Disclaimer: I wish I may I wish I might… I'm still waiting.

Fairydust

PM: Well, I don't have much to say… no funny notes this time, just going to get to the point because I have a feeling that you people want to get on with this chapter. :P Yep, yep, we ARE approaching the conclusion… just this chapter and four others left… it's about time. -_-;;; I've put all my other stories on hiatus to focus on this one. Anyhow, enough of my perpetual whining… chappy takes place on Saturday night… yep, we're moving pretty fast here. :P

Thanks to Mariel for her usual beta-ing… and Ruri-chan for proofing the very end of this chapter and giving me a head's up. And of course, thanks to the people who reviewed chapter 12… -_-;; I'm afraid it wasn't up to par, but I'm proud of it because it's gotten me out of the writer's block that has struck since chapter 9 or so… *ducks Neko-chan's frying pan o' doom…* Eep!

Anyhow, the nice long paragraph that probably sends people into convulsions… :P

Many thanks to *i n c o h e r e n t* (tell me about it! My dad buys anything as long as there are coupons, and we have tons of tomato juice sitting in the cupboard… NOBODY will touch it!), Beholder of the Shadows (I hope your hand feels better! :P), Indigo Tantarian (I got a 1420… my mom wants me to take it AGAIN! Excuse me while I bawl embarassingly loud tears), rayemars (the first thing I think of when you say stream-of-consciousness is Holden Caulfield… *grin* And the chauffeur thinks he should have been chosen too! :)), Juvi (^_~ Wow! I love HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban too! *laughs* It's my favorite of the series!), DragonLUPINZero (:P Well, I hope you liked the chapter!), Ruri-chan (I want to see Baki…), Yuki-chan (yes, finally!), Crystalline Maxwell (Don't take Yuki awayyyyyy!), Linxy, silver werewolf (:P I'm sure you can find better writers than me… Ryou: Do you listen to anybody about the self-esteem thing? PM: Only when they threaten me with frying pans…), Neko-chan (*GLOMP* THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!), fani90, tuulikki (I'm sorry… *blush* But I needed the time…), Shamanic Guardian Lena (it's not over! it's not over!), colorguardie (mwahahaha! My brainwashing is nearly complete!), Achika-chan, goddess of insanity and pauru, Shenya (Yami: See? I'm cool! Ryuuji: And egotistical. Yami: Shut up.), Digital-Freak (SATs are an EVIL standarlized test and they're EVILLLL!), uhh… blank?, loanshark (Michelle is a brief character who shows up in… the charity baby chapter. And Yuki is Yami's stuffed seal… :P), Aishiteru Tenshi (I nearly ran over a bird myself once… but my dad's going 'why are you stopping?!' and I'm screaming 'Cause I nearly ran over the bird!' and he's going 'You can't run over birds!'), SilverMoonNight (cause I have bad self-esteem… but I'm not allowed to insult my story now so I can only insult my a/n's… :P), Screwy Seven Number Four (Yuki *bawls*), dilanda (Ryuuji: I'm happy too!), Aisling Kaiba (I got my manga at a Japanese bookstore… if you have a Japanese or maybe even a Chinese bookstore, I would suggest there. It's not in English yet), and Wildwolf. ^_^ Arigatou minna!

And the results from the poll… Yuki won in a landslide, with the poor, tortured, chauffeur is in second place. :P And Emi-chan got a vote… ^_^ Anyhow, Yuki thanks you all! Wave Yuki! *Yuki waves!*

~ Clowns and Kindergarten Teachers ~

There are a number of good cliches (if there is a such thing) that I can apply to my current situation, but as of right now, I can't think of any. This might be due to the fact that Kaiba-kun really is keeping his promise and rather than running both of us into the ground, we are going on a… date, if that is the term I should apply to it. Whether or not that is the correct word, I don't know, I really don't…

And I don't know exactly why I am so surprised, as Kaiba-kun certainly doesn't seem the type of person to break a promise (then again, I am also no expert on Kaiba-kun's odd little quirks, even if I have come to know him a lot better since that fateful Monday afternoon). But I guess it stems from my philosophy of expecting the worst. Perhaps it seems a bit pessimistic to have such a philosophy, but if you're prepared for the worst and it comes, you're not as disappointed as you could have been. And if something like this happens, something that is admittedly a lot more pleasant than the worst, it's always a pleasant and very much welcome surprise.

Or something like that.

Whatever the reason (seeing that I cannot phantom it for the life of me), I am feeling as bubbly as a little cloud, quickly reinforcing the idea that I must be going insane. I wonder if I will be able to convince otousan that I need to be locked up, and soon…

Then again, considering everyone's reaction when I showed up for class this morning (it was as if a corpse had been reanimated, judging from their reaction. But I guess the whole incident was on the news… am sincerely hoping that otousan and none of his friends happened to watch the news yesterday. But considering my recent run of luck, it's not very likely that such a miracle should occur), it is my firm belief that the whole world has gone insane and that since there's too many of us to simply lock away, this planet should serve as a universal nuthouse and all the sane people should be sent to a colony on the moon where they can be protected from people like us.

The past twenty-four hours or so have been a complete blur. I fell asleep on the car and didn't wake up until the next morning, as somebody had apparently carried me to bed (which, oddly enough, smelled a lot like Kaiba-kun's cologne. Perhaps I really am going insane?). And I woke up this morning to the sound of Jyounouchi-kun complaining about strange sounds and Anzu doing her own share of complaining that Yuugi-kun apparently talks in his sleep (and it took her this long for her to figure that out?) before I went to class as usual, in the mean time passing by Otogi-kun who was asking Yuugi-kun if he knew how quickly he needed to get the bedspread cleaned before it stained (?).

Something tells me that I really don't want to know.

Oh, and class sucked. But I really don't want to go into it right now, except to say that the professor might be having problems using his mouth except to drink from a straw for a while.

Not that it's my fault.

"I made a brief outline of what we'll be doing." Kaiba-kun casually interrupts my thoughts (not that they had any substance worth mentioning of anyway) as I strap on my seatbelt.

I get one look at his list and probably would have fallen off my seat if not for the before mentioned seatbelt, but it's still a very close call. Apparently, Kaiba-kun's definition of 'brief outline' falls quite closely along the lines of his definition of 'few events'. Am I getting bitter about that?

He blinks at me, probably noticing that I have practically keeled over, before smiling sheepishly as he scratches his forehead.

"Or… maybe not…" Kaiba-kun wads up the list and lightly tosses it into the backseat. Immediately I feel guilt gnawing away at my conscience… what if it took him a long time to make that list? What was even on that list anyway? I didn't get beyond the third objective before I started to feel suspiciously dizzy.

"Gomen nasai…"

"You apologize too much." (PM *sulks* Certain people who will remain unnamed have been telling me that too…)

I stare at him, my mouth suddenly feeling very dry. It's as if somebody had gone off and shoved cotton balls down my throat, a thought that isn't very pleasant to think about, mind you.

"Go… gomen…"

He sighs in exaggerated exasperation as I resist the urge to start banging my head on the dashboard, "Don't do that… it's not your fault and you shouldn't think that way."

I can only gape at him, not at all sure if I should just swallow his words without any question. I suppose I should be used to this by now, but it is a bit much to comprehend in a short while.

"Besides," he continues as he stops at a red light, before casually reaching over with one hand to take my right hand (which had, up to this point, been sitting quite uselessly in my lap, making me feel quite similar to a first-grader who has been told to sit still), "I didn't much like that idea anyway."

I blush pink, although it seems like my heart is singing from his words, whether that is the intended affect or not.

And, if I do say so myself, it doesn't feel very unpleasant.

Not at all unpleasant, actually…

~ * ~

"Did you like the movie?"

"Uh…" I kinda blank out as I blink at Kaiba-kun, who has his eyes on the road. You would think that somebody had super-glued them to fixate them considering how he's barely blinking…

The only movie that was playing which didn't involve blood and guts, racy humor, and toilet jokes was an animated movie about a girl who adopts an alien because she thinks it's a dog [1]. Now it might just be me, but even if that alien did get rid of a couple extra limbs and his antennas, he still looks like a pretty messed up dog. And even if he had been run over multiple times, I've seen road kill that was several more times more 'dog looking' than it.

I wonder if Kaiba-kun immediately thought of Yuugi-kun and Yami-kun when it came to the little alien? The fact that it could look so out of place but still not be noticed. Kinda like Yuugi-kun and Yami-kun… and myself and my Yami, I suppose. Not as much of Malik-kun and his Yami, seeing that Yami no Malik has hair that sticks up… and a lot more of it, now that I think of it.

It's odd that we even got an opportunity to watch the movie, seeing that it was released in the summer. But since neither of us were home during the summer (otousan finally took me with him on one of his escapades, and wouldn't you know that he forgot the keys when we got home after a grueling month in Egypt?) and we no longer bothered to question the universe when it came to such odd happenings, we decided to watch the movie.

I guess I should consider it a good choice because we didn't need to think at all during the process of the movie (although I swear that Kaiba-kun cried during the part where the poor alien leaves… [2]) and the added bonus that nobody was there except for us. Which is definitely a good thing because no people means no reporters, although I guess that the subject of our 'affair' is no longer hot news and thus subject to being forgotten.

Hopefully.

Additionally, since we didn't need to think, Kaiba-kun and I got involved in games I will now call 'How long can you kiss somebody without having to stop to breath?' and 'How much of a movie can you miss without completely missing the storyline?'. Okay, so there is no need for an excessive amount of sarcasm, but maybe I'm not being sarcastic. We really did do those things, although I have problems believing it myself.

Perhaps I am sounding this way because I myself am confused about why we are acting like this, especially after our argument. Could it be that we are both wondering about that inevitable maybe, that maybe something more will come out of this then we had both imagined? Or maybe we're just making the most out of it before it's over.

Will it ever be over?

"I'll just take that as a yes," Kaiba-kun glances over at me casually, a smile tugging at his lips, "I actually liked it myself. Except it reminded me a bit too much of the make inu and Yami."

"I never knew you were one to enjoy family movies," I say without thinking. Oh, smart move… really good move right there. But he doesn't look like he minds, and in a way, I was kinda expecting him not to…

"I also read shoujo manga, in case you have forgotten…" he reminds me, grinning brightly, "But don't tell anybody. It might ruin my reputation."

I can't help but laugh… I wonder if I should tell him that he's become somebody completely different in my eyes? It's odd that one's perspective of a person can change so radically in such a short period of time, but I've learned to stop questioning these types of things. It's better to enjoy what is already there, anyway.

I suppose the real question I should have been asking before is not 'will it ever be over', but 'do I want it to ever be over?' Because despite what logic has to say to me, I'll have to say no.

No, I don't want this to be over.

… I'm happy.

~ * ~

I have never heard of The Angel Wings restaurant, nor do I know why it's called that, but judging from how familiar the people seem to be with Kaiba-kun, he obviously has. Something that kinda makes me nervous… I know that unlike myself and Yuugi-tachi, Kaiba-kun has often gone out on dates during high school and college. Maybe this is his dumping ground? Oh, yeah, that's really what I need to think about now. Maybe the real of this restaurant is "One-Night Stand' or "Dumping Ground".

I think I'm becoming cynical again.

"This is Mokuba's favorite restaurant," Kaiba-kun suddenly brings up… perhaps he is related to Yami Bakura in a way, seeing that the two are apparently taking mind-reading classes, "The two of us come eat here every time he comes to visit. Apparently they have this dish that he cannot live without for over a month."

"Doesn't he come more often than that?"

There's a pause as he seems to process those words, as if in a mellow disbelief that they were actually uttered… at least, it seems like that to me, "He used to."

Used to?

"It's been hectic lately… especially with this contract going on with Yoshizawa-san." The words come out slowly and they're apparently very hard for him to get out. Although you can tell that it pains him to say these words… everybody knows how much Kaiba-kun loves his younger brother. It's sometimes amazing to us that they could ever allow themselves to be separated. Kaiba-kun would do anything for Mokuba, but when they're separated like this, it's probably very hard for him to do so.

I hate to say this but I was never this close with oniisan… not like Kaiba-kun is with Mokuba, but then again, it's hard for anybody to have a relationship like that. It's touching, really, to know that people can feel so deeply for somebody else. Even though we all feel that way, it's kinda as if those two are on a whole different level.

Are you done being mushy? Your boyfriend's been holding out a chair for you for the past two minutes while you're off in la-la land.

I immediately blush as I glance up at Kaiba-kun's face, but he just has a rather amused smile on his face as he gestures for me to sit. I swear, he and Yami Bakura are in some type of collusion to humiliate me to death. Is this some type of punishment for a crime that I unknowingly committed?

But that smile on Kaiba-kun's face is now degrading, nor annoyed, but encouraging. Is he trying to send me a message this way? Sorry, but my psychic recipients are not really working right now… he'll have to tell me out straight if he wants it to be understood.

I suspect that simply by bringing me here, he's showing me something that he rarely shows other people. And from that smile on his face, I also know that the sarcasm that keeps running through my head at rapid speeds is simply… well, sarcasm. And… yes, maybe it used to be less sarcasm and more actual truth… but now there's a little hint of knowing that I simply don't know how to react to all of this. It's simply too much to handle in an intelligent fashion, but I don't think it's too wise to explain these feelings. I know it's too much to think that nobody feels this way, but it's also pretty difficult to imagine that everybody can feel the way that I do. Especially one like Kaiba-kun, who seems unable to have his feathers ruffled.

"You miss him?" Oh, well, slap me with a stamp saying 'Obvious'… could I get anymore dense? If now is the time to show that this is the dumping ground (bad pessimism… bad…), I shouldn't be surprised.

"It's not as bad as it was before," Kaiba-kun replies, taking one of my hands. I blink at him… his blue eyes are surprisingly soft, something that is odd considering how they usually seem to pierce through the soul.

Before, it was so hard to see him as… human. He was more of a statue, a dispassionate being who had no need for petty things such as human emotions. As if he was a superior species because he could do what had to be done without suffering from the guilt that was to follow.

But no one can really be that way, not even Kaiba-kun. Although I think that he tries very hard to be that way. It's impossible, though, not to feel. Even if it seems like they don't…

Everyone feels the same emotions, even if they can stand there with a stoic look and seemingly ignore the carnage around them. Even if they seem insane, like Yami Bakura. We sometimes laugh at people who seem to be too emotional, but is there really a such thing as that? Can there be an extreme, can boundaries be set between what is too emotional and not emotional at all?

It's not really a matter of being emotional or not. It really depends on how good one is at hiding that they are harboring such feelings.

"Oh." My words are as meek as a kitten's… I've always wanted a kitten, but oniisan is allergic and after I started moving around, apartments always seemed to be against having pets, "Why is that?"

There's this silence… one of those horribly awkward silences where you sit there and fidget, with nothing but your thoughts (or in my case, I guess I also have a psychopath in my mind) and humiliation as companions. It's not really a good feeling because the most persistent thought seems to be 'Did I say something wrong?', and it always seems to come out as a perpetual whine that cannot be shut up.

"I… don't really know," there's a hint of confusion in his voice that reminds me rather disconcertingly of Yami Bakura last night, "I just haven't been feeling as lonely lately."

I've never seen you act this way either.

Another one of those awkward silences settles on us like a threatening thundercloud in the middle of an otherwise perfectly clear sky. Our relationship seems to be like that… a never-ending roller-coaster ride with more up's and down's then the ones at theme parks. I'm getting a stomachache just thinking about it…

"Are you ready to order yet?"

I've never been this grateful to a waiter, but in this case, I have to restrain myself from running over to him and just throwing my arms around him. It's as if the thundercloud is lifted by a friendly bird and now everything is running smoothly again.

Except for that awkward little gape in the sky where the cloud used to be. Even though it's erased, does that really mean it's gone forever?

~ * ~

"When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher."

I nearly choke on the chicken I had just swallowed as I stare at Kaiba-kun an utter shock. Him? A teacher? Did the world stop spinning?!

He continues, ignoring my sputtered attempts to get out a semblance of a reply, "I liked teaching people things… well, I liked teaching Mokuba things at least. But he had friends so I taught them too. It was fun. Up until we got adopted, I always thought that I would grow up to be teaching kindergarten or first grade. Little kids… they're sweet as long as they don't get on your nerves. Now it just seems weird."

"It is a bit hard to imagine…" Now that's an understatement.

But not wanting to leave Kaiba-kun alone in his admissions of interesting childhood stories, I grin nervously, "I wanted to be a clown."

"That's… wait… what?!" Now it's his turn to stare, but there's a bit of a grin tugging at his lips as well. It's not much but it allows me to keep going.

"Otousan and okaasan took oniisan and I to the circus when I was 6. My favorite thing was the seals and the clowns… the seals because they were cute and the clowns because they were funny. I wanted to do that when I was little… I wanted to dress up all funny and make people laugh. I wanted to make people laugh even if they were feeling rotten because there's a bit too much unhappiness around. I thought it would have been the perfect job… to make people smile and laugh."

In a way, isn't that what everybody wants to do? Writers try to portray a scene that before could only be seen in the mind. Toy-makers try to make something that would make a child smile. Actors try to make an audience feel an emotion that was thought to be extinct.

And clowns are there to make people laugh.

"A clown… I never would have thought that," Kaiba-kun shakes his head as he sets his chopsticks down on his plate, "That's really something, Ryou."

"Well, I never would have thought of you as a kindergarten teacher," I reply smartly, "So we might as well call it even when it comes to shocking each other.

"Besides, you would have been a pretty good teacher… I could think of worse things to do than help other people grow."

"You wouldn't have made that bad of a clown, you know," Kaiba-kun smiles lightly, "You make me laugh at the most unexpected moments."

I can't help but blush at that, but he erases that from my mind when he leans over and plants a light kiss on my forehead. And I don't blush at that because it's nothing that I haven't experienced by now… and it's certainly nothing that makes me feel uncomfortable.

I wonder how long it's going to take for me to acknowledge that these feelings are real, and not just figments of my imagination…

Oh Kami-sama…

I just gape as Seto picks up his chopsticks from his empty plate and reaches over to sneak my last piece of tempura. But what's really shocking is when he bops me on the nose with it… excuse me while I go have a mental breakdown!!!

"You would have been a pretty good teacher too," he says before eating the stolen morsel, "But you better not say that I would make a good clown because then I'll just have to hurt you."

He would. Make a good clown, I mean.

I wonder how many seconds it would take for people to lock me away if I said this out loud? I wonder if Kaiba-kun would say anything to back me up if I did? And even if he did, would I be the only one who found it funny?

What is it about him that makes me love him this way? Is it true that each person has one perfect soulmate, and in which case, how do they know when they've found that perfect other anyway? Is it possible that I could be so lucky as to experience something that it seems very few people do?

Why are there so many questions that surround life? Perhaps it is because there is so much to it, and it's impossible to understand the many things that we wish to…

Maybe I'm just getting very tired. Everything has been rather hectic lately.

I watch through my white strands of hair as Kaiba-kun calls over the server and starts to pay the check. This scene is so oddly… normal that it seems to be impossible. Could it be that all this time, I've been watching Kaiba-kun as somebody who wasn't so human? But now, bringing him down to a more comprehendible level, I allow myself to be given over to him in a cascading stream of emotions that will never be understood.

"Are you ready, Ryou?"

I nod hesitantly, but a niggling question hangs around in my mind. Ready? Ready for what? For this, an actual relationship, or for life? Can we ever be ready for anything at all, or does life keep handing us odd little surprises when we least expect it, when we are most prepared for something else to happen.

Kaiba-kun takes me by the hand as he leads us to the car. Nobody is watching, no lecherous fangirls or eager for blood news reporters. It's as if we were normal people on a normal date.

Date? Is this a date? That's what Kaiba-kun calls it, and that's what I want to call it. It's what I would give my soul to call it.

As we get into the parking lot, Kaiba-kun shifts his arm so instead of just holding my hand, his other hand is wrapped around my shoulder. Something I can't help but be grateful for, seeing that it is very cold…

How did he know I was going to feel this way? How is he able to just watch me and know what I am thinking, know what I want? I hope he doesn't know about the thoughts running through my mind right now…

I want to tell him that I love him. And I'm starting to feel very sympathetic to Otogi-kun, who I can now understand for his problems with telling Honda-kun his feelings.

It's hard to say those words because by saying them, you don't know what's going to happen. Many people have marveled about how powerful these words are, but I personally find them daunting because of that.

How can three words have the power to completely change one's life?

~ * ~

Kaiba-kun spent most of the drive back singing along to the theme songs of Cardcaptor Sakura. Now it may just be me, but I find that highly disturbing. But then again, I was the one having dreams about large, aquatic mammals with no musical talent whatsoever singing those before-mentioned songs, so I stilled my tongue.

It wasn't that hard anyway. Kaiba-kun has a very nice voice.

Anyhow, I was so entranced by it that it took me a while to realize that we were driving right past Tokyo University. Very observant of me, of course.

Kaiba-kun must have noticed that I started when we drove right by because he takes his eyes off the road for a brief second, "We're going to stop at my place for a while… is that okay?"

Well, it's a bit late to say 'no', isn't it? And besides, I don't really want to say that anyway.

"It's fine," I somehow manage to get out… although I'm not quite sure how.

Silence. Why are there so many of these?

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Ryou," Kaiba-kun suddenly breaks into my thoughts, seemingly making time stand still as he fumbles for the words. He's better at getting his emotions than I am, seeing that when I try to put my thoughts into words, it always manages to slip out of my fingers like a slippery eel.

It's amazing that Kaiba-kun would call me 'Ryou' even when we are alone, and that I can call him 'Seto'. But what surprises me the most is the amazing amount of self-control I instill on myself to keep from thinking his first name and staying coldly detached with his last name.

Or maybe it's just because I know that if I start calling him 'Seto' in my thoughts, I'll start to get attached. That I'll start to harbor disillusioned fantasies that all sound like 'maybe this will work…'. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe. I'll be better off this way. After all, if I start to get attached, it's a lot harder to deal with the rejection that will invariably follow.

Why do you think that? The boy obviously has something for you.

Yami… Yami Bakura?

Why do you seem so surprised by my presence these days? Well, I'm more surprised about why you have been speaking out so often, but that's a different story, Besides, if this works out, you'll be well-provided for. And since this is my body, I'll have an easier time as well.

Yeah. You wouldn't have to worry about maxing out credit cards anymore. Of course, I don't say anything. Despite the fact that I have died twice before, I have a healthy interest in not having it happen prematurely for a third time. Death is fine and dandy, I suppose, but if it has to happen permanently, I would like it to happen from old age rather than… well, something else.

"I did too, Kai… Seto," I correct myself before I can say that. Because to be truthful, I don't really want to stay coldly detached. I want this.

How many times must I affirm this? How many times must I tell myself this only to have common sense ignore it? If human beings are truly emotional beings rather than logical, why am I unable to express my feelings… perhaps I am deficient or something. That would explain a lot.

Then I realize that there is something that I haven't said to him that I've been meaning to say all evening… but it had slipped my mind until now.

"Thank you for correcting my term paper [3]. It really saved me a lot of time," I finally say.

"It didn't need that much correcting anyway," is the simple reply, "Besides, I learned a great deal from reading about it. Why did you decide to go into the environment, Ryou?"

"I wanted to help it… I think it needs more help than we thought before."

I blink as Kaiba-kun chuckles, causing me to wonder if I said something wrong. Something that seems to happen quite often, if I do say so myself.

"Not quite done being a clown, are you?"

I resist the urge to be childish and stick a tongue out at him, but it's still a close call.

"You're not quite done being a teacher either," I sound like I'm sulking, which reminds me…

I remember an argument between Yuugi-kun and Yami-kun about Yami-kun's romantic preferences. Apparently, Yuugi-kun wasn't too impressed to find out that his guardian was in love with a stuffed seal and a card. But then Yami-kun spent the rest of the week in a perpetual sulk until Yuugi-kun finally apologized. Needless to say, it was very weird and just about everybody thought that the two of them were going insane.

"What do you mean by that?" Kaiba-kun sounds amused, and it makes me feel like I'm about to walk into a death trap. God knows how many times I've done that!

"I'm going to let you figure that out on your own." An uncharacteristic reply, granted, but I figure that it's the best answer I can give without being rude or risking disembowelment.

I like having my organs inside my body, thank you very much.

~ * ~

In a way, I feel as if I've become drunk and am floating away. Although perhaps that is not so wrong a statement… but who has ever heard of somebody getting drunk on raspberry tea?

When we got to Seto's apartment, he led me through the familiar hallway to the familiar elevator to the familiar floor to the familiar door and finally to the familiar room. I notice that the tea that Emi-san accidentally dropped on the floor is now gone. It's kind of odd when I think about it… now Yami-kun is the one who has to fold the laundry while Seto is the one who can order a servant to lick tea off the ground if he wanted to. Can we say 'role reversal' here?

"Mokuba wanted a puppy a while back," Seto scowls at the tea cup as I resist the urge to burst into rather humiliating giggles, "He was going to name it Jyounouchi. Then he wanted a black cat. He was going to name that Yami. THEN he wanted a koala. He was going to name that Yuugi."

"Did he get any of those?"

"I let him adopt a seal," Seto smirks, "It was the easiest thing. It gave him a pet, and I didn't need to do anything except drive him down to the aquarium so he could see his seal. And that was that."

"Did he get to name the seal?" Maybe I should think about adopting a seal for Yami-kun when his birthday comes around. When is his birthday anyway?

"Yeah…" Seto grimaces as he looks down at his tea cup, "Do you want some more tea?"

"No thank you," I'm afraid I'm getting a bit drunk on it… I blink as I look at the clock, and my eyes grow wide when I see the time. Jyounouchi-kun is going to KILL me. He specifically said I had to be home by 10:30 and now it's… ooh, I'm in trouble.

"What's wrong?" Seto looks over at me and then at the clock, staring at it for a while.

"I… um… I…"

"Do you want to just stay over?"

Now that is highly unexpected, but… Is he saying this just to be polite, or does he really mean it? Why do I keep doubting his intentions… it's not really fair to him, I suppose. I'm not prepared for this.

"Demo… Jyounouchi-kun."

"You can call him."

"Demo…"

Before I can complete the sentence, he reaches over and starts to kiss me gently, bringing up some rather pleasant memories of the auction house scene. With the exception of Jyounouchi-kun's hickey reaction, of course… but the same emotions are starting to dance around like cupids waiting for their turn to wreak a little havoc on our lives. And before I know what I'm doing, I've wrapped my arms around his waist and am hugging him close to me.

"I'll call him tomorrow."

"… no problem with that," Seto replies softly as he casually swings me into his arms, carrying me bride-style and causing me to squeak in unbridled surprise. Since I can no longer hug him around the waist, my traitorous arms wrap around his neck as he easily carries me over to a room while still taking the time to kiss me on the nose.

Perhaps… perhaps we can't always prepare for everything. Perhaps we should just learn to enjoy what we can get.

Setting me down softly on my feet, I squint in the darkness as I look up into his eyes. They're a captivating blue that seem to have a spell attached to them because my common sense seems to be floating away and all I want to do is hold him. Or at least let him hold me, whichever one is more convenient.

"Ai… shiteru…" he whispers into my ear, punctuating each syllable with a gentle kiss that makes me want to giggle like a little school girl, his hands wrapped securely around my chest as he continues to kiss my neck, "Ai shiteru…"

Is he just… saying… that… oh Kami-sama…

"Seto…"

"Shh," he mumbles into my skin as he covers my lips with a long finger, "Less talk… Ryou."

I'm more than happy to comply as he pulls me into the bed, allowing me to rest on top of him as his lips somehow find mine again in a searing embrace, as sweet and gentle as a fairy's kiss.

Translations and Notes:

[1] Reference to Lilo and Stitch, and I don't have anything against that movie. I loved it, actually. :P

[2] Embarrassing, I know, but PAS and I cried during that part… it really was sad, stop giving me that look!

[3] Speaking of which, I have an art history term paper due and I'm so screwed that it's not funny.

PM *scowls at everybody*: Short chapter, I know… but I hope you're happy… *notices quite a few people holding up signs saying 'Lemon! Lemon!' before blanching* Aiyah! This is a PG fic, if you guys haven't forgotten! Besides, I couldn't write one to save my life. I'll probably end up traumatizing you all for life.

Koushiro: I only have one question. And if you answer it, I promise I won't comment on the fact that you already have traumatized these people for life.

PM: *groans* What's that?

Koushiro: Is this another one of your 'calm before the storm' chapters? You seem to have an unhealthy obsession with them.

PM *shoves him into a closet*

Pikachumaniac