An Almost Complete "ICOE" 23
I had a huge, long spiel about the chapter and the goings-on in my life written... But apparently (and this happens A LOT) I hit something that made the site go back to the previous page - and delete everything. >.< Blargh with a side of boiling rage. And I still can't figure out what keys I'm hitting to make that happen! It drives me up the wall... Arrgh. I wish livejournal would save the entries for me...
But anyway! This is about the story. I'll deny you no longer.
Yugioh scenes 1, 2, and about 7/8 of 3 of "ICOE" chp. 23
Mokuba; Yugi cameo; OC friends; Seto/Anzu
Mokuba stood in the airport with Yugi, watching Rebecca’s plane disappear into the sky. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed.
“Lost that one,” he muttered to himself, eyes on the ground. It wasn’t that he was a sore loser really, it just stung to be passed over for someone he believed to be less attractive, less wealthy, and less intelligent. He glared fiercely at Yugi.
The blond didn’t seem to mind. “Oh cheer up,” he said with a sympathetic smile. “She’s not gone forever, you know.”
“Oh… That’s right. She’s coming back.” His glare deepened. “To be your date at Honda’s wedding.”
Yugi had the grace to look embarrassed.
“You’re leading her on, you know. Why would you even get her hopes like that when you know as well as I do that you have no romantic interest in her?”
“I don’t see it as leading her on, Mokuba. I’ve made my feelings and intentions perfectly clear.”
“Puh.” Mokuba shoved his hands in his pocket resentfully. “You are obviously woefully underestimating her optimism, then.”
Yugi laughed. “Mokuba…” He shook his head. “You’re forgetting that I’m at the top of the game when it comes to optimism. But what can I do besides be honest with her? If she asks, I’ll tell her how I feel.”
“Oh, that’s just fine - if you insist on being sensible about it.” Mokuba sighed and glanced down at his watch. “Sorry, after growing up with Seto, this has been about as much sensible as I can stand. See you later?”
Yugi nodded. “Yeah, Mokuba.” He smiled in farewell. “See you later.”
(Line)
If Mokuba had one habit that drove almost anyone up the wall, it was without question his moping.
Takeshi sighed and glanced over at his friend. They had congregated at Mokuba’s house to work on math homework, but so far all Mokuba had done was sigh and doodle pigtails on some of the numbers. It was getting out of hand. “You know,” he said suddenly, setting his pencil down, “you are being ridiculous.”
Mokuba scowled and began doodling with more fervor. “I am not.”
“Oh? You’re not?”
The younger Kaiba brother looked up with a hard frown. “No. I’m not.”
Megumi sighed. “It’s not the end of the world, you know. Some guys get turned down all the time.” Since math seemed to be less than top priority, he shut his book and grabbed the remote from atop a pile of laundry at his side. A pair of boxers slid off as he lifted it up. “I thought you had a maid,” he said, cringing in disgust.
“Seto says that if I want to wallow I ought to do it properly. But… No, just forget that! This has nothing to do with me being rejected.”
“Whatever,” Takeshi said, popping a game disc in and handing a controller to Megumi. “It pisses you off and you only want her because she doesn’t want you.”
Mokuba folded his arms over his chest angrily and watched them start a game. His frown deepened. “And why aren’t you two studying? I didn’t ask you over so you could take advantage of - “
“Stop right there,” Takeshi said. “Megumi asked us over because he failed the last test and we’re not taking advantage of you. We put up with a hell of a lot sometimes.”
“Besides,” Megumi added with a laugh, “if you really wanted to, you could just buy new friends.”
“Just make sure they’re ugly,” Takeshi teased, wearing a smirk. “Otherwise they - “
“Shut up. Now.” Mokuba had tensed immediately upon realizing just what Takeshi was talking about. “You did not steal her away from me. I broke up with her because I felt so sorry for you, having to pine after another man’s girlfriend.”
Megumi laughed. “Yeah, whatever. I’m with Takeshi on this one. You just got to her first, man.”
And thus began the second stage: Mokuba’s sulking.
“It’s lucky, then,” he said with a sneer, “that I don’t care what you think.”
“Wonderful.” Takeshi rolled his eyes.
“What?” Mokuba turned to Megumi for an answer. “What is his problem? Have you no sympathy at all? I expect my friends, at least, to understand my plight. But no. When all I want is a little commiseration, I get ridicule.” He stood and flopped backwards onto his bed. “I get disdain. You have no hearts.”
“You’re right. God, we’re unforgiving bastards.”
Mokuba glared at Takeshi. “Yes. You are.”
Ever the peacemaker, Megumi tried to get his friend out of his funk. “Well… So this Rebecca girl left. She’s coming back, right? Get another girl; make her jealous.”
“How in the world am I supposed to do that?” He shoved his head under his pillow. “No one will have me.”
“Then find someone who will have you, idiot.” Takeshi paused a moment, absorbed in the game. “You need a life.”
Megumi laughed. “Maybe you just need porn.”
Takeshi made a grunt of something like agreement. “Besides that, I thought you and what the hell’s her name… Riku were…” His head made a vague circle. “Dating or something.”
“Oh.” Mokuba sat up. “Riku.” He grinned. “That’s right. I still have her.”
“Good. Will you shut up now?”
Mokuba threw a pillow at his head. It hit Megumi instead.
“Wha… Aww, damn it, I died.” He whined. “That’s not fair.”
Takeshi smirked triumphantly. “Well start paying attention, then.”
(Line)
Mokuba sighed, starting listlessly at the television set in front of him. Nothing good had been on and so he had been forced - yes, absolutely forced - to simply take his friend Megumi’s suggestion.
And so he had been watching the exploits of a young girl and the penpal that had come to visit her. So far the penpal had slept with the girl’s brother and what might possibly have been her father. Since they were alone in an empty bedroom reading poetry to one another, Mokuba could only imagine what might happen next.
His friends - who had only left about an hour and a half ago - had helped. They had been right (damn them), and he knew that he could sulk better than even the smallest child. And even though it hadn’t been long, everyone knew better than to let him get going. Seto would certainly be happy that he wouldn’t have to deal with Mokuba’s dramatics. He was certainly dramatic enough for the both of them.
After Takeshi and Megumi had left, Anzu had come over for a “romantic” evening. Which, in Mokuba’s opinion, was complete crap, because really it was just a thinly veiled plow - a very thinly veiled ploy in Mokuba’s opinion - to get Anzu into bed.
A ploy that, if the sudden increase in the volume of and annoyance in Anzu’s voice was anything to go by, had not been successful.
He stuck his head out the door to try to hear what was going on.
(Line)
“What?”
Anzu’s sharp question had Seto immediately wishing he had never brought up the subject to begin with.
He sighed. “Anzu… I might have seen Otogi. With Kudo. Maybe it was… someone else.”
“Oh, don’t even try that. You know as well as I do that you’re the last person to ever doubt your own eyes. Don’t try to distract me, Seto. What was he doing with her? Since she couldn’t get you she decided to go after someone else’s unsuspecting boyfriend?”
“Anzu… I couldn’t call him unsuspecting.” He closed his eyes. Why, why, why did he have to even bring that up? All he wanted to do (or at least all he admitted to wanting to do) was spend a lovely evening with his - apparently temperamental - girlfriend. Really, he was already very on edge and if she would just stop talking…
“…that. Seto? Seto? Seto, are you even listening to me? This is ridiculous! I can’t believe her! I mean, really - I had a low opinion of her already, but this just takes the cake.”
He nodded, knowing that any attempts to derail her would be futile.
“I’m furious. And poor Shizuka! For her sake, I hope Otogi isn’t actually cheating. I’m sure that… that…” Seto wasn’t sure if she was reluctant to be cruel or if there just weren’t words vile enough. “Well, that this stupid secretary of yours seduced him.”
She had begun pacing, and they ended up in Seto’s office. (That was really so very near his bedroom…) Anzu flopped down onto the chair in front of his computer. She sighed, then smiled up at him. “Sorry about all that. Guess I got a little upset.”
He glared.
Her smile turned to an apologetic grin. “Okay, so I did get a little carried away. And I know you wanted a nice evening for us. Maybe I can make it up to you another time?”
With a shrug, he sat down on a clear corner of the desk, arms folded over his chest. “That sounds reasonable.”
“Great!” She looked down for a moment, then gently touched his knee. “There’s… um, well something I think you should do. Please.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to approve of this… am I?”
“Well…” She put on her most attractive face. The one that she damn well knew could convince him to do just about anything. “Since you saw Otogi with your secretary, I… Well, I admit I overreacted and it could be nothing. So I don’t want to tell Shizuka.” She bit her lip nervously. “But someone ought to know that he might not be one hundred percent faithful.”
“Should they?”
She seemed indignant. “Yes! And… you know, since we really don’t know her friends or anything, there’s only one person to tell.”
Seto deadpanned. “You mean Jounouchi.”
“Exactly!”
“You want…” Here he gave her a very telling look. “Someone to tell him that his younger sister’s significant other could possibly be cheating on her?”
Anzu nodded. “That’s right. And since I care deeply for both of them, I’d of course be happy to tell them.” There was a “but” coming, Seto could feel it. “But I do have a bit of a vendetta against the woman, so if I said anything I might make it sound worse than it really is.”
“Stop right there.” He shifted a little closer to her. “Am I correct in assuming, my soft-headed little fool, that you want me to talk to him about this? That you want me to tell someone that I very nearly hate something that could possibly make him even angrier at having to see me?”
She paused for a moment, mulling what he said over. Then her hand shifted ever so slightly higher up his thigh. “That’s right. I really think it’s for the best. And if you do me this favor, I promise I’ll pay you back.”
As hard as he fought it, a tiny part of him wanted to give in. She was suddenly closer to him, so close he could see the tiny smudge of mascara right under her eye. He wiped it off. It would be so easy to agree; she would be so happy if he agreed. “This is a very…” He moved so his lips were a hairsbreadth away from hers. “…very underhanded way of getting what you want.”
“I know. Aren’t you proud?” She chuckled and then kissed him softly, just at the corner of his mouth. “So please? Please, please, please will you do this for me? Just give Jounouchi a little heads up, that’s all.”
He only wavered for a moment, staring at the plump, peachy-pink lips before him.
Damn it. “Fine. Fine, Anzu - I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you so much, Seto. You are amazing.” She leaned in and kissed him softly. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer.
***
BAM! There we go. I still have to finish (or write, more like) the final Anzu and Arisa scene - but I'm not anticipating trouble. I know this chapter had a ridiculously long wait, but at least chapter 24 won't! Next weekend is easter, which means I have no school that Friday, which means I feel quite good about imposing a deadline on myself to have at least HALF of chapter 24 written by 11:59 PM, March 21. Yay me. (Hannah's such a hard little worker, isn't she? Let's give her a hand.) I'm hoping my weird phase has passed - it was MISERABLE to have to be that... different. *shudder* I mean, the black hole syndrome is bad enough, but this was... whaa, just a whole 'nother thing entirely. I think it's faded. (I hope, hope, hope it has faded or I am in trouble.)
But enough of that! The tangential pullings have lost their grip upon me. For now.
Anyway! Chapter 23. It's almost done. I just need to finish it up and send it off to my beta. Then I can post. Yay! I'm anticipating completion by the end of... er, today. And then posting around Sunday or so. (Probably. Maybe. I hope.)
I'm really excited about this chapter. It has sort of rekindled my love for this little series of mine. ^_^ (<- I smile. Ha ha.)
NOW! Perhaps onto that paper... Of which I still have five pages to write...
-ILB
ruler of the "Lifestyles"-verse and she of the story ignoring
***
But anyway! This is about the story. I'll deny you no longer.
Yugioh scenes 1, 2, and about 7/8 of 3 of "ICOE" chp. 23
Mokuba; Yugi cameo; OC friends; Seto/Anzu
Mokuba stood in the airport with Yugi, watching Rebecca’s plane disappear into the sky. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed.
“Lost that one,” he muttered to himself, eyes on the ground. It wasn’t that he was a sore loser really, it just stung to be passed over for someone he believed to be less attractive, less wealthy, and less intelligent. He glared fiercely at Yugi.
The blond didn’t seem to mind. “Oh cheer up,” he said with a sympathetic smile. “She’s not gone forever, you know.”
“Oh… That’s right. She’s coming back.” His glare deepened. “To be your date at Honda’s wedding.”
Yugi had the grace to look embarrassed.
“You’re leading her on, you know. Why would you even get her hopes like that when you know as well as I do that you have no romantic interest in her?”
“I don’t see it as leading her on, Mokuba. I’ve made my feelings and intentions perfectly clear.”
“Puh.” Mokuba shoved his hands in his pocket resentfully. “You are obviously woefully underestimating her optimism, then.”
Yugi laughed. “Mokuba…” He shook his head. “You’re forgetting that I’m at the top of the game when it comes to optimism. But what can I do besides be honest with her? If she asks, I’ll tell her how I feel.”
“Oh, that’s just fine - if you insist on being sensible about it.” Mokuba sighed and glanced down at his watch. “Sorry, after growing up with Seto, this has been about as much sensible as I can stand. See you later?”
Yugi nodded. “Yeah, Mokuba.” He smiled in farewell. “See you later.”
(Line)
If Mokuba had one habit that drove almost anyone up the wall, it was without question his moping.
Takeshi sighed and glanced over at his friend. They had congregated at Mokuba’s house to work on math homework, but so far all Mokuba had done was sigh and doodle pigtails on some of the numbers. It was getting out of hand. “You know,” he said suddenly, setting his pencil down, “you are being ridiculous.”
Mokuba scowled and began doodling with more fervor. “I am not.”
“Oh? You’re not?”
The younger Kaiba brother looked up with a hard frown. “No. I’m not.”
Megumi sighed. “It’s not the end of the world, you know. Some guys get turned down all the time.” Since math seemed to be less than top priority, he shut his book and grabbed the remote from atop a pile of laundry at his side. A pair of boxers slid off as he lifted it up. “I thought you had a maid,” he said, cringing in disgust.
“Seto says that if I want to wallow I ought to do it properly. But… No, just forget that! This has nothing to do with me being rejected.”
“Whatever,” Takeshi said, popping a game disc in and handing a controller to Megumi. “It pisses you off and you only want her because she doesn’t want you.”
Mokuba folded his arms over his chest angrily and watched them start a game. His frown deepened. “And why aren’t you two studying? I didn’t ask you over so you could take advantage of - “
“Stop right there,” Takeshi said. “Megumi asked us over because he failed the last test and we’re not taking advantage of you. We put up with a hell of a lot sometimes.”
“Besides,” Megumi added with a laugh, “if you really wanted to, you could just buy new friends.”
“Just make sure they’re ugly,” Takeshi teased, wearing a smirk. “Otherwise they - “
“Shut up. Now.” Mokuba had tensed immediately upon realizing just what Takeshi was talking about. “You did not steal her away from me. I broke up with her because I felt so sorry for you, having to pine after another man’s girlfriend.”
Megumi laughed. “Yeah, whatever. I’m with Takeshi on this one. You just got to her first, man.”
And thus began the second stage: Mokuba’s sulking.
“It’s lucky, then,” he said with a sneer, “that I don’t care what you think.”
“Wonderful.” Takeshi rolled his eyes.
“What?” Mokuba turned to Megumi for an answer. “What is his problem? Have you no sympathy at all? I expect my friends, at least, to understand my plight. But no. When all I want is a little commiseration, I get ridicule.” He stood and flopped backwards onto his bed. “I get disdain. You have no hearts.”
“You’re right. God, we’re unforgiving bastards.”
Mokuba glared at Takeshi. “Yes. You are.”
Ever the peacemaker, Megumi tried to get his friend out of his funk. “Well… So this Rebecca girl left. She’s coming back, right? Get another girl; make her jealous.”
“How in the world am I supposed to do that?” He shoved his head under his pillow. “No one will have me.”
“Then find someone who will have you, idiot.” Takeshi paused a moment, absorbed in the game. “You need a life.”
Megumi laughed. “Maybe you just need porn.”
Takeshi made a grunt of something like agreement. “Besides that, I thought you and what the hell’s her name… Riku were…” His head made a vague circle. “Dating or something.”
“Oh.” Mokuba sat up. “Riku.” He grinned. “That’s right. I still have her.”
“Good. Will you shut up now?”
Mokuba threw a pillow at his head. It hit Megumi instead.
“Wha… Aww, damn it, I died.” He whined. “That’s not fair.”
Takeshi smirked triumphantly. “Well start paying attention, then.”
(Line)
Mokuba sighed, starting listlessly at the television set in front of him. Nothing good had been on and so he had been forced - yes, absolutely forced - to simply take his friend Megumi’s suggestion.
And so he had been watching the exploits of a young girl and the penpal that had come to visit her. So far the penpal had slept with the girl’s brother and what might possibly have been her father. Since they were alone in an empty bedroom reading poetry to one another, Mokuba could only imagine what might happen next.
His friends - who had only left about an hour and a half ago - had helped. They had been right (damn them), and he knew that he could sulk better than even the smallest child. And even though it hadn’t been long, everyone knew better than to let him get going. Seto would certainly be happy that he wouldn’t have to deal with Mokuba’s dramatics. He was certainly dramatic enough for the both of them.
After Takeshi and Megumi had left, Anzu had come over for a “romantic” evening. Which, in Mokuba’s opinion, was complete crap, because really it was just a thinly veiled plow - a very thinly veiled ploy in Mokuba’s opinion - to get Anzu into bed.
A ploy that, if the sudden increase in the volume of and annoyance in Anzu’s voice was anything to go by, had not been successful.
He stuck his head out the door to try to hear what was going on.
(Line)
“What?”
Anzu’s sharp question had Seto immediately wishing he had never brought up the subject to begin with.
He sighed. “Anzu… I might have seen Otogi. With Kudo. Maybe it was… someone else.”
“Oh, don’t even try that. You know as well as I do that you’re the last person to ever doubt your own eyes. Don’t try to distract me, Seto. What was he doing with her? Since she couldn’t get you she decided to go after someone else’s unsuspecting boyfriend?”
“Anzu… I couldn’t call him unsuspecting.” He closed his eyes. Why, why, why did he have to even bring that up? All he wanted to do (or at least all he admitted to wanting to do) was spend a lovely evening with his - apparently temperamental - girlfriend. Really, he was already very on edge and if she would just stop talking…
“…that. Seto? Seto? Seto, are you even listening to me? This is ridiculous! I can’t believe her! I mean, really - I had a low opinion of her already, but this just takes the cake.”
He nodded, knowing that any attempts to derail her would be futile.
“I’m furious. And poor Shizuka! For her sake, I hope Otogi isn’t actually cheating. I’m sure that… that…” Seto wasn’t sure if she was reluctant to be cruel or if there just weren’t words vile enough. “Well, that this stupid secretary of yours seduced him.”
She had begun pacing, and they ended up in Seto’s office. (That was really so very near his bedroom…) Anzu flopped down onto the chair in front of his computer. She sighed, then smiled up at him. “Sorry about all that. Guess I got a little upset.”
He glared.
Her smile turned to an apologetic grin. “Okay, so I did get a little carried away. And I know you wanted a nice evening for us. Maybe I can make it up to you another time?”
With a shrug, he sat down on a clear corner of the desk, arms folded over his chest. “That sounds reasonable.”
“Great!” She looked down for a moment, then gently touched his knee. “There’s… um, well something I think you should do. Please.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to approve of this… am I?”
“Well…” She put on her most attractive face. The one that she damn well knew could convince him to do just about anything. “Since you saw Otogi with your secretary, I… Well, I admit I overreacted and it could be nothing. So I don’t want to tell Shizuka.” She bit her lip nervously. “But someone ought to know that he might not be one hundred percent faithful.”
“Should they?”
She seemed indignant. “Yes! And… you know, since we really don’t know her friends or anything, there’s only one person to tell.”
Seto deadpanned. “You mean Jounouchi.”
“Exactly!”
“You want…” Here he gave her a very telling look. “Someone to tell him that his younger sister’s significant other could possibly be cheating on her?”
Anzu nodded. “That’s right. And since I care deeply for both of them, I’d of course be happy to tell them.” There was a “but” coming, Seto could feel it. “But I do have a bit of a vendetta against the woman, so if I said anything I might make it sound worse than it really is.”
“Stop right there.” He shifted a little closer to her. “Am I correct in assuming, my soft-headed little fool, that you want me to talk to him about this? That you want me to tell someone that I very nearly hate something that could possibly make him even angrier at having to see me?”
She paused for a moment, mulling what he said over. Then her hand shifted ever so slightly higher up his thigh. “That’s right. I really think it’s for the best. And if you do me this favor, I promise I’ll pay you back.”
As hard as he fought it, a tiny part of him wanted to give in. She was suddenly closer to him, so close he could see the tiny smudge of mascara right under her eye. He wiped it off. It would be so easy to agree; she would be so happy if he agreed. “This is a very…” He moved so his lips were a hairsbreadth away from hers. “…very underhanded way of getting what you want.”
“I know. Aren’t you proud?” She chuckled and then kissed him softly, just at the corner of his mouth. “So please? Please, please, please will you do this for me? Just give Jounouchi a little heads up, that’s all.”
He only wavered for a moment, staring at the plump, peachy-pink lips before him.
Damn it. “Fine. Fine, Anzu - I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you so much, Seto. You are amazing.” She leaned in and kissed him softly. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer.
***
BAM! There we go. I still have to finish (or write, more like) the final Anzu and Arisa scene - but I'm not anticipating trouble. I know this chapter had a ridiculously long wait, but at least chapter 24 won't! Next weekend is easter, which means I have no school that Friday, which means I feel quite good about imposing a deadline on myself to have at least HALF of chapter 24 written by 11:59 PM, March 21. Yay me. (Hannah's such a hard little worker, isn't she? Let's give her a hand.) I'm hoping my weird phase has passed - it was MISERABLE to have to be that... different. *shudder* I mean, the black hole syndrome is bad enough, but this was... whaa, just a whole 'nother thing entirely. I think it's faded. (I hope, hope, hope it has faded or I am in trouble.)
But enough of that! The tangential pullings have lost their grip upon me. For now.
Anyway! Chapter 23. It's almost done. I just need to finish it up and send it off to my beta. Then I can post. Yay! I'm anticipating completion by the end of... er, today. And then posting around Sunday or so. (Probably. Maybe. I hope.)
I'm really excited about this chapter. It has sort of rekindled my love for this little series of mine. ^_^ (<- I smile. Ha ha.)
NOW! Perhaps onto that paper... Of which I still have five pages to write...
-ILB
ruler of the "Lifestyles"-verse and she of the story ignoring
***