Disclaimer: Most likely, I'll never earn enough money to buy Yugioh "sniff, sniff", but I like my Setos mine.
Author's Note: Thanks to bubu chacha. Three reviews, YAY! Hugs bubu chacha.
Um... This is as long a chapter as I could make it... After everything's been said, what else can I write? I just couldn't think of anything else to type. But this is longer than my other chapters my about five hundred words... It's three pages on word, that's a lot for me. I've seen other stories with 8000 words chapters... that's not supposed to be a chapter, that's supposed to be five!
Anyways, hope you enjoy.
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Seto sat in his office, reviewing over the newest Kaiba corp. profit reports. Mokuba sprawled out on a chair beside him, playing solitaire and glaring threatening at his big brother every so often. Seto seems to ignore Mokuba's antics and continues typing away on his laptop.
Mokuba had constantly insisted on following Seto's footsteps in becoming the CEO of Kaiba Corp. The younger Kaiba had always looked up to his older brother and had hoped to one-day share Seto's workloads, if not to relieve Seto from his position completely. His older brother, on the other hand, wished anything but for Mokuba to suffer through his life. This is the only thing Seto denied Mokuba, despite Mokuba's numerous protests. This is why both brothers are trapped in this room on a beautiful afternoon. Not that Seto would go out anyways.
"Mr. Kaiba, sir," Seto's secretary entered, greeted by, and shrinking from the glares from both Kaibas, it took all his willpower not to back away. A nod from Seto acknowledging his existence forced him to continue. "There's someone on the phone for you, he said his name is Ryou Bakura."
"Oh?" Seto casually looked up from his laptop; this in itself was problematic in Mokuba's eyes. Seto never looked up from his laptop casually, he never looked up from his laptop, period, unless something important had gone wrong. And when he does look up from his laptop, it was either to scream at some unfortunate employee, or running off and fixing whatever glitch that just came up.
"And did he say what he wanted?" Seto continued coolly, reaching for his coffee. The secretary was too scared to notice his boss' hands shaking as Seto reached for the cup, then gulping the coffee down as if he's been starved for three days straight. But this didn't escape Mokuba's eyes. Nor did the kid fail to notice that his big brother had been biting his lips, a habit Mokuba thought Seto had gotten rid of upon enter into Gozaburo's care. Besides, how many twenty-three year olds still bite their lips?
Seto doesn't usually look this troubled. Scratch that, Seto had never looked this troubled for as long as Mokuba could remember. Not when he lost in Battle City, not when he learned of his past, not even when Yugi beat him. Mokuba secretly wondered if Seto acted like this on Duelist Island, when he was rescuing his little brother. 'Probably not' was the conclusion Mokuba came to.
"Mr. Kaiba, sir. He said he had a favor to ask of you." The secretary hastily replied, wishing to leave his boss' presence as quickly as possible.
"Put him through," Seto commanded, leaning against his chair in fatigue and disappointment, taking another gulp of the coffee. So his Ryou has become just like the rest of them, calling him just for his money and position. No, his Ryou would never be like that. Ryou probably just thought him to be another stuck-up moneybags, why did Seto deserve to be treated any different by an angel?
Seto raised the coffee cup to his lips again, oblivious to the fact that the cup was already empty. He would give his Ryou whatever he asks for, because his Ryou deserves only the best.
"Ryou?" Learning that the call has already been transferred, Seto picked up the phone. "Wha-, I mean can I help you?" Seto was grateful for whatever deity that stopped him from gruffly asking 'what do you want'. That question would undoubtedly reduce his already pathetically low likability in Ryou's eyes.
"Kaiba?"
"Seto?"
Ryou and Mokuba called to him simultaneously, with the same question in mind, "are you okay?" Since when does the Seto Kaiba attempt to be civil to somebody asking for his help?
Seto tried to silence Mokuba with a glare; his little brother grinned at him, apparently having caught onto what was happening. He had always thought that Seto needs a girlfriend, or boyfriend, now Seto had finally taken his advice. Good, now Mokuba wouldn't feel as guilty about bringing Malik to the Kaiba mansion.
"Mokuba, out!" Seto mouthed, not want Ryou to know what's happening. Giggling, Mokuba picked up another phone to eavesdrop on their conversation. It was really hard for Seto to hold back his exasperated sigh.
"Sorry, about that." Seeing that it was impossible to get Mokuba out of the room, Seto turned his attention back to Ryou. Staring at his big brother for so long was beginning to make Mokuba's eyes water.
"No problem. It's hard being a big brother, isn't it?" Ryou replied good-naturedly, chuckling on the other end of the phone.
"Wait, how did you-?" Seto stuttered, "Were you spying on me or something?" Despite of himself, Seto felt rather pleased. At least he wasn't just an onlooker in Ryou's life; at least he meant something for the little albino, even if all he meant is a source of extra cash.
"No, I wasn't Kaiba." Ryou's tone hinted at the unsaid response, 'don't flatter yourself.'
Seto, who usually would have been infuriated by this tone of voice, chose to leave the unsaid unheeded. "Oh yeah, I forgot, you're- not of this world. Right?"
"Not of this world?" Ryou chuckled, "Kaiba, you make it sound like I was dead." Mokuba never thought he'd live to see the day that his big brother would make somebody laugh.
"Th-that's not what I meant," Seto quickly apologized, "but you said you're not an angel, right? So I can't call you that now."
"…" Ryou held his hands over the mouthpiece over the phone so that Seto wouldn't hear him laughing. Him! An angel? Which world is Kaiba in?
The first murder he could justify, but he lost his right to heaven after he plucked the second guy's heart out. Ryou's eyes ran over his own ivory hands, sighing. It was a choice he made, it was a choice he would make again if he could start his life from scratch. Somebody's got to do the dirty jobs, so that the rest of society could live with a free conscience. He's just one of the less fortunate. "Kaiba," Ryou finally said, "I'm atheist."
"So am I. So, Ryou, what do you need?" The sheer pleasantness in his voice gave both Mokuba and Ryou goose bumps.
"Um…" Ryou felt himself reduced to the sixteen-year old who could only whimper under his yami, Seto had given him too many surprises for the day. "I want to borrow your virtual reality system, with two pods."
"Sure, no problem." Seto's eagerness would have betrayed him, if it weren't for that Ryou couldn't even begin to imagine Seto having any friendly emotions towards him. "I'll send it over tomorrow. Or do you need it tonight?"
"Tomorrow's fine…" Ryou blinked at the telephone, checking over the number he dialed. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn it was Yugi on the other end. "Thanks."
"Alright then." Sensing Ryou's inclination to end the call, Seto didn't want to keep him and leave a bad impression. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow?" Ryou repeated. Seto, taking that as Ryou's farewell, hang up, happy as a lark The albino was left staring at the phone book and calling his phone company to check if the call had gone to the right person.
Meanwhile, Mokuba was just as troubled by Seto's unusual display of enthusiasm. He had thought it to be a love interest in the beginning, but Seto never even acted that happy towards him.
"Seto…" Mokuba approached his big brother cautiously, "is Kaiba Corp. in some debt that I don't know about?"
"No, of course not." The said brunette was happily occupying himself in wondering whether he should wear a tie to see Ryou tomorrow.
"So we're not in a financial crisis?" Mokuba persisted, more worried than ever.
"No," Seto humored his little brother, "should we be?"
"So we don't owe that guy on the phone a lot of money?" Mokuba continued questioning, feeling more confused than ever.
"No," Seto finally got his thoughts away from Ryou long enough to wonder about Mokuba's series of question. "Why?"
"Why else would you be that helpful to him?" Mokuba replied, genuinely concerned, "and you were being so friendly!" Seeing his big brother glower, Mokuba quickly corrected himself. "I don't mean to say that you're not usually friendly…" That's exactly what he meant, but he can't let Seto know that if he ever wants to elicit a response from Seto. "You were just acting much more friendly than usual."
"I was, was I?" Seto mused. "How can I not, when it's an angel I was talking to?"
"Angel? But I thought you were atheist, and so is he." Mokuba pointed out. "Are you sure we aren't in debt? You know that I can find out about it on my own anyways, right?"
"No, we're not, and yes, I am sure." Seto began collecting his stuff, having decided to go home early this afternoon so that he could be fully rested for tomorrow. "Oh yeah, Mokey?" Mokuba looked at him, having gotten used to the childhood nickname during the past few days. "Do you think I look better with or without a tie?"
Seeing that Seto wouldn't leave without an answer, Mokuba finally acceded, "without."
Seto left, softly humming to himself.
As soon as he left, Mokuba called Seto's secretary in, demanding to see all the transactions in the past year. It took Mokuba three hours to sort out all the accounts, all of which were flawless.
Feeling more worried than ever, Mokuba picked up the phone. "Hi, Dr. Simmons, it's Mokuba Kaiba. Do you remember that appointment my brother cancelled a while ago?" "I'd like to rebook that if you please." "Yes, I promise he'll show up this time." "Thank you so much for your time, you have a nice day too."
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Like I said, I have no plot for this story, so I don't know when the next update will be. But I'm losing interest in the other one, so the next update shouldn't take that long.