The Questioning Game
Shizuka Jounouchi x Seto Kaiba, 5-chaptered story, romance and slight comedy. Shizuka's archetype B activated. (Thanks to Kako-chan and Sakura-chan for this very interesting perspective on Shizuka's behavior )
Summary: As a freelance journalist, her hardest challenge up till now was seducing Kaiba into a little interview. Stupid moneybags, she didn't have to prove herself to him at all… Now did she?
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't bitch.
Prologue: Pricy Freedom
Enjoying the comfort of her queen-sized bed, Shizuka Jounouchi turned to the other side and huddled closer underneath her cotton sheets. Little rays of light streamed through the curtains and she groaned loudly when she couldn't hide from them anymore. She sat up straight, blew some strands of brownish red hair out of her face and threw the blankets from her legs. Peeking at the alarm clock with her hazel eyes, the redhead smiled lightly when the dark red digits transformed into precisely twelve o'clock.
Shizuka straightened her short nightgown, went straight towards the mahogany door, walked straight through her living room, which earned her some weird looks from her roommate, Ryou Bakura, and strolled towards the red painted door of her bathroom.
"Good morning, Shizuka-chan." Replying with a slight hhn, she slammed the door behind her closed.
The white-haired man, who was quite used to her morning rituals, concentrated back onto the television screen and laughed slightly at the Japanese sitcom. His chocolate brown eyes widened when he smelled something burning and jumped over the couch, sprinting towards his precious miso soup.
Water cascaded down her back, Shizuka was washing her long tresses with Herbal Essence, the soft scent of peaches and mango's mixing with the steam of the hot water. She enjoyed being a freelance reporter, because of the many perks, such as sleeping out late whenever she was without an interview for some sort of magazine, newspaper or tabloid. Shizuka had established quite the reputation for chasing her clients, or targets as Ryou dubbed them often, down to the very bottom. Because of that, and her excellent manner of speech and etiquette, she was receiving assignments from newspapers such as the Sun or the New York Times.
"Shizuka-chan! We're having Chinese take out today!" The white-haired man's British accent always had a pleasant ring to it and she loved her roommate dearly.
"Did you accidentally burn the soup again?!" Unfortunately he was always to caught up with his soap opera's and sitcoms to actually watch what they were going to digest.
"Uhm… Of course not! I.. I wanted to eat Chinese for a long time!" Shizuka laughed slightly, turned the tap of the bath and grabbed wildly for a towel.
"We had Chinese two days ago, Ryou-kun." The British man could almost feel her amused eyes on his back while he was throwing the rest of his failed soup away.
"Alright, I was watching the TV again, I admit. Don't shoot me, miss detective." He felt her bare arms around his neck and stifled a chuckle.
"What would I do without you, mister?"
"Run around naked all day, perhaps." They both laughed out loud and Shizuka released him from her hold before grabbing the wireless phone.
"Sounds darling. You know how I secretly want to be a nudist." Ryou snickered and closed the trash can, afterwards he wiped a strand of white hair out of his eyesight.
Just before Shizuka was going to dial the numbers of her favorite Chinese restaurant, the tune of her cell phone filled the intertwined kitchen and living room. Swiftly throwing the white phone at Ryou, who caught it majestically she rummaged through the cushions of her sofa, searching for her Samsung phone.
"Zuka, I saw your buttocks again." Ryou quickly diverted his eyes while a small blush covered his cheeks, she didn't pay heed to his warnings while her towel was slowly freeing itself from her body.
"Found it!" Shizuka quickly clasped it open and answered with a tired voice.
"Jounouchi-san, I take it you forgot where you placed your cell phone again." Her eyes widened slightly in recognition before replying with an animated voice.
"Takeru-sama! What kind of big shot do you want me to interview this time? The prime minister? Finances? Oh, is it perhaps the cabinet officer of the department of Economics?" She adjusted her position, grabbed her towel close with her free hand and motioned her roommate to turn the TV off.
"Much bigger and no, not Obama-sama. I want you to seduce Seto Kaiba into a quickie." Shizuka nearly dropped her phone and her face went as red as a tomato.
"Excuse me?!" The voice on the other side sighed when he caught up her way of thoughts.
"I want you to interview Seto Kaiba for a front page interview of my little magazine." Somewhere in the distance she heard Ryou choke on the water he was drinking.
Shizuka had never interviewed him before, mainly because no one asked her but also because her brother made her swear to never talk to the likes of him. Not to mention that he was also the biggest jerk to ever walk the face of earth. His ego was bigger than the Eiffel tower and the Empire State building together and even on that silly tournament years ago he refused to look her in the eyes. –He could watch her breasts when she bended over however-
"Is your eminent silence a confirmation or a sign for a negative answer? Besides, I'm also hurt that you didn't correct my tiny wordplay of a little magazine." His voice broke her train of thoughts.
Shizuka pondered one moment, this was her chance to shine. Kaiba was a hard person to publish, even the best tabloids couldn't catch him in a swimming suit near some glossy private pool. Besides, she could get a private interview with Gakuto Kamui, also known as Gackt, and cause him to spill his sexual preferences. This couldn't be all this hard, now could it?
"I'll do it. When's my deadline?" Her smile radiated the living room and Bakura was meanwhile cleaning the cooker.
"I want the interview before the 15th of March. Can I count on you?"
"Takeru-sama, have I ever let you down?" He grinned, apologized for the doubt and gave her his greetings.
"How in the name of bloody hell, will you interview Seto Kaiba? He hates your brother's guts." Shizuka smiled slightly, still in the illusion of being the greatest reporter ever lived and waved his dispute away.
"That was years ago, he probably doesn't even remember Katsuya." Ryou threw the dirty piece of cloth away and sighed before muttering softly.
"I hope that you know what you're doing, Shizuka-chan." He then grabbed the white wireless phone and dialed the number of the Chinese restaurant.
"Wong Kong restaurant… We are momentarily on a holiday from the 24th of February to the second of March." Bakura twitched with his right eye and Shizuka snorted lightly before bursting into a widespread laughter.
"Bloody hell."
Meanwhile at the gigantic Kaiba Corp tower.
"Hello, Seto Kaiba's office. Please hold." His secretary was picking up phone calls, made the person on the other side wait for at least five minutes before making a note inside her agenda.
The tall brunette in question was sitting behind his enormous glass desk, typing away furiously on his laptop, blackberry and iPhone all the same. Files needed to be send, answered, classified and re-opened before repeating the chorus again in another symphony of fingers clashing on top of the keyboard. His cobalt eyes harbored some sort of passion for the business but even the cracks in that façade were showing and he was growing tired of this job. Not that he'd ever admit such a thing towards himself, let alone in public.
His cell phone rang, a dull beeping noise echoing inside the enormous office, decorated with a solemn Picasso painting. Sighing, Kaiba clasped it open and mumbled an annoyed hello. If he lost more than five important minutes he would ask them to call again later.
"Kaiba-sama… There's a reporter for the prestigious Kyoto's Economics magazine asking for your attention. Should I connect her through for you?"
He hated those press tabloids and glossy little magazines begging for his sexual preferences, and the size of his private parts for that manner. Upon hearing the name of Kyoto's Economics, he reconsidered his valued opinions and decided to hear this pesky reporter out.
"Connect her through.. I'll make this quick."
"Hello, Kaiba-sama. This is Shizuka Jounouchi speaking for Kyoto's Economics. Could I interest you into a front page interview, perhaps?" Her voice sounded almost… pleasant.
He furrowed his brows, went over her short introduction again and he was bothered with her last name. Kaiba vaguely recognized it from somewhere..
"Jounouchi.. Jounouchi.. Where have I heard that name befo.." His brain stopped functioning and his eyes widened for a split second.
"Jounouchi?!" He heard her gulp on the other side of the line and he knew instantly that she, whoever she was, was related to that mutt in some sort of manner.
"Kaiba-sama, don't let my name fool you. I can assure you I'm a most prized journalist. Well published.." He didn't even let her finish and clasped his cell phone shut. Like hell, he would ever trust someone with canine blood flowing through their veins.
A few moments later, the cell phone rang again and, annoyed, Kaiba picked up, grunting a quick hello. Didn't they know he was a busy bee?
"The secretary of the mayor wants to discuss something very important with you, Kaiba-sama. I'll connect her through as soon as possible."
Sighing, the brunette wiped his bangs out of his face with his available hand. This better be important.
"How dare you hang up on me while I didn't even finish my sentence, Kaiba-sama." He blinked slowly, this girl certainly had some spunk.
"Jounouchi, leave me the fuck alone. Waste someone else's time and money." He was tempted to hang up again but the next thing she said amazed him slightly.
"Listen, shut your phone again and I'll simply call you again. I don't back down from a challenge, especially not from someone as you." Raising one eyebrow, Kaiba smirked ever so lightly and grinned devilishly.
"You know I could have you arrested easily for a little thing such as harassment, right?" The voice on the other side of the line giggled and continued the conversation.
"I'm sure they know me already at the station, why won't you give me a chance? I'm quite persistent as you have noticed surely by now."
"Stubborn is a better word." Kaiba glanced at the screen of his laptop, quickly scanned the inventory of the mechanical goods and nodded in approval.
"Considering my proposal for an interview?" Her question broke his chain of thoughts and he smirked again.
"In two days, 2 o'clock sharp at the Kaiba Corp tower and don't be late. I hate tardiness. Oh, and Jounouchi? Wear something nice. I detest those casual jogging suits commoners like you wear usually." Kaiba could hear her fuming and he resisted the urge to laugh.
"Of course, your highness. I'll wear something nice if you are nice. You know, try to trigger those happy emotions and get them from underneath the dust. I'll see you then."
"Brush up your vocabulary, simple words don't make excellent interviews." She had already hung up on him and his smirk increased in size.
"Stupid moneybags! I don't have to prove myself to him at all!" Shizuka huffed and opened the doors of her closet.
"I told you this was a bad idea, Zuka-chan." Ryou stood behind her, trying to help her pick out an outfit for Wednesday.
"I wear whatever the fuck I want. Do you know where I put my jogging suit?" Agitated by the fact of meeting that smug, mean asshole, she was considering stuffing herself with food. After all being an emotional eater ran in the family.
"Just smashing." Her roommate commented before walking out of her room, in search of her choice of clothing.
Review to make this sanity-deprived girl happy.