Jemmea pulled her shirt up and the technician pasted the cool gel on her still-discrete stomach. Kaiba was not there, being the busy man he was, but had asked that she call him with whatever update she had as soon as she got out. Instead, Avery was there for support.

The three of them looked up at the screen, though Jem didn't know how to interpret it. "How does it look?" she asked worriedly, as all new mothers do.

"Everything looks good," replied the technician. "In fact, it looks double good."

"What does that mean?" Jem implored.

"It means, Mom, that you're having twins."

Jem turned to Avery with wide, terrified eyes.

"Don't worry," he assured, "I'm not going anywhere."

Jemmea lay propped up on the bed, her husband occupying the bedroom seating area. He was trying to get as much done before the twins came so he could be with them and be a proper father. He, however, was also trying to be near Jem, because he hardly ever was; and therefore, had yet to feel his children kick. Jem also wanted them to know their daddy's voice. Seto had been meaning to do this, but finally made it happen after Zero recently visited and felt one of the twins move. This did not go over well with Kaiba.

She had pulled her shirt up to expose her swollen belly, watching her finger as she traced a spiral from her belly button outward, then back in again. Without looking up, she asked, "Have there ever been any names you prefer?"

"Hmm?" Seto was pulled out of his work. He turned, placing one arm along the back of the couch. They had just found out the genders of the twins: one boy, one girl. "I've always liked the name Jackson," he divulged.

"Jackson," Jem echoed, seeing how it felt. "That's a strong name. Any others?"

"That's the only one," Kaiba answered.

"Jackson, Jackson Apollo," she thought aloud, "and then we could call the girl Artemis. Artemis Dante."

"Dante?" Kaiba asked. "Why?"

"He's my favorite author, and I like the name."

"Yes, but isn't there a central woman in the book? Why do you want to name the girl Dante?" he inquired.

Jem finally looked up from her stomach to her husband. "Because my daughter is the hero, not the damsel." Then she looked back down.

"Mm," Kaiba responded, agreeing with her reasoning. "I like it."

Jem tested the names. "Jackson Apollo Kaiba. Artemis Dante Kaiba. Artemis Kaiba. Jackson Kaiba. Jackson and Artemis. Artemis and Jackson. No matter which way you say it, it has a nice ring to it."

"Mm."

Just then, "Seto, it's happening. Come over now." Seto promptly stood up and came and sat next to his wife. She took his hands and placed them on her stomach, hoping he would get to feel it before the baby stopped. "Do you feel it?" she asked. He didn't respond, but she knew he did. All of his focus was on that one spot on her belly as he looked at it with wonder. "Oh," she said, adjusting his other hand to the other side, "the other one is kicking too. I always worry they're kicking each other," she disclosed.

But Kaiba was still mesmerized. This was something that was even beyond him. He asked quietly, "Could they understand that? Is it possible they like their names?"

Jem smiled. "I think it is." Then she turned to her stomach, giving it another test, "Jackson and Artemis, do you love your daddy?" and then, the twins both kicked a little harder. Jem looked up at her husband with wide eyes and a smile, laughing in surprise and delight. But Kaiba did not turn to look up at her, he simply looked from one hand to the other, amazed by what was happening.

"Where is she?" Kaiba demanded.

"She's this way, sir," the nurse said. Once she showed him the way, she was struggling to keep up with him. "She's refusing to push—she's insisting it's too early."

"Well, is it?" Kaiba demanded.

"No," she replied, "They should be ok. Here's the door."

Kaiba hastily pushed it open to see Jem in tears, holding her stomach. She sat up a little when she saw him. "Seto-" she cried desperately. "I can't do it, it's too early, I'm so scared-"

But Kaiba knew exactly what to do. He went over to his wife and bent over to hold her. She cringed and cried a little in his arms as she endured another contraction. Weaving one hand into her hair, he held her to his chest and kissed her head. As she always had before, she found comfort in his arms.

"They're twins, we knew this would happen. And you know it's going to happen." He drew back to look her in the eyes. "Remember how I always make the right decision?" he reminded her. She nodded. "Well, now I'm making the decision that it's time. I'm ready to meet my children. Are you ready to do this?"

She took a deep breath and grasped his hand, now with determination, her complete trust in him allowing her to do anything... for him.

"Who's all clean?" Jemmea asked her toddler as she pulled the plug.

"Atsin!" Jackson said his name as best he could as he pointed to himself.

"That's right, Jackson's all clean! Are you ready to get out?" Jackson held his hands up to his mother and she hoisted him out of the tub, standing him on the bathmat. She grabbed the small, hooded towel and placed his head under the hood. Some babies had these towels in yellow with a duck face on the hood; however, these were Seto Kaiba's children. They had white towels with blue-eyed dragon faces on the hood. Pretty much everything Kaiba had was Blue Eyes White Something. Jem had realized this recently when she one day heard someone point out that she, too, was included in this collection.

Jem knelt down and rubbed the towel over her son, partially tickling him as she played, "Go, Blue Eyes White Towel! Drying baby attack!" Jackson giggled and smiled as she continued to dry him off, only causing her to smile and giggle in return.

After that, she folded the towel around him and lifted him up, off on their way to dress him. She pushed the door of the master bath open with her hip and announced, "Look who's all clean!" as she continued to look at him. But there was no sound, not even keystrokes. Jem turned to look at the room. Her husband was slightly propped up on the bed, his laptop adhering to its description as his little girl lay on her belly, sprawled out over Kaiba's chest, gripping his shirt in her tiny hands. She was out like a light, but Seto looked more delicate. In his content state, he had closed his eyes for a moment, and now lightly slept.

Jem turned to Jackson, releasing one arm to hold up a hand. She pointed her finger up over her mouth and very quietly breathed, "Shhhhh..." Jackson did the same thing back to her, smiling, knowing it was time to play quiet. She tiptoed across the room and slipped out the door to walk to Jackson's room.

Seto arrived home and wandered through his house until he heard the sound of his wife's voice. He knew that they would either be in Jackson's room or Artemis's room. He heard Jem while outside Jackson's room, and quietly pushed the door open. She had one three-year-old on either side, all three of them in the bed, and was reading to them. She noticed her husband standing there, leaning in the frame with his arms crossed, and stopped. "Hey, guess who's home?" she asked quietly. Both of them whipped their heads towards the door and saw Seto there.

"Daddy!" the twins cried, running to him. Kaiba uncrossed his arms and crouched down as his two children attacked him in a hug.

He pulled back. "I have something for each of you," he revealed as he reached in his front pocket. The two bounced a little in excitement. Seto pulled out two necklaces. He gave the gold one with the etched sun on it to Jackson, then the silver one with the design of the moon on it to Artemis. "Open them," he instructed.

Each twin opened their locket to find a picture of the other and a spinning arrow. "They each work like a compass, but instead of the arrows pointing north, they point towards each other," Seto explained. Each twin then looked at the other's to see the arrow pointing at them. "So you can always find each other." Jem sat silently on the bed, adoring her family.

"You make these, Daddy?" Jackson asked.

"Mm," answered their father.

Artemis closed hers, then kissed it before taking her father's hand. "Come on," she urged, "Mommy's reading My Father's Dragon."

Jackson also closed his and took Seto's other hand. "Yeah, come on." The twins pulled Kaiba to the bed where he laid next to his wife, both on their backs as Kaiba tucked his wife under one arm and Jackson settled under the other. Artemis was next to her mother, resting her head on her shoulder. Jem held the book in one hand, and with the other, reached up to play with her husband's tie and jacket absent-mindedly as she read.

"Uncle Moka's here! Who wants a milkshake?" Jem asked.

"I do, I do!" her four-year-olds squealed excitedly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mokuba asked nervously. "I mean, it's past 6:30. Won't they be up all night?"

"Probably," Jem responded, "with Grandpa Avery, because Mommy's still mad at him for inviting Auntie Wicked Witch of the West to town."

"I didn't like her," commented Artemis.

"Of course you didn't, sweetheart, she's a terrible person," Jem told her daughter as she divided the fluid into four glasses. She dug out two straws and placed them in the smaller two glasses. She then crouched down and offered them to her children, who excitedly accepted. Each of them were silent as they sucked down the thick liquid.

"Do you like them?" Jem asked. They nodded enthusiastically and she smiled. "You know, mocha is your Uncle Moka's favorite flavor."

Jackson stopped when he heard this, turning to Mokuba and pulling on his clothes. "Me too!" he said as his sister continued with hers. Mokuba, who had already picked up his and was leaning on the counter, his other hand in his pocket, smiled down at his nephew. It was hard to tell if this was really Jackson's favorite flavor—he tended to be somewhat of a pleaser—but his heart was in the right place.

Jem stood up and saw the concern still on Mokuba's face. She picked up the final glass and assured him, "I'm not worried about it, you shouldn't worry about it."

Artemis finished her drink and handed the glass to her mother, who set it on the counter. Then she turned to her twin and said, "Wanna go play hide and seek with our necklaces?"

Jackson hastily nodded as he finished his drink and also handed his glass to his mother. As soon as he did, Artemis grabbed his hand and they ran off.

Jem had left Artemis with Seto at his company office. The three had dropped by before Jackson's appointment. She was going to then drop her with Avery, but Seto had said it was fine so long as she behaved. Artemis was a good girl, and a total daddy's girl. She was always so interested in everything her father did, and Seto would take the time to explain what he was doing to her as he worked.

Not only that, but she was a spitting image of her father. Though she had long hair, Jem had not been able but to help cut her bangs, which she always wore with a headband after her mother. Jackson, on the other hand (and to Jem's delight) resembled Jude. Though he had blue eyes, he had platinum hair and a skin tone like Mokuba's, reminding Jem of the tan Jude always wore. In addition, he sang to himself all the time.

She carried Jackson on her hip. He was still awake, but pretty sleepy from the car ride over. His eyes were slightly open as he rested against his mother on the walk up to the office. Jem opened the door to Kaiba's office, keeping her body stiff as she leaned her weight into pushing on the door, while needing to allow Jackson to lean against her. When she opened the door, she saw Seto working away, Artemis in his lap.

"Artemis, are you in Mommy's spot again?" she joshed, watching Jackson's head as she slid in the door.

Artemis clasped her hands together and leaned forward, smiling. "Yes!" she declared, giggling. Seto was intently working, but did smile at this without otherwise moving.

Jem smiled too. Upon seeing his sister, Jackson woke a little and started to wiggle to be let down. Jem set him on his feet and he ran over to her. In response, Artemis slid out of Kaiba's lap and went to meet her brother.

"Why don't you go see if Uncle Moka is in his office," Jem suggested. Mokuba had completely taken over Yugi's office after he graduated and Yugi had left to oversee the Kaiba Card department (formally Industrial Illusions) in San Francisco. "Jackson, you can tell him about your recent discovery."

"Yeah!" Jackson exclaimed.

As they ran off, Artemis asked, "What is it? What did you discover?"

"My name is Jackson, and you call me Jack, and my initials are J.A.K.-" he started to explain as they ran out the door.

As soon as they were gone, Jem walked over and reclaimed her place in Kaiba's lap, then turned so she could face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He, in turn, placed his hands around her hips.

"Do you think we're good parents?" she asked.

"Yes," he said dryly.

"How?" she asked. "We had such terrible ones. How come we have it down?"

Kaiba sighed, seeing this as a trivial question, one that he had already answered before, but he applied it again anyway. "Because you're perfect, and I'm the best at everything I do."

"Is that right?" she smirked.

"Mm."

"Well, I guess I'm pretty lucky you're my husband, then." She reached out a hand to brush the hair away from his eyes. As she did, his eyes caught hers. After all this time, each found the other's just as bright and bewitching as that first glance. She leaned in to kiss him, and as she did, he tightened his grip around her hips, holding her closer to him. She kissed him passionately, and he kissed her lovingly. Seto Kaiba had it all, and through the years, continued to bask in every minute of it.

Voilà.

What did you think of it? Do any of you have a favorite part(s) of this series? Or rather what stands out to you?

AND NOW, though I originally was going to end my series here, I couldn't help but keep going. The next fic is titled Nightmares Are For Dreamers and the beginning is up!

bntjammer asked if she could use her as Kaiba's wife in her next generation fic, and continues with this storyline! I of course said yes, and the first part is posted.

YuGiOh: The Next Generation. Return of the Shadows

Let's take a peek into the future, 16 years after Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba, and friends go their separate ways. Their lives might be different now, but what happens when their children meet? Could their lives be normal given who their parents are? Of Course Not. Let's follow the lives of Zella Muto, Artemis Kaiba, Gwen Wheeler, and the rest of their friends as they investigate the past their parents tried to leave behind. Could the shadows they banished so many years ago be reappearing as a new generation emerges?