Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Irksome Nature ❯ Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Same as previous.

A/N: It's been a while, I know. I've been extremely busy of late, but now that exams is out of the way, I should have more time to write. Hopefully. No promises since my muse is extremely erratic.

Also, a thank you to Moe for the beta, even though she chose the lesser of two evils by beta-ing. Hee.

Chapter 7

"You shouldn't have come," I said flatly, not taking my eyes off the road.

"What? And let you leave alone while Hirato wants to have your blood?" Yami scoffed from the passenger seat, arms crossed and face determined to do battle.

"I can take care of myself." I gritted my teeth, wondered if Mokuba or Yugi would mind if I strangled Yami to death out of pure frustration, and then decided reluctantly that no, I couldn't; Mokuba had made me promise not to do any bodily damage to the incorporeal spirit next to me, citing various reasons as to why a relationship based on respect and affection was better than a relationship based on violence and sex. I agreed out of pure deer-caught-in-the-headlights need to get away from a little brother who had taken a turn for the worse in his matchmaking tendencies.

"Kaiba, do you need to be so stubborn all the time? It's not a matter of being able; we all know you're quite able, but against more than several men at the same time?" He looked as frustrated as I felt.

"What makes you think I can't?" I countered, but I knew he was right. He was mostly right when it came to things like this -- or things that had to do with me.

He snorted. Having gauged my reaction accurately, he had no need to refute my claims and so decided that silence was perhaps the only way to survive our three hour long car drive to a little country house nobody knew I owned. I had several of these: safe havens and escape routes should the need ever arise for me and Mokuba to hide for a little while. Yami would either approve or raise an eyebrow at the sight of that particular cosy sanctuary I was taking us to. Who would have thought Seto Kaiba would actually have a fairy tale cottage with white picket fences?

Certainly not Seto Kaiba himself. I grimly wondered what the hell I was thinking when I purchased the damn thing and then stopped when snatches of a conversation whispered in my mind.

Can we live in a house like that? Can we, big brother?

Don't you want to live in a castle like her?

Nah. It's too big for the two of us, and plus, this one's made of candy. We don't even need to cook.

The house won't be left standing within a week. I'll cook.

Okay. I like your cooking anyway. We can live there, just the two of us, and nobody's gonna tell us what to do or when to sleep. It'd be just us and we'd play games all day. Whenever we want.

That...sounds like a plan; though, I'm not sure it will be good for you to live in a house where children get eaten.

Why not? They got away. I loved it when they got away. And anyway, I bet you'd eat that witch, big brother. She's no match against you.

"Kaiba? Seto?"

I shook my head and shot a warning sideward glance to Yami, who was looking more worried and concerned by the second. I swallowed hard and carefully masked my face into an expressionless husk, deadening whatever emotion was let loose during my moment of weakness, while I inwardly snarled at myself. Something like this would have cost me the game; something like this would have tipped Gozaburo off and I would have ended up being punished. I was a fool, an idiot, and more stupid than that mutt Wheeler was.

Tightening my hands on the wheel, I said too calmly, "What?"

When he said nothing, I silently thanked him for ignoring my lapse; not many people would have done the same. I had no doubt they wouldn't even have come close. A hand clasped my shoulder, and I took a surprised moment to stare at understanding violet eyes. If it had been anything but understanding -- sympathy, pity, compassion -- I would have flung his hand off even if we ended up in a car crash; but understanding -- understanding I had no defence against. And he would understand too, that bastard.

I sighed and the tension bled away just like that. If nothing else, Yami had the strangest effect on me. It was interesting, in an experimental, scientific way.

=-=-=-=-=

"You know, I think I should learn to drive," he said thoughtfully. "It looks interesting."

"You're not hinting."

He smiled. "No, I'm not. A deal's a deal, Kaiba."

A pause. "I have Saturday off."

"I'm free then too. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty much free anytime."

"Saturday," I emphasised and repeated for good measure. "Saturday."

"Wednesday. We can start on Wednesday after you finish work. You don't even have to take time off."

"Saturday," I said staunchly; compromise was not in my nature.

He considered his options for a few minutes. "Thursday."

"Saturday."

"Friday." Yami added unnecessarily, "and that's my final offer."

"Friday." I clenched my jaw.

"Yep, Friday." He nodded in satisfaction, and we spent the next moments in relative peace.

"You know, I always wondered about what you do with -- as you call it -- your laptop."

"Don't even think about it, Pharaoh," I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Let's negotiate."

I wondered if we were out of gas yet.

=-=-=-=-=

"Care to tell me about this 'errand' you have to do?" he asked casually, watching the scenery pass by with rapt attention.

"No."

"You're not much of a conversationalist. Gets boring when I'm the only one doing the talking," he said with some disappointment.

"Maybe you should stop talking too," I suggested helpfully. He only just grinned at my tone.

"Oh, poor Kaiba. Been stuck with me for --" he checked the digital numbers on the dashboard, "fifty minutes so far. Nearly one full hour. I'm surprised we survived that long -- but then, we have been living together for a while."

I looked at him in surprise, and he responded testily, "Just because we didn't have cars and television doesn't mean we were lacking in intellect. We could tell time just as well as any other civilisations; Yugi was a very good teacher."

And that ended our latest conversation. After, we said nothing for a peaceful twenty minutes. Peaceful, because of the quiet, and relaxing because the spirit had been stopped from his line of questioning. I had tried to be as normal as possible when I had announced to Mokuba that I was going to run an errand, which might take several hours from one of our local factories out of the city; I had even given reassurances and approximate arrival and departure times, and contingency plans should I not meet those times within the acceptable tolerance, but I should have known Mokuba would be dead set against it. What I didn't expect was Yugi's agreement and Yami's input. The three had then taken a time out for a group meeting -- of which I was not a part of, irritatingly enough -- and then decidedly to gang up on me. To this hour, I will swear that they didn't win. They couldn't -- I wouldn't let them; I just decided to accept their input at face value because I was going to be late.

It was the absolute truth.

Unfortunately, that concept of a hollow victory still didn't solve the problem my unwanted guest was posing. For one thing, I didn't want any outsiders knowing about Hiberts; for another, I didn't see the need for a 'bodyguard' as my little brother put it so eloquently. And don't think I was oblivious enough to miss what my little brother was planning on -- I knew him much too well for that. I knew Yugi less, but that didn't mean I wouldn't notice that strange gleam in his eyes. That strange, unsettling gleam that reminded me way too much of Mokuba in the throes of one of his schemes and spoke of nothing less. I had a wild feeling that I was just set up -- and by my own brother no less. It wasn't making me any less grumpy, and I was only too happy to take it out on their third party: Yami.

Perhaps I was being unreasonable. Perhaps I shouldn't aggravate Yami in retaliation for something he had no control over. It wasn't his fault he was tossed into the middle of a Mokuba-Yugi alliance, nor was it his idea to tag along with me. I had a feeling Yami had better things to do than hang around me, which made me feel a little guilty. Obviously, he was doing a favour for his other half and my little brother, and obviously, when it came to it, he had no choice in the matter; so why was I needling him, so to speak? I could only lay the blame on my frustration; nothing was going according to plan, and Yami's presence was a set back I had never factored in to my calculations. I hated it when events went haywire. I hated it even more when they became the opposite of what I wanted, and this was no different. But this wasn't Yami's fault, unlike our countless duels together, where he picked apart my strategy like a skilled assembler. So, in other words, I shouldn't be trying to aggravate him. Again.

I decided on sticking to our truce from our last, unspeakable episode. An episode where we reverted, to my horror, to petty children unwilling to share. I shuttered that memory straight into the Do-Not-Open box in my mind and threw away the key. It never happened.

"I'm going to retrieve some business documents from a…colleague of mine," I said, trying to keep the ending hesitation minimal.

Yami turned to look at me with a thoughtful pause. I kept my eyes on the road, leaving my face devoid of emotion.

"Around here?" he asked doubtfully. I knew what he meant; the country was usually not where I did business.

"I know I'm a bit ignorant of this modern world, Kaiba, but I know that business transactions don't take place with lots of hills and grace and skies. Well, maybe skies if one was high enough with many windows," he drifted off, stopping when he realised he was rambling.

"I'm surprised you know this much." I was amused; the Pharaoh served as a good distraction most of the time.

"I'm not a total lost soul, Kaiba. And, I watch a fair amount of TV."

I barked a laugh. It figured. The Pharaoh learning about the economics of business from my high-tech, stylishly developed television.

"I don't know whether to be offended or amused as well," Yami said, shaking his head a little.

"Offended."

He rolled his eyes. "I'll be amused then."

"Proof, that reverse psychology works."

He looked a little confused at first, but then he narrowed his eyes. "You just said something insulting, didn't you?" he asked accusingly.

"Don't be so suspicious." I smirked. "You think I'm insulting you all the time, when I only do it some of the time. Shame on you."

Huffing a breath, he leaned back into his seat, turning his head away in a show of sulkiness. I hid my grin, and let silence grow into a comfortable blanket.

It wasn't until we were twenty kilometres from our destination that I actually gave a thought to Yami's actions within a plan. I wondered if he would actually stay in the car while I met with the idiot Hiberts, or follow me, as was set out by the Mokuba-Yugi Coalition.

"When we get there, will you wait in the car?" I thought I would give it try anyway, just to see his reaction.

"No."

I sighed. "So you will follow me?'

"Yes. And don't worry; your colleague won't be able to see me, remember?' He waved a hand dismissively. "That was why they chose me in the first place."

"Yes I remember," I said, annoyed. "Just do nothing until I say."

"Yes, master," he said dryly, crossing his arms. Then, "From the way you order me about, it's like you're a three millennia old demi-god."

"You shouldn't upgrade yourself. You were human, not a god, even though your people might have thought you were one." I paused. "Though, with the way you look, I can understand how they might mistake you for something not human."

He glared. "Something not human? You couldn't do better than that? Well, you are a little right there; they were in awe of my hair. Not as much as they were with my eyes though."

"Violet was unheard of for eye colour in Ancient Egypt." I was inappropriately amused, but the thought of Yami calmly discussing his hair and eyes (and his prettiness, my mind sniggered) while sitting next to me was downright entertaining.

Sufficiently distracted, he shrugged. "If violet was unheard of, then red was impossible."

"Red eyes?" I asked, suitably curious, letting go of my own distracted thoughts.

He nodded with a pleased quirk of his lips.

"And with your hair, that must have overwhelmed your people. Superstitious." I shook my head. And now he had me talking about his hair. Next, I'd be saying some disgustingly sentimental thing about his pretty eyes. I'd rather be tortured, burned, and skewed in hell before I allowed that to happen.

"Huh. Yet, here you are, talking to someone who's been dead for thousands of years." He raised his eyebrows, and I snorted, but didn't disagree. He had a point there.

=-=-=-=-=

"It's…cosy." Yami looked taken aback. It wasn't everyday he saw a white fenced cottage belonging to one not-so-white Seto Kaiba, I thought. He better not say a damn word.

"Hn." I made no comment; instead, I left the keys in the ignition and leaned back, hands still clasped to the wheel, hesitating a little in afterthought.

"Be prepared," I said to Yami.

He nodded in understanding, tugging his seatbelt off at once. Despite our argumentative natures and competitive spirits, we usually worked well together in tense situations. I wasn't displeased at the thought; Yami was a good ally, an honourable opponent. I could have been saddled with a worse body guard. And I had been, from prior experiences. Yes, I could have been saddled with much worse.

I opened the door, sliding out in one move, grasping at the handle of a new brief case from the backseat before I shut it again. I didn't look back at Yami as I walked through the well-maintained iron gate that barely reached my waist, and through the colourful garden that I paid a local handsomely to see to. It was filled with the scent of blooming flowers, bright orchids, earthy lavender, and sunny dandelions; they were only a small cluster of what Mokuba deemed as his favourites. I never cared much, not feeling the need for scents and colour and not seeing the need either. But what Mokuba wanted, I strove to provide, and this one fairytale cottage, like all the others scattered around the globe, was kept for one purpose only.

Striding carelessly, I reached the set meeting place in no time at all. Hiberts was already there, smoking a foul cigarette and littering small spikes of ashes onto the ground every so often. I looked at him with distaste. With his unshaven chin and messy hair, he didn't even look like a detective, much less one of the best in his field. Cool green eyes slanted towards me, and suddenly, I felt a grudging respect. His eyes were sharp, showing more intelligence than I had thought; he looked more dangerous somehow. On photo, I had thought him weak and addiction riddled; in person, he was unpredictable. Perhaps he would prove to be a useful ally too.

If he didn't cross me.

"Yo, boss." Hiberts smirked, plucking the cigarette from his mouth. He looked me over, carefully and just shy of admiringly. I wondered if I should play his game before or after I break his nose. And maybe his arm.

"Hiberts." I greeted him with a cool nod, tolerating his crudeness for now.

"You're not as old as I thought you were," he said, briefly smirking.

"And you're not as stupid as you look," I snorted. Playing his game was not what I wanted, but it was difficult not to be baited. He irked me just by being there.

"Now, now, boss. Play nice." He threw down his cigarette and crushed it with worn leather shoes. "We still haven't done the deed yet," he said slyly.

I narrowed my eyes. "Hand it over," I said through gritted teeth.

He just smiled wolfishly and pulled out a plain looking brown folder from the inside of his black trench coat. He held it up and said, "Your turn."

Now I was the one who was keeping my side of the bargain. I threw the brief case at him.

He handed over the folder, neither of us taking our eyes of the other. I flicked through the folder sparsely, skimming over contents that made my breath quicken and my heart roar in triumph; I was dimly aware of a sharp click and the soft whistle of appreciation. Quenching that emotion and quickly smoothing my expression into one of neutrality, I turned my attention back to him; he watched me with some amusement.

"Was it as good for you as it was for me?" he said, closing the briefcase, openly grinning.

I snorted. "I've had better."

He clasped his hand to his heart mockingly. "You wound me."

"I'll wound you some more."

Widening his grin, he took a small bow. "It's been a pleasure, boss. Nice to know I'm working for such a…interesting person."

I stared at him. He shrugged and comfortably took several steps back, keeping his eyes on me, and I was amused. At least we both knew our priorities. Trust was a commodity; easily bought and paid for, for the right price. I wondered how he knew the right path to take when he couldn't see ahead. Then I smirked, entertaining an image of Hiberts walking into a bush or a gate, falling flat on his back. It was almost enough to put me into a good mood. Almost, but not quite, since Hiberts made his way out of my sight unscathed by any humiliating accidents. I was very disappointed.

When I went back to the car, taking sidelong glances to make sure Hiberts was indeed out of grounds and had no intention of following, Yami just looked at me curiously. I waited to see if he would question me, but after several seconds of silence, I decided I didn't care. I just wanted to go home and rifle through document after document of Hirato's less than legal activities.

For a second, I thought about asking Yami to go in the back while I seated the briefcase on his side. Then Yami made my decision for me, lightly grasping at the edge of the briefcase before tugging it down firmly onto his lap.

"I promise I won't lose it during the trip home," he said with some amusement, almost daring me to leave it there.

I grunted and moved to close my door, starting the engine into a smooth purr.

"Make sure you don't," I ordered, but I relaxed, even so much as managing a tiny smile that I took care to train to the windscreen. Wouldn't want Yami to think I was smiling at him, I snorted.

Blue September: Wow. I'm glad you have so much confidence in me. Let's hope I can live up to it. ;-) Actually, I feel the same as you. Last chapter wasn't particularly anything special -- I'm not exactly sure why. It just didn't click. However, hopefully with more time to write, I can churn out better and less formulaic chapters. And I will definitely keep going. This is probably the only one of my WIPs that hasn't be shoved aside.

Phoenixfire, halowing, and Niffe_27: Glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. Hope I'm able to keep it up. ;-)

ChibiHarika: As I said before, you're welcome to post Irksome Nature there. It's a pretty nifty site.

Cwthewolf and Siiarrei: I'm hoping to update as well. Unfortunately, real life sometimes gets in the way. ;-) Glad you're enjoying what I've got up so far.

goddess kali: Thanks! Dun, dun, da, dun. Indeed, it is foreshadowing. I won't tell you if it's the bad and good kind though. ;-) All I can say is I'm planning on flashing it out in the next chapter, which I have a vague outline of but don't know when I'll get done -- which leads me to this: I really appreciate your understanding of my irregular updates.

Shinimegami7: Thank you! I'm pleased to know you're enjoying this story. It's been fun writing, and I do hope the characters stay in character.

Mistress Ethereal: Thank you for taking the time to review! I'm happy to know I brightened someone's day. (grins). And I adore Kaiba and Yami. They're such a married couple sometimes.

Sweetbriar: Glad you enjoyed them. Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much! How was camp?

EmmaRaikou: (laughs) It's definitely a great compliment when you spend your last day of freedom reading my fic.

Solanzer: Thank you! I'm extremely flattered that you think so. :D Hope this chapter was worth waiting for.

Seto's Darkness: Indeed. There's just something special about Kaiba and Yami together.

Sasameyuki: Oh, he just might. ;-) Meaning that of course he would. (cough)