-
Kaiba
My own genius was my undoing – it was proven time and time again as I got older and ended up in increasingly difficult situations because of it. I found it amusing that my most taxing problem to date happened to have a name, a personality, and an idiot for an older brother. It would figure that Jounouchi would fuck up every single one of my plans to be rid of his sister quickly and painlessly. Everything Mokuba told me about them... I had to catch up, or I wouldn't be holding up my threat – it wouldn't be worth anything if I didn't come through.
So I brought her home for dinner; it seemed classier than playing catch up in the backseat of my car after one of our dates. We were alone in the living, and she was talking about some sort of camp she went to last summer; I watched her silently, smiling and leaning sideways against the back of the couch. She really was a cute girl; I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was attracted to her, but there was something to her that even I couldn't quite ignore. I could understand why Jounouchi would want to protect her – he probably saw the child in her, still shining in her eyes, just like I saw in Mokuba.
Damn Jounouchi, and damn the emotion in his eyes as he managed to curse me in two different languages for using his sister, for sabotaging my brother. While I was at it, damn his obvious guilt too; it reflected my own. He'd known the consequences and accepted them. I had no reason to feel guilty.
"Seto," she said, laughter in her voice, "are you okay? You look like you're zoning out." She brought the glass of juice in her hands to her lips, but her eyes prodded me to explain myself. She looked happy and just a touch curious. It was staggering that being with me made her happy.
"Just thinking."
She set the glass on the coffee table, licking her lips just slightly and leaning closer. I had to quell my nerves; she was providing the perfect opening and I had catching up to do... as soon as I gathered my wits enough to take the opportunity. "About what?" she asked.
'Your brother' probably wasn't the best answer given the situation, so I feigned a smile and simply said, "You." It wasn't a lie, and it had a better effect than I expected; she giggled a little and leaned forward enough to touch her lips to mine.
Carpe Diem, they say. If I could have taken a deep breath to steady myself I would have, but all I could do was ease her back against the couch cushions and brush my tongue against her lips, hoping she'd open for me – and she did. That shouldn't have made me feel bad. Of course she trusted me; I had taken care to present an image she could trust...
By all definitions, there had to be something wrong with me – I had a good-looking girl warm and willing beneath me, but I couldn't focus on her at all. I couldn't get past that simple act of her letting me in, of trusting me or being happy with me. I could still hear Jounouchi accusing me of being fucked up, even as her legs mingled awkwardly with mine, as my hands explored her sides, dipped under her shirt. At best, I could say that I played the role well: my mouth moved to her neck, her collarbone; my hand traveled up, brushed one breast. She made some noise, like she was trying to hold back something louder; it caught my attention enough that I lifted my head to look at her. Her breathing was rapid, cheeks flushed, eyes first closed, then opening to look up at me... Pretty as she was, even tempting, I didn't see a girlfriend on my couch, or even a girl I could consider making a girlfriend.
I saw someone's little sister.
I had to get off her, had to get away from her one way or another. Besides, I had caught up – Mokuba said that his clothes always stayed on, and her shirt was just minutes from coming off. "Excuse me," I said, sitting up and reaching into my back pocket for my cell phone. Cheesy, ridiculous, and bordering on unbelievable, but I was hoping she wouldn't notice.
"Did it ring?" she asked, sitting up properly and smoothing over her clothes. There was still a dark blush on her cheeks, and she wouldn't look me directly in the eye.
I nodded. "Set it to vibrate earlier," I lied. I never set my cell phone to vibrate; it was either on, or it was off. The one time I had, I had nearly jumped out of my skin when it rang. Turning my back to her, I feigned the phone conversation – called myself in to work. How utterly pathetic. There I was at eighteen, ducking out of a perfect opportunity. Last I checked there was something wrong when my thirteen-year-old brother had racier stories than me. But Shizuka didn't react badly to "work calling;" she just wrapped her arms around my shoulders and kissed my cheek.
"I'll see myself out," she said. I grimaced as she pulled away, and waited until I heard the living room door shut to fall back on the couch and let out the breath I hadn't even realized I had been holding. I stared at the ceiling and started counting little cracks.
She was just some girl; she wasn't important. I shouldn't have had problems being even remotely intimate with her: she was pretty, she was nice, she was patient... If I had ever wanted to settle down, she'd be a good one to settle with. But I had no urge to settle... and I felt bad for using her.
Guilt.
I had used people in business, and even personally, if I thought it would further me getting my way. What about Shizuka suddenly inspired such a ridiculous emotional response?
"Fuck," I growled to myself, standing up to leave for Kaiba Corp. After all, if I was going to use it as an excuse, I might as well go in and get something done.
Shizuka
No matter how hard I tried, Seto never made one-hundred-percent sense. In the beginning, he was being weird, and I didn't know why. Now, he was being weird, and I knew why... and I almost didn't care. Once the living room door was out of sight, I paused, leaning against the wall and taking a deep breath.
He was an asshole. Oniichan had warned me and I had gone out with him anyway. You make your own bed, or however that saying goes. But no matter how hard I tried turn his own tricks on him, he still managed to keep one step ahead of me somehow. How was I supposed to hate and break up with a guy who could turn my knees to jelly by just smiling at me?
"Remember," I breathed aloud. "He's just a really good actor."
I resumed my walk, trying to remember exactly how to get to Mokuba's game room... I had to talk to him too. I bit my lip, trying to figure out exactly what to say – 'I'm having second thoughts' seemed ungrateful. It was dramatic on his part to be so mad at Oniichan, but there was something flattering about it, that he was so dramatic on my behalf. I'd seen boys act silly over girls – Honda and Otogi were pretty prime examples of that – but never to the extent of ruining their own good thing.
I smiled as I reached the door. "Just a good actor," I repeated to myself. "You can be too."
Mokuba
"Did you know that your brother is an awful liar?" Shizuka asked from the doorway. I didn't take my eyes off the TV screen; I didn't want to lose my game just to look at her – she'd still be there in a couple seconds.
I shrugged. "He used to be much better." I didn't add that I was happier now that he couldn't do it as easily. After a second I paused, glancing over to say something else… and I just sort of lost the words when I saw her there, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed just under her chest and a grin on her face. She was wearing a black skirt and a red button-down shirt. With that self-satisfied smile on her face, she was really... hot.
I blushed at the thought – it wasn't quite right to be thinking that my boyfriend's sister was hot. "What happened?"
"He freaked out on the couch," she said. "He must be the only guy in the world who would fake a phone call when he had his hand in a girl's shirt."
I blushed deeper, imagining Seto's hand... I turned back to my game. I'd never really looked at a girl like that; it just never occurred to me that I might want to. And it wasn't like there was an overwhelming amount of her to look at – I couldn't figure out WHY I was so intrigued. "You're really getting into this revenge thing then, right? You look pleased." I cringed – that hadn't come out at all how I meant it.
"Well..." She sighed, and I turned to look again – do not look at her chest! – and she wasn't smiling anymore; she looked more like she was going to tell me some bad news. "I've never been in a situation quite like this with Seto. I guess... Never mind." She smiled again, but even if it was cute, I couldn't reciprocate, not when I thought about the look on her face just seconds before.
"Jou can't even come up with a decent excuse anymore. He just jumps up and says that if we go too far, he'd be proving Seto right." I grinned triumphantly; I couldn't really help it. Boyfriend or no, he was pretty funny when he freaked out. "He's so easy, though. I think its some sort of miracle that he's resisted me at all."
She laughed uneasily, wringing her hands in front of her. "Do you feel bad about it?"
"No. Jounouchi and Seto made a stupid choice, and they're paying for it." I didn't mean to come off as though I was saying Jou was bad, and I loved my brother, even when he pissed me off – I just wanted to make sure they both understood how wrong they were. I was mad at Seto for thinking it was okay, and I was mad of Jounouchi for letting him. If they wanted to play using kid gloves, that was fine. I didn't intend to return the favor. "So, do you know when you want to break it to them?" I asked.
"Do you?"
"It's your decision," I stated. "This is your revenge, Shizuka. I'm just helping you along."
"I..." She faltered for a second, looking up at the ceiling. "Summer break is in two weeks. I can't wait," she said happily, looking back to smile at me. "It's going to be nice to have some time to relax. Why not then? We could do it the first or second day, and not have to worry about them the rest of the vacation. Plus, it gives them a little more time to sweat."
I nodded. "Sounds great. So..." I felt myself blushing again, and I hadn't even ogled her! At the rate I was going, she'd think I liked her or something. That'd be embarrassing, and too hard to try to explain – harder than explaining what I kept staring at her boobs; at least the latter could be chalked up to hormones. "Want to stay for a bit?"
"Sure." She left the doorway and sat beside me on the floor, curling her legs beneath her. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Mokuba, what's your brother really like?"
"He's… just him," I said, tilting my head to look at her. "I don't really know how to explain him. Why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "I just can't figure him out. One minute he's gentle and nice with me, and sweet about you, but he's so cold with Oniichan... Then he's sweet again, like he can turn it on and off."
"Sometimes…" I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. Usually I wouldn't say anything at all; Niisama didn't like to be talked about. Shizuka was different, though; Niisama was dating her, and I... I trusted her. "He hides a lot, so I guess he's just gotten used to it. But he's not as bad as he sounded at the zoo, Shizuka, honestly. He's not really so cold. Don't hate him. I don't care if you're angry with him, but just don't hate him." I didn't mean to beg – and in a proud little corner of my mind, I assured myself that I hadn't – but I couldn't help it. I told myself that most of people who hated Niisama never gave him a chance, but if his girlfriend – in-name as that title may have been – could hate him, then...
"I don't hate him."
I looked at her and exhaled; that was the best thing she'd said all night. "Thanks. I bet he thought it was the right thing to do."
She nodded, staring off into space as though she was reflecting on something. "Probably. Big brothers aren't the most logical beings on the planet." She smiled fondly, smoothing her skirt over her legs. "I remember when Mama and I first moved into our house here, Oniichan spent a week practically interviewing all my new friends; he was that determined to make sure I didn't fall in with the wrong crowd. I was so mad at him at the time, but looking back on it, it was sweet of him. Maybe someday we'll all look back on this the same way, and realize that it's a sweet gesture, just stupid."
It sounded just like Jou to do something like that. "Exactly. You've got every right to be mad; you got – " I stopped. I had almost said, 'You got lied to the worst.' Great way to make a girl feel better. "You've got a typical big brother," I amended, and mentally kicked myself for sounding so ridiculous. She tilted her head in question, and I continued, "Niisama does stuff like that, to take care of me. I could have ridden the bus to school this year, but Niisama found everything wrong with it, so I still get driven there every day. And – " She bopped me gently on the head, and I swatted her hands away. "What was that for?" I demanded, rubbing my head just a little where she'd gotten me. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't exactly the greatest feeling either.
She smiled. "It's okay to say this whole thing sucks, you know. It really does; I don't feel good about what they did, and… I don't really feel good about what we're doing, not really, because in a way, what Seto did... it's forgivable." I opened my mouth to tell her we could stop – and really, we could, if it wasn't making her feel better – but she held up a hand to stop me. "It doesn't excuse him, and I still want to get them back, but even I'd do something drastic if it'd..." She looked down at her knees. "Never mind; I'm rambling." She yawned and looked at the clock, then turned back to me. "I should get home; it's late, and Mama hates when I'm late."
"That's fine," I said, sparing a glance at the clock as I spoke. It was nine – barely late, but I guess if that was what her mom said... I wish she could've stayed a little longer. "I… Are you still up for this weekend, then? Because we don't have to if you – "
"It's fine," she said. "Goodnight." She stood, patting me on the head one more time before going for the door. Damn it, why did she do that? Adults did it all the time, and it always made me feel really small, like I was still some child. I didn't want to seem young to Shizuka; I was almost the same age as her, and even if it was only for a year, we were in the same school. Plus... I didn't want to think that she looked down on in me in any way. Jeez, all my friends were right; dealing with girls was complicated – and I wasn't even dating this one.
"Wait," I said, pushing myself to my feet. If I wanted to make sure she didn't see me as a kid, I might as well do something mature. "I'll walk you to the door."
Maybe it was my imagination, but I swear she was blushing as I led her out.
notes
Eek! I've been a horrid author with this one; the chapter has been done forever, but RL decided it wasn't going to play fair, and Chapter Seven became a casualty of the battle. It barely made it out alive. :laughs: Anyway, with any luck I won against RL (for now, haha), and the updates on this should be a little more consistent. So sorry!
On that note, elsalhir has taken over beta'ing the rest of this fic, so a very fond thank you to her for no only agreeing to do that, but for doing a good job as well. :heart: D
During the editing of this chapter I've come to the conclusion I don't feel like I know enough words for anything. And oh my dear god almightly, I'm so unaccustomed to writing het in any sexual manner. It's been so long. I'm afraid it sounds like a cheesy romance novel. TT And personally, I'm about six seconds from a rampant homicidal ending to this whole story - because Kaiba's character is killing me. The tone never feels just right. ;
edit
Thanks to sarasusamiga for pointing out some
errors in this chapter (the "flattered" there was supposed to be
"faltered"). Much appreciated! D