Mokuba: JMeg does not own Yu-gi-oh. Only in her dreams.
JMeg: Hey everyone. Got the next chapter done! Here you go~!
Chapter 10
It was early evening, and Jounouchi groaned as his butt landed on the couch. A few minutes later, he heard the front door slam shut, and his wife came into the living room and laid her head on Jounouchi's lap. "Rough day?" they simultaneously asked. The couple smiled and laughed. The young husband threaded his fingers through his wife's golden locks. "Yug and I still haven't found a way to free Shizuka. I am the worst brother in the world. I'm forcing my little sister marry the biggest bastard in Japan, and I don't know how to get her out of this." Mai brought a hand up and rubbed his cheek. "Don't worry. You'll find a way to save your sister from that monster. Don't forget you were able to save her eyes, and you saved me from my gambling habits."
She sat up and stretched which gave Jounouchi an opening to hug her. "Thanks," he whispered into her ear. Mai returned the embrace, and Jounouchi picked her up. "What are you doing?" "I think my wonderful wife deserves something special." She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "How kind of you." "She'll have this handsome servant for the night. Now what shall my mistress like?" He placed her on their queen-sized bed and sat next to her.
Mai put on a thoughtful face before answering. "Draw the bath for me, love. I'm too tired for anything else." "What? You get a hot sexy servant, and you want a bath? Fine, but only because I love you." He gave her a quick kiss and left for the bathroom.
The door bell rang, and Jounouchi cried out, "I'll get it Mai!" He walked over to the phone and the screen appeared. Jounouchi stared at it. He could not recognize the man in the monitor, but he saw the man's eerie resemblance to Seto Kaiba. "Hi, who are ya?" The green haired man raised his head and his blue eyes twinkled from underneath his bangs. He smiled into the camera. "You must be Katsuya Jounouchi. I am Noah Kaiba, and I have a proposition for you."
Shizuka finished tying the large blue bow of her uniform. After a scrumptious dinner, she finally found her uniform and quickly put it on, in one of the many fancy bathrooms. Throughout the meal, she had avoided eye contact with Seto, and kept an ongoing conversation with Mokuba. She noted Noah's absence and was told he had a meeting, but she was preoccupied with her feelings. She was glad that Seto never attempted to talk to her, for she feared that her heart would begin racing. 'I've never felt like this before with another guy. I wonder what's wrong with me.' She looked at her reflection in the large mirror, and smacked her cheeks. 'I am a perfectly normal girl, who is unfortunately in an arrange marriage. There is nothing else going on in my heart. Why did I just mention that? Something is wrong.'
Suddenly the events of this morning came back to her, and she frowned. 'Those girls…they're right, aren't they?' Shizuka looked at her miserable mirror image, and felt even more depressed. 'I'm not beautiful. How can I stand next to him during business functions? I don't even know what I'm supposed to do as his wife, and I know I'm not brilliant enough to hold an intelligent debate with him. But he continues to treat me like a lover with his kisses and caresses.'
She sighed and began washing her face. When she was done, she stopped to touch her forehead, and then her lips. 'Those kisses still give me the chills. Why? Why would he want to kiss me so many times?'
A knock on the door broke her chain of thoughts. "Come in. I'm done changing." The door opened to reveal Seto holding her pink jacket. She blushed and started to brush her hair. "Your jacket." "Thank you, you can place it on the counter." An awkward silence developed between them. Shizuka tried her best not to look at his reflection in the mirror, but as he came closer, she couldn't help but glance at his handsome features. 'His sharp blue eyes, his perfect cheeks, and his thin lips. Those lips…'
"You've stopped brushing your hair," stated Seto. She ceased staring and realized her hand was paused in the middle of her long locks. Her cheeks flushed and she stuttered out, "Um…I was j j j just…" "You just like what you saw." He smirked and took the hairbrush from her hands. Seto gently brought the brush through her hair, and Shizuka was left speechless. 'The Seto Kaiba is brushing my hair. This can't be happening.'
"Kaiba-san, what are you doing?" "Brushing your hair." "I know that, I mean why are you brushing it?" "Why not?" 'How does he always know how to end a conversation,' thought Shizuka, so she let him brush her long hair. 'This is the second time he's touched my hair. It feels nice to have someone else do this. It's relaxing.'
Seto noted the girl's tinted cheeks as he continued his actions, and he inwardly smiled. "Sometimes I have to help Mokuba brush his hair because it's so long and gets easily tangled. He just won't cut his hair." "That's really sweet."
Seto stopped and stared at the girl in the mirror. "What?" Shizuka realized that she said it out loud and quickly covered her mouth.
"What did you say I was?" "Nothing. I did not say anything." "You said I was sweet." "No I didn't. You have a hearing problem." "Now I have a hearing problem?" asked Seto with a raised eye brow.
'Why do I keep saying the wrong things? He's going to kill me.' Shizuka shifted her eyes away from the mirror. "Hey answer me fiancé. Do I have a hearing problem?" Seto felt a little insulted even though he knew she said it at the spur of the moment. However, he was not going to let her get away with it, so he pinched her cheek. Shizuka was shocked. Here was the richest man in Asia, pinching her cheek all because of one stupid comment. 'Like a normal teenager,' thought Shizuka.
She replied with, "I don't know…if you have to ask then maybe something is wrong." He pulled her cheek a bit harder. "What was that?" "No. You don't have a hearing problem." "That's what I thought," he said while releasing her cheek. Shizuka rubbed her poor cheek while eyeing him from the corners of her eyes. 'What was that all about? He was like a cute little kid. I mean not cute. Not cute.'
She reached for her jacket and put it on. When she did, her bow became misshapen which did not go unnoticed by Seto. His hands reached out and began fixing the bow. Shizuka jumped in reaction to his hands being so close to her chest.
"K K K K Kaiba-san! What? What are you doing?" Seto growled and held her still by the shoulders. "Look at what you did. Now your bow is completely deformed. I'm going to redo it." He untied it and started to form a new bow. Shizuka looked away blushing.
"Kaiba-san." "What now?" "Umm isn't it normally the girl supposed to be fixing the guy's tie?" Seto stopped only to flick her on the forehead. "Stop reading so much shojo mangas and fanfictions."
Embarrassed Shizuka retorted, "I do not read too much shojo manga and fanfictions! For your information I'm only reading two shojos and three fanfics right now." "That's more than enough to warp your brain." "Well then you must have read one if you know that." Seto smirked at her after he finished tying her bow.
"I do not waste my time reading such idiotic things. I only know this because Mokuba likes to read them, and then he tells me about them in detail." It was Shizuka's turn to raise an eye brow. "Mokuba reads shojos?" "He'll read anything."
Mokuba burst through the doors and pouted, "Nii-sama you promised not to tell anyone!" Seto smiled and ruffled his younger brother's hair. "Well she's going to be part of this family. She'll find out one way or another." Shizuka blushed when she heard that. 'I'll be a Kaiba soon. It's strange. I'm less apprehensive about all this than I was at the beginning. Maybe it won't be terrible if I do marry Seto Kaiba.'
Shizuka giggled and held out her hand to Mokuba. "Mokuba how about you and I talk about the latest shojo manga. Would that make you feel less embarrassed?" Mokuba smiled and grasped her hand. "Really?" "Really." Mokuba began spouting out everything he knew about Maid-sama! (A/N 1) as they walked out of the mansion. It was true; even though he was fourteen, he still acted like a child.
Seto followed them as they walked to the limo waiting outside, and was about to enter the vehicle when his cell phone rang. "Kaiba." "Kaiba-sama, Noah-sama has shifted some of his funds in his American account." Seto frowned, "I knew he was up to something. I'll check this out. Keep your eye out. I don't trust that kid." He hung up and turned his attention to Shizuka.
"I apologize. I am unable to escort you home; something came up." He leaned into the limo and softly caressed Shizuka's cheek. She felt a cold mental brushed against her skin before he removed his hand. "Mokuba take her home." "Okay Nii-sama." Seto closed the door and made his way back to the mansion. Shizuka held her cheek as her eyes continue to follow Seto's back. 'He's actually wearing an engagement ring.'
Mokuba smiled and tugged on Shizuka's jacket. "So Onee-chan have you finally realized that your feelings for Nii-sama?" Shizuka looked at the boy before sighing out loud. "Mokuba I've told you already. It's impossible for Kaiba-san to be in love with me, and I'm not in love with him." 'But why does it feel like I'm lying? I must be tired.'
"Onee-chan I told you to believe in me. I swear Nii-sama really does love you. All you have to do is to realize this." "Mokuba if he truly loved me, then he wouldn't force me to marry him." Mokuba sulked before replying, "He just doesn't know how to show love like everyone else. This is his way of expressing it. Nii-sama isn't like normal people, and he only knows how to take things by force." A deep frown was imprinted into Shizuka's face which brought sorrow to Mokuba.
Eventually she forced a smile and said, "How about we talk about Maid-sama! again?" Mokuba gave in and began to describe everything he read in the most recent chapter, and Shizuka was listening intently. However the boy was thinking, 'I think it's time for operation matchmaker again!'
"Onee-chan I just remembered you need to be fitted for your uchikake (A/N 2)! How about we go together tomorrow after school?" "I don't need to since Kaiba-san most likely took my measurements when he changed me." Mokuba gave her a questioning look. "Um Nii-sama didn't change you. Marie-chan did, and she even says you need to eat more." Shizuka gave him a blank look before she turned away and banged her head against the window. "I'm so stupid. I can't believe that I actually fell for his lie. I am the dumbest person in the world."
'I should have known better. Kaiba-san wouldn't want to see my ugly naked body. I'm not pretty enough to make the richest man in Domino City look at me, but what about those kisses? Those stupid kisses! I don't know what to think anymore. No I should be relieved! He didn't look at me which means I'm still pure for my husband…which is going to be him. Ugh this is frustrating.' While she was wrapped up in her thoughts, Shizuka smacked her head harder on the window for every entering thought.
'Wow Nii-sama what have you been telling your fiancé,' thought Mokuba as a large sweat drop formed on his head. "Onee-chan it's okay. He was joking…yeah joking." However, the girl persisted in bruising her forehead. "Hey Onee-chan if you go get your uchikake then I'll help you get back at Nii-sama!" "I don't know. How does picking my uchikake benefit you? You love Nii-sama more than you love me." "True but I love playing pranks and no one gets excluded, and I'll see a very pretty girl in a beautiful uchikake. I think that is a bonus for me." Shizuka chuckled and patted Mokuba's head. "You little Romeo." They laughed, but were interrupted by the chauffer. "Kawai-sama, Mokuba-sama, we have arrived."
Shizuka slid out of the vehicle and waved farewell to Mokuba who stuck his head out the window and cried out, "Tomorrow remember!" "Don't forget to help me!" "Of course!" 'Help you and Nii-sama get together that it,' Mokuba thought as he sat back and began scheming.
Shizuka opened the door to the apartment and smiled at Mai who happen to walk past the entrance. "Onee-chan I'm home." "Welcome back. Your brother went out for a business meeting. He says he won't be back until tomorrow. Now really who has meetings that last until the next day?" "Who knows Onee-chan. Maybe it's essential for the expansion of Yuugi-san's business." "Maybe…hey I got a call that you missed school. What happen? I'm going to ground you if you just ditched school for fun." Shizuka sighed and sat down on the couch, and Mai took a seat next to her. "It's a long story." "Start talking."
It was around midnight when the doorbell rung. Sluggishly, Yuugi made his way down stairs to open the door for Jounouchi. "Hey what's up with waking me up and having this 'special meeting' you said over the phone? It's late. What's going on Jounouchi-kun?" His friend didn't say anything except swiftly made his way to the living room. He collapsed onto the green sofa and rubbed his face. Yuugi felt something was wrong and went to make some tea. "Jounouchi-kun, tell me what's wrong? Did something happen between you and Mai? Is there something wrong with Shizuka-chan?"
Jounouchi remained silent until Yuugi returned with two cups of tea, and he quickly drowned one down. That helped return him to normal since he began screaming how hot it was and ran to the sink. "It's burns Yug! Why didn't you say anything?" "Well I was going to warn you but you seem more interested in being quiet."
They looked at each other before bursting out laughing. The best friends sat down at the dining table before Jounouchi became serious. "Yug." "What's wrong?" "Have you heard of Noah Kaiba?" Yuugi nodded and said, "Yeah he is Seto Kaiba's step-brother, and last time I heard he lived outside Japan. Why?"
"He made me an offer. He says technically he controls the American branch of Kaiba Corp, and he can help back us up when we expand in America." Yuugi lit up. "Jounouchi-kun that means Kaiba can't hinder us any longer." "Yeah but there's a catch." "Don't tell me…" "He wants Shizuka as his wife."
The ticking of the clock echoed throughout the kitchen and soon announced the passage into the next day. Yuugi looked down at his lap while Jounouchi covered his face with his hands.
A/N 1: I don't own it, but I'm a huge fan~!
A/N 2: That's the name of the Shinto wedding dress aka the white wedding dress Japanese will wear.
JMeg: Sorry that took awhile. I updated A Strange Love Story so this took longer to finish. Please review!