Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks.

These tumors are "silent". S+YY, if you squint.

Fall Revisited – Part 6 - Epilogue

T-plus 99 – October 25 – Kaiba

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR KAIBA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"

They. Tricked. Me.

I glare at Yami, Mokuba and Yugi standing in front of the small crowd of people inside my duel dome.

"I think you've lost your edge, Kaiba," Yami had taunted a little over a week ago. "Dueling you would probably be more boring than watching paint dry."

"Fuck you, Yami," I'd responded.

"Words, Kaiba. Just words. Admit it. What's left of your feeble little brain probably couldn't out-duel Joey."

That had done it.

"Alright, Pharaoh! You're on! Right here! Right now!" I'd screamed.

He'd gotten an evil grin and suggested something else.

"How about we duel in the dome, Kaiba? And let's do it next week, say…Thursday? Yes. Let's do next Thursday evening. That'll give you time to get your feeble little brain together and practice your concession speech."

"Concession speech! Why you little…"

"I'd love to sit here in this very comfy chair and listen to you rant about how much better a duelist than me you are, but I have a life. 'Til Thursday, Kaiba," he'd tossed over his shoulder as he left my office.

It wasn't until three days later that I realized the significance of the day he'd chosen.

'He wants to beat me on my birthday', I'd supposed.

Now, looking around at the sumptuously laid out table, the gaggle of friends, family and appreciated co-workers and the lavishly decorated dome, which includes life-sized 3-D models of my three Blue Eyes and my Blue Eyes Ultimate, I know that Yami merely served as the bait to get me here.

Inwardly, I smile to myself while glaring at the three conspirators.

Mokuba approaches me first.

"C'mon, Nii-sama! Don't be like that! You know it was the only way to get you to come."

"It was all Yami's idea," Yugi pipes up from beside him, discretely linking their fingers together. "Actually, this whole thing was Yami's idea."

"Yep!" Mokuba retorts. "Yami said you needed something to celebrate making it to your 23rd birthday and we agreed. Then he told us his plan to set up the duel dome and who he thought we should invite and how he'd get you here without arousing suspicion."

"Sneaky bastard," I grumble, looking around for my former rival. He smiles at me from the punch bowl and I nod my head in acknowledgement.

Casually, I take in all the decorations and the huge cake taking over a table behind Yami.

Noah would have loved this.

He told me, the last time we spoke, that he'd never had a birthday party, even at the orphanage. Right then, I decided that I'd give him one for his next birthday. In fact, I was planning it in my head before…

But he never made it to his next birthday.

"Nii-sama?" Mokuba questions, touching my arm with concern. Damn. My face must be showing emotions again. It was easy enough to go back to scowling at everyone, but I have to re-train my face not to give feelings away.

"It's nothing," I reply, straightening my face and heading off to greet those employees Yami deemed worthy to invite. At first scan, it appears he did a fairly good job of picking those acceptable.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"No," I spit.

"Why not," Yami questions, obviously exasperated.

Too bad. He should have known better than to think I'd want to sit in front of all these people opening presents like some giggly little kid.

"I said no, Yami. And I mean no," I hiss back at him.

"Kaiba," he sighs deeply. I raise an eyebrow at his use of my last name. It's been quite a while. Not that it'll get him anywhere.

I cross my arms and glare down at him.

"Fine," he concedes "At least thank everyone for their gifts before they go."

"That's acceptable."

"Good."

We step back out into the throng of people from one of the storage rooms where Yami had dragged me. It's his fault if I embarrassed him.

"Okay everyone," he'd begun enthusiastically, addressing those gathered. "Before we cut the cake, Kaiba will open gifts."

"Like hell!" I'd yelled, earning shocked expressions from Yami and his co-conspirators and murmurs from everyone else.

Yami and I had a brief, heated argument before he excused us and drug me into the storage room.

"Change of plans, everyone," Yami begins with a tight smile. "Kaiba wants to say a few words and then we'll have cake!"

T-plus 100 – October 26– Yami

I can't believe he's so stubborn!

All he had to do was open a few presents, not a big deal. Everyone there had worried about him while he battled the tumor. The least he could do was to open our gifts.

Maybe I expected too much of him. Or maybe I got used to him under the tumor's influence and forgot his true nature. Seto isn't a people person. He doesn't like being the center of attention unless he plans it. And he absolutely hates showing any kind of emotion, even to us.

And there I was trying to make him show gratitude to a room full of people he barely tolerates in the first place.

I guess I'm lucky all I got was a glare.

T-plus 105 – November 2 – Mokuba

Nii-sama finally got around to opening his birthday gifts today and now I know why he didn't want to do it in front of everyone. The delight on his face as he rips into each package and the elation of receiving gifts would have been obvious.

I wonder if this change is permanent? I wonder if we'll always be able to see his emotions now?

Hmm, could be bad for business.

"Shit!" Nii-sama exclaims as he scowls into a box at his feet.

"I thought I'd just imagined that," he mumbles.

"Imagined what?" Yami pipes up craning his head from a nearby chair to see inside the box. "Umm, what is that?"

"It's a Star Theatre," Nii-sama grumbles.

"And that is…?" Yami urges.

"Yeah, Kaiba, what is a 'Star Theatre'?" Yugi inserts.

"It projects the universe on your ceiling like in a Planetarium," he replies off-handedly.

I know my eyes get huge as a smile splits my face.

"Oh, COOOOOL!" I yell, bounding over to him from Yugi's arms and peering into the box. I can almost feel Nii-sama's eyes rolling behind me as Yami laughs at my enthusiasm.

"Why don't you go figure out how it works, Mokuba and I'll open the rest of these things later?" Nii-sama prompts.

Recognizing a delaying tactic when I hear it, I shake my head, sliding the box to the side and grabbing another from the pile. So far, he'd only opened four and I was determined he would open them all tonight. He'd delayed for over a week saying he 'had to work' or coming up with some equally lame excuse. Even tonight, he'd put it off until we'd had dinner. I won't be put off again.

As the pile to be opened gets smaller, I notice Nii-sama relaxing more.

He really has changed since the tumor.

Yami pushes Nii-sama playfully after a crass remark about Yami's parentage and Seto smiles. A genuine smile. One I haven't seen since the orphanage.

Maybe it wasn't the tumor that changed him.

T-plus 106– November 3 – Yugi

All in all, Kaiba's gifts were quite nice. Some even made him laugh, like Honda's blue Hawaiian shirt with the flamingos. After he stopped laughing, a sight I still have trouble believing, he explained that he'd once called Honda an idiot for asking him to contribute to a fund to save those "filthy, stupid, scavengers". Apparently, Honda thought this would be his revenge.

Anzu got him an elaborate Dream catcher, which I felt very thoughtful of her. His secretaries got him a mother-of pearl globe inlaid with gemstones. Jou was the one who gave him the 'Star Theatre', though he never did explain why he'd cursed about getting it.

Yami's first gift had Mokuba and I laughing again as it was a blue, summer yukata with a cherry-blossom motif, which was obviously too small.

"What the…?" Kaiba had sputtered. "Yami, what the hell is wrong with you? You couldn't possibly think I'd be able to fit this!"

Calmly, Yami stood, took the yukata and put it on, revealing its perfect fit.

"Think of it as a replacement for my favorite one that you threw up on," he drawled, re-claiming his seat.

Mokuba and I cried with laughter, especially when Kaiba tried and failed at a scathing response. Watching his mouth open and close like that kept Mokuba and I on the floor for quite a few minutes. We'd almost calmed down when Kaiba growled and pushed Yami onto the floor.

Yami's shocked face sent us reeling again. Mokuba and I had to ask for a break to get water and calm down before the rest of the presents could be opened.

Jii-chan got him an authentic, wooden, championship yo-yo with a note suggesting his recent brush with death should encourage him to play more. Yami read the note to us after Kaiba's eyes got cloudy and he shoved the note and box into Yami's lap. A heavy air settled over things until Yami steered him the next gift, a large box with 'Fragile' written all over it.

I remember Mokuba nearly having a heart attack yesterday when one of the house staff almost dropped it while bringing it here and into the living room. Several of Kaiba's employees had gotten together to give him an elaborate, gemstone bouquet almost three feet high. The petals were made of agate, jade, rose quartz and a bunch of other minerals I'd never heard of set in a cloisonné cachepot on a finished rosewood base. While Yami, Mokuba and I "ooh'd and aah'd", Kaiba smiled one of his terse smiles, but it didn't fool us. He was very pleased his employees thought to give him something both beautiful and valuable.

Mokuba, knowing his brother's love for fine clothes, gave him a 100 silk, hand-painted tie and muffler set to go with a tailored Armani suit, which he'd scheduled Kaiba to be fitted for on Monday afternoon, two days from now.

"That's why you needed to open these presents, Nii-sama," he'd grumbled when Kaiba noted the date for the fitting.

Knowing how much he enjoyed reading, languages and military history, I got him a book in German about World War I, a book in French about the significance of Bastille Day, a book in English about the Spanish-American War and a book in Russian about the Seven Years' War.

"I don't speak Russian," he'd mumbled picking up the last book.

"Not yet," I'd challenged, earning me a smirk of acceptance.

Yami's second gift, the real one, had us gaping in awe. After putting it on, Kaiba stood abruptly and left the room.

T-plus 107 – November 4 – Yami

A signet ring, lapis set in platinum, bearing his initials, SK, perfectly sized for the ring finger of his right hand. That's what I got him.

He'd mentioned getting one in February, right after the third treatment.

"I always wanted one," he'd confessed, "but now, it looks like I might not live to get it."

"Whatever, Kaiba. You're not that helpless. I know you'll be challenging me to another duel next week," I'd scoffed, doing my best to keep him annoyed and fighting.

The subject never came up again, so I couldn't be sure...but after opening the box that night, his eyes told me.

This time, I left him speechless.

T-plus 123 – November 20 – Kaiba

Yami wouldn't stop grinning.

Though we'd landed two hours ago and were enjoying a quiet dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, the smile hadn't left his face.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Yami," I venture, eager to hear him praise my Blue Eyes again.

"Seto, that was fantastic!" He gushes. "Now I know why you talked about flying so much. There's definitely nothing else like it!"

Secretly, I agree, with both the sentiment and the emotion. I hadn't been flying since months before the tumor. To feel the roar of those engines and the wind fighting my ascent once again…

It's a pleasure I thought Yami deserved to share. Smiling, I reach out and squeeze his hand firmly, warmed by his answering grin.

Shit. I hope the tumors' not back.

A/N: All gifts listed, or their base counterpart, are from the Smithsonian 2005 Holiday catalogue at www. smithsoniancatalogue .com. There will be a Christmas-based one-shot and two multi-chapter sequels to this, so stay tuned!