Mokuba's Plan
By Pearl of the Dark Age
Disclaimer: I… need… coffee… I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Forget the coffee! I need painkillers!
Chapter 20
"Nii-sama!" Mokuba exclaimed. "It's 09:00! Have you been out all night?" He was sitting on Seto's bed.
"What are you doing in my bedroom?" Seto asked, annoyed.
"I was waiting for you!" Mokuba replied happily, bouncing a little as he spoke. "Cool shirt. Did Onii-chan give you that?"
"Yes." Seto pulled it off and headed straight for the shower. Mokuba followed, not bothering about privacy. "What do you want?" Seto inquired.
"Did you lose your virginity?" Mokuba questioned.
"No." Seto stepped into the shower. "Put my clothes in the hamper, Mokuba," he instructed.
Mokuba complied. He waited outside the bedroom for Seto to emerge fully dressed, clean, and hopefully in a more susceptible mood. Three quarters of an hour later he did. "You were out all night," Mokuba reasoned. "That can only mean one thing, Nii-sama!"
"Only in your perverted little mind," Seto replied casually. Instead of being annoyed with Mokuba, he was enjoying the attention. Exercising his neutral expression, Mokuba could only tell that Nii-sama was not angry. He trailed after his older brother like a shadow.
Seto walked into his study, called his secretary to inform her that he would be coming into work late, and sat down at his desk to take care of a few things. Mokuba stood beside him patiently. Seto could handle the silent inquisition better than anyone.
Mokuba lost his patience after five minutes. "If you didn't have sex, what did you do?"
"What makes you think I'm gay?" Seto asked.
Mokuba was dumbstruck. "But…" he stammered. "But you went on a date! And Amelda is gay!"
"I know he's gay," Seto replied softly, "but it doesn't mean that I am. You should give me better evidence than that." Mokuba's shoulders slumped as he leaned against the desk. Seto was surprised to see disappointment written all over his features. He finished his tasks, turned off his laptop, and stood up facing his younger brother. "I am only trying to teach you to not jump to conclusions so readily," Seto reassured. "I don't understand why it's so important to you that Amelda and I be a couple; but you get your wish - we are."
Mokuba was ecstatic. His eyes widened so that the whites were visible all around the irises. "Really?" he confirmed. "So you did lose your virginity!"
"Not yet," Seto answered truthfully.
"Then why the hell were you out all night?"
"You have no imagination," Seto scoffed. "When it becomes your business, I'll let you know."
Two days later, Seto arrived at his office, ready for the day's work. He found himself distracted, reminiscing about his date with Amelda. He realized that he was going to have to make some decisions concerning his intentions. That is after he decided what his intentions really were.
After two board meetings and five cups of tea, he had his intentions clearly outlined. He wanted to put to good use everything he had learned about love while Mokuba was gone. Although it was a lot of fun, he was not completely satisfied with the fooling around he had done at the end of their date. He wanted to get to know Amelda intimately. What did not surprise him was that he was willing to be with Amelda as long as it was possible. He had no intention of just using the redhead to satisfy a need. Amelda was not a temporary fix, and Seto never did anything half-assed.
Isono came and went, running around, doing Seto-sama's bidding. The secretary typed away important letters, memos, and whatever else the CEO needed to be typed, answered most of the incoming calls, and greeted all incoming clients who had business. "Kaiba-sama," she called over the intercom just before lunch. "There is a journalist here who insist on speaking with you."
"Send him to the Media Interface Department," Seto replied. "He can talk to my representative. You know the procedure."
"He says he has already been there, and that MID sent him here," she answered.
He's got to be lying, Seto thought. MID wouldn't do that without authorization from me first. The phone rang on another line, and Seto asked his secretary to hold as he answered, "Moshi-moshi." (7)
"Kaiba-sama, this is very important," came the brisk voice of the lady in charge of MID. "I sent a journalist to your office. He has some photos that show that you were on a date with another man. Or so it appears to be…"
Great! Seto thought sarcastically. This is just what I need! "You could have called me before sending him to me!" Seto admonished. "In the future, do not answer any questions concerning my private life. As far as you're concerned, I don't have one! Understand?"
"Yes, sir!" she said and hung up.
Seto slammed the phone down. "Let him in," Seto told his secretary over the speaker phone. I'll deal with him!
The journalist entered the office. He did not appear to be more than a few years older than Seto. He was really thin and wirey looking, wore an oversized suit, and his glasses slipped down his nose in further alarm as he approached Seto. He smiled broadly as if they were old friends, and his mannerisms were nervous and hyper.
The CEO did not stand to greet him, nor did he bow in return. His fingers were interlaced as his elbows were proped up on the desk. He sat as still as a stone statue, and his aura was just as cold. He let the silence spiral horribly after the journalist introduced himself, waiting for him to speak.
The man looked at him apprehensively, and whatever small remaining bit of common sense he had told him that he was making a fatal mistake. But his greed overrode this, and he attempted another jovial smile. "Let's get right to the point. Seto Kaiba, I have a proposition for you," he announced. "I saw you the other night with this redheaded bishonen. I happen to know where this young man works, and I'm sure he was more than just "company" or "friends" with you."
Seto did not reply. His cold expression and demeaner did not alter in the slightest. More silence crept by like a shadow, and the journalist was starting to sweat in the chilly atmosphere. The scorpion was still waiting for the so-called "point."
"Ano," the writer said nervously, tugging at his collar, "I have proof of this. I'm sure that the people of Japan might find them interesting. Certainly the people who have a right to know about these things would have… uh… certain opinions."
He uses the word 'certain' a lot, but he isn't 'certain' himself, Seto observed. Again, he made no reply. Again, the quiet was suffocating. Icy blue eyes stared fixedly into the journalist, burning a hole right through him.
"Uh…" He rubbed his neck, trying to think of how to coax the impassive glacier into a reaction favorable to his purpose. "Here are the pictures," he said, tossing them down onto the desk. The CEO did not move with the exception of his cold, blue eyes. He scanned them thoroughly. There were a number of pictures of Amelda and himself, but none showed any interactions between them that implied that they were more than platonic.
If he had real proof, he would have shown me, Seto thought. I don't care if he's got copies of these. Anyone with a gram of brain tissue would. But there's nothing incriminating here. "Is this it?" Seto inquired mildly. "I fail to see your point."
The journalist looked dumbstruck. "There were witnesses! P-people in the restaurant, and on the boardwalk! Besides…" he said in a raised voice. "I saw you kissing him!"
"Really?" Seto said, insouciant. "I don't see a picture. I think you're imagining things."
"Hmph!" he snorted. "We'll see what the people have to say!" And he marched out of the room without the copies of the pictures he had given Seto. As he was leaving, Isono entered.
"Isono," Seto said once the man was out of earshot, "have that guy silenced."
"Yes, sir."
Mokuba returned home from school to be surprised. "What are you doing home so early, Nii-sama?"
Seto layed on the couch in the second floor living room, completely exhausted. "My latest project blew up," he muttered. "Five months down the drain…" His voice was strained from all the yelling that had followed said event.
"I'm sorry, Nii-sama," Mokuba replied, unsure of what else to say.
"To make matters worse, I tried calling Amelda," Seto informed. He stared at the ceiling apathetically. His hands rested behind his head.
"But… it's Monday…"
"Yeah, now I know," Seto returned bitterly. The CEO closed his eyes, tired.
Mokuba carefully stepped over his nii-sama's boots, which lay beside the couch. He went to the end where his brother's feet where, moved them, and sat down letting Seto lay his feet across his lap. "Onii-chan has a quick temper, but it does not mean that he hates you."
"That's good to know." Seto opened his eyes to look at Mokuba. "What the hell is that on your face?"
"What? This?" Mokuba pointed to the band-aid that adorned his chin. "I nicked myself shaving this morning."
A slow grin stretched across Nii-sama's face. He laughed, despite trying to hold it back. "You mean you went around school all day with that on your face?" Seto asked, deeply amused. "You don't need to shave, Mokuba. Why on Earth did you?"
"I do to need to shave! I was going to grow a mustache, but I changed my mind," Mokuba informed. "I heard from my friend, who heard from his girlfriend, who's best friends with the friend of the girl in my calligraphy class that she doesn't like facial hair."
Seto was taken aback by this reason once he could figure it out. "You have a crush on a girl?" He laughed even harder this time.
"It's not funny!" Mokuba yelled. "Just because you're gay doesn't mean I have to be!"
Seto stopped laughing instantly. He looked seriously at his younger brother. He felt a twinge of anger, but brushed it aside. "I know that," he whispered. "I just thought it was funny in a way." Mokuba noticed something in his eyes he had never seen before. "You seem to be growing up before my eyes," Seto said, smiling slightly. "I just can't stop you, can I? I can't treat you as a cute little boy anymore."
Mokuba smiled in return. Now he understood what that look was. "Glad you understand, Nii-sama. I'm a man now. Onii-chan doesn't think so, but I'm glad you do!"
Seto smirked. "So, when are you getting married and moving out?" he teased.
"Ano," Mokuba replied, taking him seriously, "not for another ten years or so."
"So I can't kick you out of the house just yet?"
"No!" Mokuba exclaimed. "Why would you?"
"If I can't kick you out, then you're not a man," Seto answered. "Get my point? I agree with Amelda. And take that ridiculous band-aid off your face! There is no girl here to impress." Mokuba scowled at him but obliged.
Minutes passed in silence as Mokuba relaxed, whiling away time by daydreaming about his crush, giving his brother time to rest. His thoughts were interrupted by Nii-sama's voice breaking the still quiet. "Mokuba, if I were to get Amelda a present, what should I get him?"
"Why do you want to get him a present? Is he that good?" Mokuba asked.
Seto smirked at him. "Ano, that's none of your business. But that's not the reason. You are. I don't feel that the date was an appropriate way to pay him back. I benefited from that, too. I want to give him something selfless."
Mokuba was impressed. Selfless? he thought. He really has changed since I've been gone! My plan worked! He thought some more about Plan E. If Plan B worked, then Plan E will, too!
Seto glared at him impatiently, demanding an answer with just a look in his eyes.
Mokuba plucked at his brother's socks absentmindedly before replying. He turned to Seto, trying to muster the most serious face he could. "A fake pineapple." And failing miserably, grinning like a madman.
Silence followed this statement. Seto sat up straight and looked at his brother like he was clinically insane. "A pineapple? Are you all there, Mokuba? He won't take me seriously if I give him something that pathetic!"
"Not just any pineapple, Nii-sama," Mokuba elaborated. "The most realistic-looking fake pineapple you can find! It has to be fake because Onii-chan won't eat it, but it has to look real because Onii-chan thinks they're decorative!"
"You're both insane," Seto mumbled, certain that Mokuba had been corrupted by the psychotic pacifist.
"Will you just trust me, Nii-sama?" Mokuba said. "I am the one who lived with Onii-chan for a month! Trust me - a pineapple is the perfect gift with which you could even persuade him to move in with you if you wanted!"
"Really?" Seto replied. He was still uncertain about the idea. He looked at the huge grin upon Mokuba's face and the light shining in his eyes.
Mokuba could tell he did not have his nii-sama convinced. He resolved to refuse another solution. The pineapple is the best gift, he thought. I can't help it if Onii-chan's weird that way!
"Is there anything else I should know about Amelda?" Seto asked apprehensively.
"Uh… he's hard working. He's always doing something," Mokuba answered, trying to tip-toe around Amelda's qualities he knew that would annoy Nii-sama. "He's very responsible. And he's passionate!" Mokuba winked at his older brother.
"I already know that," Seto stated softly. "What else?"
Mokuba could think of fifty different things to warn his nii-sama about Onii-chan, but he wanted to put Onii-chan in the best light possible. "And he is the best cook in the world!" Mokuba ejaculated. "If you got him to move in with us, Nii-sama, we could enjoy the best food that can be found on Earth! You have never known the true meaning of oiishii until you've had Onii-chan's cooking!"
Seto snorted. "We already have a professional chef, Mokuba. And I don't think Amelda wants to move in just so he can cook."
"Just think about it, Nii-sama," Mokuba persuaded. He got up, knocking Seto's feet to the floor, and walked out of the living room. He walked down the staircase to the first floor living room. He found the large phone book he was looking for, opened it to the Osaka listing, looked up the apartment complex that Onii-chan lived in, and dialed.
A/N: Plan E is now in effect! Bwa ha ha ha!
Reviews please! Thank you very, very much! You guys are reviewing faster than I can keep up! It's a good thing Mokuba's Plan is already complete!