Carefully, you drew the soft, silky black dress over your head, shivering slightly as the cool material slid against your warm skin.
You still weren't sure why you had agreed to do this, but then again, there was nothing on Earth that could resist Mokuba's sweet puppy-dog eyes.
Damn kid! You thought with a smile.
You had mentored Mokuba for several months now. Despite first impressions, you had soon discovered that beneath his business-like front he was a caring, charming boy with a heart of gold. Not only that, but he was an obedient, eager student and always took notice of everything you said. Until today.
You had become not only Mokuba's mentor, but also his friend. Sometimes you felt as if you were one of his only links to the outside world. The poor kid barely saw anyone apart from his maids, tutors and big brother.
Subconsciously, you ran a hand through your hair. Mokuba's big brother was something else: the tall, lean, dashingly handsome and icy cold Seto Kaiba. A man whom every woman would dream as calling her own.
Unfortunately, he didn't appear to hold you in such high regard. But who could blame him considering the circumstances under which you had first met?
It was your first day of work. As a last resort, you had been forced to apply at Kaiba Corp for a job and to your utmost horror, you were offered one – not within the company, no – but as an English teacher for the boss of Kaiba Corp's little kid brother.
Furious, you turned upon the dark-haired secretary.
"Are you kidding me? I'm qualified to teach over eight different languages and you land me with a job as a flipping primary teacher!" Your voice reached an unbearable pitch.
"Well… it's actually a mentor…" She quavered under your glare.
"I don't care! I want a proper job!" You exclaimed loudly, causing the secretary to cover her ears and move her seat back to distance herself from you.
Not that you necessarily hated small children. But you simply considered the job a bit below you. You hadn't earned all those qualifications for nothing, and you were going to do everything in your power to inform Kaiba Corp of that.
"B-but this is the only job available…" The woman stammered as you continued to scowl down at her with a look that could easily burn toast.
"I want," you started calmly, "to see someone of a higher authority." The secretary looked unsure and glanced around as if hoping someone would take her place and deal with her tricky customer. "Please." You added, layering your voice with an undertone that strongly implied that you were not to be messed with.
To your surprise, the dark-haired secretary reached under her desk. You raised an eyebrow. To be honest, you had half expected to be escorted from the building, but instead you smirked triumphantly as the large oak doors adjoined to the office, slowly swung inwards.
Must be new staff. You thought sceptically. It wasn't very professional, but you weren't complaining… much.
Nodding your head in thanks, you desperately tried to fight the smirk from your face upon noticing the poor secretary's thoroughly relieved expression as you walked away from the desk.
And now, you thought, straightening your clothes, round two.
Striding through the towering oak doors, you found yourself in an impressively sized office.
A light scent of coffee hung around the room. Not an unpleasant smell, but rather refreshing and pleasant. The walls were lined with large bookcases filled to their maximum capacity with countless numbers of massive, non-fiction volumes. A large plasma screen dominated the left side of the office, and a short, raven-haired boy lay sprawled on the settee, his eyes lazily wandering from the television set to register the newcomer's appearance. The kid's sparkling grey eyes contained a barely concealed mischief and his dark hair spiked messily in every direction.
Breaking eye contact with the raven-haired boy, you strode confidently towards the large wooden desk forming a barrier between the visitor and anyone on the opposing side of the room. The desk was behind a towering, black leather chair which was currently facing the sunlit window. Just as you moved to dodge around the wooden obstruction, a cold, commanding voice spoke up:
"Mokuba. Come back in ten minutes, though it shouldn't take that long." It said confidently, ringing through the office with a clear authority.
"Aww… but big brother!" The kid moaned, reluctantly pulling himself up into a sitting position and glancing reproachfully at you, as if hoping you would sway his brother's judgement.
"Go now, Mokuba." The voice repeated firmly, an underlying tone indicated that this was the last word.
Sounds like a right bundle of laughs, does this one. You thought sarcastically, while you watched the raven-haired boy hang his head sadly and sulkily drag his feet towards the doors before pulling them shut behind him.
You lapsed into silence, momentarily feeling awkward as you shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, unsure what to do next.
"So." The chilling voice cut through your thoughts like a razor sharp knife. "Are you just going to stand there wasting my time, or are you gonna say something?" It asked with an arrogant impatience.
Resisting the urge to say the first answer that came to your sharp tongue, you paused before replying. "Yes, I actually do have something to say." You began with a careless confidence. "I came here about a job. I'm qualified to teach over eight different languages and I see your secretary, only to find her offering me crappy admin work babysitting the boss's brother."
For a moment, you could've sworn you heard a scornful 'ha'. But ignoring the sound, you waited for a response.
"Your point is?" The voice asked eventually, a bored tone overlaying its cool indifference.
"My point?" You asked disbelievingly, laying your hands on your hips, "My point is that I came to get a decent job – not some half-assed work teaching a kid their ABC." You rubbed your arm – a sure sign you were beginning to get annoyed. The voice continued to ignore you. "You could at least have the decency to look at me when I'm talking to you!" You addressed the back of the chair snappily.
"I don't need to justify myself to anyone." It sneered in response.
Finally fed up with this treatment, you swiftly brushed a few strands of hair from your eyes then strode around the obstructing desk to block the chair-dweller's view of the window. The light of the setting sun framed your figure as you glowered down at your mocker. Your mouth gaped open slightly. He was beautiful.
The youth sat forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees and his clasped fingers folded neatly before his face. He continued to gaze unseeingly out of the glass barrier separating him from the rest of the world; his fathomless cerulean eyes flickered with the reflection of the fading sunlight as the great golden orb began to fade over the horizon. It was difficult to specify precisely what the youth was staring at as his dark brown hair shielded his stormy blue eyes, casting his expression into shadow.
Clearing your throat in an attempt to draw his attention, you quickly clamped your jaw shut before he had opportunity to jeer at your open-mouthed expression.
The brunet glanced up briefly; cold, piercing blue eyes boring into yours, assessing and analysing you as though you were simply an electronic device in pieces before him, then directed his gaze back towards the glorious sunset.
Attempting a calmer approach, you started: "Look, please can you tell me if there are any other jobs?"
There were a few seconds of silence.
"No."
For God's sake! You cursed silently, this guy knows just what buttons to press to annoy me!
But much as you despised the haughty youth, you desperately needed a job. Due to past experience and family history you really didn't want to have to work for a company such as the infamous Kaiba Corp. However, you were desperate to pay off rent, and were rapidly running out of other options.
"Surely there's something? Even… I don't know…" You trailed off pensively, "do you need software translations?"
"I do that myself." He answered in a growl, continuing to gaze arrogantly out of the window.
Argh! You thought. Perhaps you should just give up, because this approach appeared unproductive to say the least…
"Take the job I proposed," The brunet snarled through gritted teeth, "or stop wasting my time and leave now."
You raised an eyebrow in sceptical surprise. The icy cold teen was actually beginning to sound frustrated… you glanced down at his hard, icy azure eyes – wait, make that angry. Evidently, he didn't appreciate your persistence.
You watched in fascination as he took a deep breath, attempting to calm some unreasonable anger as he pinched the bridge of his nose to lessen the migraine beginning to build in his head.
"But… what about -?" You were cut off abruptly as, without warning, the youth leapt up from his chair and captured your right arm in a painfully tight arm lock, fingers digging mercilessly into your exposed flesh. Swiftly, he swung you around in one easy movement until your face was only inches from his. Inexplicably, your heartbeat iincreased as his warm breath gently tickled your face.
Your gaze was slowly drawn upwards to meet the youth's hypnotic, stormy blue eyes angrily glaring down at you, his nose almost touching your own as he increased the iron grip binding your right arm.
"Stop," he breathed icily, "Wasting my time."
You violently jerked your arm in an unsuccessful attempt to break your captor's steel grasp, however, the youth simply squeezed tighter causing you to yelp out in pain and allowing a brief smirk to cross his handsome face. It was obvious that this was a game of power. A game that he was determined to win at all costs.
Icy blue eyes mesmerised you as your gaze remained fixed on the brunet's angular features, searching for a weakness, any sign of relent.
Eventually, you lowered your gaze in submission. You win, for this time.
"Please." You said quietly, indicating his hand with a nod of your head. "Let me go."
Silently, the iron grip was released and a look of triumphant satisfaction graced the youth's features before promptly returning to the usual mask of cold indifference.
Instinctively, you flinched away as a large, white object flitted across your vision. Focusing your gaze back down, you quickly realised that it was only a sheet of paper that the brunet had swept towards you across the desk.
He slammed a pen down next to it, making you jolt away slightly. Apparently he was getting some sort of sick satisfaction from mocking you. Subconsciously, your rubbed your right arm where a stinging red handprint was rapidly forming on your pale skin. Briefly, you glanced up questioningly at the brunet. What did he want now?
"Sign there. You'll do." He pointed at a line near the bottom of the paper.
Extending a trembling hand to life the paper, you swiftly scanned the sheet to conclude that it was a job form. What? Is he crazy? What the hell is he playing at? You rubbed your forehead in confusion. First this guy ignores you, then he injures you, and then – you frowned - he employs you! If that wasn't an indication of someone being psychologically unbalanced, you didn't know what was.
As you held the pen between your thumb and index finger, you waged a silent war within your mind. This guy was a total and utter jerk, not to mention a control freak, yet much as you wished the circumstances were otherwise, you really needed this job, and judging by your lack of success so far, any other chance of employment was highly unlikely.
Sighing, you lowered the pen nib back to the paper. With a single, quick scribble, you sealed your fate. I'm so going to regret this. Then you straightened up and carelessly handed the pen back to the brunet who smirked with a smug superiority, elegantly twirling the pen between his fingers before slipping it back inside his pocket.
"Thanks." He commented sardonically, lacing the word with every bit of sarcasm he had.
Glaring at him, you asked: "When do I-?"
"- You start tomorrow. I'll send a limo to pick you up." He rudely cut in, sinking back into his chair to survey you over intermeshed fingers. "I expect you at a quarter to ten."
With that, he discreetly pressed a button on his keyboard which made the grand oak doors sweep open once again. That done, he casually reached for his phone, dialled a number with lightning-quick fingers then lifted it to his ear.
"You can come back now, Mokuba." You heard a familiar voice squeak a response down the end of the line, but before you could listen to any more, the youth covered over the mouthpiece with one hand and pointed towards the open doors with the other.
"Leave." He ordered, and with one final glare at the youth, you swept angrily from the room, a frown creasing your brow.
As he watched you slam the doors behind you – completely needlessly, considering that they were automatic – Kaiba smirked. Yes, he had made a good choice.
Of course, at the time you hadn't realised that it had been the owner of Kaiba Corp himself with whom you had argued. You had been having a fierce confrontation with one of the most powerful men in the whole of Japan!
Smiling as you remembered this, you added the final touches to your outfit: a short, figure-hugging black dress with a small tribal dragon jewelled on the front, a pair of sleek black boots, silver dragon earrings and an elegant circlet of silver twined around your neck.
Satisfied, you ran your fingers once more through your hair so that it rested nicely over your shoulders, and turned towards the door, once more wondering who Mokuba had fixed as your date.
As expected, you hadn't easily agreed to go on the date, but when it came to Mokuba you had a big weakness. He was a sweet kid, and when he begged and pleaded with giant, doleful eyes, you were simply unable to resist.
Stepping outside your apartment, you were immediately ambushed by a ball of messy black hair wrapping thin wiry arms around your waist.
"_______!" Mokuba shouted happily, finally drawing his head away from your waist.
Taking a few steps back, the young boy took in your appearance with wide, admiring eyes. "You look so pretty!" He gasped, unable to draw his gaze from you.
You blushed slightly, pleased by the compliment then grinned down at your student and friend, Mokuba. Ruffling his messy hair with a gentle fondness, you set your free hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you Mokie. That's very sweet." He glanced up and grinned back at you, his grey eyes dancing with gleeful mischief.
"Let's go to your date then!" He enthused eventually, grabbing your hand from his shoulder and clasping it between his own to tug you away from your apartment, down the stairs, and into the awaiting limo.
Carefully lifting the skirt of your dress slightly as you stepped inside, you once again questioned your shorter companion: "Come on Mokie. Please tell me where we're going, if nothing else!" You begged, attempting to use Mokuba's own puppy-dog eyes technique against him.
The oblivious boy shook his head firmly, unable to keep himself from smirking. "Nu-uh. It's a surprise." He teased in an all-knowing voice.
"Huh!" You replied, dissatisfied, then lapsed into a chain of silent thoughts while you continued to gaze pensively out of the limo's blackened windows, enchanted by night's dark spell. You watched as brilliant lights coloured like neon fireflies whizzed past and stared at the starry mystery of Domino's night sky.
The road you travelled along began to look familiar, and as you reached a flat straight, you nervously rubbed your arms and side-glanced at Mokuba who was smiling self-contentedly to himself. Feeling a growing sense of anticipation, you shifted uncomfortably on your seat.
Noticing you fidgeting, Mokuba laid a small warm hand on your arm to quell your restless movements. Smiling reassuringly, he reached into his jacket pocket to produce a long band of silky blue material.
"________, can you hold still for a moment?" The raven-haired boy asked innocently, laying the strip of azure silk flat in his hand.
Your eyes narrowed as you realised exactly what your little friend was planning: "No way. No way, Mokuba!" You replied firmly, enforcing your tone with some steel.
Mokuba's wide smile promptly faded and was replaced by a jutting pout. Seconds later you made the mistake of glancing worriedly into his big, pleading, puppy-dog eyes. Not good.
"Pleeeeease…" He begged, you held your head in your hands. There was no escape from a Mokuba who wanted something.
"Argh!" You groaned after a few long seconds. "Alright then."
"You're the best ________!" Mokuba chirped happily as you obligingly inclined your head and allowed the raven-haired boy to tie the band over your eyes with small, gentle fingers.
"Now I'll look like a right prat." You grumbled under your breath. Unfortunately Mokuba still heard.
"Don't worry, I'll take it off before he comes." He promised gravely.
"He? Don't I even get a clue?" You persisted eagerly.
"Nope." He replied casually. He was stubbornly refusing to give in. A technique – you thought – that he quite possibly could have learnt from you.
"Aww… go on Mokuba, do tell. Who is he?" You pleaded with the small boy, positions now reversed.
"Nope." He repeated.
"I'll bake you cookies… lots of them…?" You bribed, knowing that if anything would work, this would.
There was a long silence. Obviously it was a big temptation. You waited.
Finally: "Nope."
"Meanie." You muttered, finally realising that this technique was failing miserably. You leaned back into the seat, desperately wishing that, if nothing else, you could remove the stupid strip of material covering your eyes.
A few minutes later, the limo ground to a halt and Mokuba's petit hand grabbed yours in a surprisingly sturdy grip, to assist you with clambering out the car, only to step cautiously onto a crunchy, hard surface – presumably gravel.
The cool night air whistled around your face, caressing your skin with cold, gentle fingers and stroking your hair with invisible hands. It smelt fresh, and gave you an extra boost of energy as you followed your short guide across the unreliable gravel.
"Mokie!" You shouted suddenly, almost stumbling upon a particularly uneven part of the ground but regaining your balance just in time to avoid falling. "Please let me take this off. I can't see where the heck I'm going." You moaned in exasperation. "I might fall over on you and squish you into a little Mokuba-shaped splodge on the ground."
Mokuba muffled his giggles behind a hand, before turning his voice serious once more. "Don't be silly!" He chided, in a way reminiscent of his older brother, "We're almost there."
You felt greatly relieved as a welcoming gush of warmth greeted you into a carpeted building as you entered with Mokuba's, 'mind the doorstep' at the last minute and almost tripping over a conveniently placed umbrella stand. A familiar and strangely comforting scent washed over your senses as you were guided, by Mokuba's hand around your forearm, through a labyrinth of unseen rooms.
"Mokie… please tell me where I am…" You requested once more, as you stumbled for what felt like the hundredth time since entering the mysterious building. You were only inches away from blowing the entire thing and ripping the band away from your eyes before you did yourself an injury.
"Shh!" Mokuba hushed and you could imagine the small boy glaring at you with a finger placed sternly against his lips. A few moments later, you stopped and heard a door opening before you were led further into the room. Suddenly Mokuba let go of your hand and gently pushed you back into a comfortable chair before finally removing the silk band from your eyes.
You blinked, adjusting to the light to find yourself in a large candlelit room sitting opposite an identical, vacant chair. Unable to resist the temptation, you turned to Mokuba, lazily leaning on the arm of the seat.
"Hey Mokie, are you my date?" You teased, sniggering as he flushed a bright red, shaking his head in vigorous denial. You were only getting even for all the teasing he had done to you.
"No, I'll just get him." Mokuba whispered, cheeks still aflame as he ducked out of the room. Left alone, you began to fiddle with the tablecloth out of boredom, idly twirling it around your finger as you watched the candles flicker and dance, casting fleeting black shadows to lick the white walls.
Evidently, Mokuba had planned all this. No one knew how to set the stage for romance just like Mokuba. A dawning realisation of who your date might be began to grow on you as you glanced out of the window at a familiar terrain. Pushing the unwanted suggestion to the back of your find, you resumed fiddling with the tablecloth. Upon hearing a door creak, your head snapped up and you met eyes with none other than…
"Kaiba." You breathed. Oh dear. You were right.
Kaiba didn't appear any happier about the situation than you, but he reluctantly sat down opposite you and antisocially folded his arms, glaring at the tablecloth as if it was to blame for everything.
"Mokuba stitched you up tonight too, then?" You asked, attempting to start a mutually friendly conversation with the man you despised ever since you had met him.
"Hmph."
Great. Looked like the usual, asshole behaviour was back.
Rolling your eyes, you rose from your seat and made to leave.
"Well I can see that neither of us voluntarily participated, so I might as well –"
"- Stay." You were cut off by Kaiba who – you could have sworn – trailed his cerulean eyes over your well-defined figure before returning his gaze to the table.
Shocked, you resisted the temptation of a sarcastic comment and bit your tongue. Slowly, you sank back into your chair and instead began fiddling nervously with your hands.
After a few minutes, Kaiba's eye twitched in annoyance. "Stop that." He commanded, jerking his head towards your hands.
Who was he ordering around? You weren't at work now! Stubbornly, you continued to fiddle, silently challenging the CEO to do his worst. After all, you didn't necessarily want to be here, and it was him who had requested you stay only moments ago. You were entitled to annoy him.
You jolted back in your seat as Kaiba's large hand suddenly closed around both of yours, enclosing them in a warm, gentle grip. "I said stop." He hissed in a deadly whisper.
You were glad that the brunet couldn't see your blush as his hand remained on yours, triggering your heartbeat to increase and a lump to rise in your throat.
Swallowing, you replied pointedly: "You asked me to stay. You could just as easily have sent me away."
"Hmph." Kaiba commented before continuing. "I owe you a favour for helping Mokuba, so I'd rather get it over with now." He answered sharply, the cold, calm voice sending a series of involuntary shivers down your spine. Finally, he lifted his hand from yours and you quickly flexed your wrists before hastily drawing them back across the table to rest in your lap.
"Favour?" You prompted curiously.
He grunted an affirmative. "For teaching him. I would. But I run a multi billion dollar company. I don't have the time." Was that his way of saying thank you? You wondered.
"I suppose not." You replied, before once more lapsing into an uncomfortable silence. You nervously rubbed your arm and glanced up. Kaiba's icy gaze remained fixed on the tablecloth.
As you ran your eyes over his face, you couldn't help admiring the way the candle's soft light caressed the brunet's handsomely defined features, accentuating his strong, jutting jaw and straight nose. Your gaze slowly trailed up until it fixed upon his eyes. They glimmered secretively as the gentle light scattered countless miniature reflections over the impenetrable azure orbs.
Your heart skipped a beat as his gaze rose from the table to meet yours, briefly wandered down, lingering on your lips, before returning to your eyes.
For several, long moments you remained gazing into one another's eyes, but the moment was shattered by a loud 'clang' as a short woman carelessly set a large metal platter in the centre of the table. You blushed an undetectable amount and averted your gaze as the maid proceeded to bring in a vast selection of plates and platters filled with delicious morsels.
Kaiba's searching eyes remained fixed on your blank face as the food was set upon the table. Feeling awkwardly self-conscious, you quickly tucked a loose strand of hair behind your hair, stubbornly refusing to meet the brunet's gaze. Perhaps he was unaware that he was staring unashamedly at you, or perhaps he was testing you… either way, you refused to give into temptation and persistently kept your eyes fixed upon the glorious food.
Taking your cue from Kaiba as he eventually released you from his gaze, you began to help yourselves to the vast selection of sumptuous food. Cautiously, you piled your plate with an assortment of non-meat dishes, unaware that Kaiba acknowledged your preference.
"Excuse me," you began politely, causing the youth to pause with his food halfway to his mouth, "does that dish have meat in?" You pointed.
He shook his head and grunted, so you gave yourself a generous portion. "Are you vegetarian?" He asked after a few moments of watching you pile food on your plate.
Smiling, you nodded. "Yes, I think that if I can avoid animals being killed on my account, then that can only be a good thing. In addition, vegetarian food's nice, and very healthy… perhaps you should try it sometime."
Kaiba finished his mouthful. "Huh," He snorted, "I don't care about what I eat-"
"Maybe you should." You interrupted, earning yourself a trademark glare, "What if you were…" You paused, glancing at the meat on his plate, "a chicken, or a cow?"
"I'm not." He replied flatly.
Rolling your eyes, you gave up. "Fine, it's not like you'd make a very good vegetarian anyway." You continued to eat as Kaiba paused, trying to work out if your last comment was an insult. Dismissing it, he took another mouthful.
"It's very nice you know." You said suddenly, causing Kaiba's gaze to slowly raise and meet yours. "This food, it's very nice." You repeated softly, once again falling under the spell of his beautiful azure eyes.
Kaiba shrugged, unsure how to reply.
You smiled at his response. It was obvious that though he may act an emotionless, ice hearted gargoyle of a man, he did feel awkwardness, just like any other human.
Kaiba's eyes narrowed at the expression on your face. Evidently, he was trying to work out what you were thinking, and he didn't like it one bit.
Preferring to avoid forced conversation, you continued to eat in silence, deliberately averting your eyes from the brunet sitting opposite you. However, he had no such quirks. The young brunet continued to observe you as if you were a caged zoo animal which he had never seen before. Once again, you shifted uncomfortably in your chair as his eyes searched your body and face with an inhuman, cold detachment.
Rubbing your arm uneasily, you finally decided to speak.
"Is there a problem?" You voiced sharply. You felt you had been examined enough, and as you glimpsed up into those scrutinizing blue eyes, you felt as if every mental defence you had built was crashing down around your ears. How could anyone have the capacity to do that with just once glance? Why?
Again, you squirmed in your chair and directed your gaze at the candle. Kaiba's eyes narrowed in suspicion, speculating as to why you had reacted in such a manner. Casting his searching gaze over your features, he enquiringly observed your reaction to his incessant staring.
Subconsciously, you gripped the edge of the table until your knuckles turned white, unaware that you were doing so. Part of you wanted to run out, escape, but instead you forced yourself to sit as an accumulation of mixed emotions flickered momentarily over your eyes.
You felt it again. That unbearable sensation of being trapped, powerless and unable to do anything about it. The barriers kept the pain away. Yet the fear, the anger and hatred continued to seep through while disabling the capacity for true happiness. A curse shared by both of you.
Glancing up, you broke out of your reverie to meet Kaiba's unremitting blue gaze.
"Kaiba," you asked, breaking the extensive silence, "what is the problem?"
"Hmph." He didn't understand. He wanted to comprehend your motives, to work out why you acted as you did. With other people, it was so easy. They were fuelled by greed… but you… you were something new.
"Argh!" You finally burst from sheer frustration, "don't you ever say anything but 'hmph'? Why not 'yes' or 'no'? Is your vocabulary so limited that you find yourself incapable of expressing yourself with anything but that?" You demanded.
"Evidently" Kaiba stated with a scowl, "yours is not."
You cradled your aching head in your hands in an attempt to prevent yourself from further exasperating the situation, but all the time you were aware of those fathomless sapphire eyes trying to pierce through your mental barriers and tear down your defences.
You didn't like it. You felt exposed, vulnerable. Something you hadn't felt in a long time: fear. It brought back memories, memories that you had expelled from conscious thought a long time ago.
Lifting your head, you lowered your interlocked hands to meet the brunet's scrutinizing azure gaze.
"Please stop looking at me like that." You said in a low whisper. To your shame, your request sounded more like a plea. You would have preferred to remain silent, yet the youth's stare was making you feel uncomfortable beyond reason.
"You think you can tell me what I can and can't do?" Kaiba asked scornfully, returning to the heartless, arrogant person he always appeared to be.
"No!" You shouted in exasperation. "Just don't! Just… leave me alone."
Because that is what everyone in this world is, you thought, alone. For all the friends, there is always something within us that can never truly be any more than alone.
Feeling a surmounting, oppressive heap of emotions begin to tighten snake-like around your chest – emotions you had not the strength to cope with – you swiftly rose to your feet and hastily strode towards the door.
After a few steps, you found your path blocked by a towering figure. Attempting to dodge around the youth, you found yourself stepping backwards to avoid his immense bulk. As always, he was determined to demonstrated that he was more powerful than you.
"Kaiba! Let me go!" You commanded, your voice rising to an unpleasant pitch. There was no feeling behind your words. Perhaps, rather than wanting to leave, to be left alone, you wanted to be understood.
"I said," Kaiba growled menacingly, "You will not tell me what to do."
"I just did!" You screamed, once again trying to dodge around him, to no avail, "Now just let me leave!"
"Stop being so childish. It's pathetic." Kaiba spat, striding forwards and forcing you to take another step back.
"I am not the one being childish! I only wish to leave!" You bellowed in response, all your emotion turning into an iron fist of anger. How dare he try to force you to stay?
"Don't. Argue. With. Me." Kaiba breathed threateningly through gritted teeth.
You shrank back, only to find yourself trapped against the wall behind you.
"Why the hell not?" You retorted angrily, lashing back at the towering brunet in the only way you could.
Kaiba's eyes narrowed even more. "Because," he took a deep breath, unsuccessfully trying to control his temper, "I don't want you to!" He roared finally, causing you to move even closer to the wall.
"That's it, isn't it?" You whispered, your voice unexpectedly quiet, "It's all about what you want. Well, here's a news flash for you Mister Kaiba, you can't get everything you want. No one can." Once again, you tried to escape from your trapped postion, but Kaiba simply laid a hand on the wall either side of your head, effectively sealing you in a human cage and blocking your feeble attempts to escape.
"I do get everything I want –"
"- With money?" You cut in, keeping your voice from trembling, "There's only so much you can get with that."
"Tell me then," Kaiba challenged, his cold voice lowering to a whisper, "tell me what I can't get."
He really doesn't know? You asked yourself in amazement at the revelation. He really doesn't know what his stupid money can't buy? Has he no heart at all?
"Friendship," You began, but Kaiba immediately interrupted. He had heard all this before.
"I don't need friends." He growled, "Friendship if for losers like –"
You interrupted hastily, "- Happiness,"
"- I'm already happy."
You shook your head and continued. "Love –"
"Ha!" He interjected scornfully, "Love? That's almost as pathetic as friendship!" He glared down at you disapprovingly, making you recoil yet nearer to the wall.
Forcing yourself to look up, you replied: "Alright Kaiba, so if you've never had – or felt – something, then how can you know what it's like, or if you do or don't need it?"
He paused for a moment, pensive. "Do you know if it's necessary?"
Damn. You thought, cursing yourself. He's managed to turn it around on me again and I stepped right into it.
"You didn't answer the question, but yes, I believe it is necessary, however, I have never experienced love for real." You admitted, carefully keeping your gaze from meeting his.
"You don't know either." He concluded flatly. "You're in no position to lecture me."
"Perhaps, but the fact remains that although I may have no moral high ground, you need to experience something to truly make a judgement on whether it is necessary or not." You replied deliberately.
"Huh. I don't. I already have everything I need." Kaiba concluded with a cold bitterness.
You shook your head, then, surprising both of you; you cautiously extended your right arm and gently laid a hand on Kaiba's chest. The brunet's eyes widened – what did you think you were doing?
"It's beating." You stated after a few seconds. You looked up to meet Kaiba's narrowed, ice-cold eyes, "You can care… you do care."
Unexpectedly, Kaiba released you and removed his hands from either side of your head before quickly sweeping your hand away from his torso, turning his head slightly so that his brown bangs fell over his eyes, concealing his face in shadow. Had you finally hit a nerve?
"What do you feel?" You asked quietly, almost so quietly that your voice was a whisper. A few long moments passed. Kaiba turned away, hiding his expression in the darkness of the room. "Kaiba...?" You prompted softly.
Without warning, he spun around and caught your raised arm in an iron grip as he had the day you met. Heart pounding, you glanced up to meet his furious, stormy sapphire eyes.
"Nothing!" He growled savagely, "I feel nothing! Do you hear me? Nothing!"
You gasped aloud as his vice-like grasp on your wrist tightened, causing you to flinch away.
"Stop! Stop it Kaiba!" You shouted at the merciless brunet, grabbing his arm with your hand, trying to break his grip.
Kaiba watched your feeble attempts to escape with a blank, indifferent expression as a cat would observe its prey struggling to flee its certain doom.
"Kaiba!" You repeated, trying to snap the youth out of it, "It hurts!"
Surprising you, the brunet pulled you closer, inhaling your scent, hating you, but at the same time, unable to comprehend this curious attraction towards you.
"What is it like to hurt?" He asked, leaning closer to murmur into your ear.
Shivering as his warm breath tickled your skin, you moved back slightly, "You don't feel pain, Kaiba?"
"No." He answered with a cold, emotionless voice.
"Why?" You asked, mystified, raising your gaze to meet his unreadable one. "How could you not?"
The brunet paused for a moment, searching himself for an answer.
"I forgot." Kaiba answered eventually, releasing your throbbing arm from his grip. He didn't know why he had told you. Perhaps it was just his way of answering a question he constantly asked himself.
"And other emotions, did you forget them too?" You enquired cautiously. Now you were sure of one thing. Something so terrible had happened to Kaiba that he had permanently sealed away his emotions; all except anger and hatred. You realised that if you persisted in asking questions, then this situation could become dangerous.
Kaiba looked directly into your eyes.
'I don't know.' He answered silently, then, fixing the self-same, unbecoming scowl on his face, he appeared to momentarily change personalities. "Nothing to do with you." He snapped finally, indicating that the conversation was at a close.
You bit your lip. You wanted to know more, but it was too risky to probe any further.
"Kaiba…" You began. He turned back to you, sapphire eyes flashing like the sea crashing against cliffs in a storm. You lowered your eyes, your gaze wandered aimlessly until it fixed upon a piano that was concealed in a corner of the room. "Can you play?"
Kaiba raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Just because I love piano music. But if you can't, that's alright." You forced yourself to smile at him, determined to keep a friendly composure, despite the way you currently felt towards the icy, power-obsessed brunet.
He glanced down at you. Were you asking him to play?
"…Yes. I can play." He answered finally, watching you for a reaction.
Why is he always like this? You thought. Constantly testing people to their limit. Doesn't he know people aren't machines? Doesn't he know when to stop? Is he so emotionless?
"Will you?" You requested politely, "Please."
Wearily, Kaiba rolled his shoulders back. Why was he unable to resist the requests of the girl before him? You seemed to hold a sort of inexplicable power over him, something he couldn't understand. It almost frightened him.
"…Fine."
You felt shocked. You had expected him to refuse, but it turned out that he did still have a thread of humanity left in him, if a very slight one.
You watched as Kaiba strode purposefully towards the piano, caressing its lid as he lifted the wooden shelf to reveal the dusty keys beneath. It hadn't been played for a long time.
Gently, Kaiba ran his fingers over the scale, ringing a gentle tinkling from the instrument. He remembered now. When he was younger, under the cruel reign of Gozaburo, he had often played. Apart from Duel Monsters, it had been his only escape from the hell that constituted his life. He flinched slightly. He hadn't played since.
You jumped as Kaiba suddenly jerked away from the piano, slamming it shut with a loud 'bang'. Unable to understand the reason for his sudden anger, you swiftly joined him beside the window.
Kaiba glared pensively at the twinkling night sky. So much had changed since then. But could he ever really move on and leave the past behind him? Sensing you beside him, he glanced down to see you also staring out at the clear, starry heavens.
Was it possible that both of you were more alike than you first seemed?
Kaiba turned back to the window, ignoring you as you let loose a small sigh. Glancing back at the piano, you quietly crept back and sat yourself before the dusty instrument. It was a beautiful piece.
You had always wanted to learn how to play properly, but you had only ever learnt a few, vague pieces from memorising the notes and somehow translating them into a tune.
Carefully, you lightly pressed down on one of the keys. No… wrong scale. Another key. Yes. That was it. Summoning your courage, you made yourself imagine that you were alone in the room. That there was no Seto Kaiba, no awkwardness. Simply you and the piano.
I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way, to never let it get that far
Kaiba stiffened, continuing to gaze unseeingly into the darkness outside the window.
You had a good voice. Nothing extraordinary, but strong, unshaking and in tune.
Because of you
I will never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust
Not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid
It was almost too close to home, too close to the truth. You took a deep breath to sooth yourself and continued.
I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake, a smile, a laugh
Every day of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with
Kaiba shifted uncomfortably, though he wished to deny the meaning of your words, he could hardly fail to understand the meaning within the song. He was sure that the verse was aimed at him.
Because of you
I will never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust
Not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid
You paused for breath again, fingers trembling on the keyboard, but persistently, you continued.
I watched you die
I heard you cry
Every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry
In the middle of the night
For the same damn thing
Kaiba found himself turned away from the window. Instead, he was watching you. You were showing more emotion than he had ever seen you exibit.
Because of you
I will never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I tried my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid
Because of you
Because of you...
You trailed off, voice wavering slightly as you held the last note. A single, unstoppable tear trickled down your cheek, catching the light as it ran a trail of silver over your face.
That song… it summarised all of your feelings effortlessly, and perhaps even ice-hearted Kaiba would begin to understand. Perhaps.
The crystal tear finally reached your chin, and before it could drop to join you fingers on the keyboard, it splattered onto pale white skin. Kaiba's hand gently tilted your chin to meet his eyes.
You let him, and forced back further tears as they stung your eyes, threatening to fall in an unrelenting cascade. Drawing your gaze from the keyboard, you allowed yourself to sink into Kaiba's sapphire orbs.
His deep azure eyes sparkled with concern and… surely not empathy? They glittered in the candlelight, reflecting your own as you lost yourself in their endless depths. For several, long minutes you remained frozen, transfixed.
Before you could engage any sort of common sense, you found yourself leaning towards the handsome brunet, who in turn drew you closer, gently caressing your skin as he lifted his arm to catch the salty river of tears, then tenderly cupped your shining cheek with his large hand.
Kaiba's gaze flickered of its own accord to your lips, the back to your glistening eyes while you remained spellbound by his mesmerising sapphire orbs. Then, before either of you could think through what you were doing, your lips met in a gentle, experimental kiss.
A pleasant tingling sensation spread through your body like wildfire. Kaiba tasted good. You felt disappointed as your lungs began to ache, reminding you of the need to breath. Carefully pulling away, you took a deep gulp of air and glanced over at the motionless brunet.
He looked puzzled, and for once, surprisingly human. Unsure, you gently laid your hand over his and met his dazzling eyes.
Within moments, you had drawn close again and his lips crashed into yours, dominating the kiss. You closed your eyes, once again delighting in his unique taste. It was fresh, like mint, yet maintained the subtle tang of coffee that always hung about his person. You reached up, continuing the kiss, and twirled one of his dark brown bangs around your finger. It was soft and pleasant to touch, feeling like silky chocolate as if curled around your hand.
Kaiba released a soft noise of contentment, entwining his fingers in you own hair and sending electrifying shivers down your spine. Once more you broke away.
"I know what money can't buy." Kaiba muttered softly, his soft voice hushed and barely audible in the large room.
"And I know that I was always missing what money can't buy…" You replied in a whisper, again drawing closer to those magnificent, mesmerising, stormy sapphire orbs.
"Did you find it?" The brunet asked teasingly, his long fingers still entangled in your hair.
You nodded and once again pressed against his soft lips.
Because of you…
This is my first time writing a Oneshot, so please be lovely people and tell me what you think. If I get enough reviews, I may just do a follow-up... perhaps, but that one might have to be rated M. We'll see!
Song by: Kelly Clarkson - Because of you
The entire Oneshot is written by DragonGirl. Please review :)