Author's Info: Two chapters in two days! I say this is an accomplishment. More Mokuba in this one, and I have to admit I find it rather amusing. I really hope you guys enjoy this one! Now I have to start updating my other stories again, but I should be ready with updates for all of them soon enough. I really want to thank all of you, especially now that I've had almost 5,500 views and 90 comments on Sando No Jigoku. I especially want to thank DaAmazingMeepers, Azura Soul Reaver, and setos angel01. More comments after!
The "what"s: I have been wonderfully distracting myself with season one of Legend of the Seeker, and last night one of my friends and I had a blast commenting on old Pokemon episodes. I've also been listening to music by Third Eye Blind and CAKE. My thoughts are centering around playing Pokemon Red tomorrow, and on the fact I may finally be done with data entry! This means even more time for writing!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Must as I love the show, I'd probably drive everyone insane with my life schedule. Let's just all be glad summer begins in exactly one month!!!
Chapter Thirty-Two
"So, Yumi, what made you decide to work at Kaiba Corp.?" Mokuba asked, curiosity getting the best of him. She had beaten his brother after all, so what could she possibly want that would require her working here? "You're not trying to date my brother, are you?" he asked, suspicious of her motives. That was the usual reason people applied to be his personal assistant. What better way to try than by being around him all the time? He'd quickly found that out after his brother refused to hire any more personal assistants.
Yumi flushed in embarrassment at being asked such a question, but scoffed, to her credit. "Trust me, Mokuba, I am most certainly not out to date your brother. I know you look up to him, but I personally do not find your brother attractive in any way. I took this job because Kaiba Corp. is a respectable and forward-thinking gaming corporation, one I would be proud to be a part of. Your brother is just another person in the company as far as I'm concerned; unfortunately, he happens to be the one person I have to listen to."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Kaiba asked, looking at her coldly. She was once again saying he wasn't good looking, and, even worse, saying he was a terrible boss. "Are you telling me you don't want this job any longer, or is it only my company you find so deplorable?"
She couldn't help but chuckle at his indignant response. "No, no," she said, tone colored with amusement. "It's nothing like that. I may as well enjoy the time I spend working for Kaiba Corp., especially given how much I enjoy gaming. Even so, that's no reason for me to be attracted to the coldest, most ruthless CEO I've ever met. I much prefer men that enjoy more in life than just his brother and his company. I may not be the most romantic woman, and I admit I rather enjoy my work, but that doesn't mean I want to spend my dates discussing something I already spend so much of my life doing anyway. Dueling is one thing; discussing whether the hologram technology is working properly is just not proper."
Kaiba raised his eyebrow. She wasn't just hitting his ego as a businessman and seemingly desirable bachelor; she knew there wasn't much that would insult him, and what she could use against him she wouldn't dare say in front of Mokuba. Instead, she directed her attacks on him as a man. He scowled and studied her intently. Who was she, a relative nobody, to say he was undesirable? She was a fool to say so, and she was hardly someone worth noticing. No amount of physical beauty could compensate for her lack of sense.
She laughed in delight when she realized she had effectively wounded his pride. She knew he was contemplating his revenge, but it seemed his younger brother was far more vocal in his indignation.
"I don't get it. What could possibly be so bad about my big brother? Sure, Seto is rather distant with other people, but he's really a great guy. In fact, Seto's my best friend!" Mokuba said, looking slightly hurt by her words.
"Mokuba, that's enough," Kaiba said sharply. She was as Mokuba's expression turned sheepish as he looked at his brother; it was as though he was apologizing. She frowned; she didn't see why Mokuba should have to apologize, but she had a feeling she would find out later, once she'd teased Kaiba a little and gotten him alone long enough to pry it out of him.
"Hmm, what's so bad about you brother? Perhaps it is the fact he's just too perfect to be real!" she gushed, knowing Kaiba would sense the false flattery. "Incredibly successful, wealthy, powerful, intelligent, cunning, capable, charitable, understanding—everything any woman could possibly ever want and more! He is the hottest CEO in existence, and he's one of the most desirable men around the world. It especially helps that he's a bachelor who has never had a girlfriend in his life. That's what's so horrible; he's everything I've ever dreamed of and more and he's not mine!"
Kaiba glared at her. How many times would she continue to take shots at his pride? Even at school, when he had been dominating their battle, she still denied his prowess. He would have to put her in her place. "Stop here," he ordered his driver, ignoring the curious Mokuba and Yumi, who had stopped talking to one another. He opened the door and smirked, looking at her intently and meaningfully.
Yumi realized Kaiba wanted her to do something, but she wasn't sure what it would be. She got out of the car only to see she was standing in front of a coffee shop. When she realized his intentions, she felt her indignation and anger rise. She glared at his suddenly smug expression and realized there was no way of escaping what he would have her do.
"I like my coffee mostly black, with only a minimal amount of sugar. You have one chance to get it right," he said, smirking in amusement. He knew she would never get it right; he was an incredibly picky man, and this would certainly put her in her place.
She scowled, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Even so, she refused to back down. She refused to give him the satisfaction of having another victory over her. She growled silently before turning to Mokuba and smiling a little. "Is there anything you want, Mokuba? Just tell me what you'd like me to get, and I'll find it."
Mokuba thought about it for a moment before saying, "Can I get a Coke and a brownie, please?" She smiled and nodded before turning and heading inside. Mokuba turned to face his brother only to see a smirk on his face. "Why are you being so hard on her, Seto? You were never this strict with any of your previous assistants. How is she any different?"
"She needs to learn her place, Mokuba. She is my assistant, not someone I take orders from. Maybe this will teach her I am not someone to mess with." Kaiba smirked more as he watched her get their food and drinks. She was quick, he had to admit, and efficient, but that didn't mean anything if she couldn't get his order right. The real test was about to begin.
She sighed as she put a small amount of half and half into his coffee, following that with a smaller amount of sugar. Knowing what she did about Kaiba, she used it to guess the amounts, but ultimately it was all a guess. Still, she was confident she was at least close. She gathered up what she'd bought for them and went out to present them to the Kaiba brothers. Mokuba smiled broadly and thanked her; he must have noticed she'd bought him the biggest brownie she'd seen. She then handed Kaiba his coffee and watched as he silently took a sip.
Kaiba's eyes widened; somehow she had managed to come incredibly close to his preferred taste in coffee. He then noticed she had been watching him for a reaction, and he knew it would be impossible for him to tell her she was far off now. He still had to do some damage control, though; his ego would take no more bruising than necessary. "Hmm, nice try, but it seems you're off the mark, Yumi. Looks like you'll have to do better next time."
"Coming from the ever-mighty Seto Kaiba, I'll take that as quite the compliment," she said, taking a sip from her own coffee cup as she smirked slightly. She noted that although, like him, she hadn't added much sugar (as if she needed sweetening), she certainly couldn't have her coffee that black (her heart wasn't that cold). She fought back the growing smirk, but she noticed Kaiba's eye twitch, making it even more difficult. She turned to Mokuba and smiled. "How is your brownie, Mokuba?"
"It's really good! This one is my favorite," he said happily. "How did you know which one to get?"
"I didn't. I guessed," she admitted, smiling sheepishly. "The other brownie just didn't seem like it would be something you would like. I figured someone with your personality would prefer something sweeter. I'm just glad I got it right; I would have hated to waste such good food. I'm rather fond of this bakery myself. It's been a long time since I've last been here, though."
"Wait, you've been here before, Yumi?" Mokuba asked incredulously. She laughed and smiled more as she looked at him.
"Of course I've been here before. It's my favorite bakery. Whenever I come to Domino, I always have to visit this place. It doesn't matter if it's business, dueling, or a random trip with friends or family; they all know they'll get dragged here at some point or other. It's got amazing coffee and I am rather fond of their scones. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the Kaiba brothers like this place as well, though. Better quality means higher prices, and higher prices mean fewer undesirable customers. I'm also sure that the fact there is fewer customers makes this even more appealing to your brother."
Mokuba couldn't help but laugh at how well she had guessed his brother's personality. For someone who had only just met him recently, and begun working for him only today, she seemed to know him pretty well. Seto really didn't like large crowds of people, unless it was for something to improve the company's image. His private life, the little that wasn't absorbed by his company, was completely unknown to outsiders. Still, Mokuba couldn't help but think Yumi might be someone who would be good for his big brother. Who knew, maybe she would be able to get through to the real Seto, the one who smiled and called him Mokie.
Yumi sighed as they stopped in front of Kaiba Corp. She knew her first day hadn't even officially begun yet, and they were already going for each other's jugulars. She decided she would have to rein in her pride if she wanted to make it through the day, let alone the rest of the week. She followed the Kaiba brother out and watched as they walked in together.
Kaiba's stride was confident, strong, brisk—everything that a cold, no-nonsense man like him should exude. Mokuba's stride was quick, but his steps were nowhere near as confident; he was just trying to keep pace with his brother. She smiled. If everyone though Tsuki and her were opposites, they had truly never met the Kaiba brothers. Mokuba was sweet, fun-loving, and very warm. He was everything his brother clearly refused to show. In some strange way, though, the two completed each other, much in the way Tsuki completed her. She stopped, stunned by the sudden revelation.
She hadn't expected to have such a thing in common with the elder Kaiba. There had been things she had expected; her friends and coworkers mentioned them countless times. She remembered with a grimace how often they enjoyed saying she and Kaiba would get along very well if they ever had the chance to meet one another. After all, they were both young, avid technological and gaming visionaries, and they had remarkable skills in the business world. They were both no-nonsense, direct people, and they were incredibly devoted to their work. She wondered what they would think if they could see the two of them now.
Kaiba looked back at her when he heard her chuckle. He could see her thoughts were clearly elsewhere, and he wondered just what could possibly be so amusing. He waited until the two of them were alone in the elevator to make his comment, though. "And just what is so funny? You've been off in your own strange world for more than five minutes now. If this is what you're going to do on the job, I may have to reconsider our agreement."
She looked at him and smirked a little. She knew she had only recently come to the decision to be kinder and hold off on the sarcasm she enjoyed so much, but this opportunity was far too perfect to waste. She couldn't resist. "I was just thinking about how much you and I have in common," she said. The responding look on his face was priceless; she had caught him off guard. "We have more in common than I originally thought. I find the concept highly amusing, in all honesty, especially given your reputation of being a walking iceberg."
Kaiba glared at her. The way she continued to grate his nerves only served to make him consider crueler, baser tasks to further aggravate her and intensify her torment. That's when a thought struck him. "You, have things in common with me? Who would put such ideas in your head? You're just my personal assistant, while I'm the owner of a multi-billion dollar corporation, and I think I know just the thing to put you in your place, Makoto."
Mokuba looked back and forth between the two, unsure whether he should be amused or terrified at the way things were progressing. This was the first time he had met someone who talked to his brother in such a manner. He had also never seen Seto react this way to someone before, not even Yugi and his friends. Before, if someone annoyed him even slightly, his job was gone for good, yet here she was, mocking him to his face, and she was still here. He tugged on his brother's jacket sleeve. Kaiba looked at him for a moment before looking away. "Later, Mokuba." Mokuba grinned, knowing his brother really would tell him what he wanted to know. After all, they were brothers.
Responses to my commentators:
DaAmazingMeepers: I'm so glad you liked the sarcasm battle. It's what I live for. I hope you liked this one too!
Azura Soul Reaver: I'm glad you think so! It's just a shame Kaiba doesn't know it yet. ;)
