Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Freak of Nature Documentary ❯ Shower Power, Mating Calls, and the Virtues of Sleeping In ( Chapter 3 )
"It's probably just a stray cat, or something...." Ryou reassured Tea, peering out the window. That solved nothing, of course, as Seto had made sure that he was out of the window's range of sight.
"Nothing out there that I can see." He reported.
"Maybe we should go outside, to be sure." Tea suggested.
"If you really want to." Ryou shrugged, but walked to the door with his friend, stepping outside.
Seto sat up, hearing the pair of footsteps rapidly approaching. Ryou's were light and quick, sneakers scraping quietly against the pavement. Tea's were dainty, almost mincing. The footwork of an aspiring dancer-to-be. Knowing he had little time, and less chance of escaping detection, Kaiba's mind raced for some sort of solution.
First off.... what would he be able to do to get out of their line of sight? Nothing. He couldn't evade them without passing them, so that plan was rendered null and void. Secondly, what could he do to make being here like this plausible? That was what he had to work on....
Wait... he had the excuse right in his hand, didn't he? Seto hastily brushed himself off, and quickly moved to stand by the window, back to both Ryou and Tea as they approached. He took a half step towards them and turned, feigning a slight surprise at seeing them before going back to his expressionless manner.
"...Kaiba?" Ryou asked in consternation, staring at him with a dumbfounded look. "What are you doing here?"
Seto looked at him implacably. "I'm here to see the dog." He hefted the camera in his hand by way of explanation.
"Ohh...." Ryou nodded, chocolate brown eyes lighting up in understanding.
"But what were you doing out here?" Tea asked curiously. "Couldn't you have just knocked?"
Seto leveled an unsettling look at her, just because. He had little patience for being questioned. "I did." He remarked. "But as I apparently went unheard, I decided to see what could be holding your attention so firmly." When lying, tread as close to the truth as possible.... He hadn't really knocked, but he had been looking in to see what they were doing. So it was pretty much the same thing.
"I-I'm sorry." Tea nodded hesitantly, and turned. "Well, everybody's in the living room, so...."
Seto nodded flatly, and brushed past the two. "So, if you would excuse me...." He opened the door, stepping into the living room.
"Aw, man...." Joey grumbled, scooping up his cards. "You win again, Yugi." He looked up as the three other teens came in. "Have a nice w-- what're _you_ doing here, Kaiba?"
Seto raised an eyebrow at him, fingering the strap of his camcorder. "Didn't we say we'd discuss the project later?" He projected an air of patient exasperation.
"Well.... yeah.... but I've got company!" Joey protested.
"Then what would I be, hmm?" Seto queried.
"Err..."
"Unwelcome company?" Tristan suggested. "So how about you wait until he's got some free time, you know?"
"No, no, it's okay." Joey sighed, obviously frustrated. He turned to Seto brusquely. "What'd you wanna talk about?"
Seto folded his arms casually, leaning against the wall. "I was wanting to know when you were going to do your part."
"Eh?" Joey tilted his head thoughtfully. "I dunno. Tomorrow, maybe? Sometime this weekend, I guess."
"That will be fine." Seto nodded in agreement.
"Right, whatever." Joey nodded.
"I'll be expecting you, then." Seto rose to leave, tucking the camera into his pocket. His trenchcoat swept out behind him impressively as he made his exit. Well.... that had been one disaster averted. Thankfully, the two he'd talked to were quite credulous, and probably wouldn't be causing him anymore difficulty.
The boy strode away, pausing. If that rather inopportune interruption hadn't occurred, he probably wouldn't have left yet. Besides that, he wasn't sure how much raw footage he'd gotten. It was probably over 10 minutes, but then again, you _did_ lose some time in editing things. Maybe just one more scene would do it. Seto cut back across the front of the house, and circled around the opposite side, waiting for his chance.
Before too long, the group had started to disperse. Yugi went back to the Game Shop to help his grandfather, Tea had to go to her job, and both Tristan and Ryou needed to do the rest of their homework. Once they'd all left, Joey went to his room to go take a shower.
Seto raised an eyebrow as he heard someone singing, muted by the sound of running water. He started tracking the sound. "And here, we can observe the Joey's mating call." He commented, biting his tongue a bit forcefully to keep from laughing. "Joeys are the source of much debate and confusion for many biologists, as they seem to have no defining periods of being in heat; indeed, they voice their mating call with surprising frequency."
"Notice how distinctive it is." Seto narrated, voice rising a bit. "Joeys' mating cries are noted for their exceptional discordance. It is speculated that this trait provides greater chances for mating than a harmonious call, because of the disturbance it causes in the area, causing the females to seek out the source." The singing was indeed somewhat off-key. But hey, it could be considered an evolutionary advantage, right? "From there, the Joey must use..... what passes as..... his personal charm to win over one or more females to mate with." The CEO chuckled wryly at that thought. By now, he was at the point where the singing was coming the most clear, and happened to glance into the window.
Seto was so shocked that he dropped the camera.
The window looked into the bathroom, and at the opposite wall, was the tub. It was quite apparent that Joey had forgotten to draw the curtain. Seto immediately turned away with a curse, blanching beyond his normal pallor. The rather sickly looking white hue was almost immediately replaced with scarlet from a fierce blush. Seto turned the camcorder off, looking somewhat disturbed. "I could've lived the rest of my life without seeing that, Wheeler. I _really_ could...." He'd have to edit that part out....
Not having the stomach for recording anything else today, Seto slowly stood up, and began the walk home.
~*~*~*~
"Aw, man...." Joey yawned again, checking his watch as he trudged down the sidewalk. It was 6:30. In the morning. 6-FREAKING-30 in the MORNING! _NOBODY_ should be up at _this_ ungodly hour, especially himself! And it was Saturday, too! Waking up this early should be a crime. It had to be a sin....
Ugh, but enough about wishing for his nice, soft, warm, comfortable..... darnit, he was making himself tired again. Stop it! What really got him was the fact that Kaiba apparently woke up this early _every_ Saturday. What's more, of his OWN volition!
That Kaiba was insane.
Yes, at least HE had enough sense to know that weekends were for sleeping in! Stupid project. If it hadn't existed, then he would still be sound asleep....
Alright, now he was really going to get down to buisiness. Joey walked up to the gates, and grumbled to himself. It was too early to just expect to be buzzed in. Was Seto really expecting him this early? Willing to see, Joey tried to gate. Locked; no such luck.
Hmm... maybe if.... Joey grabbed the wrought iron bars, and started to climb. With a small grunt of effort, he swung his legs over the top, and jumped, landing hard in a crouch. There, now that he was actually on the grounds-- and trespassing-- he'd better get moving, albeit a little bit nervously. What if Seto had him arrested for this?