A/N: This contains quite a bit of history and some amount of smut, so please be aware of lemon content in this final chapter!

Chapter 31: History

"So every time you get a question right, one of us loses an article of clothing?" Kaiba questioned derisively as he looked over at Yami skeptically. "And every time you miss one, something gets put back on?"

Nodding with an overly pleased expression, Yami confirmed, "That's right."

"No, that's ridiculous," Kaiba corrected him, although he wasn't nearly as irritated as he seemed. "If you spent half as much time studying as you did thinking these sorts of things up, we wouldn't need to do this."

"There are worse ways to spend a Friday afternoon," Yami defended himself with a grin, taking the reprimand in stride. Although he had successfully managed to get Kaiba to agree to a tutoring session, Yami knew that it wouldn't be without a few barbs thrown in for good measure.

"There are also more satisfying forms of foreplay than studying," Kaiba muttered as he glared halfheartedly at Yami. Even though Kaiba had consented, he still had his reservations about the whole experience. He had already processed and dealt with his own personal issues on the subject, so now it was just a matter of seeing what happened during the session. "Besides, how is stripping conducive to improving your grades?"

"Incentive," Yami explained nonchalantly, chuckling at the scoffing sound Kaiba made in response.

Passing on the opportunity to comment that Yami's incentive should have been getting better grades, Kaiba merely asked, "Topic?"

"History?" Yami suggested, knowing that they had a major test coming up soon in that class.

"Fine," Kaiba consented gruffly as he readjusted his position at the kotatsu table. "What period of time?"

Chuckling in amusement, Yami couldn't help but tease, "You don't even know what chapter we're on? And you say I don't pay attention in class?"

Shrugging without apology, Kaiba sounded particularly snobbish as he commented, "It's not as if he will teach me anything I don't already know."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at Kaiba's presumptuousness, Yami told him, "We have a unit test on the Meiji Period next week."

Deciding to start off with an easy question, Kaiba asked, "How long did the Meiji Period last?"

"From 1868 to 1912," Yami confidently stated, slowly slipping out of his school jacket and tossing it off to the side and out of the way.

Nodding in confirmation, Kaiba said nothing about the first article of clothing that came off without much fanfare. "Who was the first prime minister?"

"Itou Hirobumi?" Yami finally answered after a pause, although he sounded unsure about the pronunciation of the man's name.

"Correct," Kaiba confirmed, trying not to blatantly watch as Yami deftly unbuttoned his shirt. Not waiting for him to finish taking it off, Kaiba continued with his questioning. "What year did he take office?"

"1868?" Yami guessed, scowling when Kaiba shook his head and it forced him to put his shirt back on because of it.

Kaiba corrected him, "He took office in 1885 and resigned in 1888."

"How do you remember stuff like that?" Yami asked out of curiosity. "I mean, things like specific dates and stuff."

"I just do," Kaiba told him, although it was hardly much of an answer. Instead of humoring Yami's interest any further, Kaiba proceeded with the topic. "How did he die?"

It took Yami a minute to review his mental timeline and he finally said, "He was the guy that got assassinated," although it sounded more like a question.

"Yes," Kaiba told him, once again watching as the shirt slid off of Yami's shoulders and puddled on the floor. "What year did the Imperial Constitution take effect?"

"1890," Yami answered quickly, having learned that number early on since he had anticipated it being a question on the test. When he received affirmation that his answer was right, Yami couldn't help but smirk a little as he finally drew Kaiba into his game. "Take off your jacket."

Bristling at the order, Kaiba slowly undid the buttons and tried to think of a question that would prevent him from having to strip out of it. "Early Japanese militarism is associated with which member of the genrou?"

"No clue," Yami finally admitted as he slipped out of his shirt once more.

Realizing what Yami had done, Kaiba scowled as he finally took of his school uniform jacket and folded it neatly. "Yamagata Aritomo," Kaiba said, recalling more than one study session involving studying the man's military stances. "What does, 'Zaibatsu,' stand for?"

"Property," Yami answered after trying to picture the kanji in his mind.

"That's the literal translation of the word," Kaiba informed him, "but I'm asking about what it represented."

"I'm pretty sure we didn't cover that," Yami cautiously said, resisting the urge to flip through his notebook.

"They were the four financial and industrial companies who had an important impact on politics through the Meiji economy," Kaiba explained, realizing that Yami actually had no knowledge of such at thing and thus there was no penalty on either side. "When was the first Sino-Russo War?"

"1894 through 1895," Yami answered, wishing they would move on from dates.

After acknowledging him as being correct, Kaiba was expecting another order to remove an article of his own clothing, but instead Yami rid himself of his socks. Deciding it was for the best, Kaiba continued trying to think of random things that pertained to the time period. "What was the 'Kazoku,' system?" he finally asked.

"The syst—wait, no, that's—they were the titles that replaced the old samurai daimyou class names?" Yami answered after second guessing himself halfway through his thought.

"Yes," Kaiba told him, scowling when he saw Yami's pointed gaze at his shirt. Self-consciously undoing the buttons, Kaiba tried to ignore the way that Yami was watching him so intently. "The Iwakura Mission?"

"What about it?" Yami asked innocently, figuring that Kaiba was probably trying to stall.

Once again taking the time to fold his clothes, Kaiba set his shirt on top of his jacket. "What was it?"

"A group of Japanese diplomats traveling to other countries," Yami replied, although he knew it didn't cover the full scope of the topic. Figuring Kaiba would call him on it if it was an unsatisfactory answer, Yami waited silently and tried not to make a noise when a cold chill ran through him.

Kaiba was very much aware of the shiver that caused Yami to sit ramrod straight and he found it to be a little distracting. As Kaiba was forced to take off his socks because of yet another right answer, he finally decided that things were going at an unacceptable pace. "Name a country they visited," Kaiba said as he decided to speed things up a little.

"America," Yami said, smirking confidently when he received another confirmation on his answer. "Your pants."

Checking his urge to mutter something rude, Kaiba stood up and undid his belt with practiced precision as he continued playing his role. "Another country they went to?" Kaiba requested as he let his pants fall to the floor before kicking them over to the neat pile of his other discarded clothes.

"France," Yami answered as he stood up as well and slowly slid his pants off, swaying his hips lightly as he worked them down and laughing when he saw Kaiba's reaction to his lack of underwear. "What?"

Crossing his arms over his chest and doing his best to look annoyed, Kaiba narrowed his eyes at Yami's blatancy even though he said nothing about it. "Another country?" Kaiba demanded, not allowing the distraction of Yami's flesh to distract him from his task.

Approaching with a playful smirk, Yami pressed himself close against Kaiba with a placating kiss on the underside of his chin. "Germany," Yami dutifully answered, sliding his hands into Kaiba's underwear and firmly groping the tight ass with a pleased grin before slipping the article of clothing off and out of his way.

Swatting the overeager hands away, Kaiba nudged Yami toward the bed as he asked, "Another?"

"But we're out of clothes," Yami protested with a playful pout when the back of his knees bumped against the bed.

"Doesn't mean we're out of questions," Kaiba informed him as he lightly pushed Yami down onto the mattress and straddled himself comfortably over the former pharaoh's hips. "Name another country."

Deciding to play along to see what Kaiba's intentions were, Yami answered, "Egypt," although he was starting to run out of the names of other countries that the diplomatic entourage had visited. Yami gasped loudly when he felt Kaiba kiss one of his nipples and start lightly toying with it using his tongue.

"Another," Kaiba commanded as he continued lavishing his attention on the stiffened nub, much preferring this way of questioning.

Yami's interest in Meiji history was starting to wane and he would be more than happy to save studying for later when he didn't have Kaiba trying to successfully distract him. "Spain?" Yami finally guessed as he tried to remember some other European countries that might have been important enough to visit back then.

"Wrong," Kaiba warned Yami before lightly nipping at the abused peak in reprimand. Kaiba smirked at the quiet shout of surprise his actions earned him and the way it made Yami's body arch up against his own; yes, he much preferred doing things this way.

It hadn't hurt, but the sensation had certainly come as a bit of a shock to Yami. He was trying to think of another country name, but it was hard to do when Kaiba was still lightly teasing his nipple. "Italy?" Yami finally asked, not sure if he wanted to be right or not.

Placing a placating kiss on the tortured spot, Kaiba decided to move on with his questioning and his activities. "How many articles were in the Charter Oath of 1868?" Kaiba questioned, although he sincerely doubted Yami was going to be interested in answering questions for much longer.

"Five," Yami answered after taking a moment to compose himself and think.

"Correct," Kaiba told him as he shifted his way down with five well placed kisses in reward. He could already feel the way Yami's muscles were trembling in anticipation and Kaiba continued with his teasingly light touches as he allowed his hands to idly wander wherever they pleased. "What replaced the han system?"

The questions were starting to take longer to process, especially when Kaiba leaned over and procured the lube from the nightstand drawer. It prevented Yami from answering right away and Kaiba prompted him with an impatient, "Well?"

Swallowing hard and trying not to think about what Kaiba was starting to do, Yami answered, "Prefectures," although there was a slight waver in his voice.

Slipping a slicked finger inside of Yami, Kaiba continued asking questions in a nonchalant tone. "How many Houses comprise the Imperial Diet?"

"Two," Yami managed to gasp as Kaiba slid in another finger and continued working him. He was starting to lose his focus as he started to experience pleasure and he was forced to ask Kaiba to repeat himself.

"Name the Houses," Kaiba said a second time, although he never stopped moving his fingers as he continued readying Yami.

Even as his body started pushing against Kaiba's fingers in encouragement, Yami still had the wherewithal to remember to answer, "The House of Representatives and the House of Councilors."

Adding a third finger and ghosting against the nerves that Kaiba knew would make Yami come undone, he continued, "What was the House of Councilors called when it was first established during the Meiji Period?"

"Who the fuck cares?" Yami growled, his patience for history having met its end.

"Wrong answer," Kaiba murmured with a smirk as he slipped one finger back out, causing Yami to curse again. He was highly amused by the turn of events and Kaiba never ceased his rhythm as he prepared Yami for what he was eager to move onto himself.

Yami groaned, "Seto," as he thrust down hard on Kaiba's fingers, needing something more substantial.

"What was it called?" Kaiba asked evenly, although he was more than ready to give up the ruse himself.

"The House of…of…House of," Yami started, but his mind was refusing to cooperate with him because of his lustful distraction. When he felt Kaiba removed another finger from inside of him, Yami became annoyed. "I hadn't finished my answer!"

Laughing smugly, Kaiba taunted, "We'd be here all night since you don't know."

"We're going to be here all night regardless," Yami warned him before sitting up and aggressively kissing Kaiba. His patience was officially at an end, but he allowed Kaiba to guide him back down onto the mattress without complaint. He was about to protest when he felt Kaiba take out the remaining finger, but the sound of the lube's cap being flipped open effectively silenced him.

Casting the bottle aside and slicking himself up, Kaiba leaned forward and told Yami in between kisses, "It was the House of Peers."

Just before Yami could make a retort, Kaiba slowly pushed into him with a sigh that the former pharaoh echoed in a louder way. As Kaiba continued sliding into the welcoming warmth, he couldn't resist adding, "It was replaced in 1947—"

"Later," Yami interrupted with a groan when Kaiba was finally all the way inside of him.

Chuckling quietly before dominating another kiss, Kaiba gladly began to move his hips instead of continuing the study session. He started off slow, although Yami was quick to pick up the pace with a needy moan and Kaiba wasn't prepared to deny either of them the pleasure.

Having grown accustomed to such activities in the privacy and comfort of his own king sized bed, Kaiba was quickly reminded of the downside to being in a twin bed. When Yami tried to wrap his legs around Kaiba's waist for leverage, one of his knees hit the wall and he cursed quietly even though he didn't let it deter him. Kaiba could only shake his head as he shifted his own position to accommodate the change.

Picking up on Yami's sexually frustrated aggression, Kaiba set a hard pace that had the former spirit moaning rather vocally about how great it felt. Those cries only got louder when Kaiba started stroking Yami's stiff member and it wasn't long before either of then reached their finish.

Panting from the effort, Kaiba enjoyed a lingering kiss with Yami now that their lust had temporarily been satiated for the moment. Yami was practically purring in contentment and Kaiba's gaze softened slightly at the impish look in those crimson eyes. "What?" Kaiba murmured as he brushed Yami's bangs aside out of habit.

"So if I get a better grade on the test than you—"

Before Yami could even finish asking the question, Kaiba was already laughing and rejecting the possibility of it. "Why don't you worry about passing the class before you start thinking about trying to surpass my grades?" Kaiba suggested with a small smirk at the audacity of Yami's thought.

"But if I do," Yami insisted, refusing to let the matter drop so easily.

"It's not going to happen," Kaiba told him as he slid his softened member out of Yami in order to lay down on his side and make himself more comfortable.

Looking mildly indignant, Yami's eyes were bright with anticipation when he demanded, "Is that a challenge?"

"No, it's a fact," Kaiba countered smugly, edging away from the jab in his side that Yami gave him in response.

"I'll do it," Yami swore as he sealed it with a hungry kiss that Kaiba responded to with just as much enthusiasm.

"Doubtful," Kaiba discouraged him, although his words were far from harsh.

Yami told Kaiba, "You can't always come out on top," with an amused grin at his own innuendo.

"We'll see about that," Kaiba murmured as he once again positioned himself over Yami to prove his point. "Shower?"

"And then after that, math?" Yami suggested with a playful smirk as his hands once again found purchase on Kaiba's ass.

Nipping lightly at Yami's lower lip, Kaiba said, "We'll see," as he got off of the bed and started to lead the way to the bathroom. Yami was quick on his heels, laughing as Kaiba locked the bathroom door behind them with a knowing look.

A/N: Of course, remembering what happened will probably cause Yami's grade to tank on the test...

Once again, this is not so much an end as it is a temporary stopping point for these two. This is the chapter that spawned the whole fic, so thank you for humoring me with the long interlude that filled in the massive gap! It's truly been a pleasure to see everyone's reactions as this story unfold and I look forward to meeting up with everyone in the next story!

For those of you who are hungry for more, the follow up to this story has already been posted, albeit it back in August. It's called The Start of Summer and has an M rating for lemon goodness. Hopefully that can tide you over until the fourth story of the Entangled Series is finished!

Next Sunday, December 28th, I will be posting Anywhen, Anywhere: Part VI, so please be sure to check back then! Hopefully by that point I'll have an update on the next Entangled Fic which will be focusing on the Millennium Puzzle connection that I've been hinting at since Catnip Dream.

As always, feel free to stop by my livejournal for any updates!

Thank you again for all of your wonderful support that made this story possible! You have truly been too kind and I can't thank you enough for all of your fantastic reviews! I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday and I'll see you again on the 28th!