NOTES

1. I posted this chapter alongside another chapter. So if you haven't already, please check out the previous chapter.

2. This chapter takes place right after the previous chapter.

3. This was meant to be funny. But if it failed to reach that standard, then I apologize. I have a weird sense of humor.


THE ASSISTANT'S HELPING HAND


Amy prided herself as someone who knew of Seto's many faces since he moved to Domino. She knew the ghostly Seto, the one that floated silently to his room after school and the one that just realized his family threw him away. There's also the determined Seto, the one who saw the opportunity behind the invitation to his first tournament after awhile; the one who started building his deck once again. Then there's the angry Seto; this one was the Seto who rebelled at the idea of losing a duel.

But nowadays Seto was showing an expression she didn't recognize. She couldn't put a finger on it. She didn't understand what it is.

For one, Seto started talking more and he went outside more. He even informed her he planned to join the student council. Strange. She knew for sure Seto had never joined an afterschool activity before.

So when the teen showed her the unrecognizable expression one particular morning on their way to school, she was on the ready. With one handheld tablet in hand and a focused look pointed to her email, she feigned disinterest.

"So I've been thinking…," the brown haired teen started as he looked out of the car window.

"Hmm," Amy hummed. Spill.

"… of asking someone out".

Amy halted whatever she was doing to get a nice look on the boy sitting across from him. So this is what that look on your face implied, her heart proclaimed. Surely, he didn't think she would let him be that easily after that scandal with Saki Ono. But Seto Kaiba is intelligent, no, a genius. If he had decided to confide in Amy, he would have put much thought on it.

Unless, he was planning to ask Amy out instead. After all, human behavior followed a pattern. And out of all possibilities, Amy was the most fitting candidate.

"Someone I know?" She asked. Seto sent her a sideway glance.

"Yes".

She swallowed. If the boy dared ask her out, she would show him some judo moves.

"I've been planning to ask them out for a while, actually," Seto added. He seemed wistful. "Been courting them too".

Now that she thought about it, hadn't he started joining her, Mr. Tanaka, and Koji on their nightly drinking since last week? Hopefully that didn't count as courting.

"But they're a bit different, so I've been rethinking my plan".

Amy coughed. "How different is this person you're talking about?"

Seto's gaze hardened. "Stubborn," he grunted in displeasure. Amy shifted in her seat and rolled her eyes. They better not be me.

"I'm going to ask today," he said in a final tone while crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Amy glared at the brilliantly chiseled face.

"Who is it?" Her voice addressed the elephant in the room. Mr. Tanaka had to be listening in from the front seat too. They both knew not to repeat the past mistake or they'd be the target of a certain Mistress' fury.

"Yami," he answered with such confidence.

Amy dropped the tablet on her lap and crossed her arms too. The two of them exchanged a look in silence; both trying to read into the other's expression.

"Okay," she said, "To be honest, I didn't see that coming. Yami is a guy".

Seto shrugged. One of his uncles, a Kaiba who majored in the fashion industry, married another guy abroad years ago. Strangely enough, it boosted their company's popularity in America and in other major western market. But the weirdest of all was to have Japan silently accepting the news. Their sales and stock were unaffected; and the worst they got was being accused of having "the rich people's antics".

Maybe Japan had grown from that collective and conservative nation to a country where someone's life is no longer everybody's business. It's that; or the public had long deemed the Kaibas too rich to relate to.

Then again, it's not like it should be a problem. Same sex relationship isn't illegal in Japan. Thus whoever Seto chose as his partner, their gender may not be much of a problem. Unless The Great Mistress said otherwise, of course.

Yet, out of all best arguments to choose, he said, "He's nice to look at".

"Certainly," Amy agreed, "So…, considering the situation with his gender and all, how do you plan to proceed?"

"I'm planning to just kiss him".

Amy eyed him questioningly, but nodded soon after. "He seems like a passionate guy". A momentary silence followed, until Amy cut it short. "I hope you know that's hardly enough. Kiss him deep".

"Hn".

"Show him you're more than capable to satisfy".

"Hn".

A momentary silence took place.

"The sex is particularly… interesting," the young Kaiba muttered suddenly, "But I have done my research. Yami will be a happy boyfriend. That, I'm certain".

Amy hummed in approval. The matter of Yami's sexual orientation - if he's even gay, for example – was somehow left unquestioned. Because when you're a Kaiba; or a Kaiba employee, for that matter; you'd be that confident in a Kaiba's charm. Seto's success in his quest for Yami's attention was irrefutable in their mind.


There was a moment where Seto practically boasted about the first kiss he shared with Yami (in which Amy and Mr. Tanaka held their drinks up in celebration to the young man's successful conquest), and that moment where Amy counted the rising number of love notes pinned on top of Seto's bed (Yami slipped him one every couple of days). All that, she had to say, were the achievements she was proud of. It took her a couple of peek to the two boys text messages to get a full grasp of the two, but after that she executed date plans and booked restaurants like it was a breeze (and yes, she did that all for the boys). If not for her, Seto wouldn't be happily tucked in bed with his boyfriend singing lulaby through the phone every night. Everyone should hand her the best personal assistant of the year at this point. Honestly, could you find a better personal assistant than her?

The only thing that was out of her calculation is the news Seto brought to her one sunny day afterschool. It was onlu a couple of days before Duelist Kingdom. She was tapping madly on her phone, and Seto didn't enter the car acting like he had bad news in hand. In fact, the first thing he said to her after entering the car was how ticklish Yami was on the neck. She hummed like a dignified 30 year old and continued organizing the house' schedule for the time she and Seto would spend at Duelist Kingdom.

Then the brunette said, "So I found out today".

"Hmmm," she nodded encouragingly.

"That Yami's a virgin".

She paused and looked up from her phone. That's a bit problematic. "Well then, that hot kiss confession was a bit of a miss, wasn't it?" Maybe they should have gone for a romantic date before Seto scored a yes out of the boy. Virgins like that kind of stuff.

Seto hummed silently; eyes pointed to his mobile in the middle of texting Yami. So maybe Seto thought he is satisfied with having Yami by his side. But for a personal assistant as great as she is, things were never good enough.

"You need to impress," she muttered, hands already busy texting emails to make arrangements, "Let's cancel the tickets Pegasus booked for us and fly with your jet". Seto stopped texting to give her his full attention. Sorry to steal your boyfriend for a moment, Yami; it's for your own good.

"I'll take him to the cockpit," Seto said.

"I'll get Koji to prepare his favorite dinner," Amy added.

"And I'll convince him to sleep in my room," Seto continued.

The assistant and her employer shared a look then nodded. A new goal was added to the assistant's agenda; and boy was it a challenging one.


Then here they were inside Seto's privately owned jet; eyes heavy and bone tired after a long car ride to the hangar. And after all that effort she gave to get them all there with a yawning Yami in toe; Seto repaid her with ignorance. Don't get her wrong. She's happy to help Seto: with Yami being a gorgeous eye-candy and a nice piece of entertainment to have at the flight. But after all that time she held back from pointing out Yami's pet name for him ('Blue Eyes') and the moments she deliberately missed where she could spill to Yami his (out of all names, Seto secretly dubbed Yami 'Pound-cake'); the least Seto could do is pour her a drink or two as thanks.

Instead, all he said to Amy on the car ride was; "Why do you have to go with us again?"

It seemed like Seto forgot she work for his grandmother, who is best friend with Pegasus. Thus, she had to go to represent The Mistress' goodwill.

On entering the jet plane, Amy breezed through the pilot and the flight assistant with a yawned, "Good morning," while Seto walked ahead after a slight nod. The American woman followed The Young Master to the four seats arranged face to face with a dining table in between. Seto took one seat next to the window. By default, Amy felt like taking the seat next to him and was ready to give him a long complain. Before she was able to, however, Seto dropped his coat on that seat then sat himself on his picked spot right next to it. Amy halted and sent him a look. The brunette returned it with a flat look himself.

Rude, Amy thought. She moved to the seat facing him instead, not forgetting to land her handbag nicely on the seat next to hers.

Because he had to make a call outside, Yami arrived a bit later after them. Seto hurriedly put away the coat he dropped on the seat next to him. He offered the other boy a charming smile and the most gentle greeting ever heard from Seto's mouth. It was a courtesy Amy rarely sees on the youth's daily behavior that, in the midst of her annoyance at him, she genuinely thought he was like Prince Charming.

"How's the call?" Seto asked his lover.

Yami smiled – and Goddamnit, if she wasn't an adult, Amy would jeer at how cheesy these two were being. "Yugi's a bit mad I forgot to inform him about the flight. He almost book me a commercial flight there".

Seto rolled his eyes, "It should be obvious I'd arrange a full travel plan for us once I invited you for a sleepover. Even if I don't have a private jet, I'd make sure you'd arrive safely to the tournament".

Yami settled to the seat Seto reserved for him with a gushed aww, in a way that would surprise you if you never knew his real character. The gesture was returned by Seto with a smile that was a full reminder of that boy you date in 8th grade. Amy coughed. The moment felt so saccharine sweet that she felt like drinking the leftover taste away and bit down the fact that she was the one who does all that dirty job of booking and cancelling reservations.

The magic went poof the next moment Seto opened his mouth though.

"That's still too long for you two to mourn over your forgetfulness. You and Yugi had been discussing duel strategies perhaps?" Seto sent Yami a dirty look. Yami shrugged playfully. Seto returned the cocky answer with a smirk of his two were promising each other the worst on the tournament it seemed.

The first thing the two did after the jet took off was discuss famous duelists strategies until they fell asleep. They woke around the same time, but Seto was the first to rose from his seat to grab his case from the overhead cabin. He then stepped across Yami to go to the seat on the farthest corner in the flight cabin. Yami copied him soon after. He pulled a small intricate golden box from his bag and went to the long seat next to the mini bar.

The boys could be seen reviewing their decks; all the while secretly sending determined looks toward one another. Amy realized something. Forget the fact that they had acted cuddly moments before; now, these two had the other to beat on the forefront of their mind. Seto could even be seen taking a special box from inside his case of cards. From the way he gazed between the box and Yami, Amy suspected the deck inside that box was the one he specially built to defeat his own lover.

It took them around half an hour before Seto walked to the other boy. "Want to visit the cockpit?" He asked.

Yami was already closing his card's case; "Can I?"

You could practically smell the pride reeking out of Seto. He was doing his best to impress; and made it - At least, by the sparkle in Yami's eyes he did. "They'd even let you co-pilot," he told Yami.

Both boys walked to the cockpit discussing duel monsters for the hundredth time that day. Amy was drinking on her own when they passed by her. Ignorant fools, she thought. But then Yami bent down to her and smiled.

"Catch you later, Ame".

Amy froze. Why was her heart thumping harder again?

"Must be the alcohol," she muttered to herself as she watched them disappear behind the cockpit door, "They're lucky they're cute. I wouldn't have bothered otherwise".

At least Yami's smile could last her for the day. If she was to be left alone with that ungrateful Seto, she'd drank triple the number of alcohol she just finished.


TBC.