Mokuba's Plan

By Pearl of the Dark Age

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. There should be an aspirin for the pain this brings. (sniffs)

Chapter 9

I would rather be stuck in an elevator with Jonouchi again, Seto thought bitterly. He was feeling low, and the thought made him feel even lower. Vivian Wong sat across from him in the café that she had suggested. She was his third blind date. He attended because he thought he would at least try Mokuba's advice. Several nights prior after his second blind date, he had seriously reconsidered what Mokuba had said. This was the result.

Vivian had squealed with delight at the sight of him. His first impulse had been to walk away, and pretend he was not her blind date. She wore the same kind of outfit that she had worn to Grand Prix, except the colors were reversed. Her Chinese-style dress was pink, and her twin hair buns were covered in yellow. Vivian was ecstatic with joy. She clasped her hands together and held them up beside her face, squeezing herself in a kind of hug.

They had ordered food, but Vivian had not even taken a bite, while Seto's plate had been cleared off in two minutes flat. He said nothing and only half listened to her speeches about the two of them.

Vivian expounded about her wins in Duel Monsters championships across China and neighboring countries. She proclaimed that Seto and herself would not only be the champion duel couple of Asia, but of the world as well. I don't need you to be a world champion, Seto thoughts had replied to this statement. The only thing that kept him in his seat as he looked around was that he realized he had made a fatal mistake in coming to this particular café.

The establishment seemed to attract and cater to women exactly like Vivian - young, beautiful, loud, high maintenance, and pastel colored. Everywhere he looked, every different color of eyes under the sun flashed a wink his way and a glare at Vivian. What was worse was that none of them seemed to have dates but were hanging around as if this café were a watering hole for their kind. Seto had never been afraid of women, and the present situation was no exception. But he was definitely on edge. Will they swarm upon me if I try to leave? Seto wondered. Would I be able to escape? He could just visualize himself being drowned in a sea of pastel. So far, sitting with Vivian seemed to keep the forces of estrogen at bay.

Vivian either was oblivious to the looks of daggers she was receiving from her fellow ladies, or she did not care. "If only Yugi were mine, we would be king and queen! We would be royalty!" Vivian exclaimed. She squealed so loudly, Seto's eardrums throbbed.

He grinned. She had just given him an idea! I swear, Jonouchi, if this works I'll be a disciple of the power of friendship forever, Seto thought desperately. "Yugi is a good friend of mine," Seto lied. "In fact, you just reminded me that I have to go and see him! Good-bye!" He said the last part in a carrying voice, so the Vivian look-a-likes would hear, too. An astonished Vivian gaped like a fish out of water, unable to reply. A hundred pairs of eyes tinted with disappointment followed him out the door and out of sight.

In retrospect, Seto concluded that Vivian herself was not as bad as his second date, but the situation was much creepier. Half an hour later, he found himself standing outside Kame Game Shop. Jonouchi's words about how Seto had nothing to lose by seeing Yugi made sense. And the CEO had meant it when he said Mokuba meant much more to him than his rivalry with Yugi.

Since it was late at night, Seto was a little hesitant to ring the doorbell. He did anyways, and Yugi's grandfather answered. "Kaiba-kun?" Sugoroku queried, "What brings you here at this hour? Our store is closed now."

"I didn't come for your merchandise, Jii-san," (7) Seto informed him, "but to speak with Yugi. It's very important. Does he still live here?"

"Yes, he still lives here," Sugoroku replied. "He just came home from work, as a matter of fact." He opened the door to admit Seto. "This way." Seto noticed Sugoroku was in his polka-dot pajamas and matching nightcap, and he felt a tiny twinge of guilt for being so rude to visit this late at night. But because he was looking for Mokuba, he brushed this aside. The old man led Seto to his grandson's bedroom. "Yugi," he called. "There's someone here to see you!"

Yugi opened the door a crack and gave Seto a surprised look. "Just a second, please," he said and shut the door. Sugoroku walked away to go back to bed. Seto only had to wait a minute before Yugi opened wide his door and let him in. "Kaiba-kun? Are you here about Mokuba-kun?"

"Yes," Seto said. Glancing around quickly, the bedroom contained what he had expected: a desk, a chair, a gold box, some books, and a few posters. (21) "I know you said you don't have him, or that you don't know where he is," Seto referred to the time Yugi had come by his office, offering help when Mokuba's disappearance was first on the news. "But after talking to Jonouchi, I wanted to see if you could help."

"Now?" Yugi asked, startled. "It's almost midnight!"

"No… I meant…" Seto realized he sounded stupid, so he provided his explanation. "Where Mokuba is concerned, the time of day is of no importance to me. Your grandfather said you just got off work. Don't you work here?"

"Yes," Yugi answered, sitting down upon his bed. "But I have a second full-time job on the other side of town."

"Two full-time jobs?" Seto added up the hours, and it did not sum up to leave any spare time for school. "Don't you go to school with Jonouchi?" He had assumed the two friends did everything together.

"No, I'm saving up my money to go to America," Yugi said matter-of-factly. "Then I'll go to school there." He neglected to tell Seto his real reason for going to the United States, figuring correctly that it was none of his business and that he would not care. "Jonouchi-kun and I have been looking all over Domino City for Mokuba-kun," Yugi informed Seto when the latter did not respond. "Most people said they know nothing, but a few had said they had him. When we went to their houses, we found that they were lying for attention. Some people like to take advantage of these kinds of situations."

Seto made eye contact. Yugi's face was pleasant enough, but it was impossible to tell what he really was thinking. The truth was that Yugi was a little wary of Seto, for Jonouchi had told him that the CEO was a little unbalanced lately. "Thank you for your efforts," Seto replied finally. "I would appreciate it if you would continue to do whatever you can to help." He turned to leave, feeling awkward.

"Kaiba-kun?" Yugi prompted, causing Seto to pause before leaving. "Jonouchi-kun told me Mokuba-kun's reason for running away." Yugi could not help himself, he was dying of curiosity, and he deduced that Jonouchi had been exaggerating about Seto's mental health. "I can't help but wonder if this might be beneficial for you."

"Do you really think so?" Seto mocked. He turned around to face Yugi and folded his arms. "Jonouchi had said that I should learn not to be so controlling. He said it would help me learn to love. I take it you agree with him."

"He said you agreed with him, too," Yugi replied with a wry smile. "Have you changed your mind?"

"No."

"Then why the attitude?" Yugi asked boldly. His disposition was as sweet as ever, but he was not intimidated by Seto in the least. Especially since he had grown a fair amount in the last few years.

Seto was a little taken aback by the forwardness, but forwardness is what he appreciated. He smiled slightly. "I get confused sometimes," he admitted. "Love isn't my area of expertise. I understand pride better."

"May I ask you a question, Kaiba-kun? I think it might help you," Yugi said. He crossed his legs on the bed, waiting for a reaction.

Seto gave him a momentary passive stare. "Okay," he conceded.

"Kaiba-kun, do you even want love in your life? Mokuba-kun may be doing this with your best interest at heart, but I know you are the one who determines what your best interest are. Is finding love a priority for you?"

Seto's expression did not alter, except to break eye contact to stare off into space. "It never has been a priority," Seto began thoughtfully. "Mokuba has always been my first priority and Kaiba Corp second," he paused. "But I do think it's something I should look into. Mokuba brought up a very good point when he asked me what I would do once he moved out. Sooner or later, he will find love, get married, and go and raise a family of his own. I've just never seen myself in an empty house."

"Hmmm…" Yugi murmured thoughtfully. He was an attentive listener, and this enabled him to read between the lines. "You've taken for granted Mokuba's company. Now that he's run away, you realize what life is like without it. Sure, he won't leave your life for good when he's married, but he will be around a lot less. You don't want to be in that big house of yours by yourself. I don't blame you." Yugi held up a hand to stop Seto from interrupting, which surprisingly worked. Seto was aggravated by being exposed to the naked truth, but he was keen to hear the rest of what Yugi had to say.

"I know that you like to create your own future, rather than have it decided for you," Yugi paused, knowing full well he had acquired Seto's undivided attention. "Then you should take comfort in the fact that love in your future is something that you decide. You control it… in a way. Love isn't something that just falls into your lap. It's something you work for. Kaiba Corp would not stand here today if you did not put in a daily effort," Yugi hated using business as a metaphor, but he decided to use it anyway to help Seto understand in his own terms. "Love is like that; it takes daily effort."

"So you're saying that success in love takes time and energy?" Seto confirmed. Yugi nodded. "I always assumed it was more spontaneous." He shuddered slightly, thinking of his last two dates.

"Infatuation is spontaneous, and necessary for the initial attraction," Yugi affirmed. "Love is proactive, not reactive. Time is required for the art of love; whether it's martial arts, painting, technology, etc - just like any other kind of art it takes knowledge, discipline, care, responsibility, and respect. You can't learn these things overnight."

Seto did not bother to sit down at the chair that was only two feet from him. He continued to stand with his arms folded. His eyes were back on Yugi, taking in every single word he was saying. In Seto's mind, he had to be successful in any activity he chose to do. Since he realized how little he knew of the subject, he was determined to be successful by Yugi's advice. It made sense to him, especially when Yugi had compared love to Kaiba Corp.

Yugi felt weird giving Seto a lecture on love. He decided to leave Duel Monsters out of the conversation, because he did not want Seto's competitive nature to be aroused and screw up the point. Yugi gulped before continuing. "Knowledge of a person is gained over time. Since everyone is unique, you need to spend quality time understanding the uniqueness of that person. You will learn little things like quirks and idiosyncrasies, and you will learn big things like their basic personality and disposition."

"I know Mokuba pretty well," Seto muttered, making the connection. "He likes to draw things - particularly women. When he was younger, he would draw Duel Monsters," Yugi held his breath, expecting the worse. "He would draw Blue Eyes for me all the time. Still does," Seto said, absentminded of Yugi exhaling his tension. "He hasn't really decided what sort of career he would like when he graduates, but a couple months ago he asked me if I would give him a job as a graphic designer." Seto shrugged. He knew Mokuba would probably change his mind on what job to obtain at least ten times before he graduated.

"Ano," Yugi replied, "you can apply the care and knowledge you practice with Mokuba to another. As a martial arts master would say, 'with knowledge comes discipline; with discipline comes responsibility.'" Yugi checked to see that Seto was still listening and continued. "Responsibility is often interpreted as duty - one's obligation. In the case of love, this is not true."

"Really?" Seto asked, surprised by this statement. "How can you say that?" Every fiber in his being was screaming. He wanted so badly to find Mokuba, because he loved him. It was his obligation - his very existence.

"Perhaps I'm being too semantical. Obligations and duties are imposed upon us by family, society, and other external sources," Yugi stated. "In love, responsibility can be interpreted as a self-imposed obligation. You oblige to care and be responsible for Mokuba because you decided. He's your brother and you love him. Your efforts and decisions go a long ways. To be responsible means to be able and ready to respond. That isn't something that is learned overnight, either."

"Okay, I agree with you on the self-imposed thing," Seto said. "I certainly can relate to that. I…" He fell silent, not knowing exactly what he wanted to say next.

"I know that you are a good older brother," Yugi said kindly. "I know that you are very responsible with Mokuba-kun. It wasn't due to any lack of responsibility that he ran away. You anticipate Mokuba's needs before he does; that is how responsibility in love works. He ran away to teach you to apply this and the other aspects of love to others - or at least one other. He doesn't want you to be lonely."

"Hmm," Seto mumbled. He was digesting all of the information that Yugi had given. "I can see now how to utilize these components of love to solve the solution of loneliness," Seto stated. "But, as of the present moment I don't care to do so. My first priority is to find Mokuba. Once I've got him back and when he gets a little older, then I will start to worry about it. It's still too soon…" He unfolded his arms and relaxed. "Thank you Yugi, you've been very helpful. I won't forget your wisdom."

"Are you leaving?" Yugi asked, a little relieved.

"Ano, it is midnight," Seto said with a superior air. "I won't take any more of your time."

Yugi ground his teeth in irritation even after Seto had left. "That guy…" Yugi muttered, empathizing with Jonouchi's usual anger towards Kaiba, "has a lot to learn." He looked out the window to watch Seto leave. He noticed a nearby bush rustle before Seto got to his car, and Vivian Wong leapt out to glomp the unsuspecting CEO. He gave a strangled yell and shoved her off. Yugi could hear her drunken squeals, but it was unintelligible. She matched Seto stride for stride. As he reached his car, he had to fight her off from getting inside with him. He slammed the door as she fell onto the pavement. Tires burned rubber as he floored the accelerator. She sat there for a minute or two when he disappeared out of sight, then teetered off into the night.

"Yup," Yugi affirmed, muttering under his breath, "a lot to learn…"

Author's Note:

If you're wondering from where Yugi gets all this wisdom, let me clarify. He's older, wiser, and has the courage of the tenderheart. It's not so farfetched. Plus, (since it's fan-fiction) I can pretend that he has read "The Art of Loving," by Erich Fromm. This is my resource for all different things Seto learns while he's looking for Mokuba.

For those of you savvy readers who know that in Japan they drive on the left side of the road: either Seto was parked illegally, or it is a one-way street. Guess which one...