Chapter 2

Saturday morning was even worse outside than Friday.

Kaiba awoke to the crashing of lightning and the booming of thunder. He could just imagine what it looked like outside: trash cans strewn around every which way, cut-off electricity, fallen trees, and flooded gutters. It was probably a complete mess outside.

Which meant only one thing: the cat was staying longer than one day.

As he put on a robe and ran a comb through his hair, he thought of the work that needed to be done at present. He should first spend some time on that project that so badly cried for his attention (that would take hours). Then maybe take the time out for the semester exams coming up in school. After that, he might want to call some business associates on that one deal they were trying to make with him.

As far as Seto Kaiba was concerned, the whole day was planned out...until he heard his bedroom door open.

"Seto–"

"What is it, Mokuba?" Seto finished with his toiletries, and turned to face his little brother.

Mokuba looked...different somehow. Seto couldn't place it. Maybe it was his new slippers he bought when they went to the nearby department store (he finally got Mokuba to stop wearing those old, tattered ones all ten-year-olds grow to love). Or maybe it could be that he grew a bit taller (Seto noted that Mokuba was up to his chest, now, rather than up to his stomach...)? Or could it possibly be the huge scar Mokuba had across his cheek?

"Mokuba! What happened to your face?" Seto cried, rushing forward and running a finger along the vivid, deep scratch on his brother's face that ran from the beginning of his cheekbone down to his chin.

Rushing Mokuba back into the bathroom, Seto grabbed for the hydrogen peroxide, ignoring Mokuba's frightened protests.

"No, Seto, not that! Anything but that!"

Alas, all his objections were said in vain, as Seto smeared a cotton ball soaked in peroxide down his brother's cheek. "What happened, Mokuba?"

"The cat scratched me when I was trying to give her a bath," Mokuba responded with a wince as Seto dabbed the cut again with another ball of cotton. "When she saw the water, she got afraid and jumped at my face."

Seto grimaced. It was that cat again! "Oh, Mokuba, you should've let me do that part. You have to be careful with cats when they need baths." He forced a smile as he got out a box of bandages. He was going to get rid of that cat as soon as possible. It was only causing him wasted time, and unnecessary trouble.

"Seto, how do you know about cats?" Mokuba asked as Seto found the right band-aids to put on the wound.

"Let's just say that we had pets before. You just don't remember because you were too little," Seto replied, sticking the said bandage on Mokuba.

Mokuba nodded, then looked up at his brother. "Then can you please help me give her a bath, now? She's very dirty from being outside."

"Mokuba, that cat is a nuisance!"

"Please, Seto? I need you help."

Seto sighed and looked at his watch. Well, forget about the phone calls.

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Rolling up his sleeves, Seto sauntered into the bathroom where Mokuba held the kitten. It's been awhile since he bathed any kind of pet, especially a cat.

Mokuba had the water in the tub running, and the shampoo was sitting there, too.

He grabbed the kitten from Mokuba's hands and looked at it. It still had the adorable eyes, tiny ears, orange fur, and delicate claws. How it could've made such a mark on his brother was still beyond his comprehension.

Staring at his 'prey' one last time, Seto got to work.

With a quick gesture so that the kitten had no idea what was happening, it found itself surrounded by water. Mewing, and scrambling and scratching did no good when against this foe.

Mokuba watched and handed Seto things when he needed them.

"Shampoo!" Seto called to Mokuba in a doctor-to-nurse fashion as the kitten bit down hard on his hand. Gritting his teeth together, Seto shoved the cat deeper into the now-soapy water. The cat fought back, but it was a losing battle.

In about fifteen minutes, the kitten was squeaky clean, and Seto was forced to use the hydrogen peroxide on his own scratched-up hands this time.

He finished bandaging himself up, then smiled to himself as he thought he could now get some work done.

As he was about to go into his room to begin his work, Mokuba raced up to him. "Seto! We don't have any cat food for her!"

"Feed her something else, then!" Seto shouted back, not wanting to get any more entangled into this cat mess then he already was.

"But, Seto, she could get sick! My teacher always said that you can only give dogs human food!"

"Mokuba, we'll get her some food tomorrow. I'm sure she can live with water until we get her some cat food."

"But Seto she'll get sick–"

"Give her some meat or something! Cats are predatory animals, after all!" Seto was running out of ideas fast. And he didn't want to go to the pet store now.

"Please, Seto...she needs cat food. Just look at her," Mokuba cradled the little thing in his arms gently, and Seto sighed. He was too much of a pushover.

"This is the last time I'm doing you any kind of favor, kid." Seto let loose his trademark growl. "Stay here; I'll be back in a couple minutes." He slipped on his coat, and marched outside in the pouring rain.

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A drenched Seto Kaiba entered the nearest pet store, and walked down the cat food aisle. Looking at all the different brands of cat food, he had no idea which brand to get for a kitten. True, he did own a cat in the past, but that was years ago. Now, he was stuck, staring at all the brightly-packaged bags, and flowery brand name writing.

'How on earth am I supposed to know which bag to get for a kitten?' he thought forlornly as he stared at row after row of cat food. It was almost as if they were taunting him.

He thought about asking an employee, but he was too proud to do such a thing.

Finally, he decided on a bag, and left it at that.

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Thirty minutes later, Seto opened up the door to his house, soaking wet, and with a bag of Meow Mix in his hands. It said on the bag it was the most widely used food for cats, and something else about getting all their vitamins in one bowl. Plus, Seto remembered that Meow Mix commercial he saw on television, and that helped with making the decision.

He plopped the bag on the floor, and let out a long sigh. There goes studying for those upcoming tests. At least he could finally work on that project...

"Seto?" Mokuba came in, looking sheepish.

"Mokuba, I got the cat food; now you have to leave me alone so I can work on a big project for my company, okay?" Seto took off his coat and shoes, and flopped down in the nearest chair. "Hopefully you don't want any more things for that cat, because I refuse to have any more to do with it! That monstrosity is leaving as soon as the rain stops."

"But Seto–"

"No more 'but Seto', Mokuba! That cat doesn't need any more things to keep it alive! It's like those little kits that you buy that needs all kinds of stuff to keep it running. I need to be left alone now." Seto began to walk back up the staircase, but Mokuba's next words stopped him.

"Okay, Seto," Mokuba shrugged, and mumbled under his breath (knowing that Seto would hear him, of course), "I guess she can just poop anywhere she wants to, then."

"What?!"

"She needs a litter box, Seto, and I don't think we have one."

"You know what?" Seto cried, racing back down the stairs. "If she did anything in my den - or ANYWHERE for that matter - you're going to be grounded until you're eighty!"

Seto dashed into the first place where he thought the cat would be: his den. He was about to examine the place with a microscope, when he felt like he stepped on something squishy.

Seto closed his eyes tightly. Don't. Look. Down. If you don't look down, you won't know what you stepped on.

Seto looked down.

And screamed for Mokuba.

Mokuba ran in. When he saw everything that was going on, he gave a squeamish smile. "How about 'till I'm sixty?"

Yes, chapter two is finished. What are your thoughts on it? Do you have a part that you particularly liked? Was there a scene that made you laugh? Please leave it all in your review!

Note: About Seto and the cat food commercial, has anyone ever seen the commercial with the singing cats in it? I thought that would be particularly funny if I had Seto buying the cat food over a commercial like that.

And I would thank everyone personally, but I'm a bit short on time right now. I'm sure if anyone that's reading this has a job, they know what it's like to be running late! Perhaps next time I'll be able to do a better job with that in the next chapter. Until then!