A Monopoly Of Blue Eyes

by FeistyFox

He had refused to believe in his past, refused to be sucked into the fairytale that had been hurled at him again and again. But it appeared that his past had found him whether he wanted it or not. She was here… sitting right here in his class, this ghost from the ancient past, looking exactly as he remembered, exactly how she did in his dreams and the visions he had been shown.

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Negotiating Terms

There was a nervous kind of tapping on her door. Looking up from her book, she was finishing the very last chapter of her science textbook, she stood up and looked through her peephole. She saw a mass of shaggy black hair and smiled, delighted by the unexpected guest. She had only seen Mokuba twice since their initial meeting, but both times had been pleasant encounters. The first time he had been in Kaiba's office when she walked in for a late meeting. Seto had been called down to one of his labs to help with something and Mokuba had been waiting for him to return. They had a friendly conversation about kendo, a sport he appeared to be very involved in, until Seto returned. The second time he had found her in her own office while she was working. Having spent most of the last two days in the room by herself it had been a nice break from the isolation her job at Kaiba Corp sometimes demanded of her.

Since then she wondered at how the two brothers could have such different personalities. After spending ten minutes with the younger Kaiba it was clear he was one of the most good-natured people on the face of the planet. Endearing and spirited he would have won the heart of the devil in moments. In was such a stark contrast to Seto's brooding and calculating manner than she wasn't sure what to make of it. She sensed something must have happened to Seto along the line somewhere, because Seto was often kind to her in his own silent or sarcastic way, and so very caring with his brother, a compulsion he couldn't for the life of him seem to hide. It was all so very strange and she didn't understand it at all. Running a corporation certainly demanded he act a certain way at work, but even at school he was waspish and hateful to seemingly everyone but her. Eventually she had let it go, thinking she would never really work it out, or that Seto was just vexatious by nature.

Opening her door she greeted the young teenager happily. She had never had a house guest before. "Hey, Mokuba."

"Hi." He sighed unhappily.

Her smile fell a bit and she stepped back inside, making a motion for him to enter. While her apartment was just as tiny as ever she at least had furniture now. It was still bare of decorations, her walls blank, but it certainly felt more like a home than an empty room. Mokuba took the silent invitation and walked in, standing in her small tiled entryway. She shut and locked the door before turning to him. He was the picture of frustrated misery. Mokuba had his hands in his pockets and he was staring around absently. He was in his school uniform, although his tie was missing and his shirt was untucked rather haphazardly. "What's the matter?" She asked him.

"Bad day." He told her sullenly.

"Ahh. That's very descriptive." He looked up at her light sarcasm and she sent him a wiry smile, wondering what about his day had gotten him here. While she certainly liked him a great deal, they really couldn't be called anything but acquaintances. Still, she had any number of bad days and the last thing she had wanted when she sought safety anywhere was to be harangued about it. "Are you hungry?"

He appeared relieved she wasn't asking questions and figured something upsetting had happened. "Pretty much always."

She laughed. "All right. I almost have dinner ready. We can talk and eat." She moved toward her small kitchen and dining area. "Or just eat if you don't want to talk. Do you like lasagna?"

"I've never had it." He said, appearing interested.

She let out a sound of horror. "You are deprived! Do you know that?"

That actually got a chuckle out of him. He put his bag down and slipped out of his shoes. He glanced around for slippers and she waved him in. "The slipper thing just doesn't happen in America. Are you cool with walking around in socks? If not I think I have a pair in the closet for guests."

Mokuba shrugged and stepped onto the wood floor. "That's fine with me if you don't mind."

"Not at all." She was trying to get used to the whole idea of it, but was smart enough not to rock the boat. It was an interesting cultural practice at any rate. "Actually, I find the whole thing pretty weird but when in Rome, right?"

He was befuddled by that. "What do slippers have to do with Rome?"

Her lip curled up. "Sorry, that's an expression. 'When in Rome do as the Romans do'. Also an American thing I guess."

"That makes sense when you think about it." He followed her into the kitchen, which was really just one small corner of her home. "Would you like me to do something?" He waved toward the very small table she had shoved against a wall a foot away.

"Umm." She opened a cabinet and handed him a few plates. "Could you set the table?"

"Sure." He went about putting plates and napkins down as she tried to keep herself small so they wouldn't run into one another.

When she handed him forks and he raised a quizzical eyebrow she sent him a chagrined grinned. "Before you ask, I can use chopsticks, rather badly admittedly. Lasagna is just a lot easier to eat with a fork."

"If you say so." He agreed, clearly having no idea what a lasagna was, and set the forks down.

"What do you want to drink? I have tea, water, and two kinds of soda."

"Orange?"

"No, sorry, I hate that flavor. I have grape though?" He nodded and she pulled one of those out for him and got a glass of ice water for herself. On the rare nights she got to sleep before midnight she refused to be kept awake by caffeine. She set those on the table then pulled out some hot pads. Opening her oven she saw her creation was done and made a happy sound as she pulled the dish out and set it on the table. This was the first time she had made a traditional, or at least American traditional, meal for herself since she got here. While she had really fallen in love with Japanese cuisine, with a few exceptions that were simply bizarre to her palate, she had been craving something familiar. She had even gone out and bought a pan and spatula for just this purpose this afternoon.

Mokuba looked at the dish with interest as she searched for her spatula to serve it with. Finding it she put it on top of the oven before pulling the garlic bread out too. She was glad she'd made more than she needed to begin with. When that was done she grabbed the salad that was chilling in her fridge along with the two types of salad dressing she had and set them on her small square of a countertop. She rubbed her hands together in excitement. She always got excited about food. "All right. Food time."

Mokuba sat down and she saw him smelling the dish as he watched her. "Were you expecting more people?"

She shook her head. She never expected anyone. "No, lasagna is a family dish. It's hard to make it for one person. I'll freeze what I don't eat and have it later."

"Oh." She cut the dish and carefully put a large portion on his plate. His eyes lit up with enthusiasm when he saw it was layered. Lip curling up she cut the bread quickly and plunked the plate before him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's nice having dinner with someone." She told him sincerely.

Mokuba cocked his head to the side. "Don't you eat with your family?"

She pushed the old hurt away. "My parents died about ten years ago. It's just me." She refused to count her uncle as her family despite the small, secretly grieving part of her that would remind her he had been sick in his own way, and did have episodes of being caring toward her. Those periods had gotten shorter and shorter over the years though, and mostly she just felt hate.

Mokuba was uncomfortable the way everyone was when her parent's death came up. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you, but it isn't your fault." She shrugged. "It was a long time ago. It doesn't bother me as much as it used to."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I hardly remember my dad."

She paused for half a second as she dumped salad on her plate. Mokuba was already munching at his. "Your father died?"

"Forever ago." He told her. "Seto and I were adopted." She saw anger in his eyes and thought it was because he was upset his parents were also gone. She had also had fits of rage about that, knowing it was unfair. "Gozuboro died too."

That totally sucked. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not. He was a rat bastard."

She blinked at the animosity, but decided not to push the subject. "I see." Mokuba stabbed at the lasagna forcefully and she recognized that kind of frustration. It might be best to change the subject. "So do you want to talk? What about the day irked you?"

The thirteen year old sighed, but did tell her. "I failed an English exam. When Seto found out he flipped."

"You got in a fight with him?" He nodded and she continued. "Does he know where you are?"

"No." He grumbled.

She was sure that was going to blow up in her face somehow. "We need to call him."

"What? No!"

"You can stay here." She stood up. "But do you want him tearing down half of Domino when he can't find you? I know he worries about you."

"Come on." He sighed. "It's not my fault he's like that."

She had to sympathize with Seto despite Mokuba's outlook. She would be worried sick if she had a sister or brother that up and vanished. Not that she had siblings, but still, she could at least try to imagine. Still, she could try to balance the two out. "Eat. I'll take care of your brother." Going to her purse she dug out her phone as she watched Mokuba prod the lasagna carefully, dissecting it before he would try it. Dialing Seto's personal phone, which she knew was strictly for emergencies, or chemistry projects, she put it to her ear. It rang once then Kaiba snapped into it. "What?"

She raised an eyebrow. Generally he wasn't overly hostile with her. At worst he tended to sound bored. "Your brother is at my apartment."

There was a slight pause then a furious shout. "What?"

It took all her willpower to keep the phone at her ear rather than to hold it away. "We're having dinner. He's a little upset and I didn't want you to worry when you realized he went missing."

"I'll be there in ten minutes." He told her in a clipped tone.

That was a horrible, horrible idea. "Don't be silly. He's eating and you're both angry. I'll bring him home in a couple of hours."

"No-"

She interrupted him before he could get on a role. She found once he veered full force into what he wanted it was pretty much over for everyone else. She had now been in enough business meetings with him to realize that one needed to throw their idea out there and really sell it right off before he could either turn it down or lose interest. Since she was sure he wasn't about to lose interest in this she sold it hard. "Seto, it's fine. Go do whatever it is you do and calm down. You're only going to get into a fight and then feel awful about it afterwards. You two just need some space."

"Do not tell me how to handle my brother!" He was absolutely furious and she changed tactics quickly. If reason wouldn't work perhaps sarcasm would.

"Well in that case, come on over. I'm sure he'll be tickled pink to see you." She had switched to English so Mokuba wouldn't understand and kept her voice cheerful. "After all he's a few seconds away from bursting into tears of frustration, but I'm sure you coming over and berating him to within an inch of his life is going to do a fat lot of good."

"Do not think I won't fire you!" He yelled.

She raised her eyebrow. She hadn't thought he would really go that way, having had every reason to fire her already and not doing it. However, she had been here for five months now and despite his warning that she shouldn't let anyone at school know she worked for him it had gotten out despite her best efforts. At least to one person. She had been returning from the corporate lounge in her part of the building, having gone to get some tea, and run smack in Duke Devlin in the hall. Apparently he owned his own small gaming business of his own, and by small she meant a multimillion dollar company rather than the multibillion dollar one she worked for, and was there for a meeting with one of Kaiba's sale's team to discuss some sort of financing. She wasn't sure which one of them had been more surprised when she bumped into him, but when she frantically asked him not to let the school know he had been surprisingly cool about it on the condition she tell him what it was she was doing there. Feeling that was fair she had told him and he had shrugged and sauntered off. Three days ago, when she got a letter offering her a job at his company, she worked out why. It seemed Kaiba wasn't the only one who needed a good translator. The letter was sitting on her table across the room, and gave her confidence that she could easily take care of herself with or without Kaiba.

So, sure of herself and her future no matter where she stood with Kaiba, she called his bluff. "In that case I'll go ahead and quit. I have several job offers pending actually. Duke Devlin offered me a better benefits package and a more substantial salary than I'm getting from you. I'll clear my desk out tomorrow. In the meantime, you go find a new translator. That should keep you occupied until about eight, which is probably all the time I'll need to get your brother stabilized."

He actually growled. "I do not like you."

"Uh huh. I'm terribly hurt." She switched topics abruptly. "Oh, by the way we need to finish our final project in civics. When do you want to do that? I just quit my job so I should have a pretty free week ahead of me."

There was a very brief pause, as if he was physically restraining himself. "We can discuss that when you drop Mokuba off at eight." He told her tightly.

"Okay."

"Be here at eight!" He insisted forcefully.

"Yes, I heard you. Saying it louder does nothing but irritate me and want to do exactly the opposite of what you want. See you later." He didn't say goodbye. He just hung up. She rolled her eyes and set the phone down.

She went back to the table and Mokuba looked at her anxiously. "Is he mad?"

"He'll get over it." She grabbed the dressing and shook it. "The lasagna won't hurt you. It's a hundred percent edible."

He ignored that. "Did I get you in trouble?"

Her lip twitched. "No."

"Are you sure? Because my big brother really isn't all that nice to most people." He gave her an odd look. "I'm actually really not sure why he's nice to you."

She waved him off, although she often wondered that herself. By most standards how he treated her would likely be termed as tolerated, but from him it really was nice. She supposed everything was about perspective. "Mokuba, I am unmoved by your brother's displays of temper. I can take care of myself." And she was fully proud she could say that and mean it. "Don't worry about it."

He was unconvinced but took a bite of his meal. His eyes lit up at the taste. "This is great!"

She smiled in delight, pleased she could share this. "It's one of my favorites. I'm glad you like it too." He smiled and dug in as if he hadn't eaten in days. She thought this was a common trait among all teenagers. She herself remembered eating anything within hands reach for about a year. While they ate she asked him about his life. She kept it all to general and neutral topics that had him babbling happily between mouthfuls. Halfway through the meal she decided this kid was the funniest thing she'd ever come across. He was smart, witty, and had an amazing ability to tell stories. She had a sneaking suspicion he was as brilliant as his brother in his own way and started to wonder why he was having so much trouble with English.

She was also pleased that he ate about half the giant dish she'd made. She had been worried about getting the leftovers in her freezer, but now she shouldn't have a problem. When he was done he let out a grateful sigh and leaned back. Her eyes twinkled at him as his dark violet eyes began to dart around her apartment. She knew he was memorizing and categorizing everything in here. "Did you get enough to eat?"

"Yes." He smiled brilliantly and she knew in a few years he'd be a heartbreaker. "Thank you, Sarah."

"You're welcome." Standing up she started to clear the table and he leapt to help her. She figured they had another ten minutes or so before they needed to leave to get him back home. When they had things in the sink she smiled at him. "Thank you for helping. Can I see your English test?"

He looked crestfallen. "Why?"

"I want to see what you're having a problem with." She was quick to reassure him. "I promise I don't think you're an idiot or something. I have issues with math myself."

"Yeah?" He asked, expecting insincerity.

"Totally. I often think it was invented by aliens simply to make my life miserable."

He laughed at her and went to retrieve his test. It was crumpled as if he lost his temper and took it out on the paper. She ignored that and flattened it so she could see it. He really hadn't done well. He hadn't even got half the points. Skimming the material she frowned slightly. "Is your teacher British or Australian?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "British. How did you know?"

"They spell things differently than Americans and Canadians." She clicked her tongue in confusion as she tried to work out what was going on. "Did anyone do well on this test?"

He shrugged. "One or two people. But not most of us."

She nodded absently. "Can I see the course material?" Reaching into his bag he pulled out a workbook and an English to Japanese dictionary. "This is it?"

"My notes too." He pulled out a green and yellow striped notebook.

She flipped that and the workbook open. Scanning what he gave her she nodded as she kept her thoughts to herself. His teacher was an idiot. "Okay." She closed them and tucked them under her arm. "Can I borrow these for the next half an hour?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm deeply suspicious that your brother didn't look at the test or what you've been studying."

His eyes narrowed. "Why does that matter?"

"No reason." She slid the dictionary back in his bag and handed it to him. "Come on. I need to take you home. Seto was pretty insistent I get you there by eight. Do you think he'll have his bodyguard shoot me if we're late?"

Mokuba tossed his bag over his shoulder as she grabbed her keys and purse. "Was I studying wrong?"

"No." She slipped her shoes on and opened the door for him. He stopped right in front of her. She saw both annoyance and suspicion in his eyes. Also a great deal of evil mischief, which put her on edge at once. This kid was way too smart for that to mean anything good.

"He isn't teaching us right is he?"

She widened her eyes innocently. "Did I say that?"

He pointed at her. "Don't. I do the puppy eyes better than you."

She burst out laughing and shoved him out. "I'm sure it gets you everything you want too."

"You have no idea." She shook her head and locked the door behind them.

Fifteen minute later she was driving up the extremely long driveway to the Kaiba mansion and parked in front of the door. Mokuba sighed dramatically as she all but gaped up at it. She had never been here before and this place was gigantic. She'd never seen a mansion before, except on television, and that really didn't do the building justice. "Seriously, did I get you in trouble?"

She answered as she craned her neck up, trying to work out if there was a fifth floor or if it was some sort of fancy balcony. "Kid, I was getting in trouble long before I met you. Trouble tends to know where I am at all times. Don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry."

She made a dismissive noise as they got out of the car. "Relax. This isn't a big deal." They walked to the front door and Mokuba pushed it open moodily. She followed him inside with his schoolwork in her hands and her purse over her shoulder. She glanced around curiously. Anyone looking at the outside of the house knew it would be impressive. The inside didn't disappoint. It was a beautiful place. It was tastefully decorated and even if it was imposing she wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought she would be in such a large place, where she clearly had no business being. When she shut the door she heard footsteps and then his brother was walking down the large central staircase. Mokuba wilted a bit and she bumped him discretely to bolster his courage.

Kaiba's eyes flashed, although his face was impassive. "Mokuba, go upstairs. We'll talk about this in a moment."

"But, nii-sama-"

"Now." He snapped. Mokuba scurried away and she watched him escape. She returned her attention to the tall teen and watched him calmly as he stalked up to her. "What do you think you're doing kidnapping my brother?"

She huffed,dismissing that nonsense at once. "I didn't kidnap him. He showed up at my apartment and I fed him." She brightened. "Like a stray puppy."

He didn't think that was a very good analogy. "You should have sent him home! It isn't safe for him to go gallivanting around the city!"

"Which is why I called you to tell you where he was." She reminded him reasonably.

He was beside himself with rage. "He shouldn't have been there in the first place!"

She sent him an unimpressed look. "How is it my fault you got in a fight with him and he escaped? I didn't know what was going on until he knocked on my door. And speaking of that, did you look at his test?"

"Are you trying to imply that I don't care about his academics?"

"Are you looking for a fight? Because if you are that's fine. If you aren't then stop putting words in my mouth. You clearly care a great deal about how well he does. You love your brother and want the best for him. I get it. However, his teacher needs to be fired."

"Excuse me? Mokuba goes to the best school-"

She waved her hand as she cut him off. The glare he sent her told her how rare it was for anyone to stop him mid-rant, and she had now done it twice in one evening. "Yeah, yeah. You should re-evaluate that statement." She pushed the course material at his chest. He grabbed it instinctively. "Whoever is teaching him English is either stupid, can't speak his own language, or is incapable of teaching at all. I'm amazed he got any points on that mess of an exam."

"What?" He was growling as he looked at the test she'd set on top. His eyes flashed at the low mark before moving down the paper. Then his jaw ticked. Then he glared at her. "This is your fault."

She laughed, shocked. "What? How is this my fault?"

He jabbed her with the corner of the paper. "I don't know, but somehow it is."

She rolled her eyes. "Look, your brother is smart. What he wrote down is proof enough of that. All he needs is a halfway competent teacher and he should be able to learn to speak English without a problem. Call the school and talk to them about it."

His glare turned calculating and she felt a shift in the air. Damn it. She'd seen him do this in meetings and get everything he wanted. "You aren't fired."

"Umm, okay." She put her hand on her hip. "Are you always this mercurial? Because if so I'm really going to go work for Devlin. He at least has a sense of humor."

He ignored this. "You're going to teach Mokuba."

"Sorry?" Shock filled her.

"You're the best translator I've ever met. Mokuba should have the best tutor."

Nope, nope, nope. "I'm not a teacher."

He held up the test. "You know why this didn't work."

That was hardly grounds for such a proposal. "Anyone that speaks English would know-"

"Be here from three thirty to four thirty during the week. We can adjust his lessons around when I need you at the office." He was looking over the test again. "But that shouldn't be an issue for long since you'll be done with school in less than two weeks. You'll have plenty of free time after that."

She wasn't getting dragged into this. "When I said he needed a tutor I did not mean me."

He was flipping through Mokuba's notes as he spoke. "What did Devlin offer you?" She was worried by this abrupt change of topic because she had no idea why it mattered. With a mental shrug she told him. Without missing a beat he threw an offer at her. "I'll triple that starting Monday."

Floored by the amount she froze in her shock. He turned around thinking they were done when she muttered faintly. That was an obscene amount of money. "You'll what?"

"I'm not paying you more than that." He told her firmly.

"Seto!" She needed to drag him down to Earth. "I don't want money. I want you to understand that I'm not a tutor."

He turned around and invaded her personal space all at once. She took half a step back before she could catch herself. "You will tutor him." He ordered.

"You can't bully me." They were glaring at one another. "Maybe you can scare everyone else on this planet, but I am not intimidated by you."

Smirking, he moved forward. She fell back simply so she wouldn't be bowled over and he dropped the books and papers to the floor. Then his hands were pinning her against his door. "I know."

Welp, she was fully uncomfortable, although she didn't think he would hurt her, which she really thought she should be thinking. Really, she was all but programmed to think it, but she felt perfectly safe, if totally awkward. The heat of his body was pulsating into her and she felt her heartbeat speed up noticeably. "Then why do you keep trying?" Her exasperation was palpable.

He leaned closer and his smirked widened as he hovered in front of her. "Habit."

She was unimpressed with him arched her neck up to meet him. "I suggest you break this habit or you aren't going to like my reaction."

He considered that. "I find myself willing to believe that." He switched topics again. "If you don't want money what do you want?"

"Nothing. I'm not tutoring him. I'd accidentally mess him up or something. I have no idea how to teach."

Kaiba wasn't convinced. "You're too smart for that. I need someone I can trust. I'm not afraid to have you alone in the house with him. You have an odd protective streak in you for small helpless things."

"Your brother is hardly helpless." She pointed out.

"No, but he is small and you do want to protect him." He tilted his head. "Why is that?" She crossed her arms and leaned casually back against the door as if she always meant to end up in this position. "Not going to tell me?" She stuck her nose up in the air and he chuckled. "Fine. Keep your secrets, woman. It makes no difference to me as long as you teach him."

She narrowed her eyes. "You can't trick me either."

He grinned lazily. "Yes, I can. I can trick anyone. I always get what I want." He leaned in closer, until he was mere millimeters away from her. His handsome, navy eyes were tantalizingly close, and she wondered that the thought even came into her head. "Didn't you know?"

She smiled back and breathed against his lips. "Kaiba, if you get any closer to me you won't ever be able to reproduce."

He wasn't phased by her threat but he didn't move in to close the inch of air between them. "Be here tomorrow after school."

"And if I'm not?"

His eyes glittered. "You will be. You want him to learn." He pushed off the door and grabbed the test off the ground. Then he vanished up the stairs without so much as a goodbye. Now used to him abruptly leaving when he was done with something she reached up and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. She had a headache coming, she was sure of it. Turning around she simply let herself out as she was sure he wasn't coming back. Shaking her head as she got back into her car she wondered how exactly she was supposed to teach his brother, because as much as she hated to admit it she did want to help Mokuba. His insight about that was just so infuriating.