It took a second for those words to register for both azure-eyed brunettes. Even then, Anzu still wasn't sure if she had heard him right. "I'm sorry?"

Mokuba's thirteen year old cheeks flushed a shade of pink as he thought over his own words. He hadn't really been thinking when he jumped up out of his seat with his request. "Er… I-I mean…."

"Absolutely not!" The masculine voice objected from her entryway. The sound of hurried, muffled footsteps thundered back into her living room where a scowling Seto Kaiba glared at his younger brother. "We discussed this before Mokuba. Do not undermine my authority." He expressed his staggering disapproval so harshly that even Anzu winced.

Mokuba looked away sheepishly, his mid-length hair covering a portion of his face to block his view of his fuming older brother. "I… I didn't mean to, big brother."

Anzu's heart ached at the sight of Mokuba feeling so small in front of a towering, authoritative Kaiba. It rankled her and, despite the need to treat him as a king in her own home, she couldn't stop herself from stepping between the brothers and facing the king herself.

"And what, if I may ask, is so upsetting at this particular request?" She forced herself to maintain an even expression on her face since it took almost every ounce of control she had to swallow the venom she wanted to spit at him.

Kaiba's scowl deepened a shade. He did not appreciate her physically coming between him and his brother. "Step aside Mazaki. This has nothing to do with you."

"Evidently it does." She placed her hands on her hips, feeling an authority she knew she didn't have but went with it anyway. "He asked me a question, I have a right to answer. From what I see, it has to do with the three of us now."

Kaiba's cobalt eyes darkened. He always disliked his authority being challenged, but he absolutely abhorred it when she did it. "I will not repeat myself Mazaki, now stand aside."

His words dripped with the disdain she felt for him. "I do not need you to repeat anything." She turned her face away from him so hard she nearly felt her neck snap, her hair whipping behind her. For once, she wished her hair was longer so it would slap him in the face. Her physical shunning of him should still produce the desired effect, however.

With that, she turned her gaze to Mokuba, softening when she saw him still averting his gaze from his brother's direction. She placed a gentle hand on him, "Hey, try not to let him bother you too much. Now, what is this about a tutor?" She asked kindly.

Kaiba growled at her. "Mazaki!"

She ignored him. "Go on, you can tell me."

Mokuba glanced up into her kind cyan eyes and couldn't help but feel more at ease. He steeled himself for a glance at his brother, but she did a remarkably good job of blocking his view from him - especially considering that his brother was at least a head taller than her. "Don't mind him," she reassured. "I can't give you my answer unless you explain."

Kaiba was livid, "You are poking your nose in a place where it does not belong, Mazaki!" He clenched his fists as he spoke, restraining himself with a surprising amount of willpower. It was amazing how he could topple his abusive stepfather, combat against traitors in his company, and go toe to toe with the King of Games on multiple occasions and still maintain his composure; yet stick him in the same room with this maddening woman and suddenly his well practiced self-control is thrown out the window. He could never understand it and it only angered him further.

Anzu internally rolled her eyes before glancing back at him. "Kaiba, with all do respect, your brother is thirteen years old now and he can make some decisions for himself. Just as I can give place for you to speak, I need to afford him the same opportunity." She narrowed her eyes slightly to emphasize her next point. "It's disrespectful otherwise." Though you're no stranger to that, Anzu thought bitterly.

Kaiba surged with another emotion he couldn't name. It got under his skin, made him uncomfortable, and for the first time in his life, he wanted to shift awkwardly under her eyes. He clenched his fists even tighter as he scoffed, feigning indifference. "Whatever, Mazaki. Answer her, Mokuba, so we can drop this and head home." He commanded. The sooner we are out of here the better.

Mokuba listened to the bewildering argument between his brother and his friend. Anzu didn't yell once at his brother yet his brother looked as if he were about to blow a gasket. In their past encounters he has seen Anzu scold and chastise his brother until she was red in the face many times but his brother always maintained his composure. Now the shoe seemed to be on the opposite foot; she kept her composure with admiring grace while his brother began to flush with frustration. He wondered for the second time that day if something had happened between them.

Anzu turned her comforting gaze back to him and smiled encouragingly. "Go on."

Mokuba looked at her, looked at his brother, took in a deep breath, and began. "This morning, big brother and I talked about getting me a tutor. I've...been falling behind on my schoolwork," he admitted bashfully, "and I need help to get my grades back up. I asked if you could be my tutor, but he refused."

Anzu cocked her head slightly, "Oh? Why me?"

Mokuba felt his cheeks tingle, but he smiled brightly regardless. "You're my friend, that's why!" He grinned hard. "I know I can trust you, too."

Anzu's heart warmed and she pulled him into a brief hug. "Aw! He likes me!" She teased.

Mokuba blushed profusely at the statement. "N-not like that, though!"

She laughed. "Well, duh." She remarked, pulling back and ruffling his head. He giggled awkwardly as she messed up his hair.

Kaiba scoffed internally. He could not comprehend why Mokuba liked being with the dweeb patrol nor his brother's apparent affection for the reigning female of the troupe. He didn't know what about her made him smile like that or why it seemed so easy for him to connect with her. She was a juxtaposition to everything he was trained to expect and he despised it. But his brother….

The smile and relaxed composure Mokuba had when interacting with her wasn't something he saw anywhere else. Not often with himself either considering recent events. He thought back to earlier this morning when they had the conversation about his preferences for a tutor and he realized that Anzu did, in fact, fit his brother's preference. Still, this was Yuugi's cheerleader; he refused to entertain the possibility of her stepping on to his property.

"We're done here." He said abruptly, catching the attention of the pair before him. "We're leaving Mokuba."

Mokuba's face fell. "Okay, big brother." He walked passed Anzu. "Sorry for the confusion, Anzu." He said as he approached his brother.

Anzu put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Wait, wouldn't you like my answer?"

Mokuba turned to her, but Kaiba interjected. "You have no answer because there is no offer." He removed her hand from his brother's shoulder and took his place between his brother and her. "Do not act so familiar with my brother, Mazaki. Know your place."

Anzu glared at her house guest. "Excuse me? Are you telling me that we can't be friends?"

Uh-oh…. Mokuba thought, feeling the tension between them grow thicker. "Big brother-"

"Wait a moment, Mokuba. You said your piece, now I'll say mine. After all, it would be 'disrespectful' to not answer her question." He said spitefully, not breaking eye contact with the woman before him.

Anzu glowered at him, then smirked. "Oh? Well, in that case, would you do me the honor of stepping outside with me? I feel as if this conversation should be had outside of my home."

He grasped the meaning. "Is that how you want to play this?"

"Would you rather I disrespect my mother," she challenged. "If so, by all means, let's stay inside so you can enjoy a one sided conversation as if you were at your company."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know," She said, casually shrugging her shoulders and playing with her hair. "Just the typical demanding overbearing boss with no sense of appreciation berating an employee for putting too much sugar in his coffee trope." Her nonchalant demeanor grated against his already strained self-control. She smirked when she saw the increased agitation in his eyes. She lowered her voice to add an edge of willfulness, "I'm sure that fits on you like a second skin."

Mokuba jumped back when he heard his brother audibly growled at her. He then flinched when he saw him grab her wrist, dragged her towards the entryway, and shove her onto the porch with a powerful slam right behind them. The hell? He followed after them, but the angry shouts prevented him from opening the door. He hadn't seen his brother that angry in a very long time. He had done months of self-reflection since they bid farewell to Atem and has, in fact, become a much better person and CEO since. It was unfair for Anzu to assume that his brother was so harsh and unfair to his employees.

He still fired a bunch of employees without valid reasoning, his subconscious pointed out.

Mokuba sighed, Okay, so he isn't perfect, but he's still much better than before! He argued back with himself. No matter what anybody said, his brother was a MUCH better person than people gave him credit for.

A light went off inside his head just then and a bright smile lit up his face. That's it! Before he could think it through entirely, Mokuba threw open Anzu's front door where the blue eyed brunettes were both red in the face with abject outrage.

"You're wrong!" He shouted, interrupting their tireless tirades.

They were both panting and flushed, but his presence stopped them in their tracks. "What?" asked Anzu, between gasps.

Kaiba's gaze held his brother with an intensity that almost made Mokuba flinch but he held his ground. "Mokuba, how many times have I taught you not to interrupt?"

Mokuba sighed internally, but kept his back straight with resolve. "I apologize big brother, but I had to say my piece."

"It was because you said your piece that we are even out here." His brother retorted with that natural snip that made his competitors cower.

Mokuba fought to roll his eyes while Anzu glared daggers at Kaiba. If looks could kill right now….

Mokuba cleared his throat. "There is more to my piece." He simply stated.

The calm, collected tone of his brother surprised him. He sounded much like a business owner prepared to propose a plan with great promise of profit. It piqued his interest and although he was still quite furious with the situation itself, he wanted to see what his brother had in mind.

He exhaled and slid his hands into his pockets, ready to hear out his brother's proposition.

Anzu eyed Kaiba's gestures, appraising his willingness to listen to his brother now. It surprised her and irritated her even more that he didn't show this kind of consideration to him before. She wanted to keep digging in to him, but Mokuba had more to say, so she would quietly listen.

She cleared her throat and turned her attention to the young teenager standing in her doorway. "Go on." She encouraged.

Mokuba smiled, glad that they were both willing to listen to him. "As I said," he began, "you're wrong," his voice trailed off before locking eyes with sky blue irises, "Anzu."

That caught both brunettes by surprise, one pleasantly and the other shockingly. "About what?" She asked, a little too stunned to hear what she said was wrong somewhere between her living room and the porch.

Mokuba nodded, "About my brother."

Anzu scoffed and folded her arms across her chest indignantly. "Somehow I doubt that."

"Don't be so full of yourself, Mazaki." Kaiba retorted with a smug expression on his face, looking down his nose at her.

Anzu clenched her teeth. "Don't be such a pr-"

"He's changed, you know." Mokuba interjected, drawing their attention again.

Anzu cocked an eyebrow, "Changed? From what? From a billionaire to a millionaire?" She jeered. Kaiba's glare was steely cold at her remark.

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "No. As in, he's a much better person than you think he is."

Anzu squirmed uncomfortably and Kaiba felt a twinge of awkwardness at his brother's remarks, but smirked at the site of his opponent's discomfort.

Meanwhile, Anzu felt much like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar - guilty and embarrassed. "It's… it's not that I think he's a bad person…" she trailed off meekly as she grasped one of her arms securely. "He's just…." She trailed off again.

The Kaiba brothers waited in silence for her to continue, but she remained quiet. "'He's just' what?" asked Mokuba.

She chewed on her lip as she felt her insides twist and churn as they stared at her. She was not comfortable with this and just wanted them to leave. So, she sighed and said with a huff, "I don't know if you're old enough for the terms I want to use to describe him. So let me just sum up with this, I don't like him."

Her opinion of him really didn't bother him much, but he still scowled at her. "How mature, Mazaki."

She returned his scowl with one of her own. "Oh yeah, like you are MUCH better!"

"At least I have valid reasons for disliking you."

"And who's to say that my reasons are not!"

"For the simple fact that you cannot provide any!"

"I have reasons! I simply prefer NOT to say! Or is free agency an unfamiliar concept to you?"

"Stop!" cried Mokuba. He was losing them both to their own pride and he had to speak now before they were completely gone. "Whether you like my brother or not, Anzu, doesn't change the fact that he has changed. For the better. You just haven't seen it." He sighed as they regarded him. "And I think you need to."

Kaiba knew exactly where this was going. "Mokuba-"

"No big brother, I think this needs to happen. It's likely that Anzu's opinion of you is the same as the public's. After all, she is one of your peers."

Kaiba scowled. "I have no care for what the public thinks of me."

Mokuba looked at him incredulously. "You wanted to avoid being related to the incident at the high school because you didn't want the media to connect your name with it! If that's not caring what the public thinks I don't know what is!"

Kaiba scoffed, "My personal image and the image of the company is different."

Mokbau shook his head. "It's not and you know it. Your face is synonymous with the company's branding and everyone knows it. When they say 'Kaiba' it's you they think of along with the KC logo. You have made KaibaCorp. into what it is today. It is strictly not possible to differentiate the two." Mokuba crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke. "If one of your peers sees you as an unpleasant stereotypical boss then imagine what the public thinks of you and how that affects your partners and competitors. Especially in light of recent events." He said, vaguely referring to the firing spree that occurred.

Kaiba's frown settled firmly on his face, but he didn't argue back. His brother had a point. A strong point. If the news of his frivolous termination scandal reached the public it would hurt his company's image in the worst way since it stemmed from and impacted his personal life. It hadn't hit the media yet thanks to the non-disclosure agreements all of his employees sign prior to employment; but there was a chance that a supremely disgruntled former employee would anonymously feed it to a tabloid. And rumors, even from questionable sources, were enough to plant the seeds of doubt in his industry. He couldn't afford that - now or ever.

And so, he silently mulled over the pros and cons of his brother's suggestion.

Meanwhile, Anzu stood there quietly. She didn't think Mokuba was challenging his brother, but was showing him a different point of view. It was a clever idea, though she felt that she shouldn't be lumped in with the public's view of the young CEO. After all, she was responsible for monitoring their daily lives so she saw far more than they could possibly know. The public didn't have that input. They didn't know about his temper or see how harsh his outbursts were. They couldn't fathom the countless hours of meticulous obsession over strategy and planning he invested to birth new technology. They didn't see his arrogance, or his workaholic tendencies, or his prideful nature, or his breathtaking tenacity, or his steadfast gaze when he woke up first thing in the morning- Where the hell was that thought going?!

The point was, she wasn't an accurate representation of the public. But it wasn't like she could share that because of the stupid-

"Your assignment grants you permission to enter Kaiba grounds - but YOU are going to have to find a way on there yourself."

She nearly physically smacked herself as Higurashi's words came back to her. Here it was, her entry into the Kaiba mansion, lying on a silver platter with Tutor written on the nameplate. And here she thought she was so smart. She groaned.

A little too audibly it seemed.

"You okay, Anzu?" asked the younger Kaiba.

"Do you often make such irritating noises?" said the older one.

She huffed out, then smirked. "Only around you. What can I say, you're just soooo irritating." She said with sweet malevolence.

Kaiba clenched his teeth at her. "Mokuba, I believe your sample size is too small. There is no way this aggravating cheerleader is a proper representation of the public's opinion."

Mokuba took a moment to consider this before responding, "You're probably right. But she does have an influence over them."

"I have what now?" She asked, stunned.

Mokuba smirked. "Thanks to today, you are currently on the forefront of the media's mind."

Anzu frowned outwardly, but smirked inwardly. Clever, Mokuba. "Just what are you suggesting Mokuba? That I play damsel in distress and have your brother 'save me' from my sob story by offering me a job as a live-in tutor at his mansion?"

Mokuba nodded. "Exactly."

Kaiba disagreed. "That's too much of an obvious plot. As soon as the media learns that it was your aunt who attacked you they will spin it as if it was staged and the backlash will be a nightmare."

"Not with Anzu's statement about her psychotic aunt tracking her down and attacking her after she tried to settle things peacefully." Mokuba countered. "The tabloids will try to spin things, of course, but the headlines will still read that you came to her aid when she was in trouble."

Kaiba's brow furrowed. "I do not desire them to paint in the light of a hero."

"Aw, why not, Kaibaman?" She poked with a cheeky grin.

Kaiba shot her a look that told her shut up, but didn't say anything in response.

Mokuba, on the other hand, did his best to repress his amused snicker. He covered it up by clearing his throat, but the humor in his eyes couldn't be hidden. "A-anyway," he continued, "being spun as a hero may not be such a bad thing right now. You mentioned something was happening with the company and this might be a good way to shift the direct exposure from that to your good deed."

Anzu picked up curiously on the reference, but paid it no heed. It wasn't her responsibility to get into the inner workings of the business. That was a different division within the KCSP and most of the elite operatives were stationed there. Afterall, it was more public than the mansion so the chances of abduction and ambushes were much higher.

But this whole damsel in distress thing didn't exactly sit well with her either. She was all for doing what she had to do in order to get on the Kaiba grounds, but she practically grimaced at the method. "Would it be possible to spin it as me not being a damsel? Once they hear that I defended myself they may investigate my background and find out about my martial arts training. It would probably put a negative spin on you both because I was able to handle the situation. After all, the reality is that you two were caught up in my problem."

"Don't be so naive, Mazaki. The media is going to spin it in any light that will give them the highest readers - no one is exempt from that. Not even myself." Kaiba sneered, but not as harshly as she expected him to.

Still, she frowned in his direction. "So, what, then? Either you save me from my psycho aunt and I become the charity project of the year or I get you caught up in my problems and then become the target of every fangirl of yours in school because I put you in danger?"

Kaiba smirked, "Welcome to the public eye, Mazaki."

She scoffed. "Thanks, I hate it."

Mokuba snickered. "He's not wrong, Anzu. That's usually why we try to stay as private as possible. But either way, my brother and I were present during the incident so we're going to be connected to it regardless. We might as well try to spin it as advantageously as possible. And if that means you become a damsel in distress, that means you become a damsel in distress."

Anzu threw her hands in the air. "That hardly seems fair!"

"Fair's are for tourists," Mokuba said, sliding his hands into his pockets feeling a little proud of his remark.

Anzu smirked, "Smooth."

Mokuba cheekily rubbed his finger under his nose. "I try."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Yes, well. Now that you both have that out of your system, do you care to conclude this proposition, Mokuba?"

Mokuba took one more moment to revel in his adroit comment before regrouping. "So here's plan; we hire you as a tutor since you will need a job now that you have to make ends meet on your own. In the meantime, we'll spin it to the media that my brother is 'saving the damsel' from a life of loneliness and hardship. Does this sound plausible for you both."

Anzu huffed as she reviewed the offer. She wasn't ecstatic about the story and neither was she happy at the prospect of seeing Kaiba in person after school, too; but it was her one and only free pass to the Kaiba mansion. Of course, it meant that she would likely have to interact with him more often, but she already had to find a way to make that happen due to their stupid "marriage" assisgnment. At least now she didn't have to go out of her way to make it happen. That only reduced the pain of it by maybe one percent, though. She really wanted to simply rely on the information she gathered over her years of surveillance of him, but if she did that again he would likely file an official accusation of her stalking him and further complicate her already screwed up life.

She rubbed her temples to relieve the building tension headache she felt coming on. She had much to consider after this, too. Such as reporting to the KSCP, then packing, then updating her brand new handler, then familiarizing herself with the layout of the mansion, then making a study plan for Mokuba- Yes, she had a lot to do. Maybe Kaiba has some extra painkillers he's willing to share? She thought briefly. Then immediately followed up with, Doubtful.

She sighed and found herself absentmindedly glancing over to the teenage CEO, who seemed to be reviewing the offer in his own head.

In Seto Kaiba's head, he compared the pros and cons of his brother's proposal and found that the cons nearly outweighed the pros. This plan to spin a tale of a knight saving a maiden from distress was a popular fairy tale trope and the positive publicity would help insulate against the firing spree scandal and the looming creeping tender that was sure to hit the media sooner or later; they were advantageous. And the bonus was that his brother would have the tutor he asked for. Those were the pros.

The cons: living with Mazaki for an undetermined amount of time.

Again, he did not want her on his property, in his home, eating his food, breathing his air. She was best regarded as every other female - with a ten foot pole adorned with spikes.

He didn't hate the woman, but she was just that - a woman. He didn't dislike females, but they were so conniving and only desired him because of his wealth, status, and appearance. They were annoying airheads who couldn't tell the difference between an atom and a molecule.

And being the annoying friendship cheerleader that she was, he simply couldn't stand her presence.

If this was the price he had to pay in order to spin this in his favor he needed an amendment to this proposal. He could only stand her for so long.

"I can accept this on one condition." He said.

Mokuba felt his chest tighten as a reaction to his brother's announcement. "Yes, big brother?" He asked with slight hesitation.

Anzu looked on, wondering what he would say.

She didn't have to wait. "She can stay for a month. After that, she's on her own though I will expect her to tutor you regularly."

Mokuba gulped as Anzu bristled. "Excuse you, I have a name and it isn't 'she'! Please don't talk about me as if I weren't here."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Do not flatter yourself, Mazaki. If you were not here I simply would not talk about you at all."

Anzu nearly growled and bared her teeth at him, but she opted for an irritated huff instead. She glanced at Mokuba meaningfully. Changed, huh?

Mokuba averted his gaze from her and scratched his cheek awkwardly. This is starting to backfire. He cleared his throat as he considered his brother's conditions. His brother always thought about how any presented contract would best benefit him. If there were no substantial benefits to a proposition then he would decline without further deliberation. However, if the benefit was great enough he was willing to negotiate until better terms were agreed upon. That said, the fact that he did not reject the offer was a promising sign.

Still, one month. It was not a lot of time and Mokuba did not know Anzu's needs. He knew he would need a tutor until at least the end of the winter term so he could be prepared for the beginning of the school year, and that was still quite a few months off. He understood his brother's stark lack of social skills and being so hesitant around people his own age outside of school or competitions put him on edge. And these two weren't compatible with each other….

But Mokuba would be damned if he didn't fight for this. "Three months." He countered.

Kaiba rejected it. "One month."

Mokuba grimaced but pressed again for more time. "Two months."

"One month, Mokuba. Or I reject this deal right now."

"Come on, big brother! She is going to at least need the time to sort out her housing situation!" Mokuba whined unintentionally.

"That is her problem to deal with. Not mine. I will not house a freeloader for more than one month. She is out after thirty days." He said with a tone of finality.

Anzu's eye twitched. "You're doing it again. And I am not a freeloader! I will pay for my stay and everything that I use. I would hate to be indebted to you anyway!"

Kaiba glared at her. "I have no use for your money, Mazaki. You merely need to be out of my home at the end of your thirty days and never set foot in my mansion without an appointment afterwards."

Anzu let out an exasperated growl, "Fine! I would hate to spend more time with you than I already have to." She marched up to Mokuba and held out her hand to him. "I agree to these terms. I'll be your live-in tutor for thirty days under this damsel facade. In that time I will have my housing situation figured out."

Mokuba looked down at her hand tentatively. This isn't how it was supposed to go, he thought. Still, he took her hand and shook on it. "Okay," he said, smiling sadly.

Anzu nodded, the edge in her jaw relaxing slightly and she leaned in to him. "Thank you for trying," she whispered sincerely. She appreciated his effort for her but she too could only stand being in close proximity to Kaiba for so long. Thirty days sounded perfect for her in that regard; maybe even too long.

On the other hand, she was assigned the role of caregiver to Mokuba from the ORG so it was going to be difficult getting the logistics of it all straight after those thirty days are up. But she would cross that bridge when she came to it. She had too much to worry about now.

She turned around and placed her hands on her hips as she glared at Kaiba with all the contempt of a sassy cat. "There, I've made the agreement with Mokuba. I'll be out in thirty days starting today. Now, if you don't mind, I have some much needed packing I need to do before I arrange for a ride." She turned her back on him and walked inside, gently moving Mokuba out of her entryway and onto her porch. "I will see you both soon." She threw one last glare at Kaiba before slamming her door shut followed by an audible click.

Mokuba sighed and stepped off of her porch as his brother scoffed and returned to their limo. Once they closed the door behind them the car pulled smoothly onto the road and began heading back to the Kaiba mansion.

To say he was disappointed was an understatement, but he supposed it could have been worse. After all, his brother was willing to negotiate with him despite being vehemently against Anzu setting foot on within in the mansion. That alone was a shocking turn of events, but he knew it was mainly due to the benefits of positive publicity. It was sure to help when his indiscriminate firing spree and the other news regarding the company hit the media.

Still, the main reason why he even suggested this was to prove to Anzu that his brother had changed (even if it was simply an excuse to get his brother to hire her). Though, judging by the hostility they regarded each other with he wouldn't be surprised if Anzu merely thought he was being an optimistically defensive younger brother. Which, in most cases, she would be right, but not about this.

His brother had changed. And he wanted the world to see it.