The front door shut with a light click, resonating in the near-empty manor. Seto Kaiba let his shoulders slump in the comfort of his own domain, his head lolling back as he gave a short sigh. It was late, had been a particularly long and tiring day, and Seto had been looking forward to some nice quality time with his couch since just after lunch.
He laid his things down on the table by the stairs, hanging his coat neatly in the closet. He exhaled another sigh of bliss through his nose as he strode towards the kitchen. Mokuba would likely be off with Ren, keeping the annoying girl occupied so that the overworked CEO could relax in peace.
Kaiba's socks were slick against the polished stone floor as he strode across the kitchen, eyes glinting as he laid eyes on the bowl of chopped nuts on the granite counter. This night just kept getting better and better. No Kuroki, and fresh chopped nuts meant a perfect sundae. And he deserved a damn treat after the horrid day he had just been through. He began to scoop out a perfect mountain of french vanilla ice cream into the glass bowl, garnishing it with butterscotch sauce and an avalanche of chopped nuts. He took up a spoon, scooping up a mouthful. A contented smile quirked at the corners of his mouth as he turned and made his way to the living room. Perfect.
Seto's face fell back into the usual sneer as he entered the living area. Where Kaiba's feet should have been resting comfortably, Ren sat with her knees drawn tight to her chest, face set in a stony glare. A good portion of her choppy brunette bangs hung in her face, obscuring one of her eyes from view, her fingertips digging white dents into her forearms. The CEO could only stand and stare at the silent girl. This was abnormal. Ren was always the first to jump at an insult whenever Seto entered the room. The mood in the space weighted heavily on Kaiba's shoulders; the exact opposite of what he'd wanted to come home to after a long day at work.
"Don't you even start." Ren snapped, just as Seto had opened his mouth to tell her to move. Her gaze was still fixated on the wall, she was likely trying to bore a hole in it. This was a different vibe coming from Ren; Kaiba wasn't at all used to her being this serious. Everything was usually so playful with the sitter, from her light-hearted jabs at Mokuba, down to her scathing insults shot in his direction. Even when she was in a heated argument, the mood was never quite this heavy.
Kaiba would have left. Kaiba should have left; he was completely ignoring all of the warning alarms that his brain was setting off, the pang of discomfort churning his stomach, the red flags waving around in his head. Though, he had been jonesing for his living room couch for nearly eight hours now, and he would not slink away to his room simply because Ren was having a hissy fit in his space.
He took a seat at the opposite end of the couch, taking a generous spoonful of ice cream and lifting it to his lips. "So," the smaller woman spoke, raking a hand through her bangs, pulling them out of her face. "Get on with it, then."
Seto rolled his eyes skyward. He had known that it was coming, but still there was that little inkling of hope in the back of his mind that Ren would be just a little less annoying today. "Get on with what, exactly, Kuroki?" He turned to face the smaller woman, eyes narrowed at her in a lazy glare.
"Oh, I dunno, whatever bullshit you feel like throwing my way like you do every other fucking day I'm here." She spat, a venomous pout at her lips. "Just say whatever you're going to say now and get it done with before you ruin my evening even more."
Kaiba heaved a sigh. The bowl clattered to the table, Seto no longer finding it appealing. "Is it at all possible for you to not be a tasteless brute of a girl for just one night? Gee, it was a far cry for me to expect you to positively influence my brother in any way, but I at least thought some of Mokuba's class would rub off on you."
Ren opened her mouth to lash back, but no words came. She snapped her mouth closed once more, teeth clacking with its force. Her brows knit as she resumed glaring at the wall, a look that would likely kill a small animal. The silence stretched taut between the two of them, drawing out until it finally snapped.
"Kaiba?"
"What, Kuroki?"
She paused, gaze still focused on the coffee table. Her expression had softened, more of a neutral stare now, than her angry glare. "Are you ever... Do you regret not going to college?"
Seto blinked, studying her with a careful eye. "Is that a serious question?"
"Just answer it!" She commanded, "If Mokuba never went, would you be disappointed? Yes or no?"
"No." Kaiba said simply, "I'm successful. I've done all of this on my own. And if Mokuba chose not to go, I would expect that he could be just as successful as me. As long as he's happy, I am."
Ren inhaled sharply, lower lip quivering. "Karin... my younger sister," she elaborated, gesturing with her hands, "Is going to start at the university in the fall. Today was her graduation party, so I went and dragged Mokuba along with me. But, anyway... My father said to my youngest sister, 'Michiyo, you look up to Karin, now. You go to college and get an education. You don't want to end up like Ren.'"
Seto blinked, his eyebrow quirked high. He had to admit, it was a pretty horrid thing to say, but he couldn't bring himself to comment. He was far too fascinated with the fact that Ren was sitting there, hardass Ren, pouring her heart out to him. She never talked about herself, much less to Seto about her issues. All he could do was watch. He scooped up his ice cream once again, twirling the spoon around in his fingers. This was almost better than television.
Tears brimmed at the babysitter's eyes and Kaiba's stomach gave a squirm of discomfort. Oh Hell. She was going to cry. No longer better than television.
'Say something!' The tiny voice of in the back of his head commanded, 'She's going to cry, stop her before she sours your night!'
"...Don't..."
It seems as though Kaiba's unsure statement had set her off. Before he could say 'cry', she had already burst into tears, face buried in her hands.
"You know, I tried!" She exclaimed, tears streaking her flushed cheeks, smudging her mascara. "I wanted to make them happy, but I'd have been miserable! I've been trying my best to not rely on them, and I've done it! All on my own, but it just isn't enough, is it! Mom said she didn't care, so did Dad, but I guess it was all bullshit."
Ren broke into a fit of sobs once more, leaving Seto to stare, completely stunned. He was beginning to remember why he didn't date. Girls were fucking nuts. He had no clue what to do about her. He couldn't escape, couldn't tell her to shut up without risking her crying even more. Kaiba was trapped.
"And you know, maybe he's right. Maybe I am a poor example for my sisters." Ren began again, swiping tears from her eyes, streaking black eyeliner across her cheeks. "I mean, I've been evicted from my apartment, I've gone through four jobs in the last year, I've got no degree, nothing to show for my photography... For fucks sake, I'm a glorified babysitter! I was doing the same thing when I was twelve! I've accomplished nothing in the past year..."
She hid her face once more, sobbing into a throw pillow. Seto seized this opportunity to flee the living room, making his escape while she occupied herself with leaving stains in his pillow.
"Here." Ren lifted her head, Seto looming over her with a bowlful of ice cream held out, covered in chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and diced nuts. "Eat it."
She sniffled, wiping fresh tears from her eyes. "I hate nuts."
Without skipping a beat, Kaiba skimmed every nut off the top of the mountain of ice cream, scooped them into his mouth, and let the spoon clatter back against the bowl. "No excuses." He swallowed, took one of her hands, and set the bowl in it, striding back over to his end of the couch and taking up his own bowl and television remote.
"I hired you." Kaiba spoke, idly flipping through the channels. "I stand by that decision. And I don't care that you've never gone to college."
A long silence stretched between the pair, the last of Ren's tears falling from her cheeks. A smile quirked at the corners of her mouth as she took up her spoon, gaze flickering between her mountain of ice cream and Kaiba's profile. He wasn't quite... so bad...
"Put it on Entourage."
"No."