Mokuba's Plan
By Pearl of the Dark Age
Disclaimer: (sigh) Yes, one for every chapter… I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. (bored)
Chapter 8
How did I get myself into this? Seto asked himself. Maybe I should leave now. He was ten minutes into his second blind date. He naturally assumed when he got another email almost identical to the first, that it was another blind date. He came anyways, hoping again that this person might have some information about Mokuba. Again, he was disappointed with the fact that she was another stranger who had not the slightest inkling of what he really wanted.
While she rambled on about her woes with gusto, Seto thought back to his first blind date. With a firm resolution, he decided he liked the first lady much better. He ignored what the woman in front of him was saying. At the moment, she seemed to be an audience unto herself, laughing at her own bizarre jokes and answering her own stupid questions. Seto understood that there had to be a connection between the dating service and Mokuba's disappearance, and he was determined to sit this one out to see if it would give him any clues.
His second date could only be described as trashy. Glossy, lime-green synthetic material was stretched taut over her bosom to just barely legal past her hips. She was completely nude from the cleavage up and the ever-slipping hemline down to her matching lime-green platforms. The man at the table next to theirs was checking out her legs, until his wife whacked him upside the head with her purse and gnashed her teeth, saying, "She is not even decent enough to wear nylons!" Seto was surprised to see his date smile at this as if it were a compliment.
She turned her pasty made-up face to Seto. "Some women are just jealous because I've got what their husbands really want," she winked and pointed at her over-exposed breasts, which threatened to burst out of their wrapping any second. Instead of turning Seto on, he only thought of how long it would take for him to run to the door.
To shake him out of this scary thought, the waiter appeared with the very expensive food and wine she had ordered for the both of them. Seto did not mind the price - he could easily afford it - but he was under the distinct impression that she was deliberately taking advantage of him. She dove into her plate. After a minute, she said suddenly, "I don't think you're spontaneous enough for me."
Seto made no reply. What a stupid statement, he thought. Not too mention incredibly rude… For the first time in half an hour, she seemed to be waiting for a response from him. He had not spoken a word since he had asked her about Mokuba. "What?" he asked, irritated.
"What would you say is your worst quality?" she asked airily.
"I wouldn't," Seto muttered.
"Wouldn't what?"
"I wouldn't say anything is my worst quality," Seto snarled. He was beginning to detest this woman.
"Fine," she smirked. "What's your best quality?"
"There are too many to choose from," Seto replied. "But flattery won't get you anywhere with me." And he added to himself, You don't even have a prayer.
"I think that my best quality is my body. No… my eyes," she said. She smiled at him. He had to admit that her grey eyes were her best feature.
"I agree."
"Oooohh…" she simpered. "I feel like we are made for each other, don't you?" Seto took a big mouthful of food, hoping her short attention span would lose interest in an answer. It worked. "Are you enjoying yourself?"
"The food is delicious," Seto diverted. He was starting to feel really uncomfortable. He hated it when people fished for compliments, and he hated being asked irrelevant questions. So, he decided that in order to get out of this interview-like conversation, he would have to ask her a question. "What sort of work do you do?"
"I'm… uh…" she paused, looking uncomfortable. "I'm between jobs at the moment." Seto rolled his eyes. She did not notice. She pursed her lips, and inquired, "How much money do you have exactly? I mean… I know you are quite rich, but I was wondering if you knew the exact amount."
"When it becomes your business, I'll let you know," Seto answered truthfully. He did not let anyone know the exact amount partially because it was only the business of those who handled his finances and taxes, and partially because he did not know the exact figure himself. He spent yen in the millions and earned yen in the tens and hundreds of millions. It was a flowing current, impossible to keep track of unless you devoted every second of the day to it.
"Do I look fat in this?" she asked out of the blue. Seto nearly choked on the tea he happened to be taking a sip of at that moment. He had heard of this dreaded question before, but never before had he been asked. He did not mind omitting the truth when it was to his advantage, but he detested out-right lying. He looked at her slim frame. Her collar-bone was too prominent for his aesthetic taste. "Well?" she persisted impatiently.
He decided to go with the truth in (what he thought was) a constructive manner. "If you really need to ask that question, I suggest you seek psychiatric help. You are not fat in any way. If anything, you could stand to gain some weight."
Instead of being mortified, she only raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she said coyly. "I was only testing you. I already knew that," she stopped for a second and narrowed her pretty silver eyes. "But I disagree with you, I don't think I'm underweight."
"Then don't ask if you already know the answer."
"If you were stranded on a deserted island with only one person, who would you want it to be?" she asked. Seto could tell that the change in subject meant she was continuing to test him. This aggravated him. However, he gave the question some serious consideration. His first impulse was to say Mokuba, but only because Mokuba is the only person he loved in his life. Then, he thought that he would rather not be stuck on a desert island, period.
"I would like to be stranded with someone who could build a boat," he answered finally. Her face fell, not bothering to hide her obvious disappointment with his answer. She was quiet for one minute, then brightened at her next brainchild.
"Tell me about your past lovers," she asked, leaning forward to rest her head on her hands.
Past lovers? Seto thought. "I don't have any," he confessed. He did not count the woman in his past life. His past self was a separate entity from himself. Kisara's legacy continued on through the Blue-eyes White Dragon, but that is where the connection ended.
"No ex-girlfriends?" His date looked shocked. "Someone as rich as you? I would have thought you would have a different girl in bed with you each night of the week."
"If you truly thought that," Seto remarked, "then why did you want to go on this blind date with me?"
"Blind date: I didn't know it was you!" she exclaimed. "To be honest, I feel like you are a different person than the one I've been instant messaging all this time."
Seto smiled, Now we're getting somewhere. His efforts to find clues to Mokuba's connection to this scheme were going to pay off. "What did I seem like before?"
"Sweet… funny… and a bit immature," she answered honestly.
Seto felt like he was being fooled. It's almost exactly the same as what the first blind date said, he related. "Is that it? Can you tell me anything else?"
"I thought you said flattery wouldn't get me anywhere," her eyes widened as if she was delighted to find a loophole of some sort.
Irritation! Seto felt as if little crawly things were creeping all over his skin and in his hair. He hated having statements he made thrown back into his face. This is not going to get me anywhere, he scolded himself. Or rather, she won't get me anywhere.
"You remind me of an ex-boyfriend of mine," she informed. "You are better looking than he is but much more arrogant. There was this other guy I dated…" and she continued on to compare and contrast him with all the other guys she had ever been with. Seto tuned it out rather than let himself get angry. He thought about where Mokuba possibly might be and what he could do to find him. His thoughts were interrupted when she said, "Check this out." She pulled out some folded papers from her purse and handed it to him. His interest immediately peaked, thinking of his younger brother. Glancing down a long list of crimes, he was utterly bewildered as to what this had to do with Mokuba.
"What's this?" he asked, frustrated.
"It's my criminal record," she replied smugly. There were a lot of misdemeanors and a couple felonies. 'Grand auto theft' stuck out in particular. "I'm one bad girl…" she purred, smiling naughtily.
"Is this supposed to impress me?" Seto scorned scathingly. She pouted. Evidently she thought it would. Seto tossed the papers back to her and finished eating. He sighed heavily, feeling that two more weeks until the end of summer could not come fast enough.
A few more minutes passed in stone-cold silence. Music began to suddenly play from her sequined tangerine purse. She reached in and pulled out her cell-phone. Glancing at the caller ID, "It's my boyfriend," she informed Seto. And she answered, "What do you want? I'm in the middle of my date!"
Seto dropped his chopsticks in disbelief. He was so appalled he could not think of what to do or say. He decided making a scene would be too embarrassing. He listened to her half of the conversation while staring at his now empty plate. She began to argue with him! It was over a few seconds later when she hung up on her boyfriend.
"Why…" Seto asked slowly, feeling this question was more valid now, "would you go on a date if you already have a boyfriend?"
"He's not husband material," she said matter-of-factly, "but he's really good in bed. I'm interested in marriage, and he doesn't fulfill my requirements. I signed up with the dating service to find someone who does." She gave Seto a smile that clearly said she thought he would fit her criteria.
"I see," Seto sneered. "You are just using him. Why should I consider you to be wife material? Why should I be interested in someone who uses men?"
"I'm ovulating," she answered. Seto's instant reaction was that she was out of her mind. "I get really horny around this time," she continued, "but I don't want that loser to be the father of my baby."
Seto wiped his face with his napkin. He could taste bile as he forced his stomach to unclench. Trying to calm down and relax, he said with a shaking voice, "I think it's time I leave now."
"You can't leave!" she shrieked loudly. Half the restaurant fell silent, listening. "Who will pay the bill?" Seto waved over a waiter and gave him a credit card. The waiter returned with astonishing speed. He handed the pale CEO his credit card and receipt.
"Good night," Seto said coldly. "Don't ever contact me again!"
When Seto arrived home he went straight to his study and called up the dating service. Since it was after-business hours, he left an angry message threatening everything from shutting down their business to disembowelment!
"I need to relax," Seto stated aloud to himself once he had hung up and took several deep breaths to calm himself down. His immediate thought was of work, and he reached over to turn on his computer; but, after realizing his brain was completely fried from the whole excruciating experience, he recoiled his hand. Trying to work now might have a negative effect, he thought. What do other people do to relax?
Twenty minutes later, Seto found himself in his ornate master bathroom. The smell of daffodils perfumed the air as Seto poured light colored yellow liquid into the running hot tap water. Dense white foam engorged itself in the tub, and bubbles floated merrily about the room. There's a first time for everything, Seto thought desperately. He turned off the tap once the foam threatened to overflow.
His robe fell to the floor, and he slipped into the bubble bath. Every ache was soothed away in seconds. He breathed in the fragrance and closed his eyes. Why in the hell did I never try this before? Now he understood why people made such a big fuss over bubble baths. He made a mental note to himself to never call the activity "trivial" or "a waste of time" again. He let his mind remain blank. The lack of the buzzing of thoughts relaxed him, and contentment permeated throughout.
His eyes sprung open as a thought violated his quiet bliss.
What will you do when I move away?
Mokuba's voice echoed in his mind as loudly as it would have had he been standing right next to him. Fragments from their last conversation were returning to haunt him, again.
Aren't you lonely?
Yes, Seto answered before he could stop himself. He could taste salty tears trickling down the back of his throat as his eyes stung. It's unfair, he thought. I believed I had everything I needed. His mind went back to the note Mokuba had left for him. It told him to reconsider what Mokuba had said. Okay Mokuba, Seto thought, I'll reconsider it.
A/N: Reviews please! I really would appreciate your reactions to this chapter. It's been said that comedy is hard to write. Please keep in mind that I do not hate women, I just wanted to have fun and write the "Date from Hell!" Mwa ha ha ha!