate. “I must say, Kaiba,” he murmured, “this is quite a pleasant surprise. You have our thanks.”
Kaiba didn’t look at him as he stepped up alongside and picked idly over the selection. “Yeah, well,” he said heavily, “it’s just part of the package.”
“But you didn’t have to give Yugi the kind of deal you did.” The pharaoh turned and stood there for a moment gazing across the patio to where his friends sat, a boisterous gaggle of youth, but specifically to Yugi, and the smile on his face like sunshine. A melancholy look passed briefly through Yami’s eyes. “I know it doesn’t seem like it,” he said quietly, “but Yugi has had a rough year so far, since the tournament. You wouldn’t know it, seeing the smile on his face, but he’s watched his friends go through so much pain in the first part of the year, physical and emotional. Senseless violence, suicide attempts, family problems. We ourselves were attacked one night, a few months ago, because of who we are. And before the tournament, things were even worse.” He sighed worriedly, aware that behind him, Kaiba was listening keenly no matter how much he pretended not to. “He puts on a brave face, because he doesn’t want his friends to know when he’s afraid or upset, he wants to be strong for them. Only I know of the secret tears he sheds at night when there’s no one around except me to see.” He glanced back to see Kaiba standing there, still as a statue, holding his plate and just staring at him as he spoke. “Such a wonderful, over-the-top party like this has made him so happy. I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing him so happy, so carefree, in a few months. I appreciate everything you did to help make it happen, Kaiba.”
An uncomfortable look flickered across Kaiba’s face, but he said nothing. He couldn’t say anything, he literally did not know how to respond to that. He just stood for a moment longer staring at the pharaoh’s back, and the way he gazed across to Yugi and his friends looking like there really wasn’t anything else to care about besides good food and a party. At last, Yami snapped himself out of his thoughts with a shake of his head and smiled faintly over his shoulder at Seto. “I know you don’t regard us as your friends, but what you did for us today is something a friend would do, and for that, I thank you. You’ve made this Yugi’s best birthday ever. If there is any way I or Yugi can repay you, say so.” Straightening up, he went back out into the sunshine and over to the table, slipping back into his spot beside Yugi, who welcomed him with a little hug and a giggle of delight over the strawberry being held out to him in the pharaoh’s nimble fingers.
Kaiba stood as though paralyzed by kindness. He had no way to respond to Yami’s heartfelt gratitude, but it astonished him how the pharaoh’s quiet calm and honesty made him feel. It felt good to be appreciated, even if he did have ulterior motives for making the extravagant deal. And Yugi really did look happy, in that way that left no one around him unaffected by the contagious joy. Kaiba savored it for a moment before similarly shrugging off his deeper thoughts and returning to his seat. He had taken an extra-long lunch break to come out to the park, but he needed to finish eating and get back soon. Still, as he sat and made his way through the second helping, he leaned an elbow on the table and listened casually to the conversation going on next to him.
“Okay, you need to take a geography lesson,” Téa was saying to Joey. “New York is a very long way from Florida. So no, I haven’t been to Disneyworld.”
“I know it’s a long way,” Joey argued, “I just thought maybe that ritzy roommate of yours might have taken you down there on spring break or something.”
Téa shook her head. “I didn’t go anywhere on spring break. I had rehearsals.” She sighed tiredly. “No spring break and no Golden Week for me, I didn’t get to have any fun.”
“Well, at least you’re home now,” Yugi offered, “and can have a bit of a break before you go to Osaka.”
“Hey, it’s not like the rest of us did anything exciting on break either,” Joey sniffed. “I almost forgot we had one.”
“Speak for yourself, Joey,” Bakura said with a little smile. “I had a nice break. Not that I left the city, but…”
“Well, you had good reason,” Yugi teased. “How long do you have until your summer class starts?”
“Not long, I’m afraid. And I never really had a break from work, the research projects are ongoing and don’t end when the semester is over.” Ryo shrugged stiffly. “Those of us in the work-study program who live here and don’t leave after term are free to continue helping out.”
“Yeah, meaning you get to keep working when everybody else skips town,” Joey snorted. “Man, that’s gotta suck.”
“Hey, you kids in school have got it easy,” Duke retorted. “Try being out in the real world, working for a living, like me and Tristan and Yugi and Mai.” He cast a bored look over his shoulder. “…and Kaiba.”
“You think writing papers and studying for exams is easy?” Joey cried. “You’re the ones who have it easy! You don’t have to worry about things like due dates and grades.”
“No, we just have to worry about the bottom line, every single day,” Duke smirked.
“Well, I don’t know that it’s all that hard,” Yugi mused, trying to be diplomatic. “Although we are getting into a kind of slow time of year.”
“Maybe it just looks that way because of the added competition,” Kaiba interrupted, sounding quietly smug.
Joey shot him a dirty look, but Yugi just shrugged. “No, it’s like this every year. Right before summer term ends – after that, the high school kids will be out of school and it’ll be back to normal. I’m not worried.”
“Enjoy your freedom while you have it,” Duke said to Joey, as if to conclude the round with a victory in the favor of working stiffs. “Because once you graduate, there is no such thing as break. It’s all downhill from there, baby.”
Tristan gave him an idle look. “Judging by the lifestyle you lead, I’d hardly call it downhill.”
Everyone laughed and conceded that nobody had it easy, except maybe Mokuba. Yugi looked around, noted that everyone was just sitting in front of an empty plate and sipping casually at their drinks. “Hey, I think it’s a good time for cake,” he decided. “Everybody ready?”
They all seemed amenable to the idea, except for one. Kaiba pushed himself to his feet and straightened his suit jacket. “Sorry, but I have to get back to the office,” he said curtly. “I’ve taken a long enough lunch break. I just wanted to make sure the park didn’t screw up my orders.”
Yugi sat up. “Well, thanks for dropping by anyway. And thanks for setting this all up.”
Kaiba nodded and just glanced at Mokuba as if to telepathically order him to behave before turning and heading for the stairs. The dark-suited henchman who had been lurking near the door followed him out. After an appropriately long-enough pause to be sure he had left, Joey grumbled, “That’s Kaiba for ya. Always gotta show up, crash the party, steal the spotlight, and then leave just when things are about to be fun.”
“What’s with that suit?” Duke exclaimed. “I thought the pimp look was out.”
“He could have been nicer,” Mai added. “Bringing up business at a birthday party. How tacky.”
“Guys!” Yugi broke in. “Would you cut it out?”
“Oh, come on, Yug,” Joey sighed. “He brings it on himself. Showing up here out of the blue like that? He just wanted to take all the credit for all the awesomeness. Give himself a nice pat on the back.”
“Do you really expect anything less from Kaiba?” Duke shrugged. “Come on, we’re all used to this by now. He’s gonna show up and throw his weight around anytime he can, just because it’s his park and his idea.”
“It’s that attitude I can’t stand,” Tristan agreed.
Yugi glowered at them all, quivering in his seat with his hands clenched into fists. At last, he cried, “Just shut up and be nice for once, can’t you?” and sprang to his feet. As the others looked on in shock, he dashed across the patio and down the stairs, trying to catch Kaiba before he could leave. Yami stared after him, and then quietly got up and followed him without a word to the others.
The walkways of the park were wide enough to drive vehicles through, and being as the picnic patios were at the center of the park, it wasn’t unreasonable that Kaiba should have had his driver bring him directly there and park in the small lot just beside the building. He was almost to the car when he heard someone call his name, and glanced back to see Yugi running towards him. Curious, he paused with a hand on the door of the car while Yugi jogged to a stop a few paces away. “Kaiba,” he said, taking a breath to calm himself. “Just a minute.”
Kaiba’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want now?”
“Nothing, just…” Yugi made a puzzled face and blurted out, “Why? Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?”
The question made Kaiba visibly flinch. He looked away, but didn’t move to open the car door just yet. “Does it matter?” he muttered over his shoulder.
Yugi stood facing him squarely, arms at his sides, while the pharaoh silently crept up behind him, listening. “It’s just…you’ve been so nice to me today and I wanted to thank you…but I wish I knew the reason. I’m sure there’s something you want out of me. But either way…I just want to know.”
Kaiba said nothing for a long moment, only pulling the car door open. At last, he turned back slightly and gave Yugi a sullen look. “Maybe it isn’t that I want something out of you…but that I owe you and felt it was time to pay it back.”
Yugi blinked in confusion. “What do you owe me? I don’t understand.”
Seto gestured to his driver to go get in the car. He turned away from Yugi again before answering. “I owe you for some good advice given on the way back from Hong Kong. That’s all. This is a small price to pay for settling that debt.” With that, he slid into the car and shut the door.
Yugi remained there for a moment, staring in confusion, even as he felt his lover’s hand come to rest on his shoulder. The car started up and pulled away, slowly negotiating the broad causeway that led to the border of the park and the streets beyond. Once it had gone, Yugi stirred and glanced to find Yami beside him. “What do you suppose that means?” he wondered.
“I couldn’t say,” the pharaoh murmured. “But it was the answer to your question.”
“I still don’t get it,” Yugi complained. “But if that’s all he’s going to say…fine.”
“Come. Let’s go back upstairs,” Yami implored, guiding him gently with the hand on his shoulder. “Your friends are probably wondering why you ran out like that.”
Yugi sighed, but submitted to the gentle guidance. “I just couldn’t take it this time. I’m used to them badmouthing Kaiba, and he usually deserves it, but…he didn’t do anything. And I saw Mokuba just sitting there, not saying anything to defend his brother, and…”
“You were right,” Yami assured him. “Now, let’s go make sure everyone else knows that.”