Chapter 12

Creepy and Uncomfortable

Seto finished sending the last report before his alarm to get ready went off. He stood up and stretched. Now that Inu was doing his part, it felt like he had more time to himself. Not that he would ever admit that the obnoxious girl's instance had proved useful. His phone rang, and he answered it.

"Hey, Nii-san, make any—"

Seto hung up on his brother before Mokuba could say anything more. He stood there and took a deep breath. His brother called again, and he picked up.

"That wasn't nice," Mokuba's tone was pouty.

Seto growled. "If you don't have anything to report then don't call me."

There was a loud huff on the other end. "At this rate you're never going to get friends, let alone a girlfriend."

"I have a girlfriend and I don't need friends," Seto snapped.

There was silence, then Seto had to pull the phone away as Mokuba practically screamed at him. "You have a girlfriend?!"

"I don't appreciate that tone, or you deafening me." Seto rubbed his ear and switched the phone to the other ear.

"Since when did you get a girlfriend, do I know her, is it someone in that city, what's she like, is she pretty, how long have you dated, have you kissed yet, have you—"

Seto interrupted his spree of questions, "Mokuba, shut up. None of that matters, it's all a farce."

"A farce?"

He explained about Sakurai and how he ended up pretending to date her so he could get her brother's help. While he explained he worked on making his lunch for school. When he finished his explanation, he heard his little brother let out a disappointed sigh.

"That's what you meant? Greif, at this rate you'll die a bachelor."

He could almost imagine Mokuba's frown right now. "I have no interest in dating or making nice with any of these plebeians in this city."

His brother let out a loud sigh. "Ok, whatever. So, the reason I called. Did you let Inu-san take over the academy project? He's asking for permission to access some files. I thought that was suspicious, so I wanted to double check."

"I had him take it over for now. I didn't have the time to do everything. Go ahead and give him clearance to the files, so far it seems like he can handle it." Seto had finished making his omelet rolls and side dishes and was packing them into his bento while he talked.

"Really? You actually gave him the project? But you never trust anyone with your projects…"

Seto sighed. "I needed to focus on this one right now. Designing a product from scratch should really be a year-long process, but I need to pull it off in the next two-and-a-half months."

"Hmmm, you willingly came to this decision on your own?" Mokuba's tone hinted he felt there was something more.

"No. I would have kept working on both if Sakurai-san hadn't made it a part of our contract." Seto rubbed his eyes. "If that's all, then I've got to get to school since that's annoyingly a part of the contract, too."

"Wait, you gave in to someone else's demands and you're willingly going to school! Who is this girl? Can I meet—"

Seto hung up on his little brother and groaned. He put his bento in his bag and headed to school. When he got there Sakurai's friend was waiting outside the classroom again. He really wasn't in the mood for a confrontation right now. There were still some reports for tomorrow that he needed to finish up. When she turned to him though, she didn't look at him harshly like before. She seemed worried.

"Have you seen Ana? She's normally here by now and I can't get ahold of her." Sanae fidgeted.

I really don't have time for this. Seto tried to ignore her and walk around her, but she planted herself in front of him and glared up at him.

"You two walked home together yesterday. Did you do something to her?" The girl's eyes were burning fire.

Seto ticked his tongue. Why does everyone assume that I want to do anything to her? I know I'm an ass, but do I look like a pervert too?

"I didn't do anything to her. She's probably at her home, still knocked out from a fever. Why don't you call her obnoxious brother and ask?" He glared down at her and she seemed to falter though more to his statement than his glare.

"Knocked out? A fever? What happened—"

Seto shoved past her and into the classroom to take his seat. She followed him and took hers, glaring at him. She only looked away to text something on her cell phone. Goda enter the classroom, everyone quieted down, and he took roll.

When he got to Sakurai's name he paused. "Ah, Sakurai-san's out with a cold."

Sanae shot Seto a glance, but he ignored her already working on the reports. The rest of the day was normal; he worked on his reports the entire day and through lunch. Thankfully, the redhead didn't approach him today. Maybe the message had finally gotten through his thick skull that Seto didn't give a frick about making nice with anyone. When the last bell rang, he stood up to go, but Goda had returned at the end of their last class and called out to him. Ugh, do I have to help with tutoring already? No! Not today, I'm finally ahead on some reports. If I can get them done, then I can devote all of tomorrow to the blueprints.

Goda didn't let him leave though, he stepped in front of him smiling and holding some papers. "Kaiba-san, can you bring these handouts to Sakurai-san?"

"Wha?" Seto stared at him, baffled. "Why me?"

Sanae quickly rushed up when she heard what they were talking about. "Sensei, I can take those to her. I was going to visit her and see how she was."

"What are you talking about, Watanabe-san? You have a big swim meet coming up soon. Get to practice." Goda shooed her away.

As she was leaving, she turned around and behind the teacher's back pointed two fingers at her eyes, then at him. What the frick? The girl turned and left, leaving Seto to deal with Goda.

"I have work to do, I don't have time—" Seto tried to refuse, but Goda shoved the papers into his arms.

"You work all day during class. That's not healthy. Her house isn't far from yours, just think of it like a break. Ah, her house is—" Goda tried to tell him the address.

Seto snapped, interrupting him. "Don't bother, I know where it's at."

Goda gave him a crooked smile. "You do? Why's that?"

Seto didn't bother to answer and sidestepped around the teacher. He left as quickly as he could. I don't have time for this! Screw this, I'm going home to work. He paused in this thought process and realized that if he didn't deliver the papers, then Goda might reconsider letting him skip out on his classes. He groaned and hurried toward Sakurai's house. When he reached the well kept modern traditional house, he quickly walked up to the door and rang the bell.

A slender young woman, with bright red lips and brown hair in a pixy cut, opened the door. The woman scanned him with her eyes and gave him a half smile with those plump red lips. Immediately, a cold sweat broke out on his back as he recognized that look. He shoved the papers at her, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

"Sakurai-san's handouts." He felt his shoulders tensing.

The young woman looked at the papers, but didn't take them right away. Instead, she lowered her eyes and touched her lips. "Are you one of Ana's classmates?"

"I'm her boyfriend," he blurted out.

Why that was the first thing out of his mouth he wasn't sure, but the look of shock and surprise on the lady's face felt satisfying. Huh, maybe this fake dating is more useful than I thought. I might be able to contract someone when I go back to Domino City. Maybe it will help cut down on these annoying advances. The young lady's mouth twitched as she looked at him again, a little closer this time.

"You're Ana's boyfriend? Since when?" She didn't seem to believe that it was possible.

"A few days ago, can you take the handouts now? I have to—"

"Kaiba-san, what a pleasant surprise."

He wanted to groan internally. Looking behind the young woman, he saw Sakurai's mother coming down the entrance hall to greet him. Last time he'd been to out of it at the dinner, but now that he was more focused, he noticed that Sakurai looked a lot like her mother. Both had the same colored hair and the same mischievous smile. He hated her presence already.

"Kaiba… Kaiba Seto!" The young woman shouted in surprise. "You're dating Ana?"

The implication in her voice irritated him greatly. Sakurai's mother's eyes opened wide when she heard, but she quickly returned to her political demeanor and her eyes shone as she inspected him. He knew that look too and wanted to leave quickly.

"Her handout's." Seto tried to hand them to the mother, but she didn't take them either.

Sakurai's mother grinned at him. "You brought those for her. How wonderful, come on in. She should be up, so you can give them to her."

"Wha-no, I—"

The woman grabbed his arm and pulled him in before he could refuse. She glanced at the young lady. "Oh, this is my oldest daughter Aiko, she's a freshman in college this year."

The introduction had seemed like an afterthought to her and she quickly pulled Seto along and up the stairs. He wanted to shake her off, but after claiming to be Sakurai's boyfriend, if he insulted her mother, the facade might fall apart. She gave a quick rap on a sleek-looking oak door and he heard Sakurai shout come in from inside. Her mother confidently opened the door and pulled him in.

The room was surprisingly girly, there were pictures on the walls of fields of flowers and a polished oak vanity. Sakurai was sitting in bed reading. When she looked up and saw him her mouth fell open.

"Your boyfriend came to visit and bring you your handouts. Isn't that lovely?" Her mother grinned, finally releasing him.

Sakurai's mouth tightened as she looked at her mother. "Yes, that's very nice."

The woman looked almost triumphant. "I'll bring some snacks, take your time."

She left them alone and even closed the door. After her footsteps faded and he was sure she was out of earshot, he turned to Sakurai and said, "I hate your family."

"Good, because you'll never be a part of it. Why did you tell my mother we were dating, Amin-chan?" She put down her book and rubbed her eyes.

"I didn't tell her. I told your sister. Your mother just overheard." He sat down in the chair at the vanity, feeling that if he left now, then it would just be more suspicious.

"Why did you tell my sister," She glared at him through her fingers.

Seto sighed, he was getting a headache. "Because she was creeping me out."

Ana put her hands down and looked at him, confused. "Creeping you out? And telling her you were my boyfriend was your solution? What exactly was she doing?"

"She was…" He paused, unsure what the right word for it was. "Trying to be nice in a sexual way."

Ana's eyes widened, then she turned her head from him. Her shoulders were shaking.

"What? What did I say? That's what she was doing." Seto didn't like her reaction. He felt more annoyed.

She finally couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing. "You-you mean she flirted with you. That's why you found her creepy?"

"Yes," he hissed at her.

She was laughing so hard she started to cry. "Wh-why would someone flirting with you creep you out? You're so weird, Amin-chan."

There was a knock at the door and Ana quickly wiped away the tears. "Come in."

Her mother reentered holding a stand-up tray with some tea and cookies on it. She looked at Ana and paused. "Is something wrong, dear?"

"N-no," Ana managed through a fit of giggles. "Nothing's wrong."

Her mother smiled mischievously and glanced at Seto; he didn't like this at all. She placed the tray on the end of Ana's bed and left them alone, smirking on the way out. Once she was gone, Ana looked at him then burst out laughing again. He could feel his ears getting warm. What was this odd feeling? It felt like he was being made fun of, but he didn't find this a laughing matter.

"Amin-chan, if you find people flirting with you creepy then you're going to end up alone for the rest of your life." Ana reached for a cup of the tea and a cookie.

"You and Mokuba can take your opinions and shove it." He growled at her.

She laughed again. "You have an eleven-year-old worrying about your future. Well, if you find flirting creepy, I can see why he would worry. Why do you think flirting is creepy?"

"Because older women who made advances toward me when I was younger have made it creepy." He froze, he hadn't meant to say that, but she'd riled him up and he'd let something annoying slip.

She stopped eating her cookie mid-bite, and the look she was giving him was one of sorrow and panic. Her look of pity pissed him off more than anything.

"Don't pity me." He growled.

She dropped the half-eaten cookie back onto the plate and sighed. "I wasn't."

"You were."

"No, Amin-chan. I wasn't. Don't mistake sympathy for pity." She rubbed her eyes, looking tired.

He let out a snort. "Sympathy is just a fancy way to say pity."

"Fine then, empathy to a point." She looked up at him, her mouth pulled tight and she looked exhausted.

He should leave it at that and leave, but his curiosity got the better of him. "What do you mean?"

She paused a moment and placed a finger on her lips while she thought. "Do you know much about how my family's succession works?"

"I don't give a frick."

She sighed and continued, "The one who inherits the dojo becomes the next family head. To inherit the dojo, you have to be able to perform our dojo's secret techniques. Meaning, my Grandpa chooses who becomes the heir by teaching them those techniques. He started teaching me Judo a couple years ago, not because I'll be the successor, but because of a different reason."

"What does that have too—" He cut himself off when he saw the look on her face and let her finish. She looked back at the tray as she spoke.

"I'm the only one he's decided to teach, so most people think I'm going to be the heir. That's… made for some very uncomfortable encounters with greedy older men. Except, my family cuts those people out of our lives and if need be drives them out of the city. I'm guessing Gozaburo didn't do that for you. So, yes, it's empathy to a point, which is why I called it sympathy, but don't mistake it for pity. I don't find you a pitiful person." Ana's eyes were gentle when she looked at him this time and he felt his heart skip a beat.

He didn't like it. This talk made him feel weird and uncomfortable. Not in the same way as when those women made advances toward him, but he felt vulnerable all the same. Standing up, he plopped the handouts in her lap and headed for the door.

"Amin-chan, wait a second, we need to talk about business."

Turning back to her, he leaned against the door and crossed his arms. "What is it? I need to get back to work."

"Two things. Firstly, I didn't tell my family except Hikari that we were dating."

"Yeah, I got that after I saw your sister and mothers' reaction. If I'd known you were keeping it from them, then I wouldn't have said anything." He growled. "So, that's on you."

"Shut up Amin-chan, I know that. Anyway, it's fine if those two know, but if it gets to my Grandpa, he'll want to meet with you. He'll decide quickly that he hates your guts and it will end right there because he holds the ultimate decision in my family on these things. So, try to avoid telling any more of my family members at all possible. Mother will keep it a secret and put a gag order on my sister." Ana explained.

"Why would she do that?" Seto tilted his head, confused. He wanted to leave.

"Because she had her meddlesome face on. Apparently, she thinks you're a good catch." Ana put her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag.

"The feeling is mutual, so what's the second thing."

Ana smiled at him, her eyes flashing excitedly. "Hikari's agreed to help you. Apparently, after collapsing and you taking care of me, he seems to think I actually like you, so he'll want you gone as quickly as possible. If you go to visit him at the university during Goda's class tomorrow, you can get started on the project."

That was good and welcomed news. He nodded and turned to reach for the door handle.

"Oh, one more thing."

He groaned and looked back at her; she gave him a genuine smile, which made him feel uncomfortable again. "I'm sure Goda-sensei pushed you into bringing them, but thanks for dropping off the handouts."

"Sure, whatever. Don't make me do it again, it interrupts work."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Amin-chan."

He nodded and quickly left. When he reached the bottom floor, he found her mother practically waiting for him.

"Oh, leaving already?" She tilted her head and smiled.

Seto bowed to her. "I have work, so I need to go."

"Oh, of course. Feel free to drop by again."

He put on a business smile and left. As if that's going to happen.