At This Moment

Seto x Serenity

By Charismatic Beauty and Falchionne


Chapter 4

Let it Simmer

Despite all the work to be done, Seto had to take some time to run an errand during lunch. The weather had been nice and the mall had surprisingly few shoppers. Unfortunately, one of those shoppers happened to be that Wheeler girl. He had been quite surprised to see her in such a store and began to wonder why she was there. As she tripped and made a scene he was able to escape and let his thoughts wander.

Thinking back, he remembered seeing the Wheeler girl at a café a few weeks back, then with Mokuba the next week, at a café once again, and finally at that store. Why was that girl always around? Did she want something from him? Exasperated, Seto slammed his fist on his desk and watched as some pens rolled onto the ground.

Seto's secretary rushed into the office, he hair falling out of place as she pushed the door open. "Are you okay, sir?"

"Get out of here. Don't bother me!" Kaiba just about yelled, taking his anxiety out on the poor lady.

Frightened, the secretary quickly excused herself and rushed back out of the office. She smoothed back her hair and took a deep breath.

"What happened?" another office lady asked.

"I heard a slam, so I checked on Mr. Kaiba," she explained, "But man, he got so angry."

"That Kaiba is so cruel," the other lady spoke, "I swear I've only seen him nice to his brother."

"Sometimes I wonder about working here," the secretary absent-mindedly straightened some papers as she spoke.

"Maybe if he didn't have," the lady leaned in a whispered, "you know, such a stick up his ass," she giggled, "He needs a girlfriend or something."

"Yeah right," the secretary laughed quietly, "I can't imagine any woman getting near him with that temper of him."

"Such a shame. At least he's rich and handsome."

"I think I'd take dirt poor and ugly over him."

Seto's bad mood carried over to dinner as he sat poking at his food. Mokuba watched as his brother forked a clump of spinach and brought it towards his mouth only to decide to set it back down on the plate.

"What's wrong with you now? You scared half the staff away today, or so I hear," Mokuba smirked, hoping to both tease his brother and find out what was going on.

"Don't start with me today, Mokuba. I'm not in the mood," Kaiba responded sternly.

"Your mood doesn't seem that different from usual."

Seto refused to answer, pretending he didn't hear his brother's comment.

Mokuba sighed, "That vein on your head is about to explode."

Seto banged his fist on the table and just about tipped over his water glass, "Dammit Mokuba! Don't you have anything better to do than to irritate me all night?"

Mokuba stood up and yelled out, "Fine! I was just trying to make conversation. You don't have to break the fucking table!"

"Watch your mouth!"

"You're no fun to be around anymore!" Mokuba groaned.

"I can't afford to be 'fun', Mokuba. I'm not a kid."

"Bullshit! It doesn't matter how old you are. You've always been like this."

Seto rubbed his hand against his forehead, "I've got a lot going on at work, okay? I can't handle this right now."

Mokuba refused to sit back down, "That's always your excuse! You're always in a bad mood and it's always because of work."

Pressing harder against his head, Seto could feel himself start to shake – a culmination of anger and exhaustion. These arguments with his brother were becoming more recent again, a sign that something else was going on in their lives that neither wanted to deal with.

"I used to look up to you, Seto, but I can't stand you anymore!" It wasn't the first time Mokuba had said such words, and both knew it.

"Just calm down, Mokuba. I'm upset with things, okay? Let it go."

"Do you know how many times you've said that? You're always grumpy! I thought you had maybe changed, but you never fucking do!"

Mokuba escaped to his room, stomping along the floor until he slammed his bedroom door. Seto sunk back down into his chair and ran a hand through his hair. He had heard such rants from Mokuba a number of times, but he wanted to dismiss them as pent up aggression. He knew he had been in a foul mood, but it wasn't like he purposely made himself grumpy on a day to day basis.

With another deep sigh, Seto left the table and most of his food. He grabbed his suitcase and slowly climbed the stairs to his room. Setting the suitcase on his desk, he grabbed the curtains to his window and pulled them closed. The light of the city faded away, leaving him to his own dimly lit world. He often closed himself to the world like this, letting his only connection be the work on his laptop. He would read through his emails and note what needed to be done, then examine the day's reports.

As Kaiba Corporation continued to grow Seto found his work piling up in new budgets, larger expenses, growing assets, and frequent audits. When he got home all he wanted to do was sigh away the stress and sleep. However, Mokuba didn't seem too happy with his plans. Escaping home, Seto would rest by walking through town or grabbing a coffee, only to find that Wheeler girl almost everywhere he went.

Mokuba sat at his desk and scribbled circles on his notebook as he reread the question he had been trying to answer for the last ten minutes. His homework shouldn't have been so hard, but Mokuba found himself unable to concentrate. He looked around his desk and steadied his gaze at a picture of Seto and him when they were younger. He loved the smiling face of his brother, but he rarely saw it outside of that photograph.

After the mess with Pegasus Mokuba had seen a gentler side of his brother, and after the Battle City tournament his brother had been able to let go of some of his hostility. Seto had been steadily getting better for those few years, but he seemed to be relapsing as of late. Mokuba wanted his brother to be happy, to not be so entrapped by his work. He wondered if his brother ever thought of anything besides work.

Yugi and the others were moving on with their lives. They were finding companions, settling down, or building up for the future. Seto, on the other hand, seemed to be stuck in a rut. The company was growing, but just as much as it had been for the last several years. Perhaps he needed a change…

Three knocks sounded at his door, interrupting Mokuba's thoughts. "What do you want?" he asked harshly.

Outside the door Seto reminded himself to be patient with his brother as he responded, "I want to talk with you."

"Fine," the younger boy grumbled.

Seto calmly opened the door and peered into his brother's room. Mokuba looked at him, pencil in hand as if to exclaim that he was in the middle of his homework. Slowly, Seto sat himself on the bed and searched for the words he had wanted to say. He wanted to apologize for being in a bad mood, but he had never been too good at apologies.

"Look, Moku-"

"It's okay, Seto. I know that you're busy with Kaiba Corp… and that you get stressed out sometimes."

Seto looked at his brother but found the other looking down, afraid to look up and see an angry face.

"I'm… sorry, Moki. I didn't mean to upset you, there's just a lot at work, and then there's this stupid girl who keeps following me around…"

Mokuba perked up instantly, curiosity getting the better of him, "Who's this girl?"

Seto rolled his eyes, "That mutt's sister."

Mokuba grinned. He had been afraid there was a stalker or something, but if it was Serenity it was probably just Seto's imagination. Perhaps his brother was becoming conscious of her and noticing her a lot. Forgetting the events of earlier, Mokuba decided to tease his brother. "I bet she likes you," he sang.

Seto almost gagged, "Don't be ridiculous!"

The display of disgust urged Mokuba to continue, "Why not?"

"Girls only want my money or my status. I'm leaning towards money on this one."

"Come on, Seto, you don't know that! Serenity's a nice girl; she's funny and smart and-"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well I'm fr- I mean, I've hung out with her and the others, so…" Mokuba didn't know if he should call Serenity a friend in front of Seto, considering his brother's not too fond inclination of the Wheelers or those connected to them.

All too ready to end the discussion, Seto recalled his usual excuse, "I'm too busy for women anyway. I have enough going on trying to run a business and taking care of a teenager."

"Ah, come on!"

Seto gave Mokuba a stern look, warning him that this topic was to go no further.

"Fine, you win," Mokuba sighed in defeat.

"Thank you," Seto stood up and looked down at his brother. With a smile he ruffled the kid's hair, much to Mokuba's feigned displeasure. "Don't stay up too late, you've still got school tomorrow."

"Whatever you say," Mokuba turned back to his interrupted homework.

His smile remained as Seto left the room. He was undeniably happy to embrace the night knowing his brother and he were on good terms.