AN:
This story will be continued, with or without reviews. I'm doing this for the sake of the absence of trustshipping. Please review, and next time there will be a longer chapter. Love y'all. My chapters are separated into sub-chapters within. That's why today's update starts with chapter four instead of chapter two. Enjoy!

CHAPTER FOUR - ACCEPTANCE

"I-I'm f-f-fine," she said, a little quietly, and sprinted to her room. Mokuba looked at Kaiba for guidance. Seto gave a small shrug, not sure of what caused her to behave so irrationally.

Ischizu washed her face rigorously to get rid of her eyes that gave away the fact that she had been crying. Mokuba peeked inside the door, with a boyish smile.

"Ischizu? Brother bought breakfast for us, so why don't you come outside? Marik said he'd be coming back from the workshop soon." The little boy reassured her, and then poked his head out of the door. Ischizu chuckled, wiping away the tears that begged to be freed.

Drying her face with a hand towel, she emerged out of her room to slam into something hard. Stumbling backwards, she saw she had collided with Seto's chest. With an annoyed look, he spoke.

"Watch where you're going, Ischizu. Hurry up and get to the kitchen." He waited impatiently for her to get up and dust off her skirt. She straightened her collar and adjusted the alligator clip in her hair.

Both of them turned as they heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle revving up in the driveway. Mokuba's light footsteps could be heard going to the door and the faint click as the door swung open. Ischizu side-stepped Kaiba and rushed to the door.

Marik "tsked" at her skirt. It was barely ankle length. Bringing a hand up to cover her blush, she welcomed her brother into her arms. Mokuba watched the sibling affection that Ischizu showed for Marik momentarily before Seto cast a shadow on them as he came into the room.

"Hey Kaiba. I saw the car outside, it looked like this year's model-" Marik was interrupted by Seto who smirked.

"It is." He leaned against the refrigerator before Ischizu tucked a strand behind her hair nervously. Marik had not yet figured out that the car was bought for her. He'd be outraged if he found out. Mokuba momentarily ruined her life at that instant.

"Yeah, and it's for Ischizu, so she can drive to the museum in style!" Mokuba smiled boyishly and slid into the kitchen chair. Marik looked wildly from Ischizu, then to Kaiba whose smirk had not yet vanished, and then to Mokuba, who was hungrily consuming waffles from a stack.

"What!" He nearly grabbed his sister's arm, almost as if Seto had been luring her towards him. Of course, Kaiba did no such thing and had been looking with amusement at the predicament that Ischizu was in.

"Yeah, I could hardly believe it myself. I actually wanted a blue car." Mokuba continued, naively. Marik's eyes were the size of saucers. Ischizu wore a weak smile as Kaiba did her no assistance.

"Well, Seto went to the dealership today, and he gave them our car-" Ischizu began. Marik's voice had quickly given in to anger.

"I did no such thing. It was Mokuba's idea." Seto interjected into her story. Mokuba looked up from his pancakes, with a smile.

"Seto's just being modest. He actually told me that you deserved a car, Ischizu-" The younger Kaiba shut up as soon as he saw a icy warning glare from his brother.

"We'll have to return the car, then." Marik said, as calmly as he could. He sat down at the table and fidgeted out of anger.

"You can't. Your car's been junked." Kaiba said, as he folded his arms. Mokuba nodded in agreement, and then returned to his quick consummation of the pancakes. Sensing that her brother would blow up at this comment, she quickly apprehended the situation.

"Marik, we will discuss the issue of the car later. I have to go to work soon," Ischizu said, and Marik complied grudgingly. This morning Ischizu looked particularly stunning to Mokuba, because she had discarded her gold jewelry in exchange for bright, shiny silver. Her earrings glimmered in the morning light and a smooth, key shaped pendant hung from her neck.

"Aren't you hungry, brother?" Mokuba looked a little confused up at Seto. Shaking his head, Kaiba retreated to the livingroom, as he had done yesterday. Ischizu decided to spoon feed him if he was going to be this stubborn. Marik watched embarrassedly as his sister carried a plate of pancakes into the living room. Mokuba stifled a laugh.

"Seto, you must eat this morning. If not, you will feel weak later in the day, and I do not want today to be a repetition of yesterday." She deduced, and then she sat next to him, balancing the plate in her lap.

"You must be deaf, because I already said I wasn't hungry." Kaiba said, annoyed at her intrusion of his space. He heard the sounds of a fork cutting up the waffle into smaller pieces.

"If you wish to come with me to the exhibit, you will have to eat first. Don't be a child," Ischizu added hastily, as she brought the fork up to his mouth. Seto edged away from the fork.

"I will be coming to see the exhibit, regardless, so you have no leverage whatsoever. And I am not a child." He had previously tossed off his trench coat to reveal a near skintight, dark shirt.

"You are acting like one," she said, "No wonder you are so thin." Ischizu leaned forward to push the fork near his mouth, and forced it in. He bit off the piece of waffle and pulled back his head, swallowing it immediately. Seto licked his bottom lip, and this did not go unnoticed by Ischizu, who had found him to be quite interesting by this point.

"I'm going. This is a waste of time." Kaiba said, as he rose up from couch. Ischizu sighed, setting the plate on the table.

"Change first. You will only attract attention which will therefore detract from our conversation." She said, and gestured toward the hall. "Come."

"Whatever." He followed her, half impatient and half angry. Seto wanted to go to the exhibit- he wanted to go NOW. Mokuba had scampered up from the kitchen table and followed them into Marik's room.

"Hey, let me pick what you wear!" Mokuba said happily, as he slid on top of the bed. Ischizu watched in half amusement as he picked up a white sweatshirt.

"No." Seto said forcibly, and he tossed the sweatshirt out of Mokuba's hands. Mokuba shrugged his shoulders and then went to the closet.

"Ischizu, you wanna help?" With this, Ischizu went to the closet, with an eager younger Kaiba at her side. She slid out a silk dark blue shirt, and Kaiba massaged his forehead at the sight of it. With a sigh, she placed it back. Mokuba took out a pair of cargoes, which Kaiba agreed to under much pressure of his brother's eyes.

Ischizu shyly took out a dark tanktop, similar to the one that the Pharaoh had worn in Battle City.

"How about this?" She held it up to Seto's chest, avoiding his cold eyes. It was a perfect fit; who knew her brother's clothes could fit Kaiba so well?

"It looks nice, but I think this is better." Mokuba tossed his brother a white, collared button up shirt. Ischizu noticed the similarity between her shirt and his and chuckled slightly.

"May I ask what is so amusing, Ischizu?" He growled as he slid out of his shirt. Ischizu glanced at his lean, muscular body. She wasn't aware that playing Duel Monsters could make one stronger physically. She could see the defined outlines of each muscle, and then she stole a look of his jaunty shoulder blades, that stuck out further than they normally should. Last, Ischizu caught sight of his thin waist and lanky, muscled arms. Something fluttered inside of her.

"It isn't nice to stare." Seto gave her a glare, and then pressed the shirt on his shoulders. The thin card-shaped locket was the only thing on him until that shirt. Ischizu watched as he buttoned up the shirt, locking her view of his body. Mentally, she reprimanded her self for being so careless and weak. Seto's fingers quickly did the third to last button, leaving the first two buttons open to Mokuba's suggestion.

"Okay, let's go!" Mokuba said, as he plopped off the bed onto the floor in a mess of dark hair. Standing up, he brushed off his shirt and smiled up at his brother.

"You're not going." He said sternly, giving Mokuba a look that he often gave to his business associates. The younger Kaiba's shoulders slunk in disappointment.

"That's not fair!" Mokuba blurted, his hands on his hips now. Ischizu chuckled at the sight. Kaiba kneaded his forehead because of the growing headache.

"Fine, fine." With a quick massage of his temples, Seto strode out of the room, tossing on his dark brown jacket. Ischizu followed closely behind, placing a shawl around her shoulders. Mokuba tagged alongside Seto, buttoning up his coat while walking. The front door was open in a few minutes, and Ischizu waved goodbye to her brother.

"I can't wait 'til I'm old enough to drive," Mokuba said as he beamed up at Ischizu, his smile radiating his happiness. Ischizu caught sight of Kaiba's icy, deprecating look.

"You're never going to drive. That's what a chauffeur is for." He said logically, and then added, "Besides, I've seen you play your games and you always crash into other cars."

Mokuba laughed at his brother's irrational logic, and slipped his small hand into Seto's long one. Palming his brother's soft hand, Seto opened the car door. Awkwardly, he turned towards his brother.

"In the back," he stated, and then wiped his hand on his cargoes almost as if he was nervous. He turned to Ischizu, and said, "Get in the front."

She complied, and sat in the car, her car. It was bright, shining in its red glory. The leather seats were especially comfortable, and she rested her head back into the seat. Ischizu fumbled with the seatbelt a little bit, sliding it smoothly into its lock. Seto checked the rearview mirror to see Mokuba safely buckled up. Then, a sideways glance towards Ischizu. To her surprise, he leaned his lanky body to hover over her lap, and fumbled with something on the side.

"You forgot your lap belt," He said, as his hands were moistening considerably. A gentle, near invisible blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Thank you," she said politely, and his body returned to its original position in the driver's seat. Sliding his seatbelt into the proper locks, he gripped the steering wheel, turning his knuckles a deathly white.

"Seto, your glasses," Mokuba piped in, and handed him his driving glasses which were elaborately placed in the backseat. Nodding, he donned the clear, non-framed glasses.

"Don't lose control," Mokuba said, gently, and then placed a kiss on his brother's shoulder. Seto smirked, regaining his rigid composure. Ischizu assumed that there was something that she didn't know about; either that or she was just paranoid.

Suddenly, with a jolt, the car sped down the rickety road at nearly seventy miles an hour. The car swerved around other cars, breaking several laws and traffic lights. Mokuba clutched his seatbelt, and then started laughing. Ischizu had never witnessed such careless driving in her entire life. And it wasn't so much as careless, but almost as if it didn't care whether someone got in the way or not.

The car lurched to a stop in front of the museum several minutes later, and Ischizu turned to Seto, who was busy unbuckling his seatbelt.

Without a word, she shakily removed her seatbelt, and pushed open the door only to find her legs wobbly and shaky.

"You'll be okay in a minute. My legs always feel like jelly after Seto drives, too." Mokuba pipes in, pointing at his shaky legs. Kaiba seemed to be the only one who walked normally. Striding in front of them, he folded his glasses, hanging them in the opening of his shirt.

"Let's go before the idiotic photographers get here." Kaiba said, climbing the steps of the museum. Ischizu followed, her skirt depreciating her speed. Mokuba hopped from one step to another, and then turning around to check if anyone was looking.

"Photographers?" Ischizu questioned aloud, peering into Kaiba's face, whom she hadn't gotten a good look at since she had been at home. Mokuba explained this for her.

"Being a teenage billionaire can attract some photographers. They follow us almost everywhere." Mokuba understated, smiling up at a confused Ischizu.

"I suppose," she almost chuckled, and ruffled the younger Kaiba's hair. Stepping into the museum, she stayed closely next to Seto. Mokuba watched the two of them, standing side by side, with him in the middle, look similar to –

"The exhibit's on the second floor," Ischizu added, "and I am expected to check in there as well." Seto ignored her comment and located the stairs. They made their way up to the second floor to be greeted by sporadic flashes of light.

Photographers had lined up near the stairwell, never ceasing to take pictures. Mokuba blinked to keep the spots from appearing in his eyes, and Ischizu ignored them calmly. One reporter, with notepad in hand, stepped in front of them.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kaiba, but what brings you to Egypt? I'm a reporter for the Japanese news, so if you have a few minutes-" The man was dismissed abruptly as Seto sidestepped him and ignored his request. Mokuba smirked at his brother's grandeur way of handling situations.

"Hey Seto, how about I give these guys a word? I mean, they have jobs too!" Mokuba said, humanitarian-like. Folding his hands to his chest, Seto spoke.

"Just don't say anything I wouldn't." Seto calmly went through the doors and then addressed the crowed of photographers and reporters.

"If you want a quote, speak with my younger brother. He is the vice-president of Kaiba Corporations, after all." With a swift, deft move, he had vanished out of sight, along with Ischizu. Mokuba beamed, answering their questions.

"So, who was that woman walking with Mr. Kaiba there?" A woman said, busily jotting down what Mokuba said. With quick thinking, Mokuba responded.

"Unless it is company related, I have no authorization to discuss that information with you," he said maturely, running a hand through his hair. The woman's jaw nearly dropped – he was just a kid!

On the other side of the stairwell, Ischizu and Seto had ascended the stairs. At this, Seto located a map to the right of the hallway. With his finger, he secured a route to the Egyptian exhibit.

"He is very mature for his age," Ischizu chatted, trying busily to avoid the larger issue at hand. Of course, she had heard that woman's question as she was pulled quickly away by Seto on the other side of the door.

"I wouldn't expect any less," Seto said, acutely. Her skirt rustled softly, the crinkled crepe swishing in the quiet museum.

Outside, Mokuba dealt with the pestering questions of the reporters and journalists.

"Is it true that you have funded Duke Devlin's work in Dungeon Dice monsters?" The journalist busily licked his pen and set it down to paper.

Mokuba sighed. How did these people know every minute detail of their lives? He had persuaded Seto to fund Duke's development on a new game – Dungeon Dice Monsters, D3. The new game would incorporate elements of role playing along with the traditional aspects of Dungeon Dice Monsters.

"Our business relations with Mr. Devlin were to fund his work on a new development. The development is to have some link with Dungeon Dice Monsters. If you have questions regarding the development, I suggest you speak with Mr. Devlin himself," Mokuba said tiredly, in his business tone. He faintly heard a beep, and he stepped away to the side to receive the call.

"Mokuba, give your last statements and head up here. I don't want them to barrage you with ridiculous questions." Kaiba said quickly in the cellphone.

"All right, Brother." He clicked the cellphone off. He turned towards the reporters.

"Any last questions? My brother requests me to meet with him soon." He said, digging his hands into his pockets.

"Sir, is it true that you have had a relationship with young college student Rebecca Hawkins?" The question immediately disgruntled him. How had they found out?

"Japanese reporter Toichi has reported a picture in his archive of you and Ms. Hawkins at a park together. Are you and her in any sort of relationship?" Again, a bothered question. Taking a deep breath, he answered.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you, although my relationship with Ms. Hawkins remains a business one." Mokuba sighed and waved away the reporters.

"If you wish to have any more statements, leave a comment at the reference desk at Kaiba Corporations, or reserve some time with my brother's secretary." He turned abruptly away and rushed up the stairs, all the while dialing Rebecca's number.

"Hello?" Mokuba spoke into the phone, as he walked up the stairs.

"Hey, Mokuba. How are ya?" Rebecca said on the other end. Mokuba sighed a breath of relief; last time her grandfather had picked up and he had stayed to question Mokuba for at least half an hour.

"I'm good. Listen, reporters are going to write a stupid article about our meeting at the park a few weeks ago. Just ignore it. I told them that our relationship was business only." Mokuba said hurriedly, stepping through the doors.

"It's okay, Mokie. Oh yeah – tell your brother I got a new security system prevention system if he wants it." Rebecca chimed, her voice full of sugar.

"Are you still coming on Friday night for dinner?" Mokuba said nervously, busily rubbing his hands against the sides of his jeans. Rebecca had become a close friend of his, but nothing more. He enjoyed her companionship, and Seto had approved of this friendly relationship after she had provided him with several new security upgrades.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Mokie. I gotta go now – Gramps is getting bothersome. Talk to you later! Bye!" He heard a faint click on the other end. A smile appeared on his face, as he walked through the doors to see Ischizu and Seto standing side by side, talking softly. Most of the talking was done by Ischizu, and Seto nodded.

"Hey, Seto, Rebecca says she's still on for Friday," He beamed happily up at the two of them. Something of a dark tense atmosphere hung between Ischizu and Seto, and his brother turned around to him.

"Sounds good," Seto said, his hands in his pockets. Seto glanced at Ischizu momentarily before returning his gaze at him.

"Contact Roland, and tell him to increase security around the parameters." Seto said, and then turned to face Ischizu.

"Why?" Mokuba asked, his face donned a puzzled look. Ischizu calmly held his shoulder, and spoke.

"It isn't too important, but can you?" Her often stoic impression softened into a motherly one. Ischizu's cool fingertips met with his cheek, and ran gently against it.

"S-sure," He murmured, stepping off to the side to make an important call. Seto's gaze hardened, his hand reaching up to the glass to touch it, almost as if-

Ischizu walked over to the newsstand in the corner, which she had been throwing glances during their entire conversation. Picking up the first magazine, she read a sub-heading in the corner. It read, "Teen Billioniare on anti-depressants? Full story on page 3." She flipped over to the third page, to read a short article.

"CEO of Kaiba Corporations, Seto Kaiba, has been reported to have used anti-depressants. Neighborhood psychologist says that a stressed lifestyle such as Mr. Kaiba's is not too common with those linked with depression. Another psychoanalyst states that eighteen year old billionaire has led a workaholic lifestyle, dropping out of his community highschool to be self-taught. "He's become a social recluse," says one teenager that attended his community highschool.

Others say that a similar teenage entrepreneur, Duke Devlin, does not display such qualities that Mr. Kaiba does. "He's been in the business longer," Mr. Devlin said, "and he's become successful too. But I don't believe he would resort to anti-depressants; it doesn't sound like him at all." Reporters say that Mr. Kaiba's frequent use of said anti-depressants-"

Seto snatched it from her, tossing it aside and giving her a stern look.

"Such blatant lies," He muttered, and sat down on the bench next to the newsstand. Ischizu's look softened, and she sat next to him on the bench.

"I'm not surprised, Brother. But at least Duke stepped in and said something about it." Mokuba happily walked up to them, in his hand a copy of what Ischizu had been reading.

"I suppose you are friends?" Ischizu asked Kaiba gently, hoping not to anger Seto in the process.

"Of course he is. He bought me ice-cream and took me to an amusement park once. And he plays Dungeon Dice Monsters against me in his free time," Mokuba said, looking up at Seto for support. None came.

"He just wants the financial assistance from Kaiba Corp. I'm not surprised." Seto got up, and turned around.

"Let's go."

Ischizu rose, quietly. This background issue of Seto's usage of anti-depressants had not alarmed her- but it clued her in on something, something that was going on. She wasn't sure of it, but she would be able to pinpoint it later on if she could. She walked alongside Mokuba, descending the stairs. As soon as Kaiba had rushed out of the stairwell, and out of earshot, Mokuba gave her some interesting information.

"You know, some people say my brother doesn't have many friends. But those people are wrong, and there's proof too. Duke didn't say that just to get money from us. He's not like that at all. He's the closest person Seto has to a friend, and Yuugi has always been there too." Mokuba piped in, almost sadly. Ischizu held his hand into hers, the child-like yet mature logic of Mokuba's had alerted her to something else, that had been bothering her since Kaiba had come here.

"What about me?" She said, curiously, as the descended the stairs.

"You're different," Mokuba said, choosing his words carefully to not offend her, but to express his thought clearly.

"Different..?" She mused, and they stepped outside to the main lobby. Seto had leaned against the reference desk, staring distantly into the horizon.

"I don't know how to explain it, but Seto's different with you, more different than when he is with Duke, but I guess it's because you're older than he is." Mokuba deduced, and sprinted towards his brother. Ischizu was left alone with her thoughts.

"I have to stay here and work. Seto, will you come back at seven?" She asked, her hands fixing the crepe of her skirt.

Mokuba responded for him.

"Sure, Ischizu! See you later!" Mokuba tugged on his brother's arm, and Kaiba gave her a last look as he left.

AN:
Duke is not my favorite character, but he is likable. I will put him in the next chapter if I get some reviews. And if not, I might put him in anyway. I hope to have Duke as a friend to Kaiba. See, two relationships that grow; one with Isis, and another with Duke. Hopefully I can pull this off without going OOC! Read and review!