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Only Almost Here	By : SummerStars Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Het - Male/Female Views: 2424 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Title: Only Almost Here
Rating: R
Author: SummerStars � but y�all know I like Lell better.
Betaed by: Whistle down the Wind � thanks again sweetie

Warnings: Naughty words from our little Shizuka, mention of underage drinking.

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~Shizuka~

Okay, I know when to admit I was wrong � I had fun at that party. I was dubious at first, but Mai was right, I did enjoy going, for some parts of it anyway.

No thanks to her of course.

I�d barely entered the room which vibrated with lively conversation before she kissed my cheek, smoothed a lock of my hair down and ordered me to go off and mingle before she promptly disappeared. The look I caught on her perfect face before she left was an odd one � a determined expression as if she were on a mission.

And it was a mission I hadn�t been let in on.

Oniichan had been assailed as soon as we had walked in, surrounded by a boisterous group of people from his grade and immediately being dragged off to join the crowd of people around the drinks table.

Another reason I didn�t want to come � I was bound to be the youngest person here and as such, probably the only one not drinking. I was sad enough to have listened to all those �Take one sip of a Bacardi and you�re an alcoholic for life!� talks at school. I didn�t need my senses to be clouded by drink when I was clueless enough sober.

Definitely feeling awkward and out of place, I hugged my coat closer around myself, taking in the muffled beat of some odd ska track that was playing in another room, the vibrations climbing up my legs through the floor. It wasn�t really my choice of music, but it did make you want to nod your head and tap your feet a bit.

What was it Mai had said? That she was just there to chaperone me? Bullshit � I was on my own and could be approached by any kind of manner of nasty, ill meaning, lecherous�

�Hey Shizuka, nice jacket.�

My mental ramblings were interrupted by a cheerful voice breaking into my reverie and I looked down into a large pair of dancing grey eyes. When I had been wondering about ill-meaning lechers, I hadn�t meant Mokuba.

�Thanks,� I said, sheepish for having been being melodramatic as I spread my arms slightly, giving a small twirl. I was actually quite pleased with the way the patchwork cloth flowed around my legs and I allowed myself a girlish smile. At least if Mokuba was here, I wasn�t the youngest and I had someone to talk to. �Your brother let you come then, huh?�

The black haired guy nodded happily, hooking his thumbs into the back pockets of his black jeans. It was depressing � he was younger than me, but at least he�d grown in the past few years. I was still annoyingly short and now the mini Kaiba brother wasn�t so mini, topping me by about half a head.

Damn his growth spurt.

�Yeah. Actually, Seto didn�t want to come.� Mokuba grinned as he flopped down on the nearest couch, cocking his long legs over the arm of the sofa. It was disturbing how his boyish figure was gradually elongating and lengthening to become the same rail thin frame his older brother had. �He hasn�t been out socially for a while. You know, he did his final exams at home?�

I chuckled, sitting down next to the younger teen on the small space he had left free. �No-one argues with your brother, eh?�

�Nope.� Mokuba actually sounded proud of that as he stretched lazily. �What about you? Jou actually let you come to a party with multitudes of older guys all drooling over you.�

I blushed and hated myself for it � I did it far too easily. �Not exactly drooling�� I mumbled, though I did have glaring images of Honda and Otogi looking down at me with those scary, forced smiles they always seemed to get. In the end, I decided feigned ignorance was the best policy with them � I was too much of a wimp to tell them I just wasn�t interested and I didn�t want to toy with them�instead, I acted oblivious to their clumsy advances. Surely they�d pick up on that soon enough and just give up?

Mokuba fixed me with an amused glance as he tossed a soda can towards me. �Drooling,� he said firmly as he cracked his own open, ignoring the slight spray of liquid that erupted from the ring pull. �You not drinking then?�

�Not old enough to,� I replied simply, shrugging as I opened my soda, managing to avoid the spray that Mokuba was currently licking off his lips.

�But you could if you wanted to.�

�I don�t want to.�

I was greeted with a sunny smile at that as Mokuba silently toasted me with his soda can, holding it as gracefully as he would a champagne flute. �Good,� he drawled, �Me too � I�m perfectly happy not making a fool of myself thank you very much.�

I laughed � why wouldn�t Kaiba be as charming as his little brother? Speaking of whom�

�So where is your brother?� I asked, taking a swig of my soda and in all probability ruining the lip balm Mai had put on earlier. �Or is he hiding behind the curtains?�

�Kaibas do not hide,� a tart voice commented. Have you ever had one of those moments where you would give anything, anything at all to have the ability to take back whatever imbecilic comment your brain vomited forth in a lax moment? Right now, if I was given the choice between playing tonsil hockey with Weevil Underwood, or having who I thought it was standing behind me, I�d be letting the green haired creep find out what my saliva tasted like. But since I�m denied that talent, I just winced, not really wanting to turn around. Perhaps if I couldn�t see him, he couldn�t see me.

And having Mokuba snickering next to me did /not/ help the situation.

In the end I cracked � I could feel the waves of coldness radiating out behind me and I couldn�t bear it. I turned and I was right.

�Ah�Kaiba�� I mumbled, anxiously knotting my fingers together. You could say I was wringing my hands, but the truth was I didn�t notice � everything else pales into existence when you�re being fixed with one of the fabled Kaiba glares. �I didn�t mean�uh��

He sniffed, sapphire eyes rippling with the disdain he clearly felt for me. �I suppose the dog gene does run in families then � are all your relatives speechless animals?�

Mokuba may have been able to shrug this obvious callousness off with ease as he sat there unconcernedly, watching the groups of people in the room, but I couldn�t. I could feel myself wilting under that penetrating gaze, growing smaller by the minute. What could you say to a comment like that?

My silence was telling and he smirked, smugly, raising one of those disgustingly perfect eyebrows. �You�re not going to retaliate? Your brother would.�

Ack � he can insult me all he wants, but woe betide those who try and speak ill of my brother. It was foolish, but I felt myself bristling. It probably looked ridiculous, a tiny girl facing up to the statuesque CEO, dressed in what looked like a ragtag coat, her face as red as her hair, but I was already feeling so awkward here, I couldn�t help but lash out.

�You don�t know anything about my brother,� I said shortly, sounding braver than I felt and I was rewarded with that one eyebrow nearly disappearing into his messy brown hairline. He was a billionaire, but he was too stingy to get a proper haircut?

�I see him without the rose coloured glasses,� he said dryly, folding his arms across his narrow chest. He must have seen the look of outrage on my face since he turned smoothly to Mokuba. �Why don�t you go and find something to eat � there�s some salad in the kitchen that doesn�t look as if it has been spiked with alcohol.

The younger Kaiba saluted lazily and nodded as he slid off the couch. �Can I get you anything?� he asked, still with that social ease he slipped so easily into.

�No, but thank you for offering.� The slight softening in Kaiba�s voice only seemed to appear when he was speaking to Mokuba � lucky sod. The lucky sod in question smiled cheerfully and, traitor that he was, strolled off towards the kitchen, leaving me alone with the Big Bad Wolf.

Or Kaiba by his more common name.

�What was that supposed to mean?� I said peevishly, still sitting on the couch and having to tilt my head back a fair way just to see his face (was there anyone who was actually taller than Kaiba?) �Rose coloured glasses?�

Free to be as nasty as he pleased now that the innocent ears of his younger brother were out of hearing distance, I had a feeling I was going to be on the end of some rather�unpleasant comments.

�You think he�s perfect.� The short answer caught me on the wrong foot � I had expected something below the belt, instead receiving this straight comment which was what unnerved me more than anything else.

�He may not be perfect, but he�s a better man than you are!� I blustered, frowning suddenly. Had he just managed to make me say my brother wasn�t perfect. Seeing the smirk on his face, my hackles raised once more. �You smug, self centred bastard��

�Tut tut, does the Mutt know his darling sister uses such hurtful language?� I resisted the urge to scream � this guy really was a prick and there I had been thinking that perhaps he wasn�t such a bad guy after all.

�What my brother doesn�t know, can�t hurt him,� I snapped and instantly regretted using such a clich�d comeback � especially one with so many answers�

�I suppose that makes him nigh on impervious to pain then, doesn�t it?� Kaiba said mockingly, still looking down at me with that condescending expression. Did he never get tired with insults based on intelligence? I was about to comment on that when he spoke first.

�Tell me, how does it feel to be famous by association?� he asked suddenly and I looked up, surprised at the question and more than a little confused.

�Excuse me?� Had Kaiba just come up with a thought I myself had had earlier?

�You heard me,� was the clipped answer as Kaiba nodded to the party in general, the occupants of which I noticed seemed to be giving the two of us a wide berth. Was no-one going to rescue me? Cowards the lot of them. �Did you ever think why you�re here?�

I faltered and I could feel it showing on my face, my unease must have been apparent to him. �Why I�m here?� Lord, I sounded like a parrot�

The CEO gave that smug smile again, the one that immediately filled me with the urge to whack him one despite my normal aversion to violence. �What reason did you have to be invited here tonight?�

I fell into that trap easily and without looking. �Oniichan was coming so��

He interrupted with a dark bout of laughter, that annoying smile still hovering over his sharp angled features. �My point exactly. Famous by association � without your moron of a brother, I doubt you�d be here at all.�

How I hated it when he was right.

�The only reason I came was because Mai wanted me to and��

Once again, he interrupted me � this was starting to become a habit.

�Ah, the lovely Miss Kajuka. Another question for you � what is it like living in another person�s shadow all the time?�

I blinked, lost now, as his comments had turned cryptic. �What does Mai have to do with any of this?� I asked finally, my brows knitting together in confusion.

�I suppose it must be hard to get any notice when you�re around her,� the asshole said smoothly, cobalt eyes silently mocking me as his lips taunted me. Odd � it was normally Oniichan that Kaiba provoked, not me. Me, he usually left alone. �I wouldn�t be surprised of you thought her more attractive than yourself.� That burning azure gaze swept over me briefly and I resisted the urge to hug my knees to my chest and shrink away from him and his scrutiny. �She certainly is very�charismatic and I�m sure many people indulge in those charms extensively.�

�Don�t you dare try and say that Mai�s easy!� Suddenly angrier than I ever thought I�d be, I stood up, desperate at least to decrease the distance between his eyelevel and mine, even if he was still a good deal taller than me. �You talk a lot of crap, but then I wouldn�t expect anything more from someone like you.�

�I can see why you�re angry, defensive.� Kaiba sounded clinical, as if I were some psychological experiment he was assessing. �But then again, how can a sparrow like you compare to a peacock like her?�

I snapped.

It was a foolish thing to do � foolish and immature, but I was too angry to care. How dare he insult me, not to mention my brother and Mai? There was absolutely no need to pull anyone else into this, especially when all I had done was suggest, /suggest/ that his social skills might not have been very good. He had been vituperative, mocking and down right rude and it had been too much on top my awkwardness and the fact I simply did not want to be there!

Not to mention his words were too close to the truth than I liked�

My cheeks flushing with both anger and shame, I gripped my half full soda can firmly and moved closer to Kaiba. Deliberately, I reached up, tilting the can as I went and watched the fizzy liquid foam over his chest. �Don�t speak about what you don�t know,� I snapped before tossing the empty can at him and turning on my heel, nearly smacking straight into a bemused looking Mokuba holding a bowl of salad.

�Shizuka��

I took a page from his brother�s book and didn�t let him finish whatever it was he was going to say.

�I�ll see you at school, okay?�

�O-okay, but��

Too late, I was already walking away, feeling his bemused gaze on me. He wasn�t the only one � all the people who had been watching surreptitiously were now whispering to each other.

Was that really Shizuka?

Yelling at Kaiba of all people�

That�s not like her�

Waste of good soda as well�

By now, my blush rivalled my jacket for brightness and this flush was for embarrassment, not for anger. They were right, it was out of character for me, but I�d been on edge for a few days � I always was before going to see Otousan. Winding my way through the crowd, I searched for any of my brother�s friends. My gaze finding two shocks of blindingly white hair, I angled towards them and was rewarded by the sight of Anzu�s sleek bob as well.

�Hey,� I said tiredly, running my hands through my hair with a sigh as all three looked up. My anger was already being replaced with weariness � I wasn�t mad often and it was exhausting. �Have any of you seen my brother?�

Ryou shook his head solemnly, looking at me oddly. �Are you alright, Shizuka?� he enquired politely, British accented voice soft under the undertone of music from the next room.

I forced a smile onto my face. �Just a run in with Kaiba, I�ll get over it.�

Ryou�s darker half snorted, rolling his brown eyes. �What�s our resident president got his panties in a twist about now?� he said darkly before Ryou smoothly elbowed him in the ribs.

Anzu was more productive, smiling sympathetically at me. �I think I saw Jou go into the kitchen earlier,� she said helpfully, ignoring the two whitenettes arguing behind her. Bickering was perhaps a more apt word � though they did seem to be at each other�s throats more than usual.

�Thanks,� I mumbled, hurrying away before Anzu could further enquire into why I was flustered � I loved her dearly, but right now, concern was not something I needed when I was this embarrassed by my actions.

Throwing your drink at Kaiba was probably not the smartest thing I had ever done � who knows? Even now he might be employing black clad ninjas to end my life�

It took a while for me to find the kitchen, but the sight of the salad bowl Kaiba had mentioned earlier peeking through an open doorway announced that I had found the right place at least. Poking my nose cautiously around the frame, my eyes fell on first the long table laden with food � the famous, un-alcohol tainted salad taking centre-stage.

Not being that enamoured with food, my eyes slid past the full table to the two familiar figures perched on the kitchen counter. Oniichan looked up, brushing messy blonde hair out of his eyes as he smiled towards me.

�Hey Shizuka, havin� fun?� he asked brightly and I nodded mutely. His companion was clearly more perceptive at noticing I seemed out of sorts.

�You okay, sweetie?� Mai asked, rubbing the curve of her chin absently as she looked towards me, violet eyes concerned. �You look�flushed.�

Now, however much I didn�t like Kaiba at this precise moment, I wasn�t going to do him the ill of landing him in it with both Mai and my brother � I wasn�t prepared to inadvertently commit murder after all.

So, instead, I shrugged, crossing my fingers behind my back. �I think the smoke�s getting to me,� I said blandly, willing them both to believe me. �I think I�m going to walk home, Oniichan.�

�If you want�� he said, looking dubiously at me, as if assessing how messed up I really was. Mai�s eyes narrowed somewhat, but, luckily, she either chose to believe me or at least not to rat me out to big brother. �Do you want me to come with you?�

I waved a hand � I may have been annoyed, but I wasn�t going to ruin the night for him. �No, you stay � it�s not that fair and I�ll enjoy the walk.�

Oniichan chuckled and finally nodded his agreement. �Just be careful okay � Mai and I might crash here if we get too drunk to leave.� My blonde friend laughed and swatted my brother lightly over his head, an action he didn�t dare return. No-one messed with Mai�s hair.

�Take care sweetling,� she drawled lazily, waving her hand gracefully at me � she didn�t seem too concerned that I was leaving early which I was slightly miffed at. She had bugged me for so long to come�oh well, at least I could leave now.

�Have fun Oniichan,� I murmured, kissing his cheek and letting him do the same before I caught the kiss Mai blew to me and swiftly exited before either of them could come up with a reason to stay. Right now, all I wanted was to get home, climb into bed and watch inane comedy until the early hours of the morning.

I was once more braving the crowds of people who stood between me and the door when I felt eyes on the back of my head and I turned, not surprised to meet an icy blue gaze. Kaiba had caught me running away, proof that he had won and to be honest, I was too tired and upset to care. Meeting his eyes with as much defiance as I could muster, I turned to the guy who happened t be nearest to me and grabbed his shot glass.

�Hey!�

I ignored him, looking back towards Kaiba and downing whatever the hell was in the glass, my eyes never leaving his. It was a challenge, one he returned as he sipped his beer, even that action mocking. Not even sure what I had just challenged him to, I tossed the shot glass back to the surprised guy and stalked out of the building.

Only when I was safely outside did I allow myself to hack, cough and splutter, feeling the burn the shot had sent racing down my now raw throat.

Elegant, huh?

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�Damn Kaiba��

I was grumbling to myself as I kicked a pebble along the sidewalk, the repetitive clump and clatter soothing my rattled nerves enough to at least let me vocalise, even if it wasn�t very productive.

�Rich boy��

The cool night air leeched the heat from my cheeks and as my blush faded, so did my shame. I had been right to yell at him, to throw my drink at him as childish as it was � he had deserved it.

�Prick��

�Hey!�

�Oh, no sir, I didn�t mean you��

I winced, watching the black suited businessman who was currently glaring at me with venom before he stalked away.

See? Even when he wasn�t there, Kaiba was getting me into trouble with people I didn�t even know!

�Bastard!�

I gave the pebble a violent kick and watched glumly as it bounced into the street, to be carried away by the wheels of the lone car that passed by me, red lights winking in the gloom only late January could bring. A depressing time of the year that suited my mood well, but at least the cold didn�t bother me. I had my bohemian jacket, not to mention the warm, slow fizz of anger which lined my belly and chest.

What was it that he said? How does it feel to be famous by association?

Well, you know what Kaiba, it sucks, it sucks major ass. You summed it up yourself � I�m the Mutt�s sister, that�s how everyone knows me. They may not have put it so bluntly, so roughly, but the first word�s most people say when they meet me always ran along the lines of, �Oh, so you�re Jou�s little sister.�

No one ever describes Oniichan as �Shizuka�s big brother,� do they? Why should they � it�s Oniichan who has lived here for longer, it�s Oniichan the people of Domino know. It�s Oniichan who has made his path here � I just tagged along for the ride.

�Famous by association�� I muttered under my breath as I looked around, trying to find my bearings. The dark didn�t help � whose bright idea had it been to put road signs so high up? Squinting, I just about ascertained where I was.

Hopefully.

Trudging along in the dark was hardly my idea of a good time � it gave me an opportunity to brood and to obsess. Right now, all manner of smart mouthed remarks were flashing through my mind, alternatives which would have avoided the�unpleasantness earlier. Well, it would have if only I had had the sense to come up with them all at the time.

Why is it you have all the best ideas about an hour too late?

It was sad really, not that fact that Kaiba was right, but the fact it applied to everyone � although, Kaiba being right was pretty sad as well which might explain why the people who worked with him seemed to be miserable all the time.

Even Mai when she first met me � from what I heard she was ready to abandon us to Malik�s cronies, despite pleadings from Otogi at the time. My best friend, now at least, had been about to drive off, /until/ she found out I was Katsuya�s brother. Then it was all smiles and car rides, despite the fact I couldn�t see her. And even then, the conversation revolved around my brother�

�See what he�s doing to you?� I remonstrated myself, pulling the swirls of my coat closer about me. �He�s turning you against your friends already?�

When in doubt, talk to yourself � you get to hear your own thoughts and at least, you�ll convince passers by that yes indeed, you are an insane redhead.

�How can a sparrow compare to a peacock?� I scoffed, looking around vaguely for something else to kick � a frumpy woman in a long fur coat looked strangely at me before she ushered her disgustingly fluffy poodle a la matching fur coat away from me. I couldn�t blame her � I was a little too young to be wandering the streets at night rambling on about sparrows and peacocks.

She probably thought I was drunk�or high�or both.

I sighed, giving up on walking for now. My feet were too tired and my brain was too muddled. The shady entrance to a park I recognised beckoned enticingly and I obeyed the call obediently. Parks always seemed different at night � spookier somehow. Trees turned skeletal and bushes seemed human shaped, not to mention the numerous dark, shady corners any number of rapists, murderers or general ill doers could be hiding in.

Did I mention I tend to let my imagination run away with me?

I slumped down on a bench, suddenly feeling the chill air wind it�s way under the flaps of my coat and I shivered.

�Why does he have to be such a prick?� I asked myself, watching my sigh dissipate into the air as a white cloud of frost.

Because he�s a Kaiba. But that seemed too simple an answer, not to mention I was too�too�

Frustrated.

Angry.

Generally-pissed-off-at-the-world.

Take your pick, they all mean the same thing.

And you know whose fault it is? Kaiba�s � every single part.

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You can blame my beta for the speed with which this chapter was written � she actually set up our webcams just so she could shout encouragement to me while I was writing. And by encouragement I mean comments I thought had been abolished along with slave chain gangs. Well, I�m not too fond of this chapter, but it has to be had to set some scenes out.

Anyway � happy March to everyone. I adore this month, probably because I just don�t like February that much at all � too cold.

Lady Grey: ~Looks sheepish~ Hate to disappoint you, but this is heading for a Shizuka/Kaiba story. This whole plotline stems from a lengthy conversation I had with my beta about how innocent Shizuka really is and a good portion of it centred around the subject of parents � out of all the guys, Kaiba seemed the most interesting to play with when talking about parents. As for whether I�ll do it well � that�s for you to judge, isn�t it? ^^ I�m a big Mai/Shizuka fan myself, but my friends have been bugging me for a het story for once � shameless blagging, but I do have a onesided fic for that pairing. Longest oneshot I ever did.

Wish he was Mine: ~Snickers~ Look, I updated fast! You didn�t have to wait long � besides, you chose to rp and not read =) ~Looks shifty~ This isn�t really an Anzu bashing story�so be prepared to tolerate her at least. DO NOT DISS THE ALMIGHTY COAT! ~Coughs~ I mean, each to their own�o0

Lell � crying over Return of the King again.

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Only Almost Here