"LOTRATA" Chapter Twelve.
Story Universe: the Lifestyles-verse
Series: Lifestyles of the Rich and the Arrogant
Chapter: Twelve - Shelf Life (12/15)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Shelf Life
In Which Madwomen Attack
Anzu watched as Kaiba stalked out the door. Honda sat down, a smile upon his face, looking not at all concerned that he had seemingly made Kaiba so very angry.
“What was that about?” Anzu asked curiously, wondering what the two could possibly have had to talk about.
Honda just grinned. “Oh, I don’t know; he just had to ask me for homework or something. I... forget.”
“You just spoke to him a second ago- I don’t think you’d be able to totally forget the subject of the conversation that quickly.”
Honda just shrugged. “Nice weather we’re having, huh?”
“Honda!” Anzu said, exasperated. “What’s the big deal? Why can’t you tell me?”
He sighed. “Alright, Anzu, you caught me.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “We were talking about how beautiful you are.”
She laughed and playfully smacked him. “Oh get serious. If it’s that secret, I just won’t ask.”
He winked. “Don’t worry, doll; it won’t be a secret for long.”
The talked easily for another half an hour, before Anzu realized that she had to head home. Domino was never that dangerous, so she felt perfect safe walking. The day was beautiful as well, so she took the time to enjoy it. She walked down the sidewalk happily, humming a happy tune with a smile on her face.
Her happy mindset was briefly interrupted by the sight of a small mob, but since it was Domino- and there hadn’t been madness in almost a month- she wasn’t too worried. There was probably a new duel system introduced, or some ambitious maniac recruiting an army of drones for the next attempt at a hostile world take-over.
Shrugging it off, she continued on her way. She briefly thought of asking her mother for advice about the “Kaiba-Situation”, but... Well, her mother knowing that she was a big enough girl to “like boys” was all well and good, but the very prospect of informing her that she would enjoy doing much, much more than just liking them was most unpleasant. Anzu figured that she could, and would, work it out on her own. Unless...
She smiled sneakily to herself. Unless she could get Yugi to help her of course. She continued her walk in high spirits, resolving to apply for the short boy’s help that very afternoon.
However, it was just at that moment that something- and she wasn’t immediately sure what it was- slammed into her. “Oh my- What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
xXx
Seto stormed out of the coffee shop, feeling like an utter fool. Honda hadn’t told Anzu it was a date. Anzu had just thought the meeting was accidental- she had no idea that she was being set up with him at all! On the bright side, that thought did please him. She didn’t know; she had no clue how he felt. If he felt at all, for he still wasn’t convinced that the stirrings she inspired were more than a case of... indigestion or some other logically-explained physical ailment. It certainly wasn’t anything to do with “love”.
‘Well...’ he amended mentally, thinking of her laugh, her smile, her bright eyes, her grating (and yet somehow so endearing) personality, that tantalizing hint of beautiful body... Alright, so perhaps there was something there a little more complex than just stomach pains. He could admit, to himself, that said “feelings” for Anzu came from- just maybe- that region in his chest where his frigid heart resided. Maybe.
He was just sifting through any other possible explanations when a shrill yell startled him. “OH MY GOD! IT’S HIM!”
Seto looked up, rather angry at whatever was the cause of such a ruckus. But his eyes went wide when he spotted a mob of women racing right towards him.
“SETO KAIBA! IT’S SETO KAIBA! GRAB HIM, GIRLS!”
He was momentarily paralyzed with utter disbelief. That... just couldn’t be happening. The very idea was absurd! ...Right? The loud screams and wails coming toward him at an alarmingly fast pace put any doubts to rest. He was being stampeded. An instant too late, he tried to run, only to have some meaty hand grab his collar and pull him into a veritable ocean of screaming women. While some may have welcomed such an experience (Jounouchi leaps to mind), Seto was absolutely appalled.
There were hands- so many intrusive hands- everywhere, groping him, grabbing him, touching him in places they really didn’t need to be touching. There were hands grabbing his legs, hands at his waist, hands on his shoulders and face. They were rabid! He felt like a piece of meat being fought over by a pack of wild dogs.
“OH MY GOD!” one girl screamed, “I GOT A STRAND OF HIS HAIR!” A new wave of yelling commenced, as the other women frantically grappled to get a souvenir of their own.
Seto floundered in that sea of fanaticism, trying desperately to resurface. But wait! He saw Mazaki walking by. An ally! He chose to ignore any other import she had, needing her only as an anchor to the world of the sane. He waved, but if she saw him, he was ignored.
“I GOT A BUTTON OFF HIS SHIRT!”
“I WANT HIS SHOES!”
“I’M TAKING HIS PANTS!”
Okay, that was going a little far. He cleared his throat, trying to get their attention. “Ladies. Ladies.” No response. “Excuse me. Ladies.” Their pawing was getting quite annoying. He growled, his patience nearly gone.
“Ladies- GET THE HELL OFF ME!”
There was a collective gasp, and for a moment they all were still. Seto was not one to waste an opportunity when it presented itself. He ran for all he was worth right at Anzu.
“Oh my- What the hell do you think you’re doing!” In his haste, he hadn’t slowed in time and had ended up slamming into her.
Seto shook his head and tried to straighten himself up. “I was being mauled, Mazaki. I thought with your helper instinct you’d have already tried to interfere.”
“What are you talking about, Kaiba?”
He grunted. “Oh, excuse me. The screaming horde of rampaging fan-girls trying to tear off my clothes must be incredibly hard to spot.”
She giggled under her hand, trying to stifle the sound without much success. “Th-that was your mob?”
He glared.
Anzu grinned. “I didn’t know that was you back there. I... Well actually I probably wouldn’t have helped you, but...” She shrugged. “Um, sorry?”
He rolled his eyes, wondering why he had run to her in the first place. He surveyed himself in distaste, noticing a few buttons gone from the rather expensive shirt he was wearing. He glared at Anzu (it had been tailor-made to fit him in a color and style designed just for him and it had been worn to impress her, but that hadn’t turned out at all like he’d anticipated).
She looked him over as well. “You’re a mess.”
“Yes, thank you for the brilliant assessment, Mazaki- I certainly couldn’t have figured that out on my own.”
She rolled her eyes back at him. “Whatever. If you’re going to be like that, though, then I’ll rethink the oh-so-kind offer of help I was just about to extend.” She craned her head to one side, looking as though she were listening intently. “And it sounds like you’re going to need said help very soon.” She smirked. “Your fan-club approaches.”
He hissed out a curse.
“I was just heading home. You could join me... If you want, that is.”
He sneered, looking disgusted at the very idea. Though the thought was... It was... Far more appealing than it should have been. He sighed. Was spending time with her worth actually spending time with her? Loathing someone you were attracted to took much too much effort.
The mob of madwomen was getting closer, and Seto knew it was do or die time. He brushed himself off for the final time, and then extended a hand to Anzu. “Well- shall we then?”
She took it with a smile, and then they ran.
“This way!” Anzu laughed, leading them onto another street.
“Can’t you run any faster?” Seto complained, “I think they’re gaining.”
“Oh shut up,” Anzu snapped in return, breathing heavily from the exertions of their escape. “We’re almost there!”
And she was right: after a few more turns and a cut through a park, they were there. The House of Mazaki. Anzu glanced around to make sure they hadn’t been followed- still caught up in their game- before unlocking the door and ushering him inside.
Seto looked around warily, feeling like an unwelcome intruder in some sort of... shrine. Anzu sat down at a bar in what was obviously a kitchen, and seeing no other options open he quickly followed suit.
Well.
Things were even more awkward than they had been earlier.
He was in her house, where she lived everyday. Somehow, the very thought made him squirm. It was... well, decidedly weird, and he wasn’t quite sure how the situation should best be handled.
“You hungry?” Anzu asked, snapping him out of his odd stream of thought. “We have, um, fruit and stuff if you’d like it. I guess my parents are still at work, so...” She cleared her throat. “It’s just us.”
She was so flustered herself, she never took the time to notice how very telling the situation was. Kaiba had, first, engaged in not-quite-hostile conversation with her, then ran to her for help in escaping his rabid fans- an escape made while their hands were joined- and finally was in her very home, not even insulting it, or commenting on how inferior it was to his own. And the delusional girl honestly believed that a snowball had a better chance of getting in hell than she had of getting in Kaiba’s heart. Love really does make fools of us all.
Seto shook his head at the offer of food, so she shrugged and got herself an apple out of a nearby bowl. After that, neither spoke a word.
“So...” Anzu said finally, desperate for something to fill the silence, “Am I now to believe that I’m better company than those mad fans of yours? Knowing of your intense dislike for me, it seems nearly unbelievable.”
He scowled. “I acknowledge you enough to hate you, don’t I? Their anonymity merely proves how worthless they are.” Anzu wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or flattered. “I don’t understand it, either; I’ve had a few swooning girls before, but never like this.”
Anzu coughed, covering a laugh. “That magazine article you did? I... Well, I certainly can’t say that I enjoyed it, but that picture of you certainly sparked some fresh interest. You’re rich, and you’re not hideously unattractive, so I’m fairly sure that they read-or saw- you, and that’s what has spawned the sudden mobbing.”
He raised a curious brow. “Oh, not hideously unattractive am I? You’ve always led me to believe otherwise.”
It was her turn to scowl. “Is it my fault you work me up to the point of blind hatred? You could be the most gorgeous man on the planet, but with your attitude I’d still call you ugly.” She took a bite of her apple almost angrily and turned away. “Besides, with your money you probably had plastic surgery or something.”
Seto smirked. “Money can’t buy everything? I believe you’ve just proven my point instead of your own.”
“I still maintain you can’t buy happiness. You vainly seek to borrow from your wealth surcease of sorrow, but-“
“Quoth the Kaiba ‘Nevermore’?”
Anzu snorted in laughter. “Ha... That was funny! I didn’t know you had a sense of humor.” She snorted again. “Oh, but let me guess- you bought that, too.”
He didn’t feel that even deserved a reply. And as much as he would have hated to admit it- and he would have REALLY hated to admit it, he was enjoying himself. When he wasn’t being a total asshole to her, she seemed to unwind around him a little. (Astonishing!) He wondered if they would ever have any more conversations like that, easy and teasing and fun. He wondered if she’d ever invite him over again, to her cozy, happy home. But what was first and foremost in his mind: he wondered what she would do to him if he kissed her.
He wanted to.
He really wanted to.
In fact, in the momentary lull in the conversation while she had been exhaling the last dregs of a laugh, he had leaned toward her with the intend of doing just that. Kissing her. Would she respond? Would she slap him away? Would she blush and be overcome with the sudden urge to give him a tour of her home? (He had been wondering where her bedroom was since they had arrived, but- though often tactless- he valued his life (and potentially parts of his anatomy) too much to dare to ask.)
He leaned in a little closer, and was just about to speak, her name already on his lips, when-
The telephone rang.
“Oh! Sorry Kaiba, but if you’ll excuse me for just one quick second...” Offering an apologetic grin, she grabbed the phone from the wall and scampered off into what appeared to be a living room.
Well... As if it wasn’t degrading enough to actually want to kiss her, Seto had been doubly punished by her not even noticing that he was going to! He growled to himself, watching her half-eaten apple sit motionless on the counter-top. The damned apple had gotten more action than he had.
Rather put out with phones in general, the ringing distraction had reminded him of a call he needed to make. Anzu’s guess that the women had reacted to the picture that had been published coincided with his own, and he wanted that little issue immediately taken care of. He whipped out his cell.
Seto tapped his fingers impatiently on the counter. The phone rang twice before someone finally picked up. “Hello? KaibCorp PR department, how- may I help you?”
“This is Seto Kaiba- let me speak to the head. Now.”
The secretary gulped. “R-right away, sir.”
A brief moment later, a harried male voice came on the line. “Ahh, hello Mr. Kaiba- what can I do for you?”
Seto growled. “Why haven’t you secured a retraction- or whatever- yet? I want that damned picture out of circulation now! Myojin- you better have a good reason for completely disregarding my orders.”
“Well, Mr. Kaiba... You see, I-I really didn’t think it would be in the company’s best interest to have the picture retracted. Sales are... are up! We’ve had a huge leap in new product placement, our stock had gone up, and... and most importantly, the public image has never been better. I’m sure you’re aware of all this already sir, but do you really want to throw that away? People like the company now! I’d say that we’re moving in a very positive direction. It’s my professional opinion that we couldn’t have asked for better advertising.”
“Are you telling me that you haven’t even contacted the magazine?”
“N-no... I did call. And they said that... that they’d like to thank you. That picture of you made sales skyrocket up.”
And for a moment there was an uncomfortable silence.
“Myojin,” Seto said in a low, dangerous voice, “I’m going to hang up now. I am not a happy man. Have all your figures on my desk in the morning. If you value your job- if you value your life- you will not disregard my authority like that again.”
“M-Mr. Kaiba, I-“
With a very satisfying crunch, Seto threw the cell phone onto the floor and stepped on it.
Anzu surveyed him with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head. “You’re cleaning that up, you know.” And after hanging up her phone, she retreated once again into her living room.
Seto sighed. Once again, things deviate from plan. It would probably be best if he left, before he found a way to embarrass himself in front of the damn girl.
“Mazaki,” he called, coming into the room with her, “I think I ought to be going now. This has been...” he sneered. “Interesting.”
She stood from her position on a comfortable-looking couch and smiled at him. “All right. Glad I could help. I’ll show you out.”
Seto followed her to the door. He stood at the stoop for a moment, she in the doorframe, neither quite ready for him to leave. “Well...” He cleared his throat.
“Yeah.” She looked down, her cheeks sporting a lovely pink flush. Her eyes darted up to meet his.
Again, he couldn’t help the urge to kiss her that appeared. She looked like she wanted him to kiss her! Did she? Was that coy, shy expression lingering on her pretty face an invitation? He couldn’t quite tell...
Anzu gulped as Seto took an almost imperceptible step closer. She wasn’t quite sure what was going on, knowing only that it wasn’t unpleasant. He looked as though he were about to speak, but suddenly his mouth snapped shut and into a smirk.
“Goodbye Anzu. I’ll see you at school.” And he turned briskly and headed off, leaving one very confused girl behind.
She shut the door and leaned against it, her heart beating a bit faster than normal. She had had the crazy idea that he was about to kiss her. But... but he would never do that! She shook her head, clearing away all those wild ideas.
“But maybe Yugi was right,” she said to herself, recalling the short conversation she had had with him. She couldn’t talk long, because Kaiba was there and she didn’t need him adding rude to her already lengthy list of flaws. Yugi had been surprised that Kaiba had come with her, and put forth his expert opinion that maybe what she felt for the brilliant CEO was returned. She thought for a minute, wondering if perhaps that had any truth to it.
“No; can’t be!” She laughed. “Kaiba liking me? Yeah, sure- when pigs are flying.”
xXx
“So,” Mokuba Kaiba said to his big brother Seto later that afternoon, “Why are you so grumpy? You’ve been sulking a lot lately.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Seto said, “I’m just still angry at that stupid magazine. They refused to destroy the remaining copies, and had the nerve to thank me for increasing their sales.” Seto scowled beautifully. “I’m still fending off insane, salivating madwomen.”
Mokuba grinned. “Oh? Have an experience on the way home did we?”
Seto’s scowl deepened considerably. “I don’t know what makes you say that. I...” He caught his little brother’s expression, and decided to not even attempt lying. “Yes, all right?” he said grudgingly. “I was mobbed. It was quite... unpleasant.”
He intentionally neglected to mention the time he had spent with Anzu; that wasn’t really any of Mokuba’s business anyway, and... Seto didn’t need anyone else knowing how he felt about the girl. It wasn’t like she’d ever feel the same way.
“That’s funny, Seto,” Mokuba said, snickering. “I guess you finally got around to calling that guy at KaibaCorp, huh?”
Seto snorted derisively. “Oh yes, we had a lovely conversation. The jackass.”
“Now, now Seto,” Mokuba reprimanded gently. “That’s not very nice.”
~~~
Previous ♥ Next
Series: Lifestyles of the Rich and the Arrogant
Chapter: Twelve - Shelf Life (12/15)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Shelf Life
In Which Madwomen Attack
Anzu watched as Kaiba stalked out the door. Honda sat down, a smile upon his face, looking not at all concerned that he had seemingly made Kaiba so very angry.
“What was that about?” Anzu asked curiously, wondering what the two could possibly have had to talk about.
Honda just grinned. “Oh, I don’t know; he just had to ask me for homework or something. I... forget.”
“You just spoke to him a second ago- I don’t think you’d be able to totally forget the subject of the conversation that quickly.”
Honda just shrugged. “Nice weather we’re having, huh?”
“Honda!” Anzu said, exasperated. “What’s the big deal? Why can’t you tell me?”
He sighed. “Alright, Anzu, you caught me.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “We were talking about how beautiful you are.”
She laughed and playfully smacked him. “Oh get serious. If it’s that secret, I just won’t ask.”
He winked. “Don’t worry, doll; it won’t be a secret for long.”
The talked easily for another half an hour, before Anzu realized that she had to head home. Domino was never that dangerous, so she felt perfect safe walking. The day was beautiful as well, so she took the time to enjoy it. She walked down the sidewalk happily, humming a happy tune with a smile on her face.
Her happy mindset was briefly interrupted by the sight of a small mob, but since it was Domino- and there hadn’t been madness in almost a month- she wasn’t too worried. There was probably a new duel system introduced, or some ambitious maniac recruiting an army of drones for the next attempt at a hostile world take-over.
Shrugging it off, she continued on her way. She briefly thought of asking her mother for advice about the “Kaiba-Situation”, but... Well, her mother knowing that she was a big enough girl to “like boys” was all well and good, but the very prospect of informing her that she would enjoy doing much, much more than just liking them was most unpleasant. Anzu figured that she could, and would, work it out on her own. Unless...
She smiled sneakily to herself. Unless she could get Yugi to help her of course. She continued her walk in high spirits, resolving to apply for the short boy’s help that very afternoon.
However, it was just at that moment that something- and she wasn’t immediately sure what it was- slammed into her. “Oh my- What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
xXx
Seto stormed out of the coffee shop, feeling like an utter fool. Honda hadn’t told Anzu it was a date. Anzu had just thought the meeting was accidental- she had no idea that she was being set up with him at all! On the bright side, that thought did please him. She didn’t know; she had no clue how he felt. If he felt at all, for he still wasn’t convinced that the stirrings she inspired were more than a case of... indigestion or some other logically-explained physical ailment. It certainly wasn’t anything to do with “love”.
‘Well...’ he amended mentally, thinking of her laugh, her smile, her bright eyes, her grating (and yet somehow so endearing) personality, that tantalizing hint of beautiful body... Alright, so perhaps there was something there a little more complex than just stomach pains. He could admit, to himself, that said “feelings” for Anzu came from- just maybe- that region in his chest where his frigid heart resided. Maybe.
He was just sifting through any other possible explanations when a shrill yell startled him. “OH MY GOD! IT’S HIM!”
Seto looked up, rather angry at whatever was the cause of such a ruckus. But his eyes went wide when he spotted a mob of women racing right towards him.
“SETO KAIBA! IT’S SETO KAIBA! GRAB HIM, GIRLS!”
He was momentarily paralyzed with utter disbelief. That... just couldn’t be happening. The very idea was absurd! ...Right? The loud screams and wails coming toward him at an alarmingly fast pace put any doubts to rest. He was being stampeded. An instant too late, he tried to run, only to have some meaty hand grab his collar and pull him into a veritable ocean of screaming women. While some may have welcomed such an experience (Jounouchi leaps to mind), Seto was absolutely appalled.
There were hands- so many intrusive hands- everywhere, groping him, grabbing him, touching him in places they really didn’t need to be touching. There were hands grabbing his legs, hands at his waist, hands on his shoulders and face. They were rabid! He felt like a piece of meat being fought over by a pack of wild dogs.
“OH MY GOD!” one girl screamed, “I GOT A STRAND OF HIS HAIR!” A new wave of yelling commenced, as the other women frantically grappled to get a souvenir of their own.
Seto floundered in that sea of fanaticism, trying desperately to resurface. But wait! He saw Mazaki walking by. An ally! He chose to ignore any other import she had, needing her only as an anchor to the world of the sane. He waved, but if she saw him, he was ignored.
“I GOT A BUTTON OFF HIS SHIRT!”
“I WANT HIS SHOES!”
“I’M TAKING HIS PANTS!”
Okay, that was going a little far. He cleared his throat, trying to get their attention. “Ladies. Ladies.” No response. “Excuse me. Ladies.” Their pawing was getting quite annoying. He growled, his patience nearly gone.
“Ladies- GET THE HELL OFF ME!”
There was a collective gasp, and for a moment they all were still. Seto was not one to waste an opportunity when it presented itself. He ran for all he was worth right at Anzu.
“Oh my- What the hell do you think you’re doing!” In his haste, he hadn’t slowed in time and had ended up slamming into her.
Seto shook his head and tried to straighten himself up. “I was being mauled, Mazaki. I thought with your helper instinct you’d have already tried to interfere.”
“What are you talking about, Kaiba?”
He grunted. “Oh, excuse me. The screaming horde of rampaging fan-girls trying to tear off my clothes must be incredibly hard to spot.”
She giggled under her hand, trying to stifle the sound without much success. “Th-that was your mob?”
He glared.
Anzu grinned. “I didn’t know that was you back there. I... Well actually I probably wouldn’t have helped you, but...” She shrugged. “Um, sorry?”
He rolled his eyes, wondering why he had run to her in the first place. He surveyed himself in distaste, noticing a few buttons gone from the rather expensive shirt he was wearing. He glared at Anzu (it had been tailor-made to fit him in a color and style designed just for him and it had been worn to impress her, but that hadn’t turned out at all like he’d anticipated).
She looked him over as well. “You’re a mess.”
“Yes, thank you for the brilliant assessment, Mazaki- I certainly couldn’t have figured that out on my own.”
She rolled her eyes back at him. “Whatever. If you’re going to be like that, though, then I’ll rethink the oh-so-kind offer of help I was just about to extend.” She craned her head to one side, looking as though she were listening intently. “And it sounds like you’re going to need said help very soon.” She smirked. “Your fan-club approaches.”
He hissed out a curse.
“I was just heading home. You could join me... If you want, that is.”
He sneered, looking disgusted at the very idea. Though the thought was... It was... Far more appealing than it should have been. He sighed. Was spending time with her worth actually spending time with her? Loathing someone you were attracted to took much too much effort.
The mob of madwomen was getting closer, and Seto knew it was do or die time. He brushed himself off for the final time, and then extended a hand to Anzu. “Well- shall we then?”
She took it with a smile, and then they ran.
“This way!” Anzu laughed, leading them onto another street.
“Can’t you run any faster?” Seto complained, “I think they’re gaining.”
“Oh shut up,” Anzu snapped in return, breathing heavily from the exertions of their escape. “We’re almost there!”
And she was right: after a few more turns and a cut through a park, they were there. The House of Mazaki. Anzu glanced around to make sure they hadn’t been followed- still caught up in their game- before unlocking the door and ushering him inside.
Seto looked around warily, feeling like an unwelcome intruder in some sort of... shrine. Anzu sat down at a bar in what was obviously a kitchen, and seeing no other options open he quickly followed suit.
Well.
Things were even more awkward than they had been earlier.
He was in her house, where she lived everyday. Somehow, the very thought made him squirm. It was... well, decidedly weird, and he wasn’t quite sure how the situation should best be handled.
“You hungry?” Anzu asked, snapping him out of his odd stream of thought. “We have, um, fruit and stuff if you’d like it. I guess my parents are still at work, so...” She cleared her throat. “It’s just us.”
She was so flustered herself, she never took the time to notice how very telling the situation was. Kaiba had, first, engaged in not-quite-hostile conversation with her, then ran to her for help in escaping his rabid fans- an escape made while their hands were joined- and finally was in her very home, not even insulting it, or commenting on how inferior it was to his own. And the delusional girl honestly believed that a snowball had a better chance of getting in hell than she had of getting in Kaiba’s heart. Love really does make fools of us all.
Seto shook his head at the offer of food, so she shrugged and got herself an apple out of a nearby bowl. After that, neither spoke a word.
“So...” Anzu said finally, desperate for something to fill the silence, “Am I now to believe that I’m better company than those mad fans of yours? Knowing of your intense dislike for me, it seems nearly unbelievable.”
He scowled. “I acknowledge you enough to hate you, don’t I? Their anonymity merely proves how worthless they are.” Anzu wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or flattered. “I don’t understand it, either; I’ve had a few swooning girls before, but never like this.”
Anzu coughed, covering a laugh. “That magazine article you did? I... Well, I certainly can’t say that I enjoyed it, but that picture of you certainly sparked some fresh interest. You’re rich, and you’re not hideously unattractive, so I’m fairly sure that they read-or saw- you, and that’s what has spawned the sudden mobbing.”
He raised a curious brow. “Oh, not hideously unattractive am I? You’ve always led me to believe otherwise.”
It was her turn to scowl. “Is it my fault you work me up to the point of blind hatred? You could be the most gorgeous man on the planet, but with your attitude I’d still call you ugly.” She took a bite of her apple almost angrily and turned away. “Besides, with your money you probably had plastic surgery or something.”
Seto smirked. “Money can’t buy everything? I believe you’ve just proven my point instead of your own.”
“I still maintain you can’t buy happiness. You vainly seek to borrow from your wealth surcease of sorrow, but-“
“Quoth the Kaiba ‘Nevermore’?”
Anzu snorted in laughter. “Ha... That was funny! I didn’t know you had a sense of humor.” She snorted again. “Oh, but let me guess- you bought that, too.”
He didn’t feel that even deserved a reply. And as much as he would have hated to admit it- and he would have REALLY hated to admit it, he was enjoying himself. When he wasn’t being a total asshole to her, she seemed to unwind around him a little. (Astonishing!) He wondered if they would ever have any more conversations like that, easy and teasing and fun. He wondered if she’d ever invite him over again, to her cozy, happy home. But what was first and foremost in his mind: he wondered what she would do to him if he kissed her.
He wanted to.
He really wanted to.
In fact, in the momentary lull in the conversation while she had been exhaling the last dregs of a laugh, he had leaned toward her with the intend of doing just that. Kissing her. Would she respond? Would she slap him away? Would she blush and be overcome with the sudden urge to give him a tour of her home? (He had been wondering where her bedroom was since they had arrived, but- though often tactless- he valued his life (and potentially parts of his anatomy) too much to dare to ask.)
He leaned in a little closer, and was just about to speak, her name already on his lips, when-
The telephone rang.
“Oh! Sorry Kaiba, but if you’ll excuse me for just one quick second...” Offering an apologetic grin, she grabbed the phone from the wall and scampered off into what appeared to be a living room.
Well... As if it wasn’t degrading enough to actually want to kiss her, Seto had been doubly punished by her not even noticing that he was going to! He growled to himself, watching her half-eaten apple sit motionless on the counter-top. The damned apple had gotten more action than he had.
Rather put out with phones in general, the ringing distraction had reminded him of a call he needed to make. Anzu’s guess that the women had reacted to the picture that had been published coincided with his own, and he wanted that little issue immediately taken care of. He whipped out his cell.
Seto tapped his fingers impatiently on the counter. The phone rang twice before someone finally picked up. “Hello? KaibCorp PR department, how- may I help you?”
“This is Seto Kaiba- let me speak to the head. Now.”
The secretary gulped. “R-right away, sir.”
A brief moment later, a harried male voice came on the line. “Ahh, hello Mr. Kaiba- what can I do for you?”
Seto growled. “Why haven’t you secured a retraction- or whatever- yet? I want that damned picture out of circulation now! Myojin- you better have a good reason for completely disregarding my orders.”
“Well, Mr. Kaiba... You see, I-I really didn’t think it would be in the company’s best interest to have the picture retracted. Sales are... are up! We’ve had a huge leap in new product placement, our stock had gone up, and... and most importantly, the public image has never been better. I’m sure you’re aware of all this already sir, but do you really want to throw that away? People like the company now! I’d say that we’re moving in a very positive direction. It’s my professional opinion that we couldn’t have asked for better advertising.”
“Are you telling me that you haven’t even contacted the magazine?”
“N-no... I did call. And they said that... that they’d like to thank you. That picture of you made sales skyrocket up.”
And for a moment there was an uncomfortable silence.
“Myojin,” Seto said in a low, dangerous voice, “I’m going to hang up now. I am not a happy man. Have all your figures on my desk in the morning. If you value your job- if you value your life- you will not disregard my authority like that again.”
“M-Mr. Kaiba, I-“
With a very satisfying crunch, Seto threw the cell phone onto the floor and stepped on it.
Anzu surveyed him with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head. “You’re cleaning that up, you know.” And after hanging up her phone, she retreated once again into her living room.
Seto sighed. Once again, things deviate from plan. It would probably be best if he left, before he found a way to embarrass himself in front of the damn girl.
“Mazaki,” he called, coming into the room with her, “I think I ought to be going now. This has been...” he sneered. “Interesting.”
She stood from her position on a comfortable-looking couch and smiled at him. “All right. Glad I could help. I’ll show you out.”
Seto followed her to the door. He stood at the stoop for a moment, she in the doorframe, neither quite ready for him to leave. “Well...” He cleared his throat.
“Yeah.” She looked down, her cheeks sporting a lovely pink flush. Her eyes darted up to meet his.
Again, he couldn’t help the urge to kiss her that appeared. She looked like she wanted him to kiss her! Did she? Was that coy, shy expression lingering on her pretty face an invitation? He couldn’t quite tell...
Anzu gulped as Seto took an almost imperceptible step closer. She wasn’t quite sure what was going on, knowing only that it wasn’t unpleasant. He looked as though he were about to speak, but suddenly his mouth snapped shut and into a smirk.
“Goodbye Anzu. I’ll see you at school.” And he turned briskly and headed off, leaving one very confused girl behind.
She shut the door and leaned against it, her heart beating a bit faster than normal. She had had the crazy idea that he was about to kiss her. But... but he would never do that! She shook her head, clearing away all those wild ideas.
“But maybe Yugi was right,” she said to herself, recalling the short conversation she had had with him. She couldn’t talk long, because Kaiba was there and she didn’t need him adding rude to her already lengthy list of flaws. Yugi had been surprised that Kaiba had come with her, and put forth his expert opinion that maybe what she felt for the brilliant CEO was returned. She thought for a minute, wondering if perhaps that had any truth to it.
“No; can’t be!” She laughed. “Kaiba liking me? Yeah, sure- when pigs are flying.”
xXx
“So,” Mokuba Kaiba said to his big brother Seto later that afternoon, “Why are you so grumpy? You’ve been sulking a lot lately.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Seto said, “I’m just still angry at that stupid magazine. They refused to destroy the remaining copies, and had the nerve to thank me for increasing their sales.” Seto scowled beautifully. “I’m still fending off insane, salivating madwomen.”
Mokuba grinned. “Oh? Have an experience on the way home did we?”
Seto’s scowl deepened considerably. “I don’t know what makes you say that. I...” He caught his little brother’s expression, and decided to not even attempt lying. “Yes, all right?” he said grudgingly. “I was mobbed. It was quite... unpleasant.”
He intentionally neglected to mention the time he had spent with Anzu; that wasn’t really any of Mokuba’s business anyway, and... Seto didn’t need anyone else knowing how he felt about the girl. It wasn’t like she’d ever feel the same way.
“That’s funny, Seto,” Mokuba said, snickering. “I guess you finally got around to calling that guy at KaibaCorp, huh?”
Seto snorted derisively. “Oh yes, we had a lovely conversation. The jackass.”
“Now, now Seto,” Mokuba reprimanded gently. “That’s not very nice.”
~~~
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