Chapter 10 :

Katsuya remained in stunned silence to Mokuba's sudden exclamation.

He vaguely realized that the dark-haired teen had come forward to lean on the back of the couch. Kaiba seemed to be arguing with the youth. He couldn't hear what either of them were saying though. He watched blankly as the siblings continued their dispute - the words merely falling upon his deafened ears as he stood to the side. Even though everything was muted, the exaggerated features of both individuals were fairly amusing.

But he felt overwhelmed. A lot seemed to be happening at once. He had slept on the bed earlier yet didn't feel rested. He actually felt drained, being flung between emotions all afternoon. It went in an order. Determined. Confused. Scared. Relaxed. Anxious. Curious. Depressed. Furious. Surprised. And now… just exhausted. Today had been crazy - to say the least. Not only that, but now he was left with only his catering job. He didn't particularly need the other two jobs. They had only been necessary for extra money to pay off his father's debt. It wasn't too much of a big deal, but it happened so suddenly.

It also kinda sucked that he wasn't able to do what he had planned to do. Kaiba had made sure of that. He was still unsure whether the CEO had been lying or telling the truth about the ghosts. Katsuya wouldn't put it past the arrogant brunet to tell the truth merely to get a desired reaction.

The question was what to do now. It was getting late and the walk home wouldn't be a pleasant one. His legs felt as heavy as lead. His eyelids were barely staying open.

Katsuya was startled when he felt a light touch on his hand. His eyes flew wide open as he looked down to find a small, pale hand gripping his own. His gaze traveled upward to meet the dark but concerned eyes of Mokuba.

He blinked in confusion. "What?"

The youth cracked a tiny smile. "I called your name several times, but you weren't answering."

I am so out of it - but that definitely drove my fatigue away, Katsuya thought to himself. He allowed a 'sorry' to escape his lips quietly, grinning sheepishly to the teen.

Mokuba's smile widened, and he mouthed a 'no problem' before continuing where he left off. "Seto says that you can stay the night."

"Oh… really?" Katsuya glanced over toward the CEO. He could see the loathing within those azure eyes. "Nah." He gave a nervous laugh. "I'll just head home. Thanks though, Mokuba."

"You really can stay. Please." The youth said the last word as if he was begging his guardian for a new puppy.

Seto Kaiba was troubled.

That was probably the simplest way to describe the current predicament.

He actually did feel somewhat resentful of his actions this afternoon. Although he hadn't meant to, he had been the cause of Katsuya losing his job. He had planned on wasting the blond's time until the younger duelist had to depart. He didn't expect the shorter man to faint over a silly joke and wake up long after his shift began. He should've set an alarm for his unconscious guest, but the thought had slipped from his mind and remained undone. As such, Kaiba felt responsible for this outcome, but refused to admit it or show signs of remorse.

Presently, he was furious with Mokuba for arguing with him. There was no way that he was going to allow that stubborn mutt to stay in his superior living accommodations, whether he felt obligated or not.

His younger brother had been seeking the attention of Katsuya for some time already. There had been no response. He watched with eyes as hard as flint from the sofa. Mokuba reached forward hesitantly and lightly grasped the blond's hand. Now, there was a reaction, and a back and forth almost silent conversation between them both. Kaiba only managed to comprehend parts of their brief and silent discussion. His glare intensified as he heard his dark-haired sibling say that he had given his approval for the blond to stay the night. He met Katsuya's nervous glance with loathing.

He was pleased that his utter lack of consent proved his opinion plainly. Katsuya immediately understood the truth of Mokuba's inaccurate statement… Kaiba didn't want him to stay.

The CEO relaxed as he listened to the shorter man express his desire to leave. Then he heard his younger brother's next words.

"You really can stay. Please."

He knew exactly what look Mokuba was giving his obtrusive guest. Katsuya didn't respond. The brunet noticed his sibling turning to look toward him instead. Kaiba instantly redirected his gaze, refusing to meet the eyes of the youth. But the urge to see what was happening behind his back was enough to convince him to look back around. He turned to put both individuals back into his line of sight… and regretted it instantly.

Mokuba was giving him the look. That look. His puppy eyes - in addition to his pouting lips. Darn it. His younger brother almost always got whatever he pleased when asking Kaiba for it with that look. The CEO refused to let it work when it came to safety and education, but, otherwise, Mokuba could pretty much get anything he wanted.

"Fine." The word was expressed with a glower as its companion. "He can stay for one night."

Mokuba jumped for joy - just as Katsuya's stomach growled. The blond's face flushed bright red.

"Let's go to the kitchen and get something to eat! Come on!"

The youth pulled Katsuya along, out of the room. As they grew out of earshot, Kaiba sighed in resignation before standing from the couch and following at a slower pace.

Katsuya was tugged along behind Mokuba. He was led down two hallways and down the main staircase. They had been much closer to the exit than he had expected. He glanced pitifully toward the front doors as he was lugged away from the main entrance into a separate room. He trudged along after the youth, dragging his feet.

He was pulled into a dark room. He wasn't able to see. He looked around blindly, only vaguely seeing the outlines of different structures. He felt the pressure on his hand disappear as Mokuba suddenly let go.

"Mokuba?"

The lights flew on. Katsuya covered his eyes, using his arm as a barrier to adjust to the new lighting. His eyelids fluttered open and closed. Finally, he slowly lowered his arm to look around at his surroundings.

They were in a large kitchen with an island at its center. The cabinets were cream in color with dark brown countertops, which matched perfectly with the wood floor. The sink, microwave, stove and fridge were all dark shades of grey.

He was impressed overall. This would be the ideal type of kitchen that anyone would want if they enjoyed cooking. He was somewhat surprised that the dining table was in an open space to the side of the main kitchen area though. He assumed that the mansion would have a separate room for food to be served to the household members. He didn't expect the dining table to be placed in such a common way.

He noticed Mokuba grinning to the side of him, standing next to a wall that had multiple light switches.

"What do you think?" The youth asked, though Katsuya figured by Mokuba's expression that the teen knew exactly what he would say.

"It's awesome." He flashed a smile. "But why isn't the dining table in another room?"

"Oh, well… Seto didn't like that layout. He completely changed it when he took ownership of the property." Mokuba shrugged.

"Don't you guys have a cook?"

"No. We always get take-out. I usually order pizza."

Katsuya raised his eyebrows. He knew that Kaiba didn't eat often, but he figured that the CEO would at least make sure his brother had a well-balanced diet.

"Why take-out all the time? Don't either of you know how ta cook?"

"I don't. And Seto says he does, but he really can't."

"I can cook perfectly fine." A voice of stubborn denial sounded from behind him. Katsuya turned and found Kaiba leaning against the frame of the archway, blue eyes flashing.

Seto Kaiba watched from the balcony next to the main staircase, leaning onto the banister.

Katsuya had glanced at the front doors. Obvious reluctance could be seen in his amber eyes at remaining in the mansion any longer - before he had been dragged away by the insistent, dark-haired teen. Why couldn't Mokuba just let the blond nuisance leave? Not to mention that it was a school night and there was no way that the CEO would be able to convince the youth to head to bed when the annoyance was here.

He sighed before heading down the stairs toward the kitchen, where he could make out the loud chattering of two voices.

He paused in his steps as he heard a familiar voice.

"...time? Don't either of you know know how ta cook?" That was definitely Katsuya.

Kaiba turned the corner to enter the kitchen and stopped in the archway, deciding to lean against the frame. That would make it seem that he had been present during the entire conversation without them realizing, he smirked. He observed the scene before him and saw that both individuals were turned slightly away from him. They hadn't noticed his presence.

"I don't. And Seto says he does, but he really can't."

Mokuba's reply immediately caused tension to run through him. He crossed his arms over his chest tightly. He forced the words through his ground teeth. "I can cook perfectly fine."

Katsuya was the first to turn. Surprise flared in those brown eyes as they met his azure eyes. Mokuba was slower, seeming to freeze for a few moments before hesitantly twisting around.

"Seto…"

The youth cracked an uncertain smile. Kaiba merely gazed at his younger brother without a change in his expression. His younger brother took on a stubborn look.

"It's true!" Mokuba yelled in indignation.

His sharp retort was cut off by muffled laughter. He shot a sharp glare toward the source. Katsuya was struggling to keep his snickering to himself, but seemed to quickly give up. The blond held the sides of his body as it shook with the waves of laughter coursing through him.

"This is not funny, mutt." Kaiba felt his eyes harden in anger. He stood away from the archway.

"You… You're right…" Katsuya paused to take a deep breath. "It's hilarious." The younger duelist burst into laughter once again.

The brunet watched in stunned silence. Although the blond had laughed so hard that he had fallen to the floor, it didn't stop the laughter from taking over once again.

He hadn't expected Katsuya to ignore the insult. He glanced at Mokuba and saw the youth breaking out into a large grin while watching the blond, who was pausing every so often between laughs to complain about how much his stomach and sides hurt.

"You're a numbskull." Kaiba shook his head to the younger duelist writhing on the ground, a slight smile upon his face.

End of Chapter 10