Mokuba's Plan
By Pearl of the Dark Age
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. I do own my own OC's: Yoshi & Yoko Kiyosaki and Amelda's stage name: Zen.
Chapter 25
"What are you doing?" Amelda asked playfully. He stood behind the computer monitor and leaned over, trying to peer at the screen. His hair fell down and obscured Seto's view.
"Cut it out!" Seto admonished angrily. "What are you doing in my office, anyway? You're as bad as Mokuba. You've just come here to pester me!"
"But you're so cute when you're angry," the redhead simpered as he straightened up. Seto scowled at him. "Your work is so boring! How can you stand it?"
"Show some respect!" Seto snarled. "I love work! If you can't understand that then you can't understand me!" He typed away, pretending Amelda was not there. He was positive his lover had gotten the idea from his younger brother to come to Kaiba Corp to distract him while he worked. Mokuba will pay for this! Seto thought. Those two are teaming up against me!
The CEO's office door banged open. "It's official!" a loud voice announced happily. Seto knew who it was before looking up. In strutted Yoshi Kiyosaki. Technically it was waddling, but Seto could discern the subtle differences. To give his friend time to cool off, Yoshi had not been in contact with Seto since Bishonen-ai. "I have now formed the altruistic, genuine, one-and-only Zen Fan Club!" Yoshi exclaimed gleefully. "We even have an online website!" He walked right past Amelda. Seto counted the seconds until his friend realized just who was in the room.
The look on Amelda's face was priceless. He was astonished at just hearing his stage name and "fan club" in the same sentence! His mouth was open slightly, and his silver eyes were as round as coins. Seto snickered.
"What's so funny?" Yoshi asked Seto, oblivious to the company. He turned to his left and another classic expression formed to cause Seto to laugh out loud. "Y-y-you!" Yoshi stammered. "Z-Zen!"
"Me!" Amelda said in his own humor. He was uncomfortably aware of this strange fat man checking him out from head to toe. Amelda was casually dressed, and he did not think his outfit warranted this behavior.
Seto cleared his throat, deciding to do the proper thing. The two were just staring at each other. Amelda now looked apprehensive. "Amelda, this is my best friend, Yoshi Kiyosaki," Seto introduced formally. "Yoshi, this is my boyfriend, Amelda. Otherwise known to you as Zen."
Yoshi gaped like a fish out of water. He stared now at Seto instead. "Boyfriend?" he asked. "I thought you said that you aren't gay! And now Zen is your boyfriend?" Seto could not tell whether Yoshi was jealous, angry, or in complete admiration. It sounded like a blend of all three.
Amelda found his voice. "Would you prefer 'lover?' I live with him, now. And it's not all that sudden! We met years ago!" Amelda straightened himself to his full height, which dwarfed little Yoshi. "Who the hell are you, again?" He breathed fire, his nostrils flared, and silver glinted lethally.
"It's alright, Amelda," Seto said firmly. "He's my friend." He turned to Yoshi. "Yoshi, you don't have to be afraid of him." Seto was concerned for his friend, for he cowered in equal fear and awe at his idol.
"I can't believe I get to meet you in person!" Yoshi squealed. He could not stop himself - he glomped Amelda. "I LOVE YOU!"
The dancer was stunned that anyone could be so stupid as to hug him. He hated to be touched by complete strangers! "Get the fuck off me!" Amelda gnashed vehemently in English. Both CEO's knew their English. Yoshi immediately let go and started to cry. Seto was startled. Amelda was so affectionate physically to him that it did not make sense to Seto that he would be so cold to others. Especially to someone as sweet as Yoshi.
"I'm sorry!" Yoshi blubbered. "I am sorry! I did not mean to offend you, Zen-sama!" He looked pitiful. Instead of softening Amelda, he only snarled more viciously.
"Amelda," Seto spoke up. "He's my friend. Please, be nice to him." The head never turned, but his stormy eyes locked onto him. Seto looked straight into them, trying to reason with the fury. "It's alright," he said in the most soothing tone he could muster. "I trust Yoshi. He's not as bad as he might appear."
"Trust?" Amelda queried. That word stuck out in his brain. I… Amelda thought, how can I… trust? I believe in you, my love. So I trust you. "Okay," Amelda murmured. His fury evaporated like ethanol. "I'm sorry, Yoshi." he apologized. "I just don't like to be touched by strangers."
Yoshi was astonished that someone's disposition could change more rapidly than his wife, who was going through menopause! "It's okay, Zen-sama," Yoshi said sweetly. "I understand. I-"
"He worships you, Amelda," Seto interrupted.
Yoshi gulped and blushed. Amelda looked incredulous at him, and for the first time since Yoshi arrived, grinned. "Aren't you married?" he asked, noting the gold wedding band.
"Yes," Yoshi said mischievously, "but my wife understands! She feels the same way!"
Amelda laughed, which eased the remaining tension for the two Japanese men. "Ano," the redhead said seriously, "you must not tell anyone my real name! If you really love me, pinky promise me that you'll keep my identity a secret!" Amelda stuck out his right pinky.
Both CEO's stared at the pinky in confusion. "What's he supposed to do?" Seto asked, bewildered.
"Link your pinky with mine," Amelda instructed Yoshi, who looked gleeful. "And state your promise."
"Can I tell Yoko?" Yoshi asked in a sugary voice.
"Yoko?"
"His wife," Seto answered.
"Okay," Amelda agreed. "But only her!" Yoshi giggled delightedly. First he extended his left pinky, changed his mind, and then properly extended the right. After linking the two fingers, he stated his promise to take the secret of Zen's identity to his grave. "Now, you seal it with a kiss." Amelda informed.
Yoshi was beside himself. Seto prickled a little with jealousy but said nothing. Yoshi leaned in towards Amelda, lips puckered. Smack! "Not my face, idiot! The pinky link!" Amelda hissed. Yoshi was still in peels of giddiness; he kissed their interlocked fingers with grace and relish. Amelda promptly let go afterwards.
Yoshi clapped and bounced on his heels. He turned to Seto, ecstatic. "Let's go on a double date!" he suggested enthusiastically.
Seto turned to Amelda for his cue. The redhead shrugged apathetically. "Okay," Seto agreed. "But you and Yoko have to behave yourselves!"
Yoshi agreed and left, saying he had to go brag to certain fellow fans that he met Zen in person! Amelda turned to his boyfriend. "Are you sure he can be trusted?" he asked skeptically.
Seto smiled at him confidently. "I understand, Amelda" he said authoritatively, "but I know from personal experience that Yoshi is trustworthy. Enough said." He resumed his work on his computer.
Boredom encroached upon Amelda in thirty seconds. "Seto," he sang while trying to straddle him in his chair. "You should join the Zen Fan Club!" he exclaimed, giggling. "You'll get personal 'benefits' from me!"
Seto was torn between irritation of being distracted from work and being aroused by the said distraction. "You're getting in my way," Seto scorned half-heartedly. "Get off. Go home, and wait for me there."
"You can't tell me what to do," Amelda warned in just above a whisper. He wrapped himself around whatever part of the CEO he could reach, kissing him relentlessly.
"I guess dreams do come true when you're friends with Seto Kaiba," Yoko breathed. She looked over to her young friend. "I don't understand. We're almost as rich as you are, but somehow you seem to have everything."
"It's funny," Seto replied. "I used to think the same thing of you."
Yoshi and Yoko Kiyosaki looked taken aback. "Really?" Yoko queried. "Ano, why would you think that?"
"I wanted the happiness that you two have with each other."
Amelda glanced sideways at his boyfriend, impressed with this statement. He still hasn't said "I love you," yet, he thought. But he gives me every reason to believe that he does.
They were dining in Bounenkai Restaurant in Osaka at a table just across the way from where Amelda and Seto sat on their first date. Amelda looked over to the table, remembering how he had felt that everything was so new. He had been living with Seto for nearly three weeks now. Usually when the novelty of a new relationship wore off, there was nothing but cold, dead embers. This was one of the reasons that Amelda's relationships did not last more than a month. But this was not mere infatuation, but love.
The novelty may have worn away, but there was something lasting underneath. A peaceful comfort and ardent love flowed under the superficial surface. Amelda could breathe around Seto. He could rest peacefully and not have to worry about his demons. Only time heals, Amelda thought.
"You're really quiet tonight, Amelda," Seto commented to the pensive redhead.
Amelda tore himself from his own thoughts back to reality. "Just preoccupied, I suppose," he mumbled. "Is it just me, or is the water in this place exceptionally good?"
Yoshi picked up his glass of water, inspecting it closely. Yoko put down her champagne and grabbed her husband's glass, taking a sip. "You're right!" she said. "I never noticed before. When my hubby and I were in Hokkaido, the hotel we stayed in had the most excellent water. Didn't it, Yoshi?"
"Yes!" he agreed enthusiastically. "It did! It did not have that metallic, mineral taste that you usually find."
"Why are we talking about water?" Seto asked. "How important can this be?"
"The earth is only covered three-quarters in liquid water, and human beings are 70 percent made of water," Amelda answered promptly. "Also, without drinking water, you can die of dehydration in-"
"Okay, I get it!" Seto interrupted.
"The things you take for granted, Seto," Amelda teased. The CEO was pleased to hear the lighthearted tone, which eased his concern that something might be wrong. The Kiyosakis smiled indulgently at the pair of them, reminiscing about their own dating experience. The conversation then turned to business, which Amelda found boring. Yoshi and Seto really could get into mundane details, and he ended up conversing with Yoko about costume design for Bishonen-ai.
Yoshi and Yoko were delightedly surprised to learn that not only was Amelda the owner of Bishonen-ai, but the founder as well. Yoshi proclaimed this was testimony to Zen-sama's artistic genius. He asked Amelda if he could post pictures of him on his fan club webpage. Yoshi confessed that he had once tried to smuggle a camera into Bishonen-ai, but was caught. "Yeah, we're pretty thorough with the security," Amelda mused.
"So, you'll give me a picture?" Yoshi inquired to clear away the doubts.
"It'll be a professional studio shot, but only the one," Amelda said firmly. "I don't really like to advertise by imagery but word of mouth. It leaves more of a mystery that way and makes attending Bishonen-ai an exclusive experience."
"You're a shrewd marketer," Yoko commented. "It's extremely risky to take such a path; there's a high rate of failure with such a strategy. But you reap big if and when everything falls into place."
"And it has."
"Ano, where does the money go?" Seto asked cryptically. The pacifist knew he was referring to his car, apartment, and lifestyle.
"I pay my employees very well. They all have retirement plans, health benefits, and insurance through me," Amelda informed. "Also, I'm saving for a house." He looked at Seto with a sly smile. "But I guess I don't need to now. The rest I send to my relatives in Knin."
"So, you're giving most of your money away?" Yoko queried.
Yoshi's eyes misted over, the shines multiplying. "Zen-sama is so generous!" he breathed in ecstasy. "He blesses us with his art and puts others' needs before his own!"
"Yoshi," Seto cautioned, fearing his friend might explode into a thousand little heart-shaped bubbles. Yoko put a hand on his shoulder to calm her husband down.
The redhead had never been so openly admired from someone of Yoshi's social status. Some of his employees were in awe of him from time to time, but they were birds of a feather. At the end of the evening, Amelda counted the Kiyosakis as friends. He could not understand why Seto was so worried prior to the date about Yoshi. He was eccentric and giggly, but he was also very mature and respectful. Amelda knew that he had misjudged the man at first, and he apologized again for his temper.
"Don't worry about it, Zen-sama," Yoshi reassured. "It's an honor to be in your presence."
You're overdoing it, Seto thought to himself. Even I'm not that smitten. But he could understand. He put his arm around Amelda's shoulders and bade the Kiyosakis good night. After the Kiyosakis were gone, he turned to Amelda and suggested, "How about we go down to the harbor, again?"
The redhead shivered. "It's too cold," he remarked. "I think summer is finally leaving us."
"You want my jacket?" Seto asked.
Amelda's glare said no. "I'm a man, remember? Don't treat me like a woman."
"How about a drive?" Seto suggested. "My car has a heater."
"Mine does, too!" Amelda yelled. "Sheesh, Seto, every car made from the Model T to the present has a heater! Simple mechanics: heat is provided by the engine. And in the first heaters the heat was extracted from the exhaust manifold. Now, the water that cools the engine also-"
"I understand mechanics," Seto cut off. "I was teasing you!" He smirked, glad he had managed to pay him back for distracting him at work. Because of his lover, the project he had on hold continued to be on hold!
"What about the price of gas?" Amelda questioned as they reached the car.
"Amelda, it's me," Seto said. "I can afford the entire oil field if I wanted." The redhead laughed softly as he sat in the passenger seat. "Where would you like to go?"
"I don't care," Amelda replied indifferently. He grinned suddenly. "How about I take you for a ride on my motorcycle sometime?"
"Sometime, maybe," Seto murmured. He looked at his watch. "I hope Mokuba went to bed already. He's been staying up later and later, which causes him to fall asleep in class."
They drove around aimlessly for a while. The redhead played the song, "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls three times in a row until Seto turned off the MP3 player, snarling that the song was now stuck in his head. "You're forbidden to play music in my car from now on," Seto ordained.
"Forbidden?" Amelda said coyly. "You can't control me, Seto."
"My car, my music," Seto authorized. "Your car, your music. Got it?"
"You'll regret that."
Seto laughed. He knew he would, but he did not care. Even being pestered by the redhead made him happy deep down, despite how he might act otherwise. He took a turn on a dark road that lead out of Osaka into a more rural area.
"Domino City is that way," Amelda said, pointing in the opposite direction. "Where are we going?"
"There's a minshuku around here," he said. "I've always wanted to spend the night in one of these when I was little. And since I don't feel like driving all the way back home this late at night, we can spend the night here." He pulled into a lane that led to a Japanese-style Bed and Breakfast. It looked quaint and cozy.
"Okay, I'm interested," Amelda said. "but I didn't bring anything."
"Not to worry," Seto replied. "I had this in mind all along." He popped the trunk of the car open, revealing a suitcase that was packed with the essentials. He glanced at Amelda to see his reaction. The redhead was deeply impressed. Grinning, Amelda dove his hand down into Seto's pant pocket and extracted his wallet. He sauntered off to the minshuku, leaving Seto to carry the suitcase.
A/N: Thank you all very much for reviewing! I really appreciate it! You guys are the best! (glomps)
Also, may I direct you to my newest, "Drabble Meme." Please R&R, thanks! I am more than willing to take request, too! Read the guidelines in the fic, first! Thanks!