A/N: Thank you to Leila Jenkins, Aquatic Ember, and Shaylo for adding me to your favorite authors/authors alerts list. I'd also like to thank all those who reviewed. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but with the end of the school year coming, there's rarely a time when I can work on fanfiction. (Someday all those evil teachers who believe the world cannot survive without loads of homework will PAY!!!.....lol maybe not.....)
Anywayz, here's chapter 4!
Disclaimer: (my first, and hopefully not pathetically last, attempt at making a disclaimer in script-form. It's pretty bad, and painfully long, so I'd advise for you to skip it and just get on with reading the story. If you want, you can read the last few lines, which are a summary to refresh your memory and upcoming events, since it's been so long since the last update.)
Me: Ugh, I'm sick and tired of doing these. I mean obviously if I didn't have a disclaimer I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, now would I?
Ishizu: rolls eyes
Joey: face lights up as realization dawns on him Oh yeah! That's why Mr. Kazuki Takahashi never does one. I was always wondering about that. He owns Yugioh, doesn't he?
Mai: sarcastically Smart.
Yami: Yeah well you . . . what do you call yourself again?
Me: My name is Talisman of Light, formerly Shikari: Dark Warrior.
Yami: Yeah whatever . . .wait. Isn't your name from Digimon?
Me: proudly Yeah, it's Taomon's attack!
Yami: Why do you write fanfiction for Yugioh then?
Me: Huh? Is it against the law to write fanfiction for Yugioh just because you like Digimon also?
Joey: seriously I think so . . .
Mai: Of course not!
Ishizu: But disclaimers are important so that no big-headed fools start thinking that changing the events of Yugioh any way they want automatically certifies that what they wrote is what really happened,
Mai: Huh? Elaborate please. Yugioh isn't real to begin with. Neither is fanfiction. So isn't it possible for whatever happens in fanfiction to happen in Yugioh? As long as the author makes her or his story fit in?
Ishizu: NO! Fanfiction isn't real , but Yugioh--
Joey: panicked What do you mean we're not real Mai? Of course we are! Did someone or something mess up your mind while you were in the Shadow Realm?
Mai: rolls eyes Of course NOT! Sorry to burst your bubble Joey, but we're not real.
Ishizu: outraged You stupid---
Me: decides to take control of the situation before something drastic happens Mai and Ishizu, calm down. looks at Joey running around like a frenzied chicken You too Joey. Whether or not you are all real is not a matter for anyone to decide. For all I know, you guys are real. You live in the minds and imaginations of people. People who are able to control you and make their own fanfiction out of your stories. looks anxious Am I making sense so far?
Ishizu: Not really.....
Joey: Um....no?
Mai: Whatever. Real or not, I still like the way Kaiba got his butt kicked . . . twice!
Ishizu: looks disapprovingly at Mai This is why people need disclaimers.
Joey: Twice? I'm only aware of it happening once.
Mai: No, it happened twice. Once in chapter two of this fic, when Kaiba got arrested. Another time before that in chapter two of another fic, "Into the Forests of the Night", when Kaiba and I got trapped in a forest alone.
Me: laughing That was really fun!
Ishizu: It was NOT! Kaiba is not someone who people can just have kicked around. He's important.
Mai/Joey/Me: with great sarcasm Important? For what? Kickball practice?
Ishizu: frowns Shikari, I also heard you were going to kill Yami. Is this true?
Me: Um......no comment. But hey, it was my first fic, and I took it off ages ago! It got zero reviews so don't worry, no one saw it except for a few of my friends. And I've realized making good fics doesn't really pay off either. If it's Kaiba's reputation you're worried about, then go read my "Hidden Truths" fic. I wrote good things about Kaiba, but it also got zero reviews! I'm beginning to think writing good stuff is bad.
Ishizu: Well you're thinking wrong. And speaking of Kaiba, I don't think the readers want to hear about your terrible fics right now. Let's just get on with the story, hurry up and do the disclaimer.
Me: My terrible fics? I like them! For anyone out there, I'd like to request for you to read my "Hidden Truths" fic. It was posted just recently, and it's not that bad....of course in my opinion writing "Into the Forests of the Night" was even more fun, and that's still up too. My fics are not that bad . . . are they?
Ishizu: Of course they are. All your fics really suck. This one is actually no exception. The only reason you have a decent number of reviews is because you got lucky.
Me: Hey, that's not fair!
Ishizu: Life's not fair. Get used to it. And neither is death, which will happen soon if these readers don't start seeing more of the main character, Kaiba, and less of you!
Me: angrily Fine! What's so good about Kaiba anyway? He's a jerk. And you're pretty close to becoming one. I refuse to do the disclaimer for you. You think it's so important, you do it!
Ishizu: sighs Aren't I like your favorite girl from Yugioh?
Me: Oh right. Then why am I doing this? I'm making you look....bad. shakes head I must be on a sugar high or something. Either that, or I must have suffered through one too many classes of social studies. History gets on my nerves.
Ishizu: Okay, I'll do the disclaimer: Shikari--
Me: IT'S TALISMAN OF LIGHT!!!
Ishizu: Right sorry. Talisman of Light does not own Yugioh, or any of us, no matter what the delusional girl thinks.
Me: I'm not delusional!
Ishizu: Whatever.
Me: I'M NOT!
Ishizu: Just get on with the story already, you've kept the readers waiting long enough.
Me: Fine. And a brief summary for anyone who needs it: Kaiba's just escaped from jail, let Yugi, Joey, and Tristan deal with the cops, and now he's out to find Mokuba. Also that evil mage said he was going to help Kaiba find Mokuba because he wanted to see Mokuba humiliate Kaiba.
Ishizu: You suck at summaries.
Me: proudly I know.
Mai: Hey, are any of us going to make an appearance in this story?
Me: Maybe....I can try to fit you all in. Joey's already in there.
Joey: I am? Cool, what am I doing?
Me: Um...currently? You're in jail, asleep on the floor.
Joey: shocked What?!
Me: Sorry, but it's true. Just look . . . er . . . read . . .er . . . whatever.
Mai: laughs
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Yugi, Joey, and Tristan sat inside a jail cell in utter silence. Joey had already fallen asleep, Tristan looked despondently out the window. Yugioh just stared blankly into space. I can't believe it, he thought. Kaiba was supposed to be a friend, an ally at the very least. But now, thanks to him we're all in jail for helping him escape, and he's outside, free to do as he pleases. I wonder if Kaiba will realize someday we just wanted to help . . . . why is he so afraid of making friends?
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Kaiba walked fast, having set a brisk pace for himself. He kept his head down and pulled his coat tighter around him. I can't risk being recognized, he thought. There's no telling just how many people know I'm supposed to be in jail.
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The evil mage looked into his dark crytal and smiled. "Everything's going according to plan, even better than planned. Kaiba was able to escape without my aid. And so now that he is out, I must help reunite him with his brother!" The mage looked around. "Hmm . . . now how shall I do this?" After a moment of thought, he shouted, "I have it! I shall disguise myself as someone Mokuba knows well, and then go get him from the orphanage where he was sent to. Mokuba will come with me, and I shall take him to Kaiba. Once the two brothers are together, I'll give Kaiba a ticket to America and suggest for him to hide from the Japanese police force there. They'll never find him, and Kaiba and Mokuba will be able to continue living on as normal. Or at least . . . that's what they'll believe." The mage let out a harsh bark that was supposed to be laughter, before his eyes glowed an evil red color. His hair changed color to a chestnut brown and grew slightly longer. His eyes flashed once and he blinked. When he opened them, it was clear that he know had blue eyes. "Tea Gardner. You're identity is very useful to me indeed. And how convenient it is that you are now sleeping peacefully in bed, unaware that you are being impersonated, and unable to interfere with my plans.
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"Mokuba Kaiba!" called the head of the orphanage.
Mokuba looked up from where he'd been playing blocks with the other toddlers in the orphanage. "Yes?" he answered sweetly. Even though he'd only been here for a day, Mokuba already liked the place, and had made many friends. My stupid brother was wrong, he thought, orphanages are tons of fun. They're not evil at all.
"You're brother's friend here wants to take you with her."
Mokuba's lower lip trembled. "You mean I have to go now?"
The woman looked sorry. "Yes, dear. All the paperwork has been taken care of. You have to go now."
Mokuba burst out crying, in loud wails and sobs. "I don't want to!"
Suddenly a girl came up to Mokuba and hugged him, ruffling his hair. "Come on Mokuba, we'll have lots of fun!"
Mokuba looked up into kind blue eyes. "Tea!" he shouted. "Yay! You're nice, right? Will you take me to the circus? And Disneyland? Seto was so mean, he refused. He told me the only place I would be going was to the-- the-- the 'zagiaschist'. No wait-- oh I remember. He wanted to make me see a unicyclist. Can you belive that?"
Tea laughed. "No, I can't believe it. But anyway, I'm here now, we can go wherever you want, okay?"
"Okay," said Mokuba happily, as he took hold of Tea's hand and the two walked together outside, hand-in-hand, Mokuba totally unaware that the one he called Tea and thought was his nice older friend was actually the one who'd heartlessly cursed his life and caused him to relive an unhappy childhood. Then again, maybe this time Mokuba's childhood wouldn't be so unhappy. Not for him at least . . .
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Kaiba stared unbelievingly at the boy in front of him. "Mokuba!" he exclaimed. "You're back!"
To Kaiba's horror, Mokuba started crying. "Not him! Tea, you promised you'd keep me safe from him!"
Kaiba looked on as a girl emerged from the shadows behind Mokuba. As Kaiba realized who it was, he became angry. "What do you want?"
Tea laughed. "You'll know soon enough . . . I mean I just want to see your brother be happy. I helped get him out of the orphanage, you know?"
Kaiba became suspicious. "So?"
Tea's face took on a serious look now. "You're famous, Seto Kaiba. You've just been arrested, and you're face is plastered all over the television networks. You'll be front page news tomorrow; 'Newest Prison Escapee is the Head of KaibaCorp'. Everyone will know how and why you were arrested, and how you escaped."
Suddenly Kaiba felt as if someone had punched him in the gut, knocking all the wind out of his body. Yugi, he thought. They're all going to suffer because of me.
"Kaiba?" Tea looked apprehensively at him. "I have a plan."
Kaiba made no reply so Tea continued. "You and Mokuba can fly to America, the U.S. No one there cares where you're from or who you are as long as you have the right papers, and I just got excellent immigration papers forged by a good friend of mine today. I even have tickets for you and Mokuba."
"Why are you doing all this?" Kaiba asked.
Tea smiled innocently. "Because I care."
Mokuba looked from Tea to his brother. "America? Isn't that where Disneyland is? Will you take me Seto?"
Tea laughed. "Forget Disneyland, if you visit Florida, you can go to Disneyworld!"
Mokuba smiled happily. "Yahoo! Seto's taking me to Disneyworld!"
"I am not!" shouted Kaiba. "First you have to get enrolled into school, and we have to get a house."
"All taken care of, Kaiba," informed Tea. "You two will be living in California, in a house approximately half an hour's driving distance away from Disneyland, and very close to the San Diego Zoo, as well as SeaWorld. Mokuba will be going to a local preschool there. Here," Tea gave Kaiba a thick stack of papers, including house ownership bills, plane tickets, and school emergency contact forms. "Have fun!" cried Tea as she quickly ran across the street and disappeared into the night.
Kaiba was puzzled. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Everything was too easy. Oh well, he thought, never look a gift horse in the mouth. I've always wanted to go to America. And maybe Mokuba's age reversal is a good thing after all. Ever since I was twelve, I regretted his unhappy childhood. We had to travel from orphanage to orphanage and suffer through poor living conditions. I was old enough to not care that I rarely ever saw the inside of a classroom when I was a child, but Mokuba was very young then, and I know it must've been hard for him. I think I'm going to take advantage of Mokuba's situation. We've been given a second chance, and I won't mess it up. This time around, Mokuba will be the happiest preschooler ever. I'll make sure of it.
"Mokuba, come on. We need to get to the Tokyo/Narita International Airport right away. Quickly, before our flight leaves without us."
"Okay Seto. Anything for the person who takes me to see Mickey Mouse!" Mokuba happily trotted behind Kaiba as the two swiftly made their way over to a taxi.
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Two blocks away from where Kaiba and Mokuba were getting on a taxi, the form of Tea stood silently. All of a sudden her image went blurry and was replaced by an old man wearing dark robes. It was the evil mage. "Now," he whispered to himself, "I must follow those two to America. Once I'm there, I'll disguise myself as someone else, someone they'll trust. And then . . . I'll betray their trust. Oh this is going to be very fun indeed!"
--------------five days later--------------
Yugi looked up as a guard approached their cell. "You are Yugi Moto?" asked the guard.
Yugi nodded. "Who are you?"
"That is of no concern to you. I have been asked to tell you that you three will have a hearing two weeks from now. The judge will determine whether or not you are guilty or innocent and choose a fitting punishment for your actions then. You may hire a lawyer if you so wish."
Yugi shuddered. We're criminals, he thought. We need a lawyer. And all thanks to Kaiba. I wonder where he is right now? Did he and Mokuba manage to escape safely?
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"Mokuba, get up! It's the second day of school for you. You don't want to be late again, do you?"
Mokuba groaned. "Go away Seto. You're being mean."
Kaiba looked at Mokuba, curled up on his bed shaped like a car. Even though the bed was small, Mokuba fit with plenty of room to spare. Had Kaiba tried to lie down on the same bed, at least half his body would have stuck out over the edges. Well, that's what you can expect from a four-year old, thought Kaiba.
Kaiba's gaze wandered around the room until they came to rest at the small desk he had purchased for Mokuba a few days ago, complete with four small chairs, right after they had just moved in. Mokuba's blue teddy bear printed backpack was slung across one of the chairs, the zipper wide open. Inside Kaiba could see papers that said, "TO THE PARENT/GUARDIAN". Kaiba walked over and took out the papers. The best thing here was that though Kaiba was not a parent, he qualified as a guardian. Kaiba began reading the paper, which appeared to be a newsletter of some sort introducing the school, class, and teachers. It also contained information about the students' schedule everday. Kaiba scanned the schedule.
9:00AM: Greetings/Free choice
9:15AM: Song time
9:45AM Art Projects
10:15AM Recess
10:30AM Snack time
10:40AM Circle/Story time and sharing
11:00AM Go home
Near the bottom, right underneath the scedule there was a note about sharing in the 10:40AM slot. It said: "Sharing is an important tool for communication and development among preschoolers. Each child is assigned a certain day of the week where they may bring in something that is special to them in some way and talk about it. See back side for the sharing schedule." Kaiba frowned, and turned over the back side. He was really going to have to buy some toys for Mokuba. Currently his younger brother had virtually nothing to share. Kaiba easily located Mokuba's name along with a few other children under Tuesday.
"Tuesday?" muttered Kaiba, "That's today!" Kaiba looked again at the sharing schedule. Now he saw that in addition to the children's names and day of week, there were all the weeks in the school year listed by date with a letter next to each week. Another note said, "In order for the students to exercise more creativity while choosing what to share, a letter has been assigned to each week. The child must bring in an object starting with the letter of the week to share."
Kaiba located the current week and saw Mokuba had to share something that started with the letter 'E' this week. "Hey Mokuba? You didn't tell me about this sharing you have to do."
Instantly Mokuba jumped up from bed. "Oh no I forgot! What will I do? Seto you have to help me. I saw some kids share yesterday. One girl shared her stuffed elephant, and another boy shared a toy elf. Can I share an egg?"
"An egg?" Kaiba looked doubtful. "Won't it crack?"
"Eggs can crack?" Mokuba asked in awe. "Wow. Can you show me how, Seto?"
"Of course not! Are you crazy? I'll boil one for you. Fortunately we have a couple in the fridge." As if adding an afterthought, Kaiba asked, "By the way, I thought you'd forgotten how to read, Mokuba. How do you know 'egg' starts with 'E'?"
"Huh?" asked Mokuba, looking genuinely puzzled. "I never knew how to read, Seto. But our teacher told us 'E' makes the 'eh' sound. And 'egg' has the 'eh' sound, right?"
So his memory's being messed with as well? Ignoring the fact that he should have been worried, Kaiba thought, that makes things even better for us. "Very well Mokuba," he said out loud. "Get dressed while I go boil your egg."
"Um Seto? You forgot I can't dress myself."
Kaiba looked at his brother oddly. "And what am I supposed to do about this?"
"Dress me!" exclaimed Mokuba as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Okay then," Kaiba made his way over to Mokuba's wardrobe and took out what appeared suitable enough for a four-year old to wear to school. A white undershirt, Bob-the-Builder underwear, blue swimming trunks, a formal white dress shirt, and a small purple tie with orange polka dots. Kaiba carried the clothes over to Mokuba's bed where he set them down.
Mokuba looked over the clothes in approval. "These clothes will make me look cool, right Seto?"
Kaiba sighed. "Yeah sure, whatever."
"Wait," Mokuba looked poutingly at the undershirt Kaiba had taken out. "I can't wear that, it's going to stick out and people will laugh at me."
Kaiba looked exasperated. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I can't wear it."
"Mokuba, it's not summer anymore. I don't want you to catch a cold, and seeing as how you refused to wear a jacket, you'll have to wear this."
"I didn't refuse to wear the jacket, I just said it was too big. You need to buy me another one."
"Mokuba! You're supposed to grow into the one I already bought for you."
"Whatever. Growups are always lying, just because they're so big they think they can say and do whatever they want," Mokuba said defiantly.
"I'm not lying!" shouted Kaiba.
Ten minutes later, after a lot of argument, Kaiba had finally finished dressing Mokuba and was getting ready to boil an egg for him. Mokuba sat at the dining table, eating cereal with milk. When the egg was boiled, Kaiba asked Mokuba, "What are you going to take this in?"
"A bag," answered Mokuba simply, starting to sip his milk directly from the bowl.
"Okay," Kaiba got out a Zip-loc bag, opened it, put the egg in, and closed the bag tightly.
"No!" yelled Mokuba as he got up, now finished with his breakfast. "Not that kind of bag. People will think I have no style."
"Since when do you worry about what others think of you, Mokuba?"
"Don't we have any other bags?" asked Mokuba.
Kaiba pointed at the pantry, where he had stored shopping bags of various sizes, all from the shopping spree he and Mokuba had been forced to go on shortly after coming here. "Can't you take it in your backpack?"
Mokuba violently shook his head as he rummaged through the bags. "No one brought it in their backpack yesterday. We bring home our projects in our backpacks. Oh by the way, thank you for getting me that new backpack, Seto. Everyone really liked it, it's really popular."
Oh god, thought Kaiba, what kind of school have I sent my brother to? A few seconds later, Mokuba emerged from the pantry holding a large gift bag that had "Happy Birthday!" printed on it, along with pictures of balloons, cake, and candles. "This one is perfect, Seto!" Kaiba looked at the bag. It was as tall as Mokuba, and over three times as wide. It could easily cover two of Mokuba in his present size and still have plenty of room left over. Kaiba took his eyes off the bag and looked at the egg. It was approximately the size of Mokuba's hand, and about a millionth the size of the bag. Literally.
"Don't you think the bag is a bit too big, Mokuba?"
"Of course not, it's perfect!
"Um . . . whatever you say. Just know that I won't carry it for you, okay?"
Mokuba looked at Kaiba surprisedly. "Of course you won't carry it. I'm a big boy!"
Kaiba rolled his eyes, before he and Mokuba walked out to the car, ready to go to school.
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A/N: Done! Hope you liked it. And for anyone who did read the disclaimer (lol)..... might I request for you to please check out my other Yugioh fics? I mentioned them for a reason....lol....but I'm not forcing you or anything. Next update asap! (Once I get 30 reviews, k? My minimal amounts of reviews are beginning to bug me....though I am grateful to those who have reviewed.)
Anywayz, here's chapter 4!
Disclaimer: (my first, and hopefully not pathetically last, attempt at making a disclaimer in script-form. It's pretty bad, and painfully long, so I'd advise for you to skip it and just get on with reading the story. If you want, you can read the last few lines, which are a summary to refresh your memory and upcoming events, since it's been so long since the last update.)
Me: Ugh, I'm sick and tired of doing these. I mean obviously if I didn't have a disclaimer I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, now would I?
Ishizu: rolls eyes
Joey: face lights up as realization dawns on him Oh yeah! That's why Mr. Kazuki Takahashi never does one. I was always wondering about that. He owns Yugioh, doesn't he?
Mai: sarcastically Smart.
Yami: Yeah well you . . . what do you call yourself again?
Me: My name is Talisman of Light, formerly Shikari: Dark Warrior.
Yami: Yeah whatever . . .wait. Isn't your name from Digimon?
Me: proudly Yeah, it's Taomon's attack!
Yami: Why do you write fanfiction for Yugioh then?
Me: Huh? Is it against the law to write fanfiction for Yugioh just because you like Digimon also?
Joey: seriously I think so . . .
Mai: Of course not!
Ishizu: But disclaimers are important so that no big-headed fools start thinking that changing the events of Yugioh any way they want automatically certifies that what they wrote is what really happened,
Mai: Huh? Elaborate please. Yugioh isn't real to begin with. Neither is fanfiction. So isn't it possible for whatever happens in fanfiction to happen in Yugioh? As long as the author makes her or his story fit in?
Ishizu: NO! Fanfiction isn't real , but Yugioh--
Joey: panicked What do you mean we're not real Mai? Of course we are! Did someone or something mess up your mind while you were in the Shadow Realm?
Mai: rolls eyes Of course NOT! Sorry to burst your bubble Joey, but we're not real.
Ishizu: outraged You stupid---
Me: decides to take control of the situation before something drastic happens Mai and Ishizu, calm down. looks at Joey running around like a frenzied chicken You too Joey. Whether or not you are all real is not a matter for anyone to decide. For all I know, you guys are real. You live in the minds and imaginations of people. People who are able to control you and make their own fanfiction out of your stories. looks anxious Am I making sense so far?
Ishizu: Not really.....
Joey: Um....no?
Mai: Whatever. Real or not, I still like the way Kaiba got his butt kicked . . . twice!
Ishizu: looks disapprovingly at Mai This is why people need disclaimers.
Joey: Twice? I'm only aware of it happening once.
Mai: No, it happened twice. Once in chapter two of this fic, when Kaiba got arrested. Another time before that in chapter two of another fic, "Into the Forests of the Night", when Kaiba and I got trapped in a forest alone.
Me: laughing That was really fun!
Ishizu: It was NOT! Kaiba is not someone who people can just have kicked around. He's important.
Mai/Joey/Me: with great sarcasm Important? For what? Kickball practice?
Ishizu: frowns Shikari, I also heard you were going to kill Yami. Is this true?
Me: Um......no comment. But hey, it was my first fic, and I took it off ages ago! It got zero reviews so don't worry, no one saw it except for a few of my friends. And I've realized making good fics doesn't really pay off either. If it's Kaiba's reputation you're worried about, then go read my "Hidden Truths" fic. I wrote good things about Kaiba, but it also got zero reviews! I'm beginning to think writing good stuff is bad.
Ishizu: Well you're thinking wrong. And speaking of Kaiba, I don't think the readers want to hear about your terrible fics right now. Let's just get on with the story, hurry up and do the disclaimer.
Me: My terrible fics? I like them! For anyone out there, I'd like to request for you to read my "Hidden Truths" fic. It was posted just recently, and it's not that bad....of course in my opinion writing "Into the Forests of the Night" was even more fun, and that's still up too. My fics are not that bad . . . are they?
Ishizu: Of course they are. All your fics really suck. This one is actually no exception. The only reason you have a decent number of reviews is because you got lucky.
Me: Hey, that's not fair!
Ishizu: Life's not fair. Get used to it. And neither is death, which will happen soon if these readers don't start seeing more of the main character, Kaiba, and less of you!
Me: angrily Fine! What's so good about Kaiba anyway? He's a jerk. And you're pretty close to becoming one. I refuse to do the disclaimer for you. You think it's so important, you do it!
Ishizu: sighs Aren't I like your favorite girl from Yugioh?
Me: Oh right. Then why am I doing this? I'm making you look....bad. shakes head I must be on a sugar high or something. Either that, or I must have suffered through one too many classes of social studies. History gets on my nerves.
Ishizu: Okay, I'll do the disclaimer: Shikari--
Me: IT'S TALISMAN OF LIGHT!!!
Ishizu: Right sorry. Talisman of Light does not own Yugioh, or any of us, no matter what the delusional girl thinks.
Me: I'm not delusional!
Ishizu: Whatever.
Me: I'M NOT!
Ishizu: Just get on with the story already, you've kept the readers waiting long enough.
Me: Fine. And a brief summary for anyone who needs it: Kaiba's just escaped from jail, let Yugi, Joey, and Tristan deal with the cops, and now he's out to find Mokuba. Also that evil mage said he was going to help Kaiba find Mokuba because he wanted to see Mokuba humiliate Kaiba.
Ishizu: You suck at summaries.
Me: proudly I know.
Mai: Hey, are any of us going to make an appearance in this story?
Me: Maybe....I can try to fit you all in. Joey's already in there.
Joey: I am? Cool, what am I doing?
Me: Um...currently? You're in jail, asleep on the floor.
Joey: shocked What?!
Me: Sorry, but it's true. Just look . . . er . . . read . . .er . . . whatever.
Mai: laughs
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Yugi, Joey, and Tristan sat inside a jail cell in utter silence. Joey had already fallen asleep, Tristan looked despondently out the window. Yugioh just stared blankly into space. I can't believe it, he thought. Kaiba was supposed to be a friend, an ally at the very least. But now, thanks to him we're all in jail for helping him escape, and he's outside, free to do as he pleases. I wonder if Kaiba will realize someday we just wanted to help . . . . why is he so afraid of making friends?
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Kaiba walked fast, having set a brisk pace for himself. He kept his head down and pulled his coat tighter around him. I can't risk being recognized, he thought. There's no telling just how many people know I'm supposed to be in jail.
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The evil mage looked into his dark crytal and smiled. "Everything's going according to plan, even better than planned. Kaiba was able to escape without my aid. And so now that he is out, I must help reunite him with his brother!" The mage looked around. "Hmm . . . now how shall I do this?" After a moment of thought, he shouted, "I have it! I shall disguise myself as someone Mokuba knows well, and then go get him from the orphanage where he was sent to. Mokuba will come with me, and I shall take him to Kaiba. Once the two brothers are together, I'll give Kaiba a ticket to America and suggest for him to hide from the Japanese police force there. They'll never find him, and Kaiba and Mokuba will be able to continue living on as normal. Or at least . . . that's what they'll believe." The mage let out a harsh bark that was supposed to be laughter, before his eyes glowed an evil red color. His hair changed color to a chestnut brown and grew slightly longer. His eyes flashed once and he blinked. When he opened them, it was clear that he know had blue eyes. "Tea Gardner. You're identity is very useful to me indeed. And how convenient it is that you are now sleeping peacefully in bed, unaware that you are being impersonated, and unable to interfere with my plans.
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"Mokuba Kaiba!" called the head of the orphanage.
Mokuba looked up from where he'd been playing blocks with the other toddlers in the orphanage. "Yes?" he answered sweetly. Even though he'd only been here for a day, Mokuba already liked the place, and had made many friends. My stupid brother was wrong, he thought, orphanages are tons of fun. They're not evil at all.
"You're brother's friend here wants to take you with her."
Mokuba's lower lip trembled. "You mean I have to go now?"
The woman looked sorry. "Yes, dear. All the paperwork has been taken care of. You have to go now."
Mokuba burst out crying, in loud wails and sobs. "I don't want to!"
Suddenly a girl came up to Mokuba and hugged him, ruffling his hair. "Come on Mokuba, we'll have lots of fun!"
Mokuba looked up into kind blue eyes. "Tea!" he shouted. "Yay! You're nice, right? Will you take me to the circus? And Disneyland? Seto was so mean, he refused. He told me the only place I would be going was to the-- the-- the 'zagiaschist'. No wait-- oh I remember. He wanted to make me see a unicyclist. Can you belive that?"
Tea laughed. "No, I can't believe it. But anyway, I'm here now, we can go wherever you want, okay?"
"Okay," said Mokuba happily, as he took hold of Tea's hand and the two walked together outside, hand-in-hand, Mokuba totally unaware that the one he called Tea and thought was his nice older friend was actually the one who'd heartlessly cursed his life and caused him to relive an unhappy childhood. Then again, maybe this time Mokuba's childhood wouldn't be so unhappy. Not for him at least . . .
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Kaiba stared unbelievingly at the boy in front of him. "Mokuba!" he exclaimed. "You're back!"
To Kaiba's horror, Mokuba started crying. "Not him! Tea, you promised you'd keep me safe from him!"
Kaiba looked on as a girl emerged from the shadows behind Mokuba. As Kaiba realized who it was, he became angry. "What do you want?"
Tea laughed. "You'll know soon enough . . . I mean I just want to see your brother be happy. I helped get him out of the orphanage, you know?"
Kaiba became suspicious. "So?"
Tea's face took on a serious look now. "You're famous, Seto Kaiba. You've just been arrested, and you're face is plastered all over the television networks. You'll be front page news tomorrow; 'Newest Prison Escapee is the Head of KaibaCorp'. Everyone will know how and why you were arrested, and how you escaped."
Suddenly Kaiba felt as if someone had punched him in the gut, knocking all the wind out of his body. Yugi, he thought. They're all going to suffer because of me.
"Kaiba?" Tea looked apprehensively at him. "I have a plan."
Kaiba made no reply so Tea continued. "You and Mokuba can fly to America, the U.S. No one there cares where you're from or who you are as long as you have the right papers, and I just got excellent immigration papers forged by a good friend of mine today. I even have tickets for you and Mokuba."
"Why are you doing all this?" Kaiba asked.
Tea smiled innocently. "Because I care."
Mokuba looked from Tea to his brother. "America? Isn't that where Disneyland is? Will you take me Seto?"
Tea laughed. "Forget Disneyland, if you visit Florida, you can go to Disneyworld!"
Mokuba smiled happily. "Yahoo! Seto's taking me to Disneyworld!"
"I am not!" shouted Kaiba. "First you have to get enrolled into school, and we have to get a house."
"All taken care of, Kaiba," informed Tea. "You two will be living in California, in a house approximately half an hour's driving distance away from Disneyland, and very close to the San Diego Zoo, as well as SeaWorld. Mokuba will be going to a local preschool there. Here," Tea gave Kaiba a thick stack of papers, including house ownership bills, plane tickets, and school emergency contact forms. "Have fun!" cried Tea as she quickly ran across the street and disappeared into the night.
Kaiba was puzzled. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Everything was too easy. Oh well, he thought, never look a gift horse in the mouth. I've always wanted to go to America. And maybe Mokuba's age reversal is a good thing after all. Ever since I was twelve, I regretted his unhappy childhood. We had to travel from orphanage to orphanage and suffer through poor living conditions. I was old enough to not care that I rarely ever saw the inside of a classroom when I was a child, but Mokuba was very young then, and I know it must've been hard for him. I think I'm going to take advantage of Mokuba's situation. We've been given a second chance, and I won't mess it up. This time around, Mokuba will be the happiest preschooler ever. I'll make sure of it.
"Mokuba, come on. We need to get to the Tokyo/Narita International Airport right away. Quickly, before our flight leaves without us."
"Okay Seto. Anything for the person who takes me to see Mickey Mouse!" Mokuba happily trotted behind Kaiba as the two swiftly made their way over to a taxi.
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Two blocks away from where Kaiba and Mokuba were getting on a taxi, the form of Tea stood silently. All of a sudden her image went blurry and was replaced by an old man wearing dark robes. It was the evil mage. "Now," he whispered to himself, "I must follow those two to America. Once I'm there, I'll disguise myself as someone else, someone they'll trust. And then . . . I'll betray their trust. Oh this is going to be very fun indeed!"
--------------five days later--------------
Yugi looked up as a guard approached their cell. "You are Yugi Moto?" asked the guard.
Yugi nodded. "Who are you?"
"That is of no concern to you. I have been asked to tell you that you three will have a hearing two weeks from now. The judge will determine whether or not you are guilty or innocent and choose a fitting punishment for your actions then. You may hire a lawyer if you so wish."
Yugi shuddered. We're criminals, he thought. We need a lawyer. And all thanks to Kaiba. I wonder where he is right now? Did he and Mokuba manage to escape safely?
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"Mokuba, get up! It's the second day of school for you. You don't want to be late again, do you?"
Mokuba groaned. "Go away Seto. You're being mean."
Kaiba looked at Mokuba, curled up on his bed shaped like a car. Even though the bed was small, Mokuba fit with plenty of room to spare. Had Kaiba tried to lie down on the same bed, at least half his body would have stuck out over the edges. Well, that's what you can expect from a four-year old, thought Kaiba.
Kaiba's gaze wandered around the room until they came to rest at the small desk he had purchased for Mokuba a few days ago, complete with four small chairs, right after they had just moved in. Mokuba's blue teddy bear printed backpack was slung across one of the chairs, the zipper wide open. Inside Kaiba could see papers that said, "TO THE PARENT/GUARDIAN". Kaiba walked over and took out the papers. The best thing here was that though Kaiba was not a parent, he qualified as a guardian. Kaiba began reading the paper, which appeared to be a newsletter of some sort introducing the school, class, and teachers. It also contained information about the students' schedule everday. Kaiba scanned the schedule.
9:00AM: Greetings/Free choice
9:15AM: Song time
9:45AM Art Projects
10:15AM Recess
10:30AM Snack time
10:40AM Circle/Story time and sharing
11:00AM Go home
Near the bottom, right underneath the scedule there was a note about sharing in the 10:40AM slot. It said: "Sharing is an important tool for communication and development among preschoolers. Each child is assigned a certain day of the week where they may bring in something that is special to them in some way and talk about it. See back side for the sharing schedule." Kaiba frowned, and turned over the back side. He was really going to have to buy some toys for Mokuba. Currently his younger brother had virtually nothing to share. Kaiba easily located Mokuba's name along with a few other children under Tuesday.
"Tuesday?" muttered Kaiba, "That's today!" Kaiba looked again at the sharing schedule. Now he saw that in addition to the children's names and day of week, there were all the weeks in the school year listed by date with a letter next to each week. Another note said, "In order for the students to exercise more creativity while choosing what to share, a letter has been assigned to each week. The child must bring in an object starting with the letter of the week to share."
Kaiba located the current week and saw Mokuba had to share something that started with the letter 'E' this week. "Hey Mokuba? You didn't tell me about this sharing you have to do."
Instantly Mokuba jumped up from bed. "Oh no I forgot! What will I do? Seto you have to help me. I saw some kids share yesterday. One girl shared her stuffed elephant, and another boy shared a toy elf. Can I share an egg?"
"An egg?" Kaiba looked doubtful. "Won't it crack?"
"Eggs can crack?" Mokuba asked in awe. "Wow. Can you show me how, Seto?"
"Of course not! Are you crazy? I'll boil one for you. Fortunately we have a couple in the fridge." As if adding an afterthought, Kaiba asked, "By the way, I thought you'd forgotten how to read, Mokuba. How do you know 'egg' starts with 'E'?"
"Huh?" asked Mokuba, looking genuinely puzzled. "I never knew how to read, Seto. But our teacher told us 'E' makes the 'eh' sound. And 'egg' has the 'eh' sound, right?"
So his memory's being messed with as well? Ignoring the fact that he should have been worried, Kaiba thought, that makes things even better for us. "Very well Mokuba," he said out loud. "Get dressed while I go boil your egg."
"Um Seto? You forgot I can't dress myself."
Kaiba looked at his brother oddly. "And what am I supposed to do about this?"
"Dress me!" exclaimed Mokuba as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Okay then," Kaiba made his way over to Mokuba's wardrobe and took out what appeared suitable enough for a four-year old to wear to school. A white undershirt, Bob-the-Builder underwear, blue swimming trunks, a formal white dress shirt, and a small purple tie with orange polka dots. Kaiba carried the clothes over to Mokuba's bed where he set them down.
Mokuba looked over the clothes in approval. "These clothes will make me look cool, right Seto?"
Kaiba sighed. "Yeah sure, whatever."
"Wait," Mokuba looked poutingly at the undershirt Kaiba had taken out. "I can't wear that, it's going to stick out and people will laugh at me."
Kaiba looked exasperated. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I can't wear it."
"Mokuba, it's not summer anymore. I don't want you to catch a cold, and seeing as how you refused to wear a jacket, you'll have to wear this."
"I didn't refuse to wear the jacket, I just said it was too big. You need to buy me another one."
"Mokuba! You're supposed to grow into the one I already bought for you."
"Whatever. Growups are always lying, just because they're so big they think they can say and do whatever they want," Mokuba said defiantly.
"I'm not lying!" shouted Kaiba.
Ten minutes later, after a lot of argument, Kaiba had finally finished dressing Mokuba and was getting ready to boil an egg for him. Mokuba sat at the dining table, eating cereal with milk. When the egg was boiled, Kaiba asked Mokuba, "What are you going to take this in?"
"A bag," answered Mokuba simply, starting to sip his milk directly from the bowl.
"Okay," Kaiba got out a Zip-loc bag, opened it, put the egg in, and closed the bag tightly.
"No!" yelled Mokuba as he got up, now finished with his breakfast. "Not that kind of bag. People will think I have no style."
"Since when do you worry about what others think of you, Mokuba?"
"Don't we have any other bags?" asked Mokuba.
Kaiba pointed at the pantry, where he had stored shopping bags of various sizes, all from the shopping spree he and Mokuba had been forced to go on shortly after coming here. "Can't you take it in your backpack?"
Mokuba violently shook his head as he rummaged through the bags. "No one brought it in their backpack yesterday. We bring home our projects in our backpacks. Oh by the way, thank you for getting me that new backpack, Seto. Everyone really liked it, it's really popular."
Oh god, thought Kaiba, what kind of school have I sent my brother to? A few seconds later, Mokuba emerged from the pantry holding a large gift bag that had "Happy Birthday!" printed on it, along with pictures of balloons, cake, and candles. "This one is perfect, Seto!" Kaiba looked at the bag. It was as tall as Mokuba, and over three times as wide. It could easily cover two of Mokuba in his present size and still have plenty of room left over. Kaiba took his eyes off the bag and looked at the egg. It was approximately the size of Mokuba's hand, and about a millionth the size of the bag. Literally.
"Don't you think the bag is a bit too big, Mokuba?"
"Of course not, it's perfect!
"Um . . . whatever you say. Just know that I won't carry it for you, okay?"
Mokuba looked at Kaiba surprisedly. "Of course you won't carry it. I'm a big boy!"
Kaiba rolled his eyes, before he and Mokuba walked out to the car, ready to go to school.
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A/N: Done! Hope you liked it. And for anyone who did read the disclaimer (lol)..... might I request for you to please check out my other Yugioh fics? I mentioned them for a reason....lol....but I'm not forcing you or anything. Next update asap! (Once I get 30 reviews, k? My minimal amounts of reviews are beginning to bug me....though I am grateful to those who have reviewed.)