"Seto! I don't need a babysitter!"
"No, you don't want a babysitter."
"Same difference! You could just leave me here!"
"For three weeks! Mokuba, are you CRAZY?"
"No. I don't need a babysitter."
"Yes, you do. Millie is getting married, and I need to find a new sitter. Find something to do, and stay out of trouble."
"You could leave me with Yugi and the gang." Mokuba said helpfully. Seto spun around in his chair and glared at his little brother.
"NO! I'm not leaving you with them. Now, go away, or I'll tape you to a wall and leave you there."
"Okay, okay, I'm going." Pouting, Mokuba left. Seto sighed and returned to his paper, scanning the ads for any suitable sitters. He ran his finger down the second column, and then stopped at a simple one. He read it several times, and smiled.
Babysitter. Male. 18 years old. Responsible. Trained in CPR and First Aid. Can do long-tern or short-term. Low rates. Available 24/7. Ask for Shuichi Minamino. There followed a phone number.Seto pulled out his cell and dialed immediately. The phone rang twice, and then was picked up. "Hello? This is Shuichi Minamino." The voice on the other end of the line was gentle, warm, and slightly husky, with an obvious British accent.
"Hello. I saw your ad in the paper. Are you available for three weeks? I can pay extra."
"Th-th-three weeks?"
"Yes. Three weeks, live-in, expense account to take care of anything you need."
"Y-y-yes, I'm available. When?"
"Can you be here tonight, say, 7:30?"
"Yessir. I'll be there." This was followed by a quick negotiation of Shuichi's payment, and then it was done.
"Okay. MOKUBA! Dinner's ready!" Mokuba skidded in.
"Didja find a sitter?"
"Yes."
"Phooey. When's she getting here?"
"He is getting here at 7:30, and he'll being staying here. I'm going to open up one of the guest rooms. Now, what are the rules?" Mokuba groaned. Seto glared at him, and Mokuba recited.
"No sugar after 7:30. Be in bed by 9:00, even on weekends. No slumber parties. No going for a week without a bath. No poisoning the sitter. Don't run off, don't hurt myself, and don't do anything that might result in someone calling 911. Oh, and nothing illegal."
"Very good."
/7:30 exactly/ Ding dong "That must be the sitter. Right on time." Seto got up and went to answer the door. "Mokuba! The babysitter is here! Come down!" Mokuba came, and Seto opened the door. The young man who stood on the doorway was not what either of the Kaiba brothers was expecting. Seto had been imagining, due to the boy's voice, a shortish, pale person, either skinny as a rail or a little on the chubby side, with glasses. Mokuba had been envisioning something akin to a modern version of a medieval executioner, complete with hood and axe. Instead, Shuichi Minamino was a tall youth, taller even than Seto, thus making him about 6 feet 6. He had flaming red hair that hung halfway down his back, and was restrained by a black tie. His clothing consisted of skin-tight jeans, black tennis shoes, and an unbuttoned white shirt, short-sleeved. As to his build, he was built similarly to Marik; quite muscular, slender, and giving off an aura of quiet strength and grace. Mokuba stared, and caught the eye of the new sitter. Emerald-green eyes stared into his for a moment, then winked.
"Good evening." Shuichi said, shooing Mokuba out of his brother's way.
"You're Shuichi?" Seto asked, clearly a bit surprised.
"I am. Is this Mokuba?" The mentioned 13 year-old squeaked and hid behind his brother.
"Yes. I hate to leave without a more proper introduction, but I have to run. Mokuba can show you around. I'll be back in three weeks. Mokuba, have fun, but don't get into trouble."
"Okay." Mokuba muttered. Seto hugged him, and was gone.
"Well, now that he's out of the way, let's get a few things straight. I have a couple of rules, and we're not going to tell your brother about them." Mokuba's jaw dropped. Then, a thought occurred to him, and he frowned.
"Did my big brother put you up to this? Changing the rules? How much is he paying you?" Much to his surprise, Shuichi started laughing. "What?"
"He has no idea. I got a rundown of the rules earlier, and I think they're a bit harsh. So, we're going to change them, but only if you're not going to tell Kaiba. And I'm not telling you how much he's paying me. I'm not sure if I can believe it myself."
"Mr. Minamino, are you sure he won't know?"
"Not unless you tell him. And call me Kurama. I'm more used to it. Where should I put this?" He gestured at the duffle bag at his feet.
"Up here. Seto'n me got one of the guest rooms ready for you."
"Seto and I." Kurama corrected, and received a glare from his small charge.
" I don't need a grammar lesson." He growled.
"Forgive me kit. I'll remember that in the future." Kurama said sarcastically.
"Waddaya mean 'kit'? I'm not an animal." Kurama winced.
"I've been studying foxes recently, and I've gotten into the habit of using words like that when I'm talking to someone."
"So, what changes are you making?"
"As long as you're in bed by 9:00 on Sunday through Thursday, you can stay up late on Friday and Saturday. I don't mind if you have friends over, as long as you don't wreak havoc. The rules on baths, injuries, and poison still stand, but we'll test the sugar one. How's that sound?" Mokuba just stared.
"Are you for real?" he asked. Kurama cracked up
"Of course I'm real! Do you really think that your brother would hire some insubstantial being to baby-sit his only living relative on this continent?"
"Actually, there's-"
"Yes, I know about Noah. But, seeing as you two have absolutely no idea where he is, Kaiba certainly can't call him up to watch you." Mokuba considered this for a moment, and then realized something.
"You forgot one of the rules."
"Oh? Which one?"
"The one on illegal stuff." Kurama grinned.
"Well, why don't you consider that one on your own?"
"Does that mean I can?"
"No. Well, actually, within reasonable limits."
"What planet are you from?"
"Earth. I suspect that it's your brother who may be from another planet." Mokuba blinked. What was this guy?
"Does that mean that you've done illegal stuff?"
"And you want to know because…why?"
"Is that a yes?" Kurama groaned. Why couldn't the job have involved a quiet child? Someone up there really had it in for him.
" Alright, alright. Yes, I have."
"When? Why? What did you do? Didja do it on your own?"
"Last year. Because my boss told me too. I'm not saying, and I was part of a four-man team."
"Where did you learn?"
"I grew up doing it. Now, what was that rule about bedtimes?"
"It's only 8:00. Is that the only time? Have you ever killed someone? Can you fight? Can you teach me? What kind of stuff do you do?" Kurama groaned. He liked kids, he really did, and he liked this one. But all these questions…oh well, he'd answer them as best he could. Hopefully, he could get Mokuba into the bath and get a bit of quiet before morning. He prayed his charge didn't sleep talk. Light-sleeper that he was, and on edge like he was now, the slightest noise from Mokuba would wake him.
"No. Yes. Yes. Maybe. I'm not saying."
"You really know how to fight?"
"Mokuba, I'm going to tell you this now, but you can't tell anyone else, alright. Especially your brother."
"Okay, but why not?"
"Because. My friends aren't exactly like me, and if your brother knew about them, I'd probably be in a lot of trouble."
"Okay, I won't tell."
"Good. I know how to fight because, partially, of the three boys I spend most of my time with, two are the top street brawlers in the school and the city, and the other was trained to fight as soon as he could walk. He used to be an expert thief. Got it? No telling."
"Mm-Hmm. I got it."
"Great. Now, I believe you have a bath to take."
"Awww! Come on Kurama!" Mokuba wailed.
"Nope. Go on, shoo." Mokuba left, Kurama laughing behind him.