Disclaimer: I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!". If I owned "Yu-Gi-Oh!," then... uh... I guess I'd own "Yu-Gi-Oh!"

Author's Note: Thanks to HieilovesBotan, AkaVertigo, Serenity Komoshiro, Little Priestess, PinkStarz, Bunny Meatball/Odango Usagi, Elusia, jarjayes, Azurite, Trust,Faith,andPixidust, goddesskali, deoki tenchi, mezu, Anime-AngelWings, GwenKeely, gladdecease, DarkShadowFlame, Kerrie-chan, Santurion2, Evanescense

Chapter 9

Washing dishes, repairing second-rate utensils, sweeping floors. Like a common maid. How humiliating.

It had been bad enough, Kaiba decided, to stand by helplessly, face redder than a stop sign, while the makeinu pointed out, "Hey, look! Kaiba's blushin'!"

It had been bad enough to have the entire restaurant staring at him, even though he clearly had no control over the split-personality dolts that were running amok and destroying the place.

It had been bad enough to hear some people screaming and other people laughing.

It had been bad enough to imagine what the tabloids were going to do when they got a hold of the entire fiasco.

It had been bad enough to hear cameras go off and want nothing more than to sink into the floor or disappear.

But now he and Anzu were being forced to wash dishes. Because, although the restaurant gladly accepted Kaiba's offer of enough money to repair the damages, they refused to agree that it was adequate compensation for having driven so many people out and possibly damaged the establishment's reputation.

"So many" indeed! It was only two or three -- the restaurant was full of rubbernecks! And it was Kaiba's reputation that was truly being damaged.

Kaiba and Anzu were alone, which at least meant that Kaiba wouldn't have to put up with her stupid friends for the remainder of the evening.

They hadn't trusted Yugi or Bakura to wash dishes, even when they regained control of their bodies and hence began behaving normally again.

Mokuba had been dismissed as "too young" to be held responsible for himself -- although he was still lectured about taking things that didn't belong to him, first by Seto, then by the cook, then by hostess, who didn't really do as much lecturing as she did outright bitching.

Honda and Jonouchi were also free to go, as they hadn't really done anything -- well, except talk back to the hostess, who informed them that if she ever saw them anywhere near the restaurant again, she was calling the cops and having them removed from the premises. And they'd looked at each other grinned, a pair of co-conspirators plotting ways to get under this woman's skin.

It annoyed Seto that they took their punishment so well, while he still felt like crawling underneath a rock and dying. But then again, he doubted it was the first time Jonouchi and Honda had ever been banned from anywhere, whereas Seto was certainly unaccustomed to such public embarrassment.

Mokuba was sent home with the four older boys.

As they were walking out, he curtly informed Jonouchi and Honda that they'd best keep Mokuba far, far away from either Yugi or Bakura at the risk of dismemberment. He definitely didn't trust the two of them near his brother after their earlier display....

Which left Seto and his "little girlfriend" as the cook referred to Anzu to clean up the mess Yugi and Bakura had made.

Well, at least these people didn't think he was gay.

Seto didn't sigh as he cleaned dish after dish, nor did he say anything. He was always good at maintaining an unemotional facade and this was no exception.

Maybe it was the tomato-like state of his face earlier, but Anzu seemed to guess something was wrong anyway.

"Lighten up," she said as she swept the floor. "It's not that bad."

"No, it's not. It's horrifically worse." He stubbornly refused to look at her as he ran a dish underneath the water, even when she leaned her head on his shoulder. How anyone could be so good-natured about kitchen duty, Seto supposed he'd never know.

Anzu pulled away from him. "Oh, please. You don't think Yugi and Bakura are as embarrassed about this whole mess as you are?" She stopped sweeping and dropped the broom, putting her hands on her hips in the typical I'm-a-girl-so-I-know-better-than-you-do stance.

Seto didn't reply. He just ran the dish under the water for a consecutive third time.

"I think that one's clean," Anzu said.

Still no reply.

So she giggled, grabbed Kaiba's dishtowel and snapped it against his bum.

He dropped the plate, jumping about three feet in the air when it shattered on the floor. "Dammit, Mazaki, look what you made me do!"

Anzu giggled again. The next thing she knew, an irritated Kaiba was cupping his hands underneath the faucet and stuck a finger up the spout to squirt whatever in her direction. She screamed and held her hands in front of her face to shield herself from the spray, an effort that did very little actual good. "Don't! Kaiba! I'll get all wet!"

The businessman sneered. "No shit, Sherlock."

Anzu protested, taking a few steps back. "Don't! You can't! This dress is expensive -- and if you drench it -- "

"If I drench it I'll buy you a new one," he replied, although he stopped squirting long enough to smirk and say, "Hmm. I must concede it's a pity you're not wearing something white."

"Kaiba!" Anzu shrieked, attacking him with the towel once again. The sting apparently reminded Kaiba he was supposed to be embarrassed and miserable, because he went back to tacitly washing dishes without squirting anybody.

Damn, Anzu thought. I was so close to getting him in at least a slightly better mood....

Anzu blinked. She took a step toward, glancing at the young businessman to gauge his reaction to her movement. If he even noticed it, of course.

He didn't. But Anzu knew exactly how to get his attention. She flung her wet body against his, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Get away from me!" Kaiba complained. "You're freezing!"

"You squirted me!" Anzu snuggled closer to the annoyed boy, nuzzling his neck.

"Get off!" He shoved her away with an alarming force.

Anzu faked a pout. "Rejecting my advances, Kaiba-kun?" Coyly, she ran a hand through her sopping wet hair.

"Don't come near me," Kaiba said, "you're wet." Anzu was pleasantly surprised when he grinned a little and stepped away from the sink, but not before grabbing another dish and holding it out to defend himself with. "I mean it. Don't make me break another one, Mazaki."

"No fair!" Anzu said. "You're cheating!"

Seto shook his head, laughing. "I am not -- to cheat, you have to break the rules. And since we never established any rules...."

At least I've got him laughing now, Anzu thought.

And at any rate, he kind of had a point. But that worked just fine... "Oh. Okay. Well, if there aren't any rules," Anzu said devilishly, "then I can tickle you again -- " The girl took a few threatening steps forward.

"Not if you can't catch me," Kaiba replied, and before Anzu could really comprehend what was happening, Kaiba had tossed his plate back into the sink and was halfway across the kitchen.

She giggled and shouted at him before taking off in hot pursuit. But Kaiba was apparently used to running from people -- he always managed to say two steps ahead of Anzu, anyway. As they ran in circles around the large kitchen, he always managed to stay on the opposite side of the room while carefully keeping her in his line of sight.

"Get back here! Or I'm going to tell Jonouchi and Honda and Yugi and everybody at school that you ran from a girl!" Anzu threatened, sticking her tongue out.

"Pardon me, I was unaware you count as a girl," Seto responded, making a face too.

Anzu gasped. "You jerk!" Pause. Her offended expression slowly dissolved into a devious smirk as she said, "But you're obviously attracted to me! Does that mean you ARE gay, after all?!"

Completely straight-faced, the CEO said, "Nobody's attracted to you, and actually, I'm bye-sexual."

"Bisexual? Really?" Anzu was taken aback.

Seto chuckled, and there was something resembling a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. "Oh, yes -- as soon as I have sex with a woman, I tell her, 'Go away! Bye!'"

"Oh -- ! That's not funny! You chauvinistic pig!" But Anzu grinned as she darted forward.

Kaiba took a few steps back, unperturbed. But Lady Luck, being a woman herself, was apparently on Anzu's side as Kaiba suddenly slipped on a spot where he himself had spilt water on the floor earlier. Finding himself sprawled on the slick white tile, Kaiba hastily tried to scramble to his feet, but it was too late -- Anzu had already draped herself over him by then.

He was vaguely aware that she was still wet and freezing, but that was no longer his chief concern about having Anzu on top of him. She clung fast, but Kaiba squirmed relentlessly. He was not going to allow himself to be tickle-tortured twice in the same day -- twice in the same evening, even!

But Anzu didn't tickle him. Instead, she purred, "Seto-san," as she brought her face close to his.

He narrowed his eyes, blushing a little. "Don't call me that," he said. "Only Mokuba is allowed to call me tha -- "

And then her lips pressed against his. It was a decidedly more pleasant sensation without an entire classroom of students watching. (Not that it had been totally unpleasant even WITH the students watching -- far from it.)

Through the kiss, Kaiba mumbled something about that not being fair.

Anzu smiled as she pulled away. "All's fair in love and war," she said.

"But this isn't either," said Kaiba.

Anzu's smile widened. "You're wrong -- this is both." And without further warning, her soft lips met Kaiba's once again.

His protests, muffled and half-hearted at first, quickly dissipated entirely.