Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or "The Dollar" by Jamey Jameson.

The Dollar

Chapter 1

An alarm clock buzzed loudly at four in the morning in the master bedroom of the Kaiba mansion. It was quickly silenced by the large hand of Seto Kaiba. He sat up and cast a worried glance at his beautiful, young, auburn-haired wife beside him. He held his breath in anticipation as Serenity Anne Kaiba stirred gently. When her eyes remained closed, Seto silently slipped out from beneath the soft satin covers.

He tiptoed over to the door of his walk-in closet and gently turned the brass knob. He left the light off and reached for his white suit, which he kept by the door. He then made his way to the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

'God, I hate doing this. Why, of all days, did I have to come in on a Saturday? I promised Serenity that I'd stay home with her and Aaron. I haven't played with my own son in weeks. It's just like when Mokuba and I were younger,' Seto thought miserably as he slumped against the bathroom door.

At about four thirty, Seto opened the bathroom door looking as coiffed and composed as ever. In fact, he had not changed at all since his dueling days. Since he got married, his obsession with dueling had taken a backseat to work and his family. Seto looked towards the bed at his still-sleeping wife. He sighed at the thought of having to tell her that he had to work on a Saturday for the third week in a row. Reluctantly, he walked over to Serenity's side of the bed.

He gave her a gentle peck on the cheek. "Serenity darling, I have to go," he whispered in her ear.

"Seto baby," Serenity replied wearily as she looked at the clock beside her, "it's four thirty. Do you have to work again?"

Seto nodded and remained silent. Serenity sat up and Seto pulled her close. He kissed her on the forehead. Serenity pulled away and looked her husband in the eyes.

"Seto, you promised Aaron that you'd stay home today," Serenity reminded. Her voice was filled with hurt and disappointment.

Seto sighed wearily. "I know sweetie." He kissed Serenity gently. "I promise I will call you both later on. I love you." He walked over to the double doors and waved before closing them behind him.

He walked down the hall to his son's bedroom. He stopped at the door, which had "Aaron" on the door in big wooden letters. He opened the door slightly and a thin beam of light fell across the beige carpet and across Aaron's face. Seto smiled at his son's serene expression. He cast a wistful glance at the sleeping seven-year-old before closing the door and going down the stairs.

Meanwhile, Aaron opened his eyes as the door closed and he heard his father's heavy footsteps fading down the hall. He waited until he could no longer hear the gentle thumping of his father's patent leather shoes against the soft carpet. He silently tiptoed over to his bedroom and barely opened it. He stuck his head out and looked around before tiptoeing to the banister of the stairs. He saw Seto at the door.

'Now's my chance,' thought the small boy. He silently ran down the stairs, a trick he had learned from his Uncle Mokuba. Seto had barely even turned the door knob when he felt a small tug at the hem of his jacket. He craned his head to look behind him and his eyes widened when he saw Aaron looking up at him innocently.