More "ICOE" - A Complete Scene
Yugioh chess scene of chp. 19
Seto/Anzu
The sun had begun to set, falling down on the horizon in an explosion of orange. It wasn’t particularly splendid or anything outstandingly memorable, but for anyone out on a calm, evening stroll it provided a nice background and some warm lighting.
Most would have enjoyed it. Seto Kaiba, however, was not most people. While the elderly couple waiting on the curb with him were clasping hands and gazing at the sky appreciatively, Seto was on his cell phone tying up a few strings on some last minute business transaction. He was blind to the way the world seemed soaked in gold; he completely missed the streaks of honeyed sun in his hair, putting almost a halo around him, a glow casting his profile in fuzzy yellow light, flecks of sparkling gold caught in his long, dark lashes. The elderly couple gave a joint sigh and looked up at the thread of indigo unraveling above the molten sun. Seto blinked and turned away to keep the intense, fading light out of his eyes.
Seto rarely bothered to appreciate his environment. While the two beside him were mentally waxing poetic about the way a leaf caught the light just the right way, Seto was wishing for his sleek, silver designer sunglasses that perfectly matched his sleek, silver cell phone and his stiff, designer trench coat and his well-made designer clothes. Gadgetry and metallic shine served as his aesthetic ideal and the "urban jungle" was the only nature he ever wanted.
A moment or two later, his car pulled up to the curb. Without a glance at the couple beside him, he climbed in and about six seconds later the car was speeding off.
He sighed and clicked his phone shut. "Incompetence," he muttered to himself, adjusting the air vent to blow away from his face. He closed his eyes and leaned back, enjoying the feeling of the rich leather seat. "Utter incompetence."
"Something wrong, sir?" his driver asked absently.
Seto grunted. "No. Just drive - Mokuba’s expecting me home at a ‘reasonable hour’."
"Very well, then."
The car ride home wasn't long - a nice distance, time to cool his head from work, but not time enough for boredom to set in. The driver had put on a station with soft, classical music and Seto had an ice-cold bottle of fresh spring water. It was relaxing, and secretly Seto enjoyed the brief time he had completely to himself.
"Here we are, sir," the driver said stiffly. He pulled up to the gates and punched in the entry code. The heavy iron-work gates swung open, and then slowly he pulled up the long, paved driveway.
At the door, Seto got out, and the car drove around to the garage. With a sigh, he let himself inside. As he slipped his shoes off, he noticed a pair of small, pink sneakers by some of Mokuba's worn-out old sandals. An eyebrow raised. Apparently they had a visitor.
"Mokuba," he called loudly, walking further into the house, "I'm home!" He paused. "Who's here?"
"Hey, Seto!" Anzu's voice called back to him. "I came over for a little while. Mokuba and I are playing chess in the living room."
He allowed himself a little smile, and walked into the aforementioned room. He saw Anzu and Mokuba finishing up what looked to have been a quick game. Mokuba moved a rook and smirked deviously. "Check mate."
Anzu threw her hands up. "I give! That's the second time you've beaten me, Mokuba. I guess I just can't win."
Seto chose that moment to, in essence, "appear". He sauntered over towards them. "No, I think you just need a little... help."
"Oh no," Mokuba said with a nervous laugh. "Seto, you know you kick ass at chess - you'd tear me down in a second."
He was ignored. Seto went over and, much to her surprise, lifted Anzu out of her seat. He set her on her feet, sat down in the chair himself, then pulled her into his lap.
"Set the board up, Mokuba. We're going to play."
Mokuba groaned. "Seto..." There was no answer. Instead, a thin, dangerous eyebrow rose slowly. Mokuba put on his best pout. "I want you to be aware that I think this is grossly unfair."
Seto smirked. "Duly noted."
"You rhymed, too," Anzu said with a grin, starting to set up the black pieces on her side of the board.
Mokuba rolled his eyes. "I don't need both of you against me! Anzu, I thought we were a united front, both crusading against the tyranny of His Smugness."
Seto picked up the king, examining it as he held it between his fingers. He seemed to be less than offended. "That almost sounds like... royalty."
Anzu giggled, and Mokuba just scowled. "All right," the younger Kaiba said as that final piece was set on the board, "the two of you better be ready. I am holding nothing back."
Ten minutes later, Seto looked bored and Mokuba was engrossed. "How do you do that?" Anzu asked in surprise. "I forgot you were so good at this."
Seto gave his equivalent of a shrug. "Yes, well..." He looked at her with the shadow of a grin. "I suppose it's the only one of my many talents that I don't brag about."
She grinned in return. "I guess you're right."
"Of course."
"See? That's just one of the things I love about you. You've mellowed out so much since we were teenagers. Though..." She raked her fingers through his hair and whispered close to his ear. "You were pretty damn hot when you were snarky, too."
He gently turned her head so that they were face to face. "I hope," he said slowly, wearing a smirk, "that I still continue to be pretty... damn - "
"Ha!" Mokuba said, crossing his arms and leaning back so hard his chair rocked. "Take that! Oh, Seto, you'll never... Hey, why are you two looking at me like that?"
Anzu smiled. "Sorry, Mokuba - don't worry, you didn't do anything."
"So you have a brilliant strategy, hmm?" Seto moved his knight. "I think it's a little more transparent than you think."
Mokuba smirked. "That's what you think! But, if you..." He trailed off as he looked at the board. "Oh." His face fell. "Apparently you were right."
Seto watched with dark amusement as his brother's brow furrowed and he surveyed the board as though it were a battlefield. He was in an unusually good mood, he noticed suddenly. With a game of chess that would present more of a challenge than he'd had recently, Anzu in his lap, and a good day of work under his belt, Seto felt - strangely enough - content.
"What do you mean, looking like you're about to smile?" Anzu grinned at him. "Seto, you like positively radiant."
"Well." His eyes narrowed. "I assure you I am not feeling radiant, or anything like it."
She laughed. "Of course not, Seto. Of course not."
A thought suddenly struck him. "So..." He looked up at her, speaking so softly that Mokuba couldn't hear them even if he wasn't so involved. "Does this mean I've been absolved?"
"From wha - Oh. Oh." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well of course I'm not angry at you anymore, Seto, but the issues underneath are still there - and those are what we have to resolve."
Mokuba was grinning again. "Your move."
Seto moved. The grin remained. Mokuba, having formulated a plan, moved again. Then Seto's queen was moved. The grin fell. Mokuba shot his brother a nasty glare and sunk back down, muttering expletives under his breath.
Seto looked up at Anzu. "He can't beat me, and he knows it."
"I thought he was playing me."
"You can move the pieces for me if you want."
Anzu chuckled for a moment before again looking serious. "But really, Seto... We need to talk about the Sakura incident."
He scowled. "Do you want me to fire her?"
"What! What do you mean you haven't fired her?"
He felt the sudden, embarrassing urge to wince. "When I ran after you, I promised her she could keep her job if she finished all the work for that day and the next before she left. And she did." He paused. "I don't know if this matters at all, but she was the one who found me, unconscious, on the office floor. If I had fired her, I wouldn't have been able to find a secretary that quickly and I might have been there. And you know I wouldn't have said anything to anyone about it once I had woken up."
"Fine," Anzu said tersely, "you've made your point. But how do I know she won't - "
"I think I can say with some certainty that it's very unlikely. You may not remember this, but you walked in just as I was asking her to stop - I believe your name was even mentioned. I would not have allowed it to go any further."
"But she got you to allow her to do that."
"It was just a damn shoulder massage, Anzu. I had been sick for maybe a week already and it felt good - not because it was from her, because my body was nearly spent and it needed some relaxation."
Anzu's mouth was thin, pursed in displeasure. "You can't just play the sick card, Seto. I - "
"All right!" Mokuba beamed across the chessboard. "Oh, I've got you now, Seto - I've got you now!" He rubbed his hands together in glee. "Go on - move! You'll never beat me now."
Seto looked over the board for a moment or two, memorizing every piece's position. After a few more seconds a smirk blossomed across his face. "Really?" he asked, meeting his brother's eyes. "I won't beat you?" He made his move. "We'll just see about that."
While Mokuba was busy strategizing again, Seto cleared his throat. "Look," he said, "I wasn't trying to excuse my actions - I just don't want you to think it was out of any sort of desire for the woman."
"That's good, but..." Anzu frowned. "She was starting small. What if I hadn't walked in? A massage one day, maybe a peck on the cheek the next, and then - "
"Anzu, that's ridiculous. You're just being paranoid."
Her expression grew more stern, but she knew she couldn't just dismiss his accusations - they had truth in them. "Well, maybe so, Seto, but - "
She was cut off by his mouth as he pressed it hard against hers, giving her the hottest, most searing kiss of their entire relationship.
When they finally broke apart, they noticed Mokuba staring at them with wide eyes. He shook his head. "Well damn, Seto," he said, voice tinged with surprise. "I had no idea you loved chess that much."
-end scene-
YAH! The scene is done! Now all I have to do is finish the rest of the chapter. And I'll do that by the end of the year. Soon. Soon is what I meant.
-ILB
***
Seto/Anzu
The sun had begun to set, falling down on the horizon in an explosion of orange. It wasn’t particularly splendid or anything outstandingly memorable, but for anyone out on a calm, evening stroll it provided a nice background and some warm lighting.
Most would have enjoyed it. Seto Kaiba, however, was not most people. While the elderly couple waiting on the curb with him were clasping hands and gazing at the sky appreciatively, Seto was on his cell phone tying up a few strings on some last minute business transaction. He was blind to the way the world seemed soaked in gold; he completely missed the streaks of honeyed sun in his hair, putting almost a halo around him, a glow casting his profile in fuzzy yellow light, flecks of sparkling gold caught in his long, dark lashes. The elderly couple gave a joint sigh and looked up at the thread of indigo unraveling above the molten sun. Seto blinked and turned away to keep the intense, fading light out of his eyes.
Seto rarely bothered to appreciate his environment. While the two beside him were mentally waxing poetic about the way a leaf caught the light just the right way, Seto was wishing for his sleek, silver designer sunglasses that perfectly matched his sleek, silver cell phone and his stiff, designer trench coat and his well-made designer clothes. Gadgetry and metallic shine served as his aesthetic ideal and the "urban jungle" was the only nature he ever wanted.
A moment or two later, his car pulled up to the curb. Without a glance at the couple beside him, he climbed in and about six seconds later the car was speeding off.
He sighed and clicked his phone shut. "Incompetence," he muttered to himself, adjusting the air vent to blow away from his face. He closed his eyes and leaned back, enjoying the feeling of the rich leather seat. "Utter incompetence."
"Something wrong, sir?" his driver asked absently.
Seto grunted. "No. Just drive - Mokuba’s expecting me home at a ‘reasonable hour’."
"Very well, then."
The car ride home wasn't long - a nice distance, time to cool his head from work, but not time enough for boredom to set in. The driver had put on a station with soft, classical music and Seto had an ice-cold bottle of fresh spring water. It was relaxing, and secretly Seto enjoyed the brief time he had completely to himself.
"Here we are, sir," the driver said stiffly. He pulled up to the gates and punched in the entry code. The heavy iron-work gates swung open, and then slowly he pulled up the long, paved driveway.
At the door, Seto got out, and the car drove around to the garage. With a sigh, he let himself inside. As he slipped his shoes off, he noticed a pair of small, pink sneakers by some of Mokuba's worn-out old sandals. An eyebrow raised. Apparently they had a visitor.
"Mokuba," he called loudly, walking further into the house, "I'm home!" He paused. "Who's here?"
"Hey, Seto!" Anzu's voice called back to him. "I came over for a little while. Mokuba and I are playing chess in the living room."
He allowed himself a little smile, and walked into the aforementioned room. He saw Anzu and Mokuba finishing up what looked to have been a quick game. Mokuba moved a rook and smirked deviously. "Check mate."
Anzu threw her hands up. "I give! That's the second time you've beaten me, Mokuba. I guess I just can't win."
Seto chose that moment to, in essence, "appear". He sauntered over towards them. "No, I think you just need a little... help."
"Oh no," Mokuba said with a nervous laugh. "Seto, you know you kick ass at chess - you'd tear me down in a second."
He was ignored. Seto went over and, much to her surprise, lifted Anzu out of her seat. He set her on her feet, sat down in the chair himself, then pulled her into his lap.
"Set the board up, Mokuba. We're going to play."
Mokuba groaned. "Seto..." There was no answer. Instead, a thin, dangerous eyebrow rose slowly. Mokuba put on his best pout. "I want you to be aware that I think this is grossly unfair."
Seto smirked. "Duly noted."
"You rhymed, too," Anzu said with a grin, starting to set up the black pieces on her side of the board.
Mokuba rolled his eyes. "I don't need both of you against me! Anzu, I thought we were a united front, both crusading against the tyranny of His Smugness."
Seto picked up the king, examining it as he held it between his fingers. He seemed to be less than offended. "That almost sounds like... royalty."
Anzu giggled, and Mokuba just scowled. "All right," the younger Kaiba said as that final piece was set on the board, "the two of you better be ready. I am holding nothing back."
Ten minutes later, Seto looked bored and Mokuba was engrossed. "How do you do that?" Anzu asked in surprise. "I forgot you were so good at this."
Seto gave his equivalent of a shrug. "Yes, well..." He looked at her with the shadow of a grin. "I suppose it's the only one of my many talents that I don't brag about."
She grinned in return. "I guess you're right."
"Of course."
"See? That's just one of the things I love about you. You've mellowed out so much since we were teenagers. Though..." She raked her fingers through his hair and whispered close to his ear. "You were pretty damn hot when you were snarky, too."
He gently turned her head so that they were face to face. "I hope," he said slowly, wearing a smirk, "that I still continue to be pretty... damn - "
"Ha!" Mokuba said, crossing his arms and leaning back so hard his chair rocked. "Take that! Oh, Seto, you'll never... Hey, why are you two looking at me like that?"
Anzu smiled. "Sorry, Mokuba - don't worry, you didn't do anything."
"So you have a brilliant strategy, hmm?" Seto moved his knight. "I think it's a little more transparent than you think."
Mokuba smirked. "That's what you think! But, if you..." He trailed off as he looked at the board. "Oh." His face fell. "Apparently you were right."
Seto watched with dark amusement as his brother's brow furrowed and he surveyed the board as though it were a battlefield. He was in an unusually good mood, he noticed suddenly. With a game of chess that would present more of a challenge than he'd had recently, Anzu in his lap, and a good day of work under his belt, Seto felt - strangely enough - content.
"What do you mean, looking like you're about to smile?" Anzu grinned at him. "Seto, you like positively radiant."
"Well." His eyes narrowed. "I assure you I am not feeling radiant, or anything like it."
She laughed. "Of course not, Seto. Of course not."
A thought suddenly struck him. "So..." He looked up at her, speaking so softly that Mokuba couldn't hear them even if he wasn't so involved. "Does this mean I've been absolved?"
"From wha - Oh. Oh." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well of course I'm not angry at you anymore, Seto, but the issues underneath are still there - and those are what we have to resolve."
Mokuba was grinning again. "Your move."
Seto moved. The grin remained. Mokuba, having formulated a plan, moved again. Then Seto's queen was moved. The grin fell. Mokuba shot his brother a nasty glare and sunk back down, muttering expletives under his breath.
Seto looked up at Anzu. "He can't beat me, and he knows it."
"I thought he was playing me."
"You can move the pieces for me if you want."
Anzu chuckled for a moment before again looking serious. "But really, Seto... We need to talk about the Sakura incident."
He scowled. "Do you want me to fire her?"
"What! What do you mean you haven't fired her?"
He felt the sudden, embarrassing urge to wince. "When I ran after you, I promised her she could keep her job if she finished all the work for that day and the next before she left. And she did." He paused. "I don't know if this matters at all, but she was the one who found me, unconscious, on the office floor. If I had fired her, I wouldn't have been able to find a secretary that quickly and I might have been there. And you know I wouldn't have said anything to anyone about it once I had woken up."
"Fine," Anzu said tersely, "you've made your point. But how do I know she won't - "
"I think I can say with some certainty that it's very unlikely. You may not remember this, but you walked in just as I was asking her to stop - I believe your name was even mentioned. I would not have allowed it to go any further."
"But she got you to allow her to do that."
"It was just a damn shoulder massage, Anzu. I had been sick for maybe a week already and it felt good - not because it was from her, because my body was nearly spent and it needed some relaxation."
Anzu's mouth was thin, pursed in displeasure. "You can't just play the sick card, Seto. I - "
"All right!" Mokuba beamed across the chessboard. "Oh, I've got you now, Seto - I've got you now!" He rubbed his hands together in glee. "Go on - move! You'll never beat me now."
Seto looked over the board for a moment or two, memorizing every piece's position. After a few more seconds a smirk blossomed across his face. "Really?" he asked, meeting his brother's eyes. "I won't beat you?" He made his move. "We'll just see about that."
While Mokuba was busy strategizing again, Seto cleared his throat. "Look," he said, "I wasn't trying to excuse my actions - I just don't want you to think it was out of any sort of desire for the woman."
"That's good, but..." Anzu frowned. "She was starting small. What if I hadn't walked in? A massage one day, maybe a peck on the cheek the next, and then - "
"Anzu, that's ridiculous. You're just being paranoid."
Her expression grew more stern, but she knew she couldn't just dismiss his accusations - they had truth in them. "Well, maybe so, Seto, but - "
She was cut off by his mouth as he pressed it hard against hers, giving her the hottest, most searing kiss of their entire relationship.
When they finally broke apart, they noticed Mokuba staring at them with wide eyes. He shook his head. "Well damn, Seto," he said, voice tinged with surprise. "I had no idea you loved chess that much."
-end scene-
YAH! The scene is done! Now all I have to do is finish the rest of the chapter. And I'll do that by the end of the year. Soon. Soon is what I meant.
-ILB
***