Queer as Tachi – Chapter 86
Since attending the game convention last year, Yugi was enamored of the idea of getting into Tokyo early, checking into the hotel, picking up their registration passes so as not to have to wake up early and stand in line, and then whiling away the rest of the day sightseeing in the big city. His grandfather had agreed wholeheartedly with the plan, so that was what they did. Checking in was a breeze, and even with other retailers and industry professionals getting their passes early, they didn’t have to wait in line terribly long before both were clutching their badges with shiny foil stamps indicating that they were special retail attendees and a bag of flyers and programs for the weekend’s events. That left the Mutos the rest of the afternoon and evening to enjoy Tokyo. There would be no clubbing for Yugi this time around, but he was more than happy to spend the day with his grandpa, taking the train to other districts where they could walk around the shops and tourist traps, walking through a park where the maple trees were aflame with fall color, and generally enjoying themselves in a rather innocent fashion. Solomon was as fit as ever, spry and eager, and even left Yugi in the dust a couple of times as they made their way through shopping districts hunting for bargains. Yugi tagged along in exasperation, having nothing that he really wanted to look for, until they passed a small shop with a strange collection of miscellaneous trinkets out front. A gaggle of girls were picking through the bins and squealing at the cuteness of some of the toys and bobbles for cell phones or keychains, naturally attracting Grandpa Muto’s attention. Yugi grabbed him by the arm and tried to drag him away when he spotted something shiny and silver that caught his eye. It was a dragon figure, oddly familiar-looking with a little loop at the top to clip to either a necklace or a keychain or something of that sort. It jogged his memory, making him think of Kaiba and the fact that he had a birthday coming right after the game expo. Though he had been warned not to make a fuss about it, Yugi couldn’t help but ponder it as he pulled his grandfather away from the giggling girls. He would have liked to do something kind for Kaiba, but how to sneak it into conversation and get it across without offending or annoying the company president? It would take more thought, and no splurging on a dragon pendant designed to rip off the famous rare card.
The Mutos were not the only ones making the weekend a family vacation. Seto Kaiba had promised Mokuba that if he was doing well enough in school by this point, he could take a couple of days off and accompany him to Tokyo and the expo. It wasn’t just to take advantage of being the president’s little brother – Mokuba had some small responsibilities attached to his name, as a Kaiba, and gloated over the chance to be able to go to the gaming convention and flaunt them personally. He even planned to be part of the grand Legendary Heroes presentation, but that was a couple of days away yet. While his brother went into the convention center to oversee the setup of their giant exhibitor’s booth on the main floor, Mokuba relaxed and indulged in their luxury suite’s amenities until Kaiba returned to take him to dinner. There was so much on the schedule for the company president, but he set aside the rest of that evening to behave like a big brother ought to, to have a private dinner with Mokuba and then retire to their room to relax. While Kaiba had to take care of business, meetings, and preparing for the big announcement, Mokuba would be free to explore the showroom floor and hang out, for he was still young and carefree enough to be excused from having to entertain the press or appear anywhere as the public face of KaibaCorp. He made some noise, that evening, about wanting to go out into the city and look for a special birthday present for his brother, but Seto eyed him warily and told him he couldn’t spare one of his assistants to chaperone such a trip. Mokuba grumbled, but relented, since the game expo itself was probably going to be way more fun than going shopping in Tokyo.
Despite having gone through the program booklet several times to find schedules and determine which events seemed the most interesting, the excitement didn’t keep Yugi up too late. He slept soundly and contentedly, to the point of requiring a little mental prod from Yami to wake him up when the alarm went off. Not too long afterward, he and his grandpa were standing just inside the exhibit hall, consulting their programs for maps, schedules, and some kind of guide to the madness. There was so much to see, especially since retailers and moguls had free, unimpeded access to the exhibition hall before the fans were let in tomorrow, but there were also important panel discussions for industry insiders. Yugi wanted to go to a few of them, as befitting his role as the co-owner of Kame game shop, but he had to decide on the most valuable ones ahead of time so he could plan around demonstrations and press conferences being held at corporate booths in the exhibit hall. There was going to be one on the future of collectible card gaming that he knew he could not miss, but for now, they had time to roam around and get their bearings as most attendees were doing. It was all just as Yugi remembered from the year prior – the huge, bright displays, the long rows of vendor booths, the assortment of professionals in business suits and casually-dressed shop owners, and the cacophony of hundreds of voices mixed with random music and recorded presentations blaring from every other booth. Grandpa Muto was beaming already. “Look at this place,” he sighed while Yugi peered at the map. “It gets even bigger every year. Oh, I hope there’s lots of free stuff to pick up.”
Yugi grinned at him. “Well, what do you say? We have time before the collectible card panel, so we can check out where all the good stuff is, and come back later to actually talk to people?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” his grandfather said with a nod. “Let’s go.”
They started on one end and walked up and down each aisle in sequence, getting a feel for the layout and seeing what was all there. The KaibaCorp exhibit was in roughly the same place as last year, but taking up even more space than before with a new booth that had the stage even more strategically placed for maximum impact. Industrial Illusions naturally had a presence also, but they appeared to have simply recycled the towers from the past year. Yugi breathed a private sigh of relief that he didn’t have to worry about Pegasus like last year, between the tournament promotions and the attempts to spy on Kaiba’s business activity through him. Barring any new announcements about more tournaments, Yugi figured he wouldn’t have to deal with the American CEO at all. That is, until he and his grandfather came around a corner and ran smack into the silver-haired man himself.
It was a perfectly random encounter, but one that made them all pause in their tracks. Surrounded by his bodyguards, Pegasus just stepped back and smiled coolly, tucking a hand into one of the pockets on his suitcoat. “Well, well. What a pleasant surprise,” he cooed. “Yugi-boy! It’s good to see you again.”
“Pegasus,” Yugi said as politely as he could, shaking off his surprise. “Uhh…hi.”
“It’s been a while,” Pegasus continued in that oily tone of slightly insincere friendliness. “I hope things have been going well for you since the tournament?”
“Um…yeah, just fine,” Yugi replied cautiously.
“And this must be your grandfather!” The CEO leaned forward and seized Solomon’s hand, shaking it briskly. “You know, I don’t think we’ve actually met face to face before! It’s a pleasure and an honor, Mr. Muto. You’re looking quite well.”
Solomon Muto eyed him with far less consideration than his grandson. “Mr. Pegasus,” he said curtly, withdrawing his hand.
Pegasus did not seem to notice their impressions of him, or if he did, he obviously didn’t care. “It looks like you’ve recovered quite well. Yugi told me you received my flowers, and the card…”
“Yes, and they were very nice, thank you,” Grandpa said without actual gratitude.
Pegasus focused his attention back on Yugi. “My, my. You really are coming into your own, aren’t you, Yugi-boy? Coming to the game expo, keeping up on all the latest trends in gaming. Then again, rumors tell me you’re fully co-owner of your little shop now.”
Yugi nodded slightly. “That’s true. We’re just here to take a break and look around. Nothing big.”
Pegasus put on a truly sneaky sort of smile. “I hear KaibaCorp is going to be making yet another big announcement this weekend. Sounds interesting.”
Yugi peered at him. “How much do you know about it?”
The taller man gave a sort of pout, shifting his gaze sideways as if hunting out someone to glare at. “Based on the licensing requests that have come my way, I know it has something to do with that little virtual role-playing game of his, but apart from that, I’m in the dark as much as anyone else.” He cast Yugi a superior look. “He doesn’t have to try so hard to one-up me. I don’t have anything nearly as wonderful as a tournament to announce this year. Though I can’t imagine what’s so special about that virtual world that he has to crow about.”
Realization began to dawn on Yugi, making him smile ever-so-slightly. “I know what it is,” he said matter-of-factly. “I guess that means…I know more than you do.”
Pegasus’ one eye widened very slightly, before he frowned. “Is that so, Yugi-boy?”
Yugi nodded, but kept his smug smile toned down. “Yeah, but…he asked me not to say anything to anyone, so…I guess you get to find out tomorrow with the rest of the world. It’ll be out in the open, then.”
Pegasus almost glared at him. “I see.”
“Yugi,” Grandpa Muto broke in, “we had better get moving if we want to make it to that panel.”
“Oh, yeah. Thanks Grandpa.” Yugi gave a polite bob of his head to the CEO. “Pegasus.” With that, both Mutos turned sharply and headed away. Behind them, Pegasus only peered at their retreating backs before gesturing to his entourage to continue with him to his company’s booth.
An aisle away, Yugi let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know what it is,” he said to his grandfather, “but even without the Millennium Eye Pegasus still has the power to creep me out.”
“You aren’t the only one,” Grandpa Muto said sternly. “He may not be the threat he once was, but there’s still something about him that makes me uncomfortable.”
“He’s just a creep,” Yugi said with a shake of his head. “At least with Kaiba…he’s a jerk to your face. Pegasus always hides it and pretends to be your friend, but he’s always got something up his sleeve.” He glanced aside at his grandfather. “I was kind of surprised to see you so unnerved, though.”
“Yes, well…” Solomon made a face to himself. “I know it’s been a few years and he’s lost his powers, but…I don’t think I can ever really completely forgive him for the whole soul-stealing incident.”
“Yeah…” Yugi stared down at the floor as they walked. “I mean…he does have it in him to be honest. I saw it once. But only once. The rest of the time…he’s like that.” He thumbed over his shoulder to indicate the run-in they had just had. “I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter – if he doesn’t have anything big to announce. I will admit, though…” He gave his grandfather a big grin. “It feels kind of nice to know something he doesn’t know about gaming.”
They finished their rounds quickly and went off to the other part of the convention center where the industry panels were being held, hoping to get something out of them. After pouring over the program and discussing it the night before, Yugi and his grandfather agreed to go to some of them together, but not all of them, as each had their own individual interests aside from things both knew might benefit the shop. At those points in the day, they set a time and place to meet back up and went their separate ways, usually resorting to browsing the exhibition hall idly when not attending an informative panel. Later in the afternoon, Yugi found himself alone while Grandpa Muto went off to some panel or another, and sat for a bit resting in a chair near the concessions stand to peruse the program. He had his eye on a panel for retailers about adding gaming space to shops, but it wasn’t until much later, well after the time he planned to rejoin Grandpa. He paused, thinking of something, and then chuckled faintly to himself. Within his mind, he murmured to his partner, “I’m sure you’re finding all of this completely boring.”
“Hm?” It took the briefest second for Yami to realize he was being addressed. “I’m sorry, Yugi, I’m actually not listening to very much of it.”
Yugi sat back in his chair, letting his gaze wander as if people-watching, though his attention turned inward. “Got a lot on your mind, do you?” he asked gently. “I can sort of feel it.”
“Grandpa’s talk yesterday on the train gave me much to think about,” the pharaoh’s spirit murmured. “I hope you don’t mind if I retreat and quietly dwell on such subjects instead of looking over your shoulder at the world of gaming stores.”
“No, it’s okay,” Yugi assured him.
“I can’t imagine it would be all that interesting to you anyway. But if I see anything particularly Duel
Monsters-related, I’ll give you a mental poke.”
“I would be pleased with that,” Yami responded with quiet humor. “I will try not to let my deep thoughts
interfere with your fun.”
“So far, so good,” Yugi giggled. “I’m not really doing anything ‘fun’ at the moment anyway. I think I’m just going to wander for a bit.”
A soft purr stole through his mind. “Hm…perhaps I will allow myself a break and look over your shoulder while you wander. In case you spot anything curious.”
Yugi let a little laugh be his reply and got up, tucking the program in his back pocket before making his way through packs of people simply milling about and heading back into the exhibit hall. The Millennium Puzzle gave a comforting jingle as it settled against his stomach, taking up its usual position of prominence as he walked at a casual pace, aware of the second presence inside him absently casting a glance through his eyes at the controlled mayhem of the convention. A lot of it was more or less a repeat of the previous year, but there were occasional new products and freshly-started companies worth checking out, or at least glancing over. Wandering around alone didn’t bother Yugi, but he found it infinitely more entertaining when he had someone to chatter with and share his observations, a role Yami was eager to play. Thinking was important to him, but the thoughts were dark and he deserved to put them aside for a while and just enjoy the cute silliness of making running mental commentaries with his partner. They spent a fair amount of time in this fashion, until Yugi paused in the middle of a conflux of aisles to decide which way to head next. He glanced aside and saw someone he recognized approaching through the crowds, dressed down in baggy jeans and a bold t-shirt like any of the gamer fanboys who would fill the expo over the next two days. The skater-casual attire didn’t fool Yugi for a second, though. He grinned and called out, “Hey, Mokuba!”
The shaggy head turned in his direction, and Mokuba grinned back. “Yugi! What’s up?”
They met in the middle of the intersection, ignoring the streams of professionals in shirtsleeves trying to pass them on all sides. “Not much, just killing some time,” Yugi replied. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Yeah, I talked my brother into bringing me along,” Mokuba said with an impish grin. “I had to make some good grades first, but…yeah. I get to hang out and do nothing while he goes to all his meetings and hobnobs with bigshots.” He shrugged a shoulder. “At least until tomorrow – I’m helping out with the presentation in the morning.”
“Cool,” Yugi enthused. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“I’m kinda bored,” Mokuba admitted. “You wanna hang out for a bit?” He then perked up slightly. “I can show you the special features at our booth – stuff that’s hidden away until tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Yugi said brightly. He wasn’t in any hurry to run into Kaiba, figuring it would be the cold shoulder as usual in this public forum, but Mokuba had always been friendlier and open to being seen in Yugi’s company even though he was five years younger. Now that he was a teenager, it seemed much more natural to consider hanging out with him for a little while. They went by the KaibaCorp booth first, which was only being browsed by curious onlookers since the president of the company was away at some kind of meeting, where Mokuba showed Yugi the fun things like industry giveaways that were being hoarded for the big presentation. After that, they just roamed the hall casting idle glances at company booths that didn’t interest them at all. “So what have you been up to?” Yugi asked his companion casually. “You’re in your last year of middle school, right?”
“Yup. Not much – I’m supposed to be cramming for entrance exams, but…I don’t really want to.” Mokuba made a face as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “Seto’s not gonna let me slide, though. He expects me to get into a decent high school, and stick with it. But he’s definitely the one with all the brains in the family,” he added with a smirk, “so he’s kind of given up on hoping I’d have the grades to get into a super high school.”
“Well, it’s not like he went to a really exclusive one,” Yugi chuckled. “He went to the same one I graduated from – just to be on the record, I guess.”
“Yeah, if you and Joey actually graduated high school, then I definitely have a chance at getting into the same one,” Mokuba laughed.
Rather than be insulted, Yugi just chose to grin, because he knew he wasn’t a nerd and wasn’t ashamed at how low his grades had been. “You’ll just have to cut your brother some slack. He wants the best for you, that’s all. Same as anyone would.”
“Yeah, I know,” Mokuba said, “but I can’t always figure him out. He’s never said whether he wants me to train to run the company like him, so I don’t know what he expects me to get out of school.”
“Maybe, the things he never got out of it,” Yugi speculated. “Like…having friends. Playing sports. Dating girls.”
Mokuba rolled his eyes with a huge, exasperated sigh. “No way. You haven’t met the girls at my school. There’s no way I’d ever date any of them. They all suck.”
Yugi laughed. “Really?”
“They’re all a bunch of airheads,” Mokuba grumpily complained. “They’re totally brainless, and they’re only looking for one of two things out of the boys: their money, or their looks. I know they only flirt with me because I’m rich,” he said suspiciously. “A lot of guys think that’s like the jackpot or something, and I should just go with it, but…I don’t want to. I wanna meet somebody nice and cute who doesn’t want me for my money.”
“Aw…that’s got to be tough,” Yugi said kindly, though he had no way of empathizing. “But you’re still young, you shouldn’t have to be worrying about finding a girlfriend yet.”
“You’d think that,” the younger one said wryly. “But that seems to be just about the only thing half the people in my school think about. Not just the girls, either. They’re so worried about it, you’d think it was the end of the world or something.”
Yugi gave an understanding sigh. “Yeah, well…that doesn’t change in high school.”
“No wonder my brother didn’t want to stay longer than he had to. If only I was as smart as him. But no…I’m stuck with it. At least for now.”
“Well, it can’t be all bad,” Yugi mused. “Depending on what kinds of high schools everybody gets into, you might not have to deal with any of those people again after this year. Maybe when you get to high school you’ll meet all kinds of new people.”
“Boy, I hope so!” Mokuba enthused. “My fault for letting Seto send me to a snobby prep school, I guess.”
“Well, good luck on your entrance exams. It may not seem like it now, but trust me, when it’s over and you’re breezing through high school, it’ll all be worth it.” Yugi smiled at his younger friend. “If your brother isn’t pressuring you to do anything, take advantage of it. Use high school to figure out what you want to do with your life.”
“Oh, I don’t want to think about the rest of my life,” Mokuba groaned. “I’m having too much fun right now just being me.”
Yugi laughed brightly. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
They crossed an aisle and meandered on past the Industrial Illusions tower, which Mokuba simply sniffed at and chose to ignore. “No, there’s a lot of cool stuff going on,” he admitted as they continued on. “I mean…you know about…erm, Alastair, right?”
“Yeah…” Yugi glanced curiously aside at him. “Are you glad he decided to stay around here?”
“Yeah…” Mokuba shifted his gaze to his feet, reverting to the same wide-eyed youth he had always been. “He’s cool. He doesn’t hang around as much as he did when he was staying with us, but…I know Seto is still seeing him. I guess, anyway – he doesn’t really tell me about it.”
“It’s a big change, for your brother,” Yugi noted in a gentle tone. “He probably needs time to figure it out for himself.”
“Yeah, because he sure doesn’t know a real relationship from a hole in the ground,” Mokuba snorted. “I swear, the two of them are perfect for each other for no reason other than they’re both stubborn and arrogant and have to have the last word in any argument.” He then grinned. “But I finally got a ride on Alastair’s motorcycle. It’s so sweet.”
“Ah, I see.” Yugi nodded smartly. “That’s what really matters.”
“Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m proud of Seto, for finally having the guts to let someone get close to him,” Mokuba said. “He really needs this, and I don’t even care that he’s…” He stopped himself right there and looked around sharply. It seemed he understood his older brother’s need for discretion, especially here. “Um…like you.”
Yugi nodded his understanding. “That’s good. If I know Kaiba, the one thing that matters to him is whether or not you approve.”
“Oh, I do,” Mokuba insisted. “It’s okay. It’s really no big deal, I’ve kinda gotten used to it already. It helps that Alastair’s so cool. I really can’t see Seto with anyone who couldn’t talk back to him – and get away with it.”
That made Yugi grin widely. “That’s a good way of putting it, Mokuba.” He was glad to hear such things directly from Mokuba, in an unguarded way. While neither of them knew much about Kaiba’s relationship thanks to the militant way he protected his private life, they could still discuss it as far as they had been able to observe. Yugi knew it would never matter to Kaiba whether Yugi cared about his happiness and wished him well, but he did so nonetheless. “You know, that reminds me,” he mused as they walked. “Alastair wants to go out dancing one of these days. I ought to give him a call.”
“You, dancing?” Mokuba eyed him in disbelief. “I can’t see you as the dance club kind of guy.”
“Well, then, won’t you be surprised to know that I go out dancing a lot?” Yugi smartly challenged.
“Is that like to gay clubs, and stuff?”
“No! I mean…well, no, there aren’t any in Domino…”
Before he could go on any further, Grandpa Muto returned to find him right then and there, his eyes alight with some kind of joyful interest. “Ah, Yugi! There you are!”
“Grandpa!” Yugi looked around, as if hunting out a clock. “Am I late? I’m sorry…”
“No, no, I left the panel early. Oh, hello, Mokuba,” Grandpa added with a friendly nod.
“Hey,” Mokuba greeted him with some perplexity, either at his presence at the game expo or his clear enthusiasm.
“What is it, Grandpa?” Yugi wondered.
“I just found out what the big surprise concert tomorrow night is going to be. Oh, you’ll never guess!” He clapped his hands happily. “I think I’m going to have to go see it.”
Yugi raised an eyebrow. “Oh…?”
“Come with me, I’ll show you.”
Mokuba raised a hand in a little wave. “Hey, I’m gonna go see if my brother is back at the booth, yet. Catch you later, Yugi?”
“Yeah, sure,” Yugi replied. “I’ll be around.”
Grandpa Muto likewise waved to Mokuba, who beamed as he turned and sauntered away like the lanky teenager he was becoming. Then, Grandpa seized Yugi’s arm and began to tug him away. “Come, come! You have to see for yourself…”
Yugi followed, but dubiously, sure he wasn’t going to be quite as thrilled as his grandfather by the news. Sure enough, the marquee outside the video game hall which had carried a “to be announced” sign had finally changed to reveal that the huge secret pop concert would feature Yoko Ishida – one of Grandpa Muto’s favorite pop stars. Yugi stood back, wilting in exasperation, as Grandpa swooned over the announcement one more time. “Great,” Yugi sighed. “I know where you’ll be tomorrow night.”
“Aw, you don’t want to go?” Grandpa pointed at the sign with her picture. “She’s a very good singer, you know. I thought you liked all that dancing-kind of stuff.”
“I like dance music, not sugary pop.” Yugi shook his head, but with a faint smile. “It’s okay, Grandpa. I’ll find some way to kill time. You should go, you’re not going to get a chance like this ever again.”
“Certainly not!” Grandpa agreed. “Professional attendees get first crack at seats, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Yugi shrugged. “Well, the people from Bemani have a special arcade set up to showcase their new games, so maybe I’ll go play the newest DDR while you go to the concert. How about that?”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel like you’re missing out on something.”
“I don’t. Really, Grandpa, it’s okay.” Yugi smiled sincerely. “You don’t want me in there with you, I’ll just be bored. I’ll stay out here, play some games, and we’ll meet up later. It’s after dinner, right?”
“Yes, see? It’s at eight.”
“Perfect.” Discussing the time made Yugi decide to check it, and luckily so. “Oh – I didn’t realize what time it was. There’s a panel I want go to, on making room in your store for a gaming league or something.”
Grandpa Muto’s eyes widened. “You think we should have gaming leagues at our store?”
“I don’t know. It just sounded like a neat idea,” Yugi shrugged. “I want to hear what their suggestions are, first. Then maybe we can talk about it after we get back. You know – just to have some kind of little extra thing to get people in the store.”
His grandfather smiled warmly. “It’s good to see you taking your responsibility so seriously. Well, that sounds like an interesting panel, indeed! I think I’ll go with you.”
Yugi perked up. “Really, Grandpa?”
“It beats walking around the exhibit hall alone, again.”
Yugi nodded with a bright beaming smile and turned to lead the way, happy to have his grandpa along. From inside, Yami watched with his own peaceful smile. His presence had taken a back seat once Mokuba had shown up, but he was still listening, observing, sharing. He may not have been saying anything, but it was his way of feeling like part of the family, involved in his lover’s affairs and knowing what was important to him. And much like Grandpa’s sentiment, the pharaoh considered that right now, it certainly beat huddling alone in the darkness of the Puzzle’s labyrinthine corridors with his thoughts.
There wasn’t much to do in the evening after the showroom closed, but a few features of the video gaming hall were open again for special showcases. After most attendees had left presumably for dinner and then to find entertainment elsewhere for the night, only the young and excitable came back to see debut trailers and play in the makeshift arcade set up by Bemani. Like many other convention registrants, Yugi and his grandpa left for dinner – having no good banquets going on this year that they could secure invitations to – and then stood around in the skyway leading to the convention center to decide how best to spend the evening. Grandpa was up for more sightseeing around Tokyo, but Yugi wasn’t, so they decided to split up again and promised to absolutely be back at the hotel room by nine just so each didn’t have to worry about the other being alone in the big city for too long. Grandpa Muto was making hints about going shopping for certain people’s Christmas presents, early, so long as he was in the place to get the best, so Yugi laughed and suggested it would be easier for him to do so without a nosy grandson peeping over his shoulder the whole time. Instead, he went back into the game expo and sought out this arcade, just to see what it was like if nothing else. As he neared the big gate that was open to the video game hall, a tall figure easily visible over the crowd caught his eye, and he turned his head just in time to see Seto Kaiba go gliding away on his own business, off in the other direction without ever having noticed Yugi. He appeared to be departing the main exhibition hall, perhaps leaving his company’s booth. One of his lackeys remained by the door, and that was when Yugi noticed Mokuba still hanging around. By the look of his posture and his face, he was trying to convince the lackey that he didn’t need a chaperone. Grinning to himself, Yugi altered direction and came up behind him just in time to hear, “Oh, like you’re going to play video games with me. I don’t think so. Come on, I’m fifteen! I can take care of myself!”
“I’m sorry, Mokuba, sir, but that’s your brother’s orders,” the dark-suited underling sighed.
“He won’t fire you,” Mokuba sniffed. “Not if I tell him it was my orders.”
“How about if Mokuba goes out with someone his brother’s age?” Yugi suddenly interrupted.
The teenager turned quickly and stared at him, but with a smile. “Where’d you come from, Yugi?” he wondered, as the KaibaCorp peon eyed them both.
“Outside,” Yugi replied cleverly. “I was just going to go see what the Bemani arcade was like. Sounds like it would be more fun if I had someone to go with.”
Mokuba turned to his chaperone. “See? Yugi’s a KaibaCorp employee, technically – he’s my brother’s consultant. Seto would let me go with him instead. Seriously.”
The underling looked very uncomfortable, even though he did recognize Yugi not only from past dealings but from his recent visits to the company. “Sir, I don’t want to countermand the president’s orders…”
“This isn’t a company thing, it’s a family thing,” Mokuba snapped. “And as such, if Seto has a problem with it, he can ground me instead of fire you. It’s on my head, don’t worry. I’ll be with Yugi, and I’ll be in the video game hall if anyone needs me. I promise.”
Yugi nodded innocently to back him up. The underling hemmed and hawed for a minute before finally heaving another sigh. “All right, fine,” he relented. “I’ll go tell Roland right away.”
“Yeah, do that – Roland knows Yugi, he knows I’ll be okay with him.” Mokuba winked smartly. “Tell Roland, not Seto, and that way, Seto doesn’t need to know that you weren’t physically with me the whole time. It all works out. And if you get in trouble, I’ll take the heat. I swear.”
“Very well, sir,” the man acknowledged, turning to go and find the president’s assistant.
Mokuba grinned at Yugi. “Thanks. You came just in time.”
“Yeah, well…” Yugi grinned back. “As long as hanging out with me is cool.”
“Oh yeah! It’ll be fun. I wanted to go into the arcade too, I haven’t been in it yet today. Seto made me come with him to a business dinner,” he added with a frustrated pout. “And I got a lecture about my choice of clothing.”
Yugi blinked at him. “Why? Because you weren’t in a suit?”
“No, because apparently my t-shirt isn’t… ‘appropriate.’” He looked down at it. It was a dark blue shirt with yellow lettering, something in English. “I know it doesn’t have any bad words on it, so I don’t know what the problem is. Alastair saw me wear it once and thought it was just funny.”
Yugi read it and giggled. “Do you know what it actually says?”
Mokuba made a dubious face. “Well, no…” He held it out, so anyone with a grasp of the language could see it said “Give me a hand I’m going to milk the cows.” Yugi understood it enough to realize why Alastair thought it was hilarious. Mokuba just shrugged. “Oh well. It’s not like he could tell me to go back to the room and change. I only brought one decent outfit for business, and that’s for tomorrow morning.” He straightened out his shirt and clasped his hands behind his head. “So, let’s go see this arcade. I hope it’s not lame.”
It wasn’t hard to find the Bemani display arcade, it was very brightly lit and well-advertised. They were showcasing the newest arcade consoles of all their rhythm games, plus a few new, strange ones, and some cabinets from their parent company that had nothing to do with rhythm games. Being as the young fans would not swarm the expo until the next day, there weren’t massive crowds just yet, but a fair amount of people were enjoying the free demonstrations nonetheless. Chattering enthusiastically about video games the whole way, Yugi and Mokuba made their way straight to the new DDR stage and waited in a short line for their turn to play. When they got up on the platform, it turned out that Mokuba wasn’t half-bad at the game, but Yugi had played more so he was a little better at it. Yugi just wanted to see what new music was included in this version, so he could run back home and crow to Duke about it by way of encouraging him to update the one in his store. Mokuba cackled like a maniac as he played, finding it all very entertaining until he realized Yugi was beating him in every round. When they finished, there was no one behind them waiting except a lone girl, and she just waved at them to let them know she wasn’t in line, so they decided to play a couple more rounds, so long as it was free and there was no one wanting their turn. At last, they tired of it and decided to step down, leaving it to anyone else who might wander by. Fortunately, with the expo still closed to the general public, they didn’t have to worry about some DDR expert coming in and making them look like idiots. “How’d you get to be so good at this?” Mokuba asked Yugi as they stepped off the platform. “Do you have it at home or something?”
“No, just playing at arcades,” his companion replied with a shrug. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Yeah, I go out to arcades with my friends sometimes,” Mokuba said. “When Seto doesn’t demand that I stay home and do my homework all night.”
The girl who had been standing behind them, watching them, came up to them right then. “Excuse me,” she began politely, looking shy. “I couldn’t help but notice…you’re Yugi Muto, the Duel Monsters champion, aren’t you?”
Yugi blinked awkwardly, and then gave her a timid smile. “Um…yeah, that’s me…”
“I thought so,” she smiled. “Sorry, I was watching you guys play and I recognized you. You’re both really good players.”
Mokuba smirked, and Yugi laughed. “Oh, I’m not that good,” he demurred, ruffling a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. “I just play for fun, it’s not Duel Monsters.”
“I just wanted to say hello,” the girl went on, clasping her hands before her. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to embarrass you and ask for your autograph for anything. I…I don’t actually duel, but my ex-boyfriend did. A little too much,” she added in exasperation, “which is why he’s my ex. But he made me watch the world tournament with him, so I saw you in the final round. It was pretty neat.” She gave a tiny wave. “So, um…hello. It’s nice to meet you.”
Yugi relaxed considerably, hearing that she wasn’t going to try to collect his autograph. He had been dreading such a request all day, and thankfully had gotten this far without having to deal with it yet. “Oh! Well, hi. And thanks. It’s nice to meet you too.”
The girl’s eyes went immediately to Mokuba. “So, who’s your friend?”
Mokuba’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh,” Yugi said, “um…”
“I’m Mokuba,” his companion said quickly, leaving it at that.
“Hi Mokuba,” the girl said with a brilliant smile. “I’m Kiki.”
Yugi glanced aside and began to smirk, seeing at last that he was not the girl’s actual target – just her excuse to get a chance to find out who the teenager with him was. Admittedly, Mokuba was starting to reach that phase of his youth where his good looks were awakening out of his cute childhood, making him lean and a little taller – finally taller than Yugi, but not by much. He had managed to escape being forced to cut his hair, but he kept it tied back in a ponytail on the nape of his neck. Kiki was probably around his age, too, no wonder he caught her eye more than Yugi. Mokuba just gave a shy shrug and kept his hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans. “So…what brings you to the game expo? Most fans don’t get in until tomorrow,” he noted.
Kiki smiled cutely. “My dad works for Sony, so he got an extra pass. I like to come the day before everybody else and see everything first. I’ve gotten to do it the past couple years, it’s really fun.”
Mokuba nodded casually. “This is my first year here.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah, it’s kinda cool.”
Yugi stood aside, not wanting to intrude and feeling slightly awkward, even though Kiki was fair enough to ask him a couple of questions in a friendly manner. They stood around chatting for a while, about the things going on and the way the expo was going to change tomorrow when the public swarmed in to see the big announcements and demonstrations. Mokuba had either gone dense and not noticed that he was being chatted up by an interested girl, or had discovered a new well of personal confidence, for he just happily talked away the evening as if he had known Kiki through school or something. Yugi glanced around at the other games in the arcade in between the moments when he was drawn back into the conversation, as he didn’t want to just leave Mokuba now that he had promised a KaibaCorp employee that he would be a decent chaperone – he owed the man, lest he get fired for disobeying Kaiba. Still, being around his friends who had significant others while his own was inside the Puzzle had never made him feel quite like a third wheel the way he felt now. He did his best to just stick it out, looking around curiously at the other kinds of games and occasionally chuckling at some comment directed his way. After some time, however, he noticed one of the dark suits who usually lurked around Kaiba come in through the entryway, and after a quick look around, discover them standing there in their little knot and make a beeline for them. It wasn’t until the last second that Mokuba noticed him, and his face fell. Before he could even say a word, Roland briskly interrupted. “There you are, Mokuba, sir. I’ve been sent to bring you back to the hotel.”
“Roland,” Mokuba groaned. “Come on, it’s not that late…”
“Actually, it’s close to nine,” Roland noted. “You did promise Mr. Kaiba you wouldn’t stay out too late.”
“Is it?” Yugi said. “Oh, I have to go too, Mokuba. I said I’d meet Grandpa back at the hotel at nine.”
“Thank you for looking after him,” Roland said to him with a slight bow. “Mr. Kaiba would probably have my head for letting his little brother out without responsible supervision.”
Kiki turned to Mokuba with wide eyes. “You’re related to Mr. Kaiba? From KaibaCorp?”
Mokuba cringed sheepishly. He had wanted to keep his family name to himself, lest she act like all the rest and pounce on him because of it. “Yeah, he’s my brother,” he murmured sullenly. “I’m Mokuba Kaiba.”
“Oh,” the girl said, somewhere between interested and merely polite. “Wow, I had no idea. So you got in the same way I did – good connections.”
Mokuba gave a slight smile. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
“Mokuba,” Roland reminded him. “Mr. Kaiba would like you to return now, you know you have a lot to prepare for the presentation tomorrow.”
Mokuba sighed in annoyance. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, Kiki, I gotta go.”
“That’s okay. My dad’s probably looking for me, too.” She beamed and lifted her hand in a little wave. “Good night. I hope we cross paths again this weekend. I had fun talking to you, Mokuba.”
He must have finally caught on, for as Yugi watched, a bright blush spread across the teenager’s cheeks. “Uh, yeah. It was nice. Um…see you later, Kiki.”
“At least now I know that I can stop by the KaibaCorp booth to find you. It was nice meeting you, too, Yugi. Take care.”
“Yeah, bye,” Yugi added as she turned away and left them, waving over her shoulder. He then grinned at Mokuba, who was looking extremely nervous and still blushing. “Way to go, Mokuba. I think there’s hope for you yet.”
“What are you talking about?” he grumbled.
Yugi giggled. “If that’s any indication, maybe you shouldn’t give up on dating just yet. It looks like not everybody wants you just for your money.” He also waved as he stepped away. “Good luck tomorrow. I’ll be there to see the big announcement for myself.”
“Yeah, thanks. Later, Yugi.” Mokuba waited until he was on his way out, and then glared up at Roland. “You have a terrible sense of timing, you know that?”
Roland looked completely boggled, and simply adjusted his dark glasses. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir…”
“Never mind. Come on, let’s go, before Seto decides he has to start getting all parental.” He shoved his hands back into his pants pockets and trudged off with his brother’s assistant one step behind, dutifully herding him back to the hotel where Kaiba waited. There was indeed much for him to do in preparation for tomorrow, but just then, he would have preferred to be standing around in an arcade talking to the girl he had just met.
Yugi walked in a content silence through the skyways to take him back to his hotel, hoping he wouldn’t be too late and worry Grandpa. Inside his mind, he felt the subtle stirring of his partner spirit, as if Yami was awakening from a long contemplation or nap and decided to be attentive just then. A soft purr stole through the young man’s mind. “Are you tired?”
“Yeah, I am,” Yugi admitted, breathing it in a whisper since he was completely alone at the moment. “I think I’ll go to bed early tonight.”
“Too much excitement,” Yami chuckled gently. “Don’t worry, I won’t disturb you. I’ll let you get your rest so you can be up early for Kaiba’s presentation.”
“It’s not until ten,” Yugi noted. “You can disturb me if you want.”
“Perhaps I will simply soothe you to sleep in my own way,” the pharaoh’s spirit said softly, in that way that made shivers run down the length of Yugi’s body. “There are too many factors preventing you from joining me inside the Puzzle tonight. But that’s all right. We’ll make up for it after you get home from Tokyo.”
“Promise?” Yugi said within his mind, aware that even his mental voice sounded sleepy.
“I promise,” Yami responded warmly.
“Mm…good.” Yugi smiled to himself as he walked the rest of the way, down a flight of stairs and through the doors to the lobby of his hotel. Within minutes he was upstairs, welcoming Grandpa back, and then falling into bed with the Puzzle close by. Even with the big excitement of the morrow in the back of his mind, he was able to put it aside and forget all about it as Yami murmured sweet nothings to him until he fell fast asleep, the Puzzle nestled on the pillow beside him.
Not long after waking in the morning, Kaiba was busily going through his usual routine when his cell phone chirped from where it rested on the bedside table. Mokuba was in the shower at that moment – a good place for him to be, Kaiba thought, as he picked up his phone and noted the caller’s identity. Without even hesitating, he answered with a placid, “Yes?”
“Hey,” Alastair murmured smoothly. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“Of course not,” Kaiba sniffed. “You know I’m always up well before this.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
“What do you want?”
“Nothing big,” Alastair said casually. “I just got to the office, but I wanted to give you a call before I started anything so I could wish you well on your presentation.”
Seto allowed a cool smile to grace his lips as he picked up his coffee cup and meandered slowly through the suite to the main room, distancing himself even further from Mokuba just in case he got out of the bathroom to overhear anything incriminating. “Is that so?” he murmured as he stepped near to the windows overlooking the busy Tokyo skyline. “Aren’t you thoughtful?”
“Well, I’m sure every last one of your employees there are telling you the same thing, but they won’t mean it half as much,” Alastair said wryly. “Their only concern is not getting fired.”
“So you thought you’d be sweet and call me,” Kaiba noted with some sarcasm.
“Of course,” Alastair responded, not at all put off by the tone. He knew Kaiba would react this way in order to protect himself from any warm feelings, by now he expected it. “I know you’re ready. Is Mokuba?”
“As ready as he can be,” Kaiba said with a hint of resignation. “He’ll have a word-for-word walkthrough to help him while I’m on stage.”
“Best cheat there is,” Alastair chuckled. “You know, I haven’t even gotten to see this demo. You showed me the trailers, but that was it.”
“Maybe when we get back,” Kaiba muttered.
“You nervous?”
“Are you kidding?”
Alastair laughed lightly. “Well, as a matter of fact, I am. Not that you’d let it show to anyone if you were,” he added. “Guess I didn’t really have any particular thing to say to you after all, except good luck and knock ‘em dead.”
Kaiba smiled smugly to himself as he gazed out the window at the city awash in morning sun. “All the same,” he said in a quiet tone, “I’m glad you called.”
“It’s the least I could do,” Alastair said modestly. He was currently in his small office on a high floor of the financial building, closed behind his door so he could conduct this private call away from the prying ears of the handful of techies in early just like him. His office only had one window, but it coincidentally happened to deliver a splendid view of the KaibaCorp tower, which he stood gazing at while he chatted with its president. “I’m sure you have stuff to do to get ready, so I won’t keep you. I just wanted to call and say hello. I wish I could be there, just to see the looks on everyone’s faces.”
“Keep an eye on the internet gaming sites, I’m sure you’ll see photos within an hour of the announcement,” Kaiba snorted. The sound of movement behind him made him glance back to see Mokuba pass through on his way to the main closet to find his nice jacket. “Anyway. I’ll talk to you when I get back.”
“You’ll get back when, tomorrow night?”
“Yeah. Probably late.”
“All right. I won’t bug you until Monday morning, then. After all…” Alastair’s voice took on a note of clear amusement. “That’s your birthday. A good reason to call.”
Kaiba growled in annoyance. “What is it with you people and my damn birthday? It’s just another day on the calendar as far as I’m concerned – a day in which I have to go to work.” He turned to give Mokuba an accusing glare, but his little brother was just blinking at him in curiosity. “How did you find out, anyway? I never told you.”
“That’s about the only information on you that’s public record,” Alastair laughed. “But I knew that a long time ago. Don’t go thinking Mokuba tipped me off or anything, I already had that information in my back pocket from before we even met.”
Kaiba made another annoyed noise, seeing the grin slowly dawning on his brother’s face as he realized who Seto was talking to. “Don’t make a big deal out of it,” he warned his partner on the phone. “I don’t care if anyone even notices it’s my birthday.”
“How about a small deal?” Alastair retorted. “It’s too late, I already made plans to do something special for you when you get back. You’ll just have to suck it up and deal with it.”
“What is wrong with you?” Kaiba complained, eyeing Mokuba at the same time. Mokuba snickered and ducked hurriedly back into the bedroom before he could have anything thrown at him. “I already warned Yugi not to make a fuss when he found out, I just knew he’d do something fluffy, but now I have to worry about you, too?”
“Aw, can’t handle all these people wanting to be nice to you?” Alastair teased. “That’s right, you’ve never had friends before, so you probably don’t realize that this is what friends do on your birthday. Don’t worry,” he added breezily. “I’m not going to go overboard. It’s really just a very small something.”
“I told you, I don’t want any kind of celebration. I don’t care.”
“And I told you, it’s too late,” Alastair countered. “You don’t know what kind of surprise I’m planning, so you may as well just let it happen and find out when you get home. You have my word that I’m not going to put you out or embarrass you.”
Kaiba sighed in frustration. “Fine. I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear any of this. I have much more important things to center my attention on right now.”
“Yes, you do,” Alastair agreed. “I gotta go, anyway. I have a pile of work ahead of me today. Do your best out there – like you always do.”
“Of course,” Kaiba murmured, his annoyance beginning to ebb. “Nothing less will do.”
“Tell Mokuba I said good luck, too. Tell him I said he better not die while you’re on stage.”
A smirk returned to the CEO’s face. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate the sentiment.”
Alastair’s voice quieted abruptly. “I’ll be thinking about you.”
Though a blush heated Kaiba’s face, he managed to murmur, “Thanks,” in return.
“I need to go. Talk to you when you get back.”
They both said their farewells and ended the call, leaving Kaiba standing there in the window with a strange set of feelings racing through his mind and body. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but the call lightened his heart just a little. He wasn’t nervous, for to him that would signify insecurity or fear, but he was anxious for a good reason – Mokuba’s involvement put a lot on the line for him, and for once he couldn’t predict what the audience’s reaction would be. Kaiba was fully confident in his own abilities and the positive direction his game was going, but he had never introduced a video game to the world and had no idea what the public would think of KaibaCorp going into traditional console software. He didn’t need anyone to wish him well or say good luck, but the fact that Alastair had chosen to do so bolstered his inner spirit and made it less worrisome to have to go down and get ready to present Legendary Heroes to the gaming world. The voice on the phone put just enough of a smile on his face to assure anyone who looked at him that the big announcement was going to be nothing short of a world-changing success.