Title: Azure
Author: celestial-fire-angel
Rating: T, for now
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh
Author's Note: So...I'm back after a long hiatus! Who missed me? Just kidding! I have big plans for this story and it's only the first chapter so please bear with me! I haven't written in a long time so please excuse the many mistakes that I know are in here. Until I get a beta-reader, I'll try my best to keep from making too may grammatical errors! Please enjoy!
Chapter 1:
Its name was Azure.
The bar was definitely high class, not a place that just anyone could afford to get into; you needed deep pockets. He had been sitting in the corner in the dimly lit room, just observing.
From his seat, he had a good view of the entire place; himself, partially hidden behind a decorative plant. The front double doors were to his left, manned by two burly bouncers, who tried their best to look intimidating with buzz cuts and dark sunglasses. A soft snort escaped from him as he noticed the earpieces the two Arnold Schwarzenegger-wannabes. Secret Service wannabes was more like it. They were nothing more than hired muscle, valued more for their brawn than their brains.
There were a few regular patrons this time of the evening. It wasn't time yet. No, he knew that later this place would be packed. The owner was going to make an appearance here tonight. No doubt it was for publicity more than anything else not that the youngest owner in the bar's history needed anymore publicity or ego-stroking, which was bound to happen in a room full of bored individuals who had more money than they needed in their lifetimes. It was funny that despite all the money, they were still looking to expand their fortune and would kiss whatever ass they had to in order to do so.
It was amusing to sit in the bar, like he was doing now, and listen to the prattle coming from business owners' mouths about expanding, or somehow exploiting resources in less fortunate places. Or listen to bored trophy wives talking about how many mistresses their husbands were seeing and yet would not do anything about it since they figured a few women was little price to pay to remain married to the top one percent of the population. Money-hungry, gold-digging bitches. He knew better. In a few years, after the botox stopped working, after plastic surgery could no longer correct what nature intended, they would be cast aside in favor of someone much younger, more attractive. A cynical view for sure but it was true.
A hand reached out to caress the glass that sat obediently before him. The drink had only a few sips missing. As much as he frequented the bar, he wasn't much of a drinker. Mostly, he was only there to observe. It was his favorite thing to do, besides his other, more lucrative hobby.
It couldn't be long now. More and more people were filing in, dressed to impress. Designer dresses fluttered about as their owners flitted about making superficial greetings while being on the arms of designer-suited executives.
It was funny. Normally, he would want to be low profile, not stand out. Normally, he would stand with the rest of the crowd, just another face in the sea of black and white suits. He would be there, laughing at a lame joke an old geezer made. An old geezer with a gold-digging hussy, made up to look more like a doll than anything else, smiling a plastic smile that was far too practiced, on his arm. He would be there, sharing a drink, chatting mindlessly about the next venture he was thinking about trying.
However, this was not a normal circumstance. It was a chance.
He needed to stand out. If he wanted to capture attention away from the flock of vultures now forming little circles around the bar. Several already had a glass in hand; several already had multiple drinks and were becoming more animated. Amusing.
A smirk tugged at his lips but it turned into a full blown smile when he saw the doors open and the room became dead silent.
He was here. No one saw crimson eyes narrow the slightest bit, or the leather clad figure move from his corner seat.
The car parked right in front of the club and the chauffeur hurriedly went to open the door. He adjusted his tie one more time before stepping out. He did not want to be here. He could have cared less for the bar that was almost thrust upon him when the previous owner had insisted that he be the one to purchase it. Just to get the old man, who had also been a valued business partner, out of his hair, he agreed and now he was stuck with this place.
Why not sell it? It was in the contract the old man had signed when he sold it. Damn the old man. He wasn't sure if the old man was out to help him or get him.
Now, here he was, in front of the damned bar, ready to meet the patrons who had nothing better to do but kiss ass and beg favors when they needed it. He would much rather be back with his own people, running his own business. He didn't have the time to waste.
Who was he? Seto Kaiba.
He ran the largest technology company in the country. Well, that was true on the surface. His company, KaibaCorp, dealt with all the state-of-the-art advancements technology had to offer. They led the way with their holographic technology, now used everywhere, from personal handheld gaming devices to military strategy meeting rooms.
He had enough on his plate. After this, he would charge someone else with the responsibility for this place. At least he hoped the alcohol was good.
Stepping into the bar, he was immediately greeted with murmurs of 'welcome' and his name. Plastering his traditional bored look on his face, Seto walked through the throng of people, who had made a walk way for him. Several of the patrons, eager as puppies to please and win favor, reached out to shake his hand. His cold, hard stare made several of them shrink back.
His stare, however, did not work on the females in the group. They shamelessly threw themselves upon him. He was surrounded in a mess of silk and skin. Perfume assaulted his sense of smell in a horrible cloud that threatened to suffocate him. Large, eager, overly made-up eyes batted false eyelashes at him. Overly ample breasts were crushed against him or pushed up to try and gain his attention. Impersonal touches to his neatly cropped head of brown hair left minute shivers down his spine. A cacophony of unnaturally high voices murmured and whispered to him. He was not even going to try and decipher what was said to him.
He was in the bar for less than five minutes and already he could feel a headache coming on. He pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered how he would be able to survive this night. Not even his most frustrating partners could push his buttons like these women. Still, he had a reputation as a ladies' man to uphold. After all, reputation was everything. He had found this out from a very early age and he found out, in his years of doing business, once you destroyed someone's reputation, it was easy to buy them out. The easiest way to destroy someone's reputation: go after the fairer sex. He had his fair share of affairs with women of great influence. Once the scandal broke, their husbands were eager to fall under his company's umbrella. It was a harsh world and Kaiba played to win, using what was available to him.
It was good thing he was blessed with good looks. His long, lean frame was clad in a tailored white suit, crisp, clean, like virgin snow. His cobalt blue dress shirt hid his toned chest from the prying eyes of the women who clamored around him. His white tie lay in contrast to his shirt, a sort of guard to any fingers which might try to worm their way inside. He didn't put it past these women to try something like that, even with their husbands around.
"Mr. Kaiba! I'm Scarlet…"
"I'm Claire!"
"Jeannette."
"Isabel."
Taking a deep breath, Seto turned to address the women. "It's wonderful to meet you," he said, lying through his teeth, but he had to turn on the charm. Some of them were married to high officials in government, which could work to his favor. He recognized some of them who stood around, talking amongst themselves of re-election, which bills they were about to vote on, complaints of their enemies trying to undermine their efforts.
Seto wasn't one to make mistakes but he made one when he tried to excuse himself from his female companions and was met with a chorus of whining about leaving them so early. It was going to be a very long night.
Crimson eyes couldn't hide the amusement when he saw the patrons surge towards the door. He knew who had arrived. Uncrossing his legs, he stood up. He would make his move soon. He made his way from his little corner to the bar. Dressed in tight leather pants and black tank top, which was covered by a black leather jacket, he certainly didn't look like the other patrons. If anything, his hair was vastly different. Spiked up, tri-colored, a mess of black, red and blond bangs wasn't what one normally thought of when thinking 'high class'. In fact, he looked rebellious, with his doubly pierced ears where little ankh earrings hung, spiked collar wrapped around a rather thin neck which seemed to be a set with a set of bracelets adorning delicate wrists.
Black eyeliner only seemed to make his unusually colored eyes much more mysterious. Even though crimson orbs were focused on the bartender, in his peripheral, he was aware of the young CEO. The pictures didn't do him justice. Not at all. The cameras never managed to capture the intensity of his blue eyes. No angle was flattering enough to compliment the much sought after physique. The only thing articles and pictures managed to get right was his reputation with the ladies as was evident the way the women practically threw themselves at the young CEO. Some of them were old enough to be his mother, he was sure.
He was also sure no one else saw the line of irritation that began to crinkle the CEO of KaibaCorp's brow. He did, though. He never missed the small details. They were the most important.
He had to excuse himself. Seto couldn't take much more. He wasn't a very patient man and even with these lovely ladies, he found himself being short with them. He looked around, needing an escape. Anything at all. His eyes landed on a figure sitting on the far end of the bar. Unusual. The person sitting there didn't look like he belonged to such an establishment, if his clothes said anything. Still, there was something that piqued Seto's interest.
It was probably the fact that he hadn't come up with the others and fawned all over him. Interesting. So there was someone who wasn't interested in him and ready to kiss his ass as soon as he walked in through the door? How could that be?
In the middle of an oh-so-interesting story one of his companions was telling, he stepped away, ignoring the complaints, focused on the black-clad figure. As he strode closer, the other turned.
Blue met Crimson. Ice met Fire.
Very interesting indeed.
"Who are you?" No nonsense, straight to the point. It was Seto's style.
Crimson Eyes only smiled and didn't say anything, except to push the drink he had ordered towards the brunet.
"Are you deaf or dumb? I asked you a question." If there was anything that annoyed Seto more than nonsense, it was being ignored.
Still no answer. Seto let out a growl of impatience. "Bastard…"
It happened so fast that he hadn't seen what happened but the next moment, the smaller male had his tie in his grasp and used it to pull Seto down. He could feel the other's warm breath against his ear. In a voice that sent a different shiver down his spine, Seto heard his answer.
"Yami."
Just as abruptly, he was let go and the other male stood up, placing a few bills on the counter and walking away without another word.
Seto never saw the wide smirk that now adorned Crimson Eyes' face. Nor could he heard the thought going through the other's mind.
Gotcha.
Author's Note: Please read and review!
