Mokuba took a sip of his drink and almost choked when he saw Seto walk into the kitchen, hand-in-hand with a pretty guy with spiky hair and angular amethyst eyes.
The cat's angular amethyst eyes.

He coughed, gasping for air, and Kaiba let go of Yami's hand and hurried over to pat his brother on the back.

"Slow down, or you'll drown yourself while drinking that," Kaiba growled, pushing the glass of juice away from his little brother's elbow.

Mokuba nodded, his eyes watering when the spiky-haired man looked right at him, his violet eyes burning holes through his skin. H-He looked exactly like Mr. Kitty!

The M-shaped markings on the cat's forehead even looked like the spiky bangs sprouting from his head.

"This is my friend," Kaiba said, enunciating carefully, hoping Mokuba wouldn't throw a tantrum after being introduced to another one of his dates. "His name is Yami, and the cat belongs to him. Yami, this is my brother, Mokuba. Get along."

"Okay, Yami," Mokuba reached for his drink and glared heatedly at the stranger. "What's your cat's name?"

"His name is…" Yami floundered, his mouth going dry when he realized he hadn't thought of one. This would be his name permanently, for as long as these humans were alive…and he had already exhausted a variety of names, ranging from Spots to Chairman Meow.
Children in the past were not great at naming him, but they were creative, he had to give them that.

"Is his name also Yami?" Mokuba asked perceptively, noticing Kaiba's eyes narrow threateningly at him. "What, Seto? He doesn't know his own cat's name!"

Kaiba folded his arms across his chest and shot Yami a nervous glance. Yes, that was strange. Why was this man taking so long to answer a simple question?

"What do you want to name him?" Yami asked heatedly, his blood pressure rising when he realized the boy had probably discovered he was indeed the cat. "He will respond to any name. He's well-trained."

"Yeah, 'cuz he's you," Mokuba shot back, the hair raising on his arms when he saw Yami's expression darken. "Tell us his name or I'm gonna call him Mr. Poo-Poo Head forever."

"Seriously, kid, come on, be nice to him," Kaiba drummed his fingers impatiently on the marble counter, hating how Mokuba was immediately hostile towards the stranger.
He had a feeling maybe Mokuba was contributing to his singleness.

If his own personality didn't scare his dates away after a couple months, Mokuba's behavior usually did the trick.

"Mr. Poo-Poo Head, really?" Yami smiled, reminding himself to keep his fangs hidden. "Are you sure that's what you want to call him? He might not answer to that."

"No, dummy, I'm asking you what his name is," Mokuba replied nastily, and Yami nodded, saying the first name that came to his mind. "Very well. His name is Atem."

He bit his lower lip nervously, wondering why he had given that information away so readily.

"Still a weird name, but I'll take it," Mokuba said, easing up instantly and flashing Yami a grin. "You look like your cat."

Kaiba felt himself sweat and was relieved when Yami took this comment in stride.

"All owners are reflected in our pets somehow, right?" Yami smiled again, willing himself to calm down. "He likes to eat grilled fish and he is litter trained."

"I know," Mokuba answered arrogantly. "He nodded at me when I told him to use the doggy door."

"Sure he did," Kaiba rolled his eyes and ruffled Mokuba's hair with more force than usual. "Stop talking, kid, you're starting to sound crazy."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and shoved a spoonful of rice in his mouth, keeping his gaze nailed on Yami's slender form. He wasn't crazy. This guy looked exactly like the cat.
Now all he had to do was prove it to Seto, and Seto would believe him.

Seto will believe me, I'll get a picture, Mokuba thought furiously, taking another sip and setting the glass down with a clink.

Yami heard this faint thought, and chills ran up his spine. With a full stomach came full strength, and along with that, came all his powers.
He had inadvertently heard the child's thoughts.

Glancing at the older Kaiba, Yami saw him prepping a pot of coffee, so he jumped at the chance to befriend the child.

"Mokuba…" Yami said lightly, circling the counter and taking a seat beside him. "Can we be friends? My cat will be nice to you too if you're my friend."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and stared into Yami's face. "Sure, we can be friends…" his voice faltered uncharacteristically when Yami's eyes gave off a strange gleam, and he suddenly felt very sleepy.

"You're already very nice to the cat, I know," Yami continued gently, seeing the child's eyes darken significantly, and he panicked, wondering if he had pushed too hard. "I'm boring compared to the cat, so let's be friends."

"…Friends…" Mokuba nodded slowly, and Kaiba turned around, startled to see Mokuba gazing rapturously into Yami's face, with the spoon hanging loosely from his fingertips.

"Good," Yami leaned back, relieved. "I don't have many friends, so I'm glad you're one of mine."

"Whatever," Mokuba rolled his eyes again and resumed eating.

Kaiba wondered what he had just witnessed. It looked like Yami was charming his little brother with his good looks and a smile. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he fished it out, cursing angrily when he realized he was scheduled to be present in a meeting via phone call.

Yami watched this behavior with interest, noticing two maids entering the room from a door on the other side, wheeling a silver cart.

"Mr. Kaiba—" one of them began, but Kaiba interrupted them rudely before they had a chance to finish.

"Leave the food, I'll eat it later. Yami, feel free to eat without me," he said, already pressing the phone to his ear, answering it. "Kaiba."

Yami opened his mouth to ask a question, but to his dismay, the CEO strode swiftly out of the room. The two maids also disappeared quickly, leaving him alone with the child.

"I'm gonna feed the cat. Bye," Mokuba said, shoving his chair back and rushing out of the kitchen.

Yami sat very still, listening to the ringing silence. What a strange family.

Now that he was alone, he could safely stow his clothes away and turn back into a cat because the child was now undoubtedly looking for him.

He hopped off the stool and entered the garden through a large sliding glass door, pleased to discover his hearing had improved significantly too. The chatter and giggles from the maids on the third floor mingled nicely with the sound of Kaiba's voice on the phone from the fifth floor.

Somewhere, the dog barked loudly, and the sound of a gate latch clinking filled the air.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Yami's senses were nearly assaulted by all the fresh scents around him. The garden was in full bloom and the fragrance of cleaning detergent was heavy.

Footsteps were approaching from around the side of the house, and Yami could smell the dog.

Wrinkling his nose, he walked back up the steps, hearing the manservant cough politely behind him and ask, "may I help you?"

Yami turned around quickly with a smile, jumping at the chance to de-hypnotize the man.

"Yes," he smiled warmly, pushing gently into the man's mind while the dog growled at his heels. "I'll be leaving for a month, and the cat will be staying with you. Please open the windows when the cat asks. Also…may I borrow a drawer? For my spare clothes?"

It was a strange request, but Yami knew the man would comply under hypnosis.

Isono stared heavily at the spiky-haired man standing before him, his mind growing strangely foggy.

"Very well, I can do that," he answered seriously, feeling the dog tug at the leash and circle around his feet, cowering behind him. "I will let Mr. Kaiba know."

"You don't have to tell him," Yami said in a rush, feeling his ears burning at the thought of the handsome CEO randomly finding his clothes in the house. "Give me one of your spare drawers. I'll be no trouble."

"I'll clear one out for you now," Isono said robotically. He bent down to slowly unhook the leash from the dog's collar, and Yami felt himself sweat.

The dog yelped reproachfully and dashed away, disappearing behind the house.

"Don't mind her. She's been behaving strangely since the cat," Isono said, leading Yami into the house, still feeling oddly drowsy. Mr. Kaiba's antics with this stranger were tiring him out.

Yami followed Isono through the house and up the stairs, passing by Kaiba who was coming down the opposite way, fully dressed in a black suit with a dark blue tie.

Yami paused mid-step to stare, his heart skipping several beats as he appreciated the change.

Kaiba brushed past Yami, giving him a brief, heated glance before heading out the door. Mokuba came thundering down the stairs after him, his cheeks red while he gasped for breath.

"S-Seto…I can't find…the cat," the younger Kaiba bent over his knees, fully aware of Yami watching him from the top of the stairs.

"Not my problem," Kaiba bent down to give his brother a quick hug before walking out the door.

Yami clenched his jaw tightly, his cheeks flushed as he met Kaiba's gaze again, and he hurriedly followed Isono into his room, pleased to see that the manservant already had a bottom drawer open and empty for him.

Mokuba raced up the stairs and stood with his arms crossed in the doorway of Isono's room, frowning at Yami, who was bent over an empty drawer.

"Hey, you," he said rudely, addressing Yami. "Let's go find your cat."

"He'll show up whenever he wants," Yami answered vaguely, feeling himself sweat.

"He's hungry," Mokuba protested, grabbing Yami by the hand. He jerked back frantically when his fingertips received a slight shock from the sudden coldness of Yami's skin.

"Well, I need to go to work too," Yami said gently, sensing the child's fear and he quickly tried to excuse himself. "He'll turn up. Just call his name. He likes being outside."

"Where do you work?" Mokuba asked brattily, folding his arms across his chest with a suspicious glare. "How are you going to get there? Seto isn't gonna let you take any of our cars, you weirdo."

"I can fly," Yami replied absently, already halfway out the door. "See you in a month, Mokuba. I'm going out of the country. Please take good care of my cat."

Mokuba's mouth dropped open, and he stared dumbly at the empty space in the doorway where Yami had just been standing. Hastily snapping out of it, he raced after the spiky-haired man, pausing breathlessly at the top of the stairs, sweeping his gaze beneath him, wondering where he'd gone.

That had been unusually quick. Where did he go?
That guy was definitely the cat!

Deciding to test his theory, Mokuba wandered down the hallway towards Seto's room, calling loudly, "Atem! Where are you? Breakfast time!"

Fuck! Yami growled, dropping down on all fours and crawling underneath Seto's bed to complete his transformation. The child was also strong-willed like his brother and had broken through the hypnosis in under a minute.

Spotted hair was poking uncomfortably out from his thighs and arms, and his spine was half-curved. It would be very bad if the child came in and saw him like this.

His joints ached, and his fingernails burned as claws sprouted slowly from the tips. Hissing in pain, Yami paused and took several deep breaths. Full transformations were terrible, especially on a full stomach. Hunger distracted him from the pain, and right now, he didn't have that luxury because footsteps were coming closer and closer.

The door to Isono's room swung open, and Yami hastily backed into the corner, feeling his clothes fall off his body the faster he shrank. Just a bit more…just a bit more….

"Atem!" Mokuba called aimlessly, narrowing his eyes at the half-open door leading into Seto's walk-in closet. He walked towards it slowly and peered inside, seeing a movement behind him out of the corner of his eye.

Gotcha! Mokuba thought triumphantly.

"Atem!" He called again, pretending not to notice the shadow under the bed, and Yami winced when his tail finally came sprouting out through his tailbone.

Damn, this child was smart.

Dizzy with a mixture of pain and anger, Yami shook himself all over and hastily pushed his clothes aside, trying to hide them against the bedpost.

"There you are!"

Yami froze, and tiny hands wrapped tightly around his waist, dragging him out from under the bed.

His pinky claw caught his undershirt, yanking the article out as Mokuba pulled him into a fierce hug, nearly choking the air out of his lungs.

"Atem! Oh…no," Mokuba said gleefully, yanking the black undershirt away from the cat's paw. It was still warm….

Were the rest of Yami's clothes underneath the bed? That was the proof he needed!

Yami frantically kneaded Mokuba's shirt with his claws, and to his dismay, he was flung aside carelessly. Furious, Yami managed to land nimbly on his feet, and he turned to give Mokuba an angry hiss. What was this child's problem?

"I know your secret," Mokuba said coldly, dropping to his knees and peering underneath Seto's bed. "Ah-ha!"

He triumphantly snatched up Yami's discarded clothes, holding them up to the cat with a cold smile.

"I have your clothes now, Yami," he sang evilly, noticing the cat's violet eyes widening slightly at the corners. "If you want them back, you're gonna have to change into a human, right in front of me while I film you."

Horrified, Yami blinked, his chest curling unpleasantly with fear. He was in trouble….

Deciding to play dumb, he sat down on his haunches and began preening himself, trying to stay as nonchalant as possible.
He was now at war with Mokuba.
His suspicions at the kitchen table had been correct.
The child did suspect him of being the cat, and now he had been caught red-handed.

"Oh, okay, fine. Ignore me," Mokuba fumed, rising to his feet and dashing out of the room. "I'm going to hide these so you'll never find them! Walk around naked for all I care."

Yami swallowed thinly and tensed, bounding after Mokuba in a frenzied fury, nearly slipping on the shiny floors as the child raced ahead of him, disappearing down the stairs and along another long hallway.

He glanced around frantically, listening for movement, but there was too much information all around him. A vacuum was whining somewhere on the second floor. The manservant's voice was droning on the phone with someone, and several maids were gossiping in one of the bathrooms.

Mokuba's footsteps were drowned out by all the noise.

Sitting down in the middle of the hallway, Yami waited for Mokuba to come out of a room, any room. He had all the time in the world. He could wait here and explore the house in cat-form to find his clothes.

Mokuba slammed his palm against the digital reader and waited for the closet door to slide silently open before he threw himself into the elevator, making sure the cat wasn't behind him.

The doors slid shut, and he began traveling lower and lower, into Seto's lab. Yami would never find his clothes in here unless he could float through walls. Shapeshifters could only turn into animals…right?

Kneeling on the floor of the elevator, Mokuba hastily folded the clothes and stood when the doors opened again.

Running towards the refrigerator at the back of the room, he threw them into an empty freezer drawer and slammed it shut.
There.
No way in hell Yami would figure out that his clothes were in a secure lab, in a refrigerator.
Seto would also never know.

Breathing a tight sigh of relief, Mokuba headed back into the elevator, determined to expose Yami for the magical being he was.

If he got a video of it and showed it to Seto, maybe Seto could figure out how it was done because there was no such thing as magic. Only science.

Outside in the hallway, Yami flicked his ears back and forth, hearing a high, electronic whine coming from somewhere beneath him, and he narrowed his eyes, wishing he could see through walls.

Footsteps approached him from behind, and he whirled around frantically, seeing the manservant towering over him with a stern look.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked, and Yami glared viciously back at him.

Mokuba came rushing out of Seto's study and scooped the cat up in his arms, looking very pleased with himself.

"Hi Isono," Mokuba said, stroking the top of the cat's head and feeling Yami turn his head, attempting to bite at his fingers. "Stop that, Yami, or I'll drop you."

Incensed, Yami bared his fangs and forced himself to relax into Mokuba's arms.
Goddammit.
This child was akin to demon spawn.
Perhaps he would feed on this child after all, just to teach him a lesson.

"Ah, it was waiting for you," Isono said mildly, turning away when he heard the phone ringing again. "The man named the cat after himself? Very strange."

"Yep," Mokuba answered firmly, and Yami shook his head furiously, resisting the urge to scratch Mokuba's arm.

He was being carried back up the stairs and set down atop a desk.

"Okay, Shapeshifter," Mokuba said firmly, propping his face up in his hands, gazing deeply into the cat's angular amethyst eyes. "Why are you here? What do you want from Seto? Money? Is he cursed? Are you cursed? Can you talk?"

Yami sat down and began to lick himself again, determined to win this game.

"Fine, butthole," Mokuba growled, snatching up his book and a pencil pouch from his desk drawer. "You get to starve until you tell me the truth. Windows and doors are gonna stay closed."

Yami paused in his motions, watching irritably as the child got up to shut the window with a click and walk out the door without another look behind him.

Hopping off the desk, Yami tried to follow, but the door was slammed rudely in his face, almost catching a few of his whiskers in the process.

Hissing angrily, he pawed at the door, yowling loudly. Fuck this child! Why was this child so difficult when all the others were so complacent? What happened to the hypnosis command to be friends? Had it worn off that quickly or was he such a strong-willed child, his mind was difficult to penetrate?

Meowing loudly again, Yami sat back when he heard Isono's footsteps rush through the hallway, and the door opened slowly.

Seeing a gap between a pair of dark slacks, Yami zipped through the opening, his shoulders grazing the door's edge painfully, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to lose this war.
This manservant was still somewhat under his control.

"Wh—Mokuba! Why did you lock the cat in your room with no food, water, or access to a bathroom?" Isono called over the sound of the doorbell ringing, and Yami ran to hide underneath an ornate couch.

Staying in this house with the child was becoming a horribly daunting idea. It was impossible to live peacefully if Mokuba was going to treat him badly until he got what he wanted.

"He can hold it!" Mokuba shouted back, racing to answer the front door.

Yami watched from his place under the couch as a shiny pair of pink shoes stepped inside, and he heard Mokuba speak. "Welcome in, Miss Ao."

"Good morning, Mokuba," the woman said warmly, and Yami took this chance to bolt across the floor, his haunches burning with effort as he dashed right out the front doors and into the bright morning sunlight.

"Oh! Goodness! A cat!"

Yami heard the woman cry out in surprise, but he ignored it, his gaze fixed on the patch of grass just beyond a set of black bars.

"Shit!" Mokuba cried, dropping his books and running after Yami across the white cement, seeing a spotted tail disappear past the black, spiked gates of the property.

"COME BACK HERE!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "YOU BETTER COME BACK, YOU HEAR? I have your clothes! Are you gonna walk around the city naked?!"

"Young master!" Isono yelped, leaping over the steps after Mokuba, wondering what had gotten into the younger Kaiba. "What's wrong?"

"The cat ran out!" Mokuba fumed, pointing at the gate, his ears burning with fury. Yami had tricked Isono into letting him out. Dammit.

"Cats are not like dogs, young master. They like being on their own. Don't worry, he will come back," Isono said gently, leading Mokuba back into the house with a gentle tug on his arm, and Mokuba pouted furiously, dragging his heels across the pavement.

Yami breathed a tight sigh of relief and sat back against the stone wall, gazing up at the bright blue sky. What a handful and a half.
Mokuba Kaiba was a worthy nemesis, one he hadn't had in a long time.

Eyeing the branches of a tree swaying in the wind above his head, Yami wondered if he could muster enough energy to change forms.

Tensing, he felt exhaustion weigh heavily on his shoulders. No. He had no energy left after escaping from Mokuba's clutches. He was only safe with the older Kaiba.

Determined to find the older Kaiba in the city, Yami set off down the thinly paved road at a mellow trot. If he failed to find the older Kaiba, then he wasn't returning to the mansion tonight.

Free meals aside, it wasn't worth living in fear, being terrorized by a small child.


Words were blurring across his screen, and a headache was coming on around his temples.
Kaiba palmed his face tiredly and dared to rest his eyes for a moment.

Not a second later, his peace was shattered when his desk phone rang intrusively.

Growling, he snatched it up and answered it with his eyes still closed.

"What?"

"I have something of yours…" His secretary's voice sounded oddly distant on the phone. "Please come out here and get it…"

Yami blinked and nodded slowly, instructing the woman to hang up the phone.
He had used the last of his strength hypnotizing her.

Hopping off her desk, he curled up in her lap, shaking with exhaustion.

He was dirty from his trek through the city and was weakened by the sun, but he had finally made it into the Kaiba Corporation building. After walking an exhausting three kilometers on his own paws, he had been picked up by a police officer who had fed him convenience store tuna and a small bottle of milk, and it was then that he spotted the silver tower with the KC logo over the policeman's shoulder.

He needed real nourishment, not food.

Good thing his meal was coming to pick him up right now.

Kaiba stormed out of his office and poked his head out the door, shocked to see Yami's cat curled up in his secretary's lap, taking a leisurely nap. What the…fuck?

He had left the cat at home. How did it get here?!
Had Yami followed him to work and dropped it off here?

"Soft…" she said, stroking the cat's head rhythmically, and Kaiba swallowed thinly, striding forward to lift the cat out of her lap.

He tucked the cat under his arm and marched back into his office without another glance behind him, ignoring her questions.

Safely back inside his office, Kaiba leaned against the door and held the cat away at an arm's length, his fingertips itching from the grime in its fur.

"What are you doing here?" he asked incredulously, wrinkling his nose and noticed that the cat's pink paws were black with dirt.

It had…walked here! S-Seriously?!

I'm hungry and tired! Yami thought furiously, now wishing he had saved a bit of his energy so he could communicate with Kaiba, but it was getting harder to breathe, and the room was spinning violently. He was really weak.

"You're filthy," Kaiba said shortly, setting the cat down on the floor by his feet. "I don't know how the fuck you got here, but don't bother me. I have shit to do."

The moment Yami's paws touched the ground, he collapsed weakly on the carpeted floor and meowed pitifully. The older Kaiba was cruel too! How had he managed to find the two most cruel humans in Japan? What happened to the "love" Kaiba supposedly had for him?

"Oh, shit," Kaiba stared dumbfoundedly at the cat lying on its side, watching it breathing shallowly, and he panicked. It was exhausted and looked like it was dying.

Fuck, fuck.

Gathering the limp cat up in his arms, he strode hastily into the bathroom and set it gently in the sink, gently running water across its dirty paws. He had no fucking idea how to take care of a damn cat, but he knew it wasn't supposed to be fucking dirty.

Weren't cats supposed to hate water? He was about to find out.

Yami pried his eyes open, enjoying the sensation of warm water running across his palms, and he leaned his head gratefully against Kaiba's pale forearm, appreciating the quick bath.

Kaiba continued to diligently run water through the cat's spotted fur, sifting his fingers through each tuft and watching the water turn slightly grey before disappearing down the drain.

Yami yawned contentedly and his stomach curled painfully with hunger. Kaiba's hands running up and down the side of his leg felt so good…could he take a bite now?

The pale hand traveled higher and began massaging the dirty patch of fur underneath his chest, and Yami's felt a rush of guilt. Before he could stop himself, he swiped at Kaiba's hand with his claws extended, trying to draw blood, but to his surprise, Kaiba dodged him smoothly and held him down tighter.

Panicking, Yami let out a small cry as his vision faded into green, and then grey.
He was losing color in his world again.
Having only been properly fed twice and using up all the energy both times to shift into a cat, he was extremely weak.

"Stop struggling," Kaiba growled, propping the cat back on its feet as he reached for a hand towel. "Stay still."

Yami wobbled dangerously, hating how his fur was heavy with water. A warm towel enveloped him completely, and he dared himself to relax into Kaiba's grip again.

"And he had the nerve to lie about not having a phone, just to avoid giving me his number," Kaiba hissed to himself, giving the cat another vigorous rub before tossing the soaked towel aside. "Dammit."

Yami eyed the pale wrist hovering inches from his nose, his stomach churning violently with hunger. Mustering up the last of his strength, he lunged forward and bit down into the soft flesh, earning a furious shout from Kaiba.

Sweetness rushed into his mouth and coated his tongue thickly. Yami hastily took a light sip, dizzy with euphoria as his head rushed with relief.

"Fuck!" Kaiba jerked his hand back and glared at the cat. "Fuck you. This is why I prefer dogs."

Yami gazed balefully at Kaiba, trying to apologize with a soft meow, but he was thoroughly ignored.

Kaiba snatched the cat up roughly and set it down on the floor while it was still sopping wet, not caring if it would faint. His hand was throbbing horribly, and a small stream of blood was trickling down his wrist.

Yami watched hungrily as a drop of blood landed on the floor beside Kaiba's shoe, and he licked it up frantically.

Kaiba glanced down and watched the cat with mild disinterest, running his wound under the warm water while searching for disinfectant in the cabinets above.

The cat was probably hungry. He had felt it's stomach growling when he was rubbing the dirt out of its fur.

Sighing irritably, Kaiba hastily wrapped his hand up with a piece of medical tape and marched out of the bathroom.

He stuck his head out of his office door, addressing his secretary, "Hey. Run out and get some cat food."

She turned to him with a blank smile and nodded. Kaiba watched her pick up her purse and walk robotically to the elevator, acting very strange.

Frowning, Kaiba ducked back inside and almost stepped on a spotted tail that was curled right behind his heel.

The cat meowed reproachfully at him, shaking water out of his fur, and Kaiba hissed at the cat with his teeth bared. "What do you want? Leave me alone."

Yami stared up at Kaiba and blinked, wishing the color would return in his vision so he could see the blue in his eyes.

Kaiba grit his teeth and gazed down at the cat, falling into the strange pair of deep amethyst eyes, and he relented. Bending down, he picked up the cat and grabbed the towel from the bathroom to hastily ruffle it dry. It meowed happily in his arms as he walked back to his desk, setting the cat into his lap and giving it a few rough pats on its head.

Yami grew warm all over and turned his head to give Kaiba's thumb a few soft licks, hoping the CEO would forgive him for the bite. He eyed the two red spots of blood on the piece of medical tape on the back of Kaiba's hand and tried to swallow his guilt.

He began to drift off lightly, thankful that his fur was clean, and the gnarling hunger had subsided just enough so it wasn't painful.

Above him, Kaiba hovered his hand over the keyboard, typing slowly with one hand while the other rested atop Yami's head, absentmindedly scratching him behind the ears.
The warmth was comforting, and Kaiba found himself getting sleepy as well.

Leaning back in his chair, Kaiba dared to close his eyes for a moment, enjoying the soft purring filling the silent office.

The door to his office eased open softly, and his secretary stepped inside, carrying a bag full of canned fish and a couple bottles of milk.

She quietly set it down on the marble coffee table, taking in the unusual scene. Kaiba was fast asleep in his chair, with the cat curled up in his lap, it's tail swishing rhythmically beside his leg.

Giggling to herself, she tiptoed out and made sure to lock the door behind her.

The sound of the lock clicking startled Kaiba awake, and he glanced around nervously, noticing that his computer had fallen asleep and a bag of food had been left on the table.

Slowly rising to his feet, he felt the cat jump off his lap and follow him.

Yami gazed up at Kaiba, weak with hunger. Perhaps he could slip out and bite the pretty woman sitting at the front desk. She had been so nice earlier…which meant she might also be nice enough to feed him…

To his dismay, Kaiba pulled out a familiar stack of canned fish and held it out to him.

Turning his head away stubbornly, Yami swished his tail angrily and stamped his paw on the ground. He wasn't hungry for food.

"Are you throwing a tantrum?" Kaiba asked incredulously, giving the canned salmon a tentative sniff before setting it down on the ground. "I can't fucking believe this."

Yami watched Kaiba march back over to his desk and sit down. Dismayed, he followed and hopped up onto his lap, the top of his head grazing the bottom edge of the desk painfully. He let out a reproachful yelp, and Kaiba leaned back in his chair to stare at the cat, wondering why it was so clingy.

Deciding to ignore it further, he went back to his work.

Yami frowned to himself and settled down, tucking his head into the crook of Kaiba's hip and enjoying the sweet musk of his unique scent. This was…quite nice. He had spent so much time with children as a cat, he had forgotten the calmness of an adult.

The phone rang shrilly, and Yami flicked his ears irritably at the noise. If that was going to be happening all day, that would become extremely annoying.

"Mr. Kaiba, Johnson is on line two," his secretary said nervously. "Please be careful. I'm sure they're recording every word you say."

"Got it," Kaiba growled, preparing himself for the worst. The cat's warmth was seeping steadily into his lap, and it was oddly calming.

The line clicked off and switched, then a cocky voice on the other end laughed, "Mr. Kaiba! Long time no talk. I'm inviting you to the opening day of Virtual World. Mr. Pegasus also extends his regards. We hope you will bring little Mokuba too. Don't you two love video games?"

"Pass," Kaiba said tersely, resisting the urge to hang up. "No thanks."

"Oh, I think you'll want to come," Johnson said slyly. "We made a generous donation in your name. The press is expecting you. We've also donated half of the island, turning it into a nature reserve…in your name. If you don't show up, that would look very bad indeed."

Kaiba gripped the phone harder, his fury rising. "Why the hell would you do that?"

Pegasus and his goons were not without motive.
There had to be a reason for all this generosity.
It felt like a set up.

Yami raised his head and listened intently, feeling Kaiba's legs tensing with anger. It was now very uncomfortable, because it felt like he was trying to sleep with two very long iron bars underneath his stomach.

"Because we want to extend the olive branch," Johnson said morosely, sounding very insincere. "We're tired of competing with you when we know we can't win, so come cut the ribbon with us. Our partnership could lead to great things! Otherwise, prepare for an onslaught of questions regarding why you are absent at a function you care so much about."

"Keep my name out of it," Kaiba hissed, feeling a rush of nausea so strong, his vision turned red. "You'll be hearing from my lawyers."

He slammed the phone down and picked it up again, tapping in a number from memory.

Yami winced at all the loud slamming, and he hopped off of Kaiba's lap onto the floor. Maybe there was somewhere he could sleep…undisturbed.

Kaiba felt the warmth leave his lap and he shivered, listening to the rings in his ear.

"Come back here," Kaiba said quietly, swiveling his chair around and patting his lap.

Yami blinked incredulously at Kaiba and hesitated for a moment before he obliged, walking back over to hop up onto his lap.

Digging his claws into the fabric of Kaiba's dark pants, he snuggled down, half-listening to the voices warbling through the phone above him.

"Mr. Kaiba, how may I—"

"One of the Big 5, Johnson, says he made a donation in my name," Kaiba interrupted, absently stroking the cat with his knuckles, forcing himself to breathe slowly. "Sue them. Make it fucking stop. I won't have them slapping my name on something with the backing of millions of dollars without my approval."

There was a long silence on the other end before his lawyer spoke up.

"Is it your money they're putting forth?"

"No," Kaiba seethed. "It's their money, their island, their event. They're just doing it for the public's attention, and to piss me off. Send them a cease and desist. Take my name off the damn island."

Another bout of silence.

"…I don't see a case here, Mr. Kaiba," his lawyer said slowly. "I'll look further into it, but it seems this is an effort to help boost your public image with philanthropy. There is no defamation here. I can ask them to remove your name from the donations, but anyone can make a donation in someone's name, which gives me no basis—"

Kaiba growled angrily and slammed the phone back into its cradle. Fucking useless.

Yami meowed irritably and gazed up at Kaiba, seeing the CEO press his palms into his eyes, looking exhausted.

Rich people problems, Yami thought blithely, rolling over onto his side and pawing at one of Kaiba's buttons.

A pale hand came down and smothered his face playfully, and Yami rolled over onto his back, twisting his head around, attempting to bite at Kaiba's fingers.

He managed to catch one between his teeth, and he flicked his tongue out, tasting a wonderful sweetness. So delicious….

"Stop," Kaiba muttered, pulling his hand away, but the cat seem intent on playing now, twisting this way and that in his lap, trying to nip at his fingers.

Sighing, he snapped his laptop shut and leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the office ceiling. What fucking bullshit.
His work life was trying to screw him over, and his love life was a huge mess.
What was going right in his world right now?

Deciding he was done for the day, he gently set the cat down on the floor and packed up his briefcase, feeling the cat watching his every move.

Yami tilted his head curiously and followed Kaiba to the door, pleased when the door was held open for him.

"You first," Kaiba said tiredly, watching the cat give him a small smile before trotting in front of him.

Shaking his head, Kaiba chalked it up to his own exhaustion. He was seeing things.


Author's note:

mokuba terrorizes yami so much he runs away to spend the day with kaiba, but he realizes that's not a peaceful way to pass the day either. How will he survive?

Pooor yamiiiii and poor kaiba, the big 5 + pegasus is a very real obstacle for him

this chapter was edited by: taedae

please leave me a review of your thoughts! do you like where this story is going? :D

hugs,
Ugli