*Just as an intro, I love all the Yu-Gi-Oh! characters, I really do, but my true favorite has been and always will be SETO KAIBA! Don't know why, but I absolutely LOVE him. Hence the story. Is it weird to be in love with a fictional character...? Yeah didn't think so.*

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. THIS ALL GOES TO THE GENIUS KAZUKI TAKAHASHI, 1996**

Chapter 1--Some (Rich) Jerks Have All the Luck

I glanced around the room at all the rich CEOs, the millionaires, the snobs. The air was filled with the scents of alcohol, fine perfume, and cigar smoke, along with a multitude of conversations. Richly suited men and elegantly dressed women made their way around, chatting and drinking and smoking.

I definitely did not want to be there. Sure, having my dad as one of the top reporters in the world had its advantages at one point or another, but right now I wanted to get the hell out of that place.

Dad, Randall "Randy" Dawson, was my mentor in journalism. I'd learned everything--every trick in the book, all the right shortcuts and places to snoop--from him. But sometimes when he dragged me to boring events like this, I would rather have shot myself.

As a bright and pretty sixteen-year-old, I did kinda stand out in the room full of adults, but one day I'd fit right in, as Celeste Dawson, reporter extraordinaire.

But I had a ways to go before I was at that point.

I sighed and glanced down at my phone, praying that in the five seconds since the last time I'd checked the clock, another ten minutes would've passed. They hadn't, obviously, and I sighed, bored.

"Celeste?"

I turned. Smiling behind his square-framed glasses, Dad jabbed my shoulder. "Don't fall asleep on me now, my junior reporter," he teased. "We need you covering this story."

I sighed again, then yawned, "I know, but this party is such a snooze. Is this guy ever gonna show up?"

"Of course," Dad said, "otherwise nobody else would've bothered to come to this place." He winked. "He oughta be here any minute."

What the fuck is with this guy, making us suffer through this whole thing for four hours before he even shows up?! I thought angrily. Who does he think he is, anyway?

With that, I tucked my curly dark blond hair behind my ear and headed in the direction of the bathroom; I was sure my bright green eyes were shot with red from how utterly exhausted I was. On the way, I smirked at the scene of pure boredom behind me. I'd come a long way from being just another face at a private school in a town across the country. Now I was living twenty minutes away from Domino City, a great place for businessmen and women, and also for avid players of the game that had swept the world in the past fifteen years, Duel Monsters. Not that I did that kinda stuff, though.

The first time I'd visited had been when I was just nine. Dad had brought me here while he was on a business trip, reporting on the influence Gozaburo Kaiba was making on the gaming industry, what with all his technological advances. He'd actually been able to speak to the man face-to-face, and I learned to fear him. He was terrifying, and not just for a little girl like I was. Even Dad seemed a little ill at ease. So, I went to hide somewhere. Shockingly, in the dark room next door, I found another person. I remembered almost perfectly the face of the boy not much older than me, cowering in a corner, hiding behind a large textbook. It was Advanced Theories in Gaming Science. A college-level book. What in the world was a kid doing with it?!

I'd tried to say hi to him, but he frowned and told me to leave him alone. His eyes glinted. They were either blue or green, I couldn't tell, because it was dark in the room where I'd found him. I apologized and left quickly. I'd asked my dad if Mr. Kaiba had a son, to which he confusedly replied, "No, sweetie, I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Never mind," I mumbled.

Now, it seemed, my assumption had been right. Gozaburo had had three sons: Noah, Seto, and Mokuba. After a freak accident that left Noah a total vegetable, he turned his attention more directly on Seto, who eventually bought out Kaiba Corporation. Gozaburo, shocked that Seto had beaten him at his own game, jumped out a window and fell to his death--how tragic. Not.

Back in the present, I blinked at the stall in the bathroom where I'd chosen to hide out and calm my nerves. It wasn't like I hadn't been in the eye of the rich and powerful before, but it still made me as nervous as all hell. I took a deep breath, fixed the high collar of my low-cutting red dress, fluffed my hair, and left. I dug into my purse, where, along with a tube of lip gloss and a tiny bottle of perfume, were a pencil, notepad, and tape recorder. I would be good and ready for when the young CEO of KaibaCorp would show up. Whenever that may be. As I said, he was supposed to have been at this little shindig four hours ago.

Sighing with impatience, I pulled out the pencil and pad and started to doodle on the back cover, shaping a large star with smaller stars around it, all while walking back to my dad. I really should've been paying attention to where I was heading, considering my surroundings, but the thought didn't cross my mind until I'd run right into somebody, dumping their drink all over the floor.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" I exclaimed automatically, blushing, stuffing the pad back into my purse and the pencil behind my ear, then stooping to pick up the fallen glass.

The person I'd jostled was a boy of about seventeen or eighteen, with long brown hair that fell loosely about his angular, handsome face and shielded his eyes. He looked angry.

"Keep an eye on where you're going next time," he growled.

I stammered, "S-sorry, I wasn't paying any attention, this was really my...fault..." My voice trailed off, and I felt my vision come sharply into focus. I was lost in his eyes; I could see them now. They were a deep, striking blue, and narrowed to slits as he glared at me.

"Then maybe you should try," he hissed, his voice low and smoky. "Part of the reason today's world is such a mess is because of pathetically oblivious people like you." He stormed away, his stride confident, even arrogant.

I frowned, and made quick work of judging his height and weight, to use for my description of the jerk when I complained to Dad later. Six-one, one-eighty was my guesstimate.

A man's voice came over the microphone then: "Ladies and gentlemen, that is the conclusion of tonight's event. We thank you for coming, and hoped you enjoyed your evening. Good night."

"What?!" I said, but not too loudly. Kaiba didn't even show! What an asshole! Drag us down here and not even bother to come--the nerve of that guy!

"Sorry, hon," Dad said, shrugging, handing me my jacket. "Time to go."

"But what about Kaiba?" I demanded. "He was supposed to be here! That was your story, right?"

"I was supposed to ask coworkers how the CEOs act in the everyday business environment. Like I was going to talk to Mr. Kaiba himself about that."

"But--"

"I know. Maybe next time, okay?"

I sighed. "Fine. Let's go home."

"You have lessons tomorrow with Jake," he reminded me.

I cheered up a little at that. Jake was my private tutor. He'd been assisting me in the application to an academy that specialized in the arts, business, and journalism. It was my dream to attend. And Jake was an all-around great guy to learn from.

I took a last look around, then left with Dad, with an empty notepad, and without even a glimpse of the elusive Seto Kaiba.