Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters. They remain the property of the respective owners. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is not used for making profit.
This story was inspired by 'What Money Can't Buy' written by The Dark Heroine; it's told brilliantly, so please check it out.
I believe the idea to be original, it came to me one night whilst watching QI repeats on Dave, if this isn't the case please let me know. I haven't said specifically when it is set but you could say that it's after Dualist Kingdom and before The Battle City Tournament.
You didn't except your day to have gone the way it did. When you had woken up this morning, it seemed to start off like any other. Even breakfast tasted remarkably ordinary. Yet as you walk through the lush green trees of Domino Park, bathed in pale moonlight, you couldn't help but feel empowered. And why shouldn't you? It wasn't every day you could steal a kiss from Japan's coldest entrepreneur.
You're in the school Library in Domino's Elementary school where you volunteer during the day. As you're tidying some stray books you see out of the corner of your eye a disheartened young soul shuffle his way through the large double doors from the corridor. Abandoning your task, you go over to the raven haired boy.
"Why the long face Mokuba?" You ask, tilting the boy's face so you could see into his innocent eyes.
"Big Brother hasn't come from work to pick me up like he promised he would." He sniffs. 'Ah!' You think to yourself. It wasn't an unusual thing for Kaiba to do; whenever he was close to launching a new duel disk or hosting one of his tournaments. He would get so involved with his work that it was little Mokuba who felt the loneliness. Luckily you knew just what to do to cheer the little Kaiba up.
"Hey Mokie," You use the nickname from his childhood, watching the way his face lights up is just priceless. "I bet I can beat you at that racing game you like so much!"
"No way! You suck at racing games." You pout at the accusation.
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too and I'll prove it to you." He said defiantly grabbing your hand, pulling you towards the doors. He stops as he notices the pile of books.
"What about your work?" He asks.
"Don't worry about that young man," We both look towards the owner of the voice, a woman with graying hair. "Just make sure she enjoys herself, she works too hard and deserves a break."
"I do not." You protest to Mrs Yogoma, the head librarian.
"You do and you know it." You hang your head in defeat as Mokuba drags you out of the library with new enthusiasm to make you have fun.
After being beaten on every game in the arcade, including the racing game a total of fives times; you decide it was best to leave the stuffy, humid arcade and walk Mokuba back to Kaiba Corp. With a hot dog in one hand and slushie in the other you both walk through the deserted streets of Domino.
"You didn't have to do this." Mokuba says breaking the silence.
"Do what?" You reply innocently, but knowing what Mokuba was going to say. "Mmm." You take a bite out of your ketchup smothered hot dog.
"You know, take me to the arcade cos Seto wasn't there to pick me up."
"Aww Mokie I'm hurt." You say, feigning a sad expression. "Here I was, hoping to spend some time with a friend and all he does is accuse me of having an ulterior motive. You cut me deep Mokie; I thought we were like this." You cross your fingers to show how close the two of you are. He looks at his feet as though in disgrace. You move your hot dog to your left hand and ruffle the messy locks of dark hair. "Lighten up Mokuba, I was only joking." He looks up at you with a huge grin on his face.
"I know you were; I fooled you!" He said wrapping his arms around your waist.
"Careful, your hot dog Moki, I don't want to be wearing it!" You say twisting and craning your neck to try and see where the hot dog is. As you look down at the young Kaiba attached to your waist you can't but feel slightly ashamed that he had seen through your charade so easily. He really was too smart for his own good.
Mokuba steps back from the hug he gave you and sees the solemn look on your face.
"What's wrong?" He asks breaking you away from your train of thought.
"Nothing kiddo, I just remembered I have to work tonight. I should get you back to Kaiba Corp. your brother might wonder where you are by now." He nods, accepting the excuse you gave him.
As you walk down the gravelled path in Domino Park, a shortcut you regularly use when you're with Mokuba, you hear a sharp rustling sound from the tree line. It appears you are not as alone as you think. Mokuba hears it too and his shoulders tense up. Throwing the remainder of your hot dog and slushie in the nearest bin you place a hand on Mokuba's shoulder and he seems to relax, if only a little. Pulling out your phone you type a message to Mokuba;
"Act natural, I'm going to double back as if I dropped something and see who's following us. Just keep walking as though nothing is wrong, if anything happens; you run and you don't stop until you get to Kaiba Corp. ok?"
Handing your phone to Mokuba, you watch as he reads the message. Passing it back to you he gives you a subtle nod, but the expression on his face shows that he isn't comfortable with you doing this. Confident that he'll run straight to Kaiba Corp. should anything happen, you begin to search you pockets as though looking for something while you walk round a bend in the park.
"Mokie I think I dropped my keys by the arcade, I'm going to double back and look, you go on without me ok?" You say, winking to him.
"Ok, I'll keep going but I'll walk slowly so you can catch up." You smile down at him and ruffle his hair. The look he gives you is enough to melt your heart. Such a look has managed to get more than one of your homemade triple chocolate chip brownies from you in the past.
"Thanks I won't be long." You say before you turn around and jog slowly the way you have just walked. Once you reach the bend in the path and Mokuba walks out of sight, you make your way to the tree line. Once you reach the grass your able to move more quickly as the sound of your footsteps is cushioned by the soft vegetation.
As you gain the distance you lost by doubling back you see Mokuba begin to look around cautiously as well as beginning to walk faster. 'Poor kid must be scared.' You think to yourself. Looking in front of you, you can see the dark outline of a man hiding behind a tree from the view of the path. Your muscles tense as you wonder if he has a gun or knife on him. 'Too late to turn around now' you think to yourself, you just hope your self defence lessons pay off. You edge close enough that you can hear his breathing and you notice a lump in his jacket pocket. 'He's definitely hiding something.' You think darkly to yourself.
A twig snaps under your foot and his head whips round to locate the source of the noise.
"Wha..!" He begins to say but you cut him off as you reach for the arm as it moves towards the lump in the jacket. Using his momentum you swing him round and place him in an arm lock. Before he has a chance to regain his balance, you move him in the direction of one of the benches on the gravelled pathway. Pushing him down into a kneeling position, you place one of your knees to his lower back to prevent him from moving and reaching whatever is in his jacket. You look up to locate Mokuba and see him looking up at you in awe.
"That was awesome!" He says punching the air, his slushie and hot dog forgotten as they fall to the ground. You smile.
"Thanks." You turn your attention to the man pinned down underneath you. "Who do you work for? Why were you following us?" You demand, tightening you grip on his arm to remind him of who was in control.
"My name is Lee; I work for Mr Kaiba as part of his security detail. He sent me to collect Mokuba from school but when I arrived he was gone. The lady in the library told me you were going to the arcade. I got there just as you were leaving." You loosen your grip on his arm slightly but don't release it.
"Prove that you work for Mr Kaiba." You command, knowing that Mrs Yogoma wouldn't tell just anybody where you and Mokuba were going. He reaches into his trouser pocket and hands you an I.D. card. "Look at this Mokuba, is it real?" He takes the card from you and studies it for a moment.
"Yup, it's real. You must be new to the job." He says handing the card back as you release Lee from the arm lock. He straightens out his suit and returns the I.D. card back to his pocket.
"Why didn't you say anything before, let us know you were there?" You ask him, not understanding why he was hiding in the trees.
"You looked like you were having fun; I didn't want to spoil it." He tells the both of you.
"That's ok Lee, you aren't hurt are you?" Mokuba asks. Lee shakes his head.
"No but that's some grip you have." You blush. "Where did you learn that?"
"I was required to learn self defence for one of my jobs I used to have; I guess I don't know my own strength." You mumble. Mokuba suddenly grabs your hand and pulls you along;
"Come on, perhaps today you can meet Big Brother!" he exclaims energetically. You groan inwardly, you were quite content to interact as little as possible with the elder Kaiba when he comes to eat at the restaurant where you work at. 'Can I take your order?' was the most you ever needed to say, that was until the 'accident'.
"Maybe he's too busy Mokie." You glance over your shoulder to see Lee following you a small distance behind, in plain view this time.
"He won't be when I tell him how you got one of his body guards in an arm lock." He punches the air with his free hand.
"Maybe it's best if we kept that to ourselves." You try and persuade him to keep it a secret. Mokuba's response was to pull you even faster towards Kaiba Corp.
The rubber soles of your shoes squeak across the polished reception area. You fly past the reception desk and your eyes barely register the visitor's badge that the blonde receptionist is holds out for you. Grabbing it with your finger tips, Mokuba drags you towards the elevator. Pressing the button twenty times, he hops from one foot to the other as he waits impatiently for the doors to open.
"Finally!" Mokuba announces eagerly as the doors open to reveal a lusciously decorated interior. You are pulled inside and watch as Mokuba presses the button belonging to the top floor. He begins to fidget again.
"You ok Mokie?" You ask, thinking to yourself that maybe the slushie wasn't such a good idea after all. A hyperactive Mokuba was the last thing you needed. He looks up mid step.
"Sorry, I guess I'm excited that you get to meet Big Brother that's all." He replies sheepishly. Leaning against the elevator wall he looks to his feet. "Why don't you want to meet Seto?" He asks. You cringe inwardly at the memory that reminds you of just why you don't want to meet him.
"Because I don't think he'll be too happy to see me."
"Why not?"
"Oh Mokie, it was awful. He was entertaining one of his clients at the restaurant. I was carrying a tray of Orange Chicken soup to one of the other tables and one of the new waitresses wasn't looking where she was going and walked into me. I managed to keep the soup in the bowls but stepped on your brother's foot in the process. He grabbed my arm, probably to steady me and the soup went all over his table and his guests. I managed to ruin 95,000,000 yen of designer clothes in one night. I was so ashamed that I haven't been able to work the tables the nights he comes to eat; I hide in the kitchen and wash dishes. Cowardly I know but I'm still alive aren't I?" You say looking at the floor numbers as they light up.
"That was you?" He asks in amazement, "Seto managed to get the deal, though he was quite furious at the person who spilt the soup, he locked himself in his office for two days straight. I wouldn't worry though; Seto hasn't had anyone killed for spilling food over him."
"Well let's hope he doesn't decide to make an example of me." You say, a small smile breaks on your face, but doesn't reach your ears.
"You'll be ok; I'll be there with you." Mokuba consoles you, taking your hand in his.
"I hope so Mokie, we're about to find out." The elevator doors open to reveal a high-ceilinged corridor decorated in expensive wallpaper. "You're brother certainly likes to remind people how rich he is, doesn't he?" You whisper.
"Why are you whispering?" Mokuba asks whispering back. You shrug your shoulders.
"I don't know it seems like the right thing to do." You reply, even quieter than before.
"Well don't, there is no reason to." Mokuba tells you in a bossy voice. You give him a mock salute as you reach a pair of double doors. The words 'Seto Kaiba – CEO' glare at you from the gold plaque their engraved on. Mokuba knocks on the door.
"Who is it?" An agitated voice replies.
"It's me Big Brother." Mokuba calls through the door.
"You can come in Mokuba, you don't have to knock." Mokuba opens one of the doors and a huge smile appears on his face.
"Seto, you won't guess what happened today!" He says with excitement. You remain hidden behind the second door.
"What Mokuba?" Kaiba replies, attempting to keep the fatigue out of his voice. 'No rest for the wicked.' You think to yourself, wondering what he is working on to make him sound tired like that. Mokuba began to recount the tale; he spoke so fast it was hard to distinguish one word from another.
"…so she doubled back to see who it was and managed to get them into an arm lock. It was so awesome, Big Brother. In two seconds he was pinned down." The sugar began to resurface in Mokuba's bloodstream. "Wham! Just like that he was down." He punches a fist into the open palm of his other hand. Yours falls limply to your side.
"What were you doing out in the park? Who else was with you?" He asks almost simultaneously. Mokuba slaps a hand to his forehead and grabs your hand again.
"Mokie!" You cry as he pulls you into the office. You have to bend down to accommodate for Mokuba's height. Straightening up you see Kaiba sat at his desk leaning back in his luxurious leather chair, his fingers entwined as he rests his elbows on the arms. His eyes narrow as he recognises you instantly.
Mokuba introduces you and begins to list all of the things you both did today at the arcade, beaming up at his older brother as he chattered without pausing for breath. Kaiba's sharp eyes begin to take in your appearance. Your own eyes follow his gaze down your body. 'There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing.' You think to yourself. You give him a half-hearted smile as Kaiba says;
"We've met." He rises out of his chair and makes his way around the desk towards you and Mokuba, who stops recounting how he beat you fives times on the racing game and looks up at his brother. You tense slightly as you haven't actually been near him since the accident four weeks ago.
"Look Mr Kaiba, I'm sorry for spilling soup on your table and you and your guests. It was truly an accident and I'd pay for the clothes except they probably cost more than my apartment…" You begin to ramble but Kaiba cuts you off by holding up his hand, he turns to Mokuba;
"This is the person you were telling me about the other day, the one who has been helping you with your studies?" Mokuba nods. "What about your friends, what are their names?" He asks, looking into Mokuba's eyes as though the answer is written there.
"They aren't my friends Seto, I just told you that so you would think I was happy at school, you've been so busy lately and I didn't want to bother you with my problems. She makes the most delicious chocolate brownies, you should try them." Kaiba looks at his younger brother, the expression on his face looked almost like guilt.
"You should have told me Mokuba, I want to know when you're unhappy. That's what I'm here for. That's what brothers do for each other." Kaiba must be feeling disappointed that Mokuba hadn't gone to him with his problems. You look over to Mokuba and mouth 'I'm going now; you might want to talk this through with your brother.' He gives you a subtle nod and looks back up to Kaiba. There had been many times at the school when the younger Kaiba would seek you out in the Library to tell you of the way the other kids treated him or how lonely he felt at home when Kaiba was working late. Sometimes Mokuba would come home with you on your days off and you would watch movies together or you'd help with his schoolwork. It should have been Kaiba who Mokuba did these things with not you and it seemed like he was thinking the same thing as it was that moment his head whipped round to face you just as you were about to leave the office. "Where do you think your going?" He growls at you. Turning round you can see the annoyed look on his face.
"N..no where." You stammer in reply, cursing yourself inwardly at how easy it was for Kaiba to intimidate you. He walks towards you and reaches over your shoulder. The door to the office slams shut causing you to flinch at the surprise. He smirks down at you, his cold blue eyes scrutinising your face. You resist the urge to gulp. 'This is just a game.' You think to yourself. You raise your eyes to meet his cold gaze, your face blushing slightly when you realise just how close the both of you are. A faint aroma of coffee reaches your nose.
"Mokuba says you managed to put someone into an arm lock. I don't see how that was possible given your runty arms." He mocks, his face inches from your own.
"I managed to catch him off guard. You should have picked your body guards better if they can be pinned down by someone with runty arms." You snigger, his eyes flash with rage. He leans into you and hisses;
"My guards are the best."
"If you say they are." You mutter to yourself. His eyes flicker with anger as he takes a hold of your upper arm. You flinch as Kaiba pulls you over towards his desk. He reaches for a silver letter opener and tightens his fist round it. Pushing you over towards the wall, he lets go of your arm and watches as you hit the wall with your back, knocking the air out of your lungs. You place a clenched fist to your chest as you try and regain your breath. Kaiba stalks towards you and places the letter opener to your neck. The smooth edge presses into your skin, lifting your head so you have to look up into his leering face. You attempt to pry Kaiba's hand from your neck but with no luck. Mokuba cries out to Kaiba for him to stop. He ignores his brother and stands close enough that your body is pinned to the wall by his own.
"What if my bodyguard had a knife and had pinned you down instead? What would you do then?" Kaiba murmurs to you, his face unyielding to the fear in your eyes. 'It's just a game.' You remind yourself as you look up to Kaiba.
"I know what you trying to do. It won't work because everyone has a weakness."
"Only the weak have weakness. I have no weaknesses." You roll your eyes and reply.
"Everyone has a weakness no matter how much you deny it. Face it you may have everybody fooled with your tough guy act but…" Kaiba cuts you off by digging the letter opener deeper into your neck, causing you to whimper slightly from the pressure.
"Big Brother, stop it!" Mokuba yells out.
"You know nothing about me." Kaiba yells at you, silencing Mokuba's protests. You shrink back from the loud outburst from Kaiba as much as you could. You look over Kaiba's shoulder towards where Mokuba was standing watching the both of you, his eyes pleading for Kaiba to stop. You keep your eyes on Mokuba as Kaiba begins to search you face for some clue as to what has gripped your attention. Following your gaze he realises its Mokuba you're looking at. Turning back to you he watches as you wink at the younger brother. His head whips round to see Mokuba's reaction, not noticing you raising your hand to his neck. As he turns his head round to demand why you were winking at Mokuba, you pull his head close to yours. Your lips meet in a tender kiss. He tries to pull away but you hold his head into place, moving your hand through his short, brown hair, your fingers entwining with the soft locks. You smile into the kiss as you feel his body tensing, uncertain of how to react to the sudden move you made. Running your finger down his chin, you deepen the kiss; and you begin to feel Kaiba responding, kissing you back. 'A little more' you think to yourself as the hand holding the letter opener begins to move away from your neck. With your free hand you slowly uncurl Kaiba's fingers until you're able to pull it free from his hold. You feel Kaiba fighting against you for control; a soft moan escaping his lips. You manage to pull the letter opener from his hand and he suddenly stops his attempt to gain control once he realises what you've done. Looking up into his eyes you give him a smirk before spinning round, pinning Kaiba to the wall you were moments ago. Holding the letter opener up, lightly pressing the metal tool to his neck, you answer his question.
"I guess I'd find their weakness and use it against them." He looks down at you, his face flushed slightly. Moving away from him, untangling your hand from his hair, you place the letter opener on his desk. "If you'll both excuse me I have to go get ready for work." You give a nod of your head to Kaiba and walk over to Mokuba. "See you at school Mokie." Ruffling his hair you walk to the office door. Pausing before you leave, you look over your shoulder towards Kaiba. He is still leaning against the wall, his brown hair covering his eyes and he looks towards the floor. Smiling to yourself you have feeling that you won't be volunteering to wash dishes anytime soon. 'Its just like I thought; nothing more than a game for total control.'
Author's Note: 95,000,000 yen is about £720,000
I was thinking of maybe making this into a longer fanfiction than just a one-shot but I guess that would depend on the response I get. So please review I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments that could help improve my writing.