Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot in this story. The characters and
their backgrounds belong to their respective companies and I have no claim
over them whatsoever. Thank you for deciding to check my story out and
feel free to review and let me know what you thought of it cause
suggestions and ideas are always welcome. Thanks again and if you don't
mind if you review could you point out any major plot mistakes I made cause
my Yu-Gi-Oh knowledge is a little rusty. Thanks and enjoy.
Identical Cards
Nineteen-year old Seto Kaiba looked down at his watch and then at the clock hanging on his left wall in his spacious office. Either both of his clocks were fast or his possible new employee was going to be late for their meeting. Not a good way to start a meeting Kaiba thought to himself. As though she'd read his mind there was a knock on the door.
"Enter." Kaiba said as he leaned back against his chair and seconds later his secretary walked in looking rather nervous. Despite the fact that her boss was much younger then she was he scared her and he hated for things not to go on schedule.
"Mr. Kaiba, Ms. Nonaka just called, apparently there's been a pile up on the 302 and she'll be a bit late getting here because of the traffic." His secretary said with a weak smile that he returned with a slightly raised eyebrow that wiped the smile off her face.
"Send her in as soon as she gets here, you're dismissed." Kaiba said dismissing her as he swirled in his chair so that his back was to her. Taking the hint she quickly left and was careful not to slam the door as she left. Ignoring her Kaiba remained in his seat, his eyes staring out his window to the buildings that surrounded his own. She would be late then Kaiba thought and decided to give her points for having the intelligence to call and let him know but then she was apparently very intelligent. When Yamachi had suggested her Kaiba had accessed all the information on her, if he was going to work with her then it was important to know who he'd be dealing with. For all intents and purposes Rika Nonaka was his type of person, driven, intelligent and cool. Which was one would expect of the reigning Digimon Queen stupid though the name was. To all intents and purposes she was ideal for the job, ideally. When things were too good to be true they usually were.
"Mr. Kaiba, she's here." His secretary said from the now partially opened door. Poor woman, he really should fire her and put her out of her misery Kaiba thought as he watched her wait nervously. She was quite afraid of him and though he found it amusing it was beginning to become an annoyance.
"Send her in." Kaiba said without turning around. Keeping his back to her he waited to see what she would do with his obvious rudeness. Seconds later he heard the sound of her sitting down in one of his chairs, not speaking or giving any indication that he was even there. Intrigued Kaiba swirled his seat so that he was looking at her and was surprised with what he saw. Before him sat a girl who's eyes were as cool as ice and her face showed no emotion as she regarded him with the most intriguing eyes he'd every seen. They hid so much and yet he could tell simply by their lack of emotion that they belonged to someone you didn't want to cross. She was beautiful but he'd already known that. Her red and brown hair was pulled back in a bun with several strands of it framing her face giving her a more approachable look though he'd be willing to bet that it wasn't on purpose. Her black suit fit her figure well and Kaiba had a feeling that that wasn't intentional either, she didn't seem the type. When he'd needed a new secretary he'd had several applicants who'd tried to appeal to his teenage hormones by showing off their bodies but he could have told them it was a wasted effort. He was here about brains not body. "Ms. Nonaka."
"Mr. Kaiba." She returned without showing any emotion or intent to reach out a hand. "I apologize for being late, the traffic was backed up because of an accident."
"So my secretary said." Kaiba said rather liking the way she met his eye. Most people were afraid of him and he'd become rather disgusted with the way they pussyfooted around him for fear of igniting his wrath. He had no use for cowards. "Did you bring your cards?"
"That's why I'm here isn't it?" She said raising an eyebrow slightly at his attitude.
"Let me see them." Kaiba said expecting his order to be followed immediately. Watching her face he could see that she was surprised but she had admirable control in that she didn't ask him any questions. Instead she reached into the purse she'd brought with her and withdrew a leather pouch. Pulling on the cord she opened it up and withdrew her collection of the Digimon Cards, handing them to him without a word.
Accepting them without comment Kaiba began to run through them, taking note of the types she preferred and comparing them to what little he knew about the game. He'd always preferred Duel Monsters and had never given much attention to the Digimon Cards though his brother had a set he occasionally played with. They were of good quality and obviously cared for, he'd have expected nothing else but he never completely counted or believed everything. From what little he knew of the game she was obviously well rounded in her choice of cards, she also obviously preferred being on the offensive as oppose to the defensive though she was well prepared for it. He was a firm believer that you could tell a lot by the cards a person had in their deck and Ms. Nonaka was no exception. Her deck was rather like his and he smiled at the thought. He could have gotten any of the Digimon card players in the world to be his tutor; he could well afford it. But the whispers about the Digimon Queen had caught his attention and if her deck was anything to go by the rumors were correct and she was just what he needed. He wanted someone who played to win at all costs, merciless and hard. She appeared to fit the bill perfectly. "Are these all?"
"That I have with me." She replied as she crossed her legs in front of her as she regarded him through still blank eyes. "I have some lesser cards and some rarer collectibles that I left at home for safe keeping."
"I assume that Mr. Yamachi explained to you why you're here." Kaiba stated as he handed the cards back to her. "Apparently he thinks that you can do the job."
"He said that you needed someone with a great deal of knowledge of the game to help you develop a better understanding of it for a software you're working on." She replied as she set the cards down on the desk in front of her. "You're intending to create a program for the Digimon Cards that you have for Duel Monsters."
''You're well informed." Kaiba said shortly. I wonder where she got that information he wondered as he regarded her more closely. It wasn't top secret information but it wasn't common knowledge either. It would appear that he hadn't been the only one to do a little digging around.
"I have friends in high places." She returned with a smile as she watched him watch her. She'd expected him to interrogate her but she hadn't expected this approach. She didn't know the rules or expectations, she didn't like it one bit.
"I know the basics of the game and I could create a program without outside help but the program would be lacking. I've always viewed the Digimon Card Game as a kid's game so I never bothered to learn. Despite my company's predictions though the game has remained popular and I think its time we got a piece of it. What I want you to do is give me a better understanding of the game and some insight into its playing." Kaiba said with a smirk. "Do you think you're up to it."
"From what I understand you're fairly intelligent, there's no reason why you can't be taught the basics." She said with a smirk of her own. Like Kaiba she wasn't a fool, she knew quite a bit about her possible new employer and she knew that he'd be a worthy pupil if she chose to make him so.
"Then you're interested?" Kaiba said wanting her to say yes more then he expected. There was something about her that intrigued him; he wanted to get to know her better so that he could understand the enigma that was she.
"How long are we talking about?" She asked as she regarded him steadily. "I'm free for most of this summer but it would help me plan my schedule ahead of time if I know what length of time we're talking about here."
"I think two weeks would do it Ms. Nonaka. I'm a very quick student." Kaiba said with a grin that wasn't meant to be reassuring. He needed to learn as much as possible to make the game a success but in truth he wasn't really looking forward to this. He was a busy man with an already busy schedule and this was going to play hell with it.
"Good, I'd hate to waste my time." She said with a grin of her own that said she was aware of the test she'd been given and knew she'd passed. "When do you want to start?"
"I have a board meeting in five minutes." Kaiba said looking down at his watch with a touch of regret. "We'll start tomorrow at seven o'clock?" he asked as he looked at her with a touch of respect. She'd held up and met him at each point; she would prove to be a worthy teacher and adversary.
"Fine." She replied as she got up from her chair. Holding her hand out she smiled at him with a look in her eye that said she knew it was expected but not to expect her to show such formality regularly. Meeting her eye Kaiba lifted his own hand and shook her hand, surprised that he did. "My name's Rika by the way." She added as she withdrew her hand, a hint of a grin on her sculpted face. "You have my permission to use it."
"Kaiba." Kaiba said with a nod as he acknowledge the small dig for what it was. "Till tomorrow.Rika." He added, her name sounding strange on his lips as he watched her smile widen, as if she knew that she'd caught him off guard.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow Kaiba." Rika said with a smile as she picked up her cards and walked gracefully out of his office without looking back. Sitting back in his seat Kaiba looked off into space as he thought about his newest employee with the strangest feeling that this was the beginning of something, though what he had no idea.
The next morning
Mokuba Kaiba stared at the paper before him then adding and subtracting in his head wrote a number down on the sheet. Still rather short for a fourteen-year old he had to lean partially over his brother's large desk as he viewed the next question. At the sound of the door opening he looked up to see a beautiful redhead walk into the room wearing a simple black skirt and a white T-shirt.
"Can I help you?" Mokuba asked cheerfully as he looked at the girl curiously. She was about his brother's age and she looked familiar but he couldn't place her. Maybe she was one of his brother's girls but there was something about her that made Mokuba reject that idea. She wasn't his brother's type.
"I'm looking for Kaiba?" The girl said with a reserve smile. "We were suppose to meet here to begin his lessons."
"You're Rika Nonaka!" Mokuba exclaimed as the pieces fell into place. Anyone who played the Digimon Card Game knew of the Digimon Queen and here she was the Game champion of Japan.
"Yes, do I know you?" Rika asked as she raised an eyebrow. What was this kid doing in Kaiba's office? He hadn't struck her as the type to allow anyone into his domain without him there to oversee him or her. Not a very trusting person her new boss.
"I'm Mokuba Kaiba, you're here to teach my brother how to play Digimon Cards right?" Mokuba asked as he smiled at her widely as he realized his luck. Wait till everyone heard that he'd met the Digimon Queen, in person. "You're the best player there is by the way. I saw you in that last match against Prince, you really crushed him."
"Thanks." Rika said with a warming smile at the boy's enthusiasm. This boy definitely didn't take after his brother in the emotions or looks department she thought as he practically light up the room with his grinning. "So where is your brother?"
"There was some sort of glitch with one of his new prototypes so he went down to see if there was anything he could do. He'll be back anytime though." Mokuba said looking at her thoughtfully. "You wouldn't want to have a small match till he gets back would you?"
"Why not." Rika said and taking the seat she'd occupied before she removed her cards while he rummaged around in his backpack until he found his own.
Pulling them out carefully he cleared off some of the work he'd been doing and smiled at her innocently. "Ladies first."
"Well that I never claimed to be but I will go first if you insist." Rika said and with a catty smile laid down her first card.
So what do you think? Does it crash and burn or did you like what I've got so far? Please review and let me know, otherwise this fic will cease to exist. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you.
Identical Cards
Nineteen-year old Seto Kaiba looked down at his watch and then at the clock hanging on his left wall in his spacious office. Either both of his clocks were fast or his possible new employee was going to be late for their meeting. Not a good way to start a meeting Kaiba thought to himself. As though she'd read his mind there was a knock on the door.
"Enter." Kaiba said as he leaned back against his chair and seconds later his secretary walked in looking rather nervous. Despite the fact that her boss was much younger then she was he scared her and he hated for things not to go on schedule.
"Mr. Kaiba, Ms. Nonaka just called, apparently there's been a pile up on the 302 and she'll be a bit late getting here because of the traffic." His secretary said with a weak smile that he returned with a slightly raised eyebrow that wiped the smile off her face.
"Send her in as soon as she gets here, you're dismissed." Kaiba said dismissing her as he swirled in his chair so that his back was to her. Taking the hint she quickly left and was careful not to slam the door as she left. Ignoring her Kaiba remained in his seat, his eyes staring out his window to the buildings that surrounded his own. She would be late then Kaiba thought and decided to give her points for having the intelligence to call and let him know but then she was apparently very intelligent. When Yamachi had suggested her Kaiba had accessed all the information on her, if he was going to work with her then it was important to know who he'd be dealing with. For all intents and purposes Rika Nonaka was his type of person, driven, intelligent and cool. Which was one would expect of the reigning Digimon Queen stupid though the name was. To all intents and purposes she was ideal for the job, ideally. When things were too good to be true they usually were.
"Mr. Kaiba, she's here." His secretary said from the now partially opened door. Poor woman, he really should fire her and put her out of her misery Kaiba thought as he watched her wait nervously. She was quite afraid of him and though he found it amusing it was beginning to become an annoyance.
"Send her in." Kaiba said without turning around. Keeping his back to her he waited to see what she would do with his obvious rudeness. Seconds later he heard the sound of her sitting down in one of his chairs, not speaking or giving any indication that he was even there. Intrigued Kaiba swirled his seat so that he was looking at her and was surprised with what he saw. Before him sat a girl who's eyes were as cool as ice and her face showed no emotion as she regarded him with the most intriguing eyes he'd every seen. They hid so much and yet he could tell simply by their lack of emotion that they belonged to someone you didn't want to cross. She was beautiful but he'd already known that. Her red and brown hair was pulled back in a bun with several strands of it framing her face giving her a more approachable look though he'd be willing to bet that it wasn't on purpose. Her black suit fit her figure well and Kaiba had a feeling that that wasn't intentional either, she didn't seem the type. When he'd needed a new secretary he'd had several applicants who'd tried to appeal to his teenage hormones by showing off their bodies but he could have told them it was a wasted effort. He was here about brains not body. "Ms. Nonaka."
"Mr. Kaiba." She returned without showing any emotion or intent to reach out a hand. "I apologize for being late, the traffic was backed up because of an accident."
"So my secretary said." Kaiba said rather liking the way she met his eye. Most people were afraid of him and he'd become rather disgusted with the way they pussyfooted around him for fear of igniting his wrath. He had no use for cowards. "Did you bring your cards?"
"That's why I'm here isn't it?" She said raising an eyebrow slightly at his attitude.
"Let me see them." Kaiba said expecting his order to be followed immediately. Watching her face he could see that she was surprised but she had admirable control in that she didn't ask him any questions. Instead she reached into the purse she'd brought with her and withdrew a leather pouch. Pulling on the cord she opened it up and withdrew her collection of the Digimon Cards, handing them to him without a word.
Accepting them without comment Kaiba began to run through them, taking note of the types she preferred and comparing them to what little he knew about the game. He'd always preferred Duel Monsters and had never given much attention to the Digimon Cards though his brother had a set he occasionally played with. They were of good quality and obviously cared for, he'd have expected nothing else but he never completely counted or believed everything. From what little he knew of the game she was obviously well rounded in her choice of cards, she also obviously preferred being on the offensive as oppose to the defensive though she was well prepared for it. He was a firm believer that you could tell a lot by the cards a person had in their deck and Ms. Nonaka was no exception. Her deck was rather like his and he smiled at the thought. He could have gotten any of the Digimon card players in the world to be his tutor; he could well afford it. But the whispers about the Digimon Queen had caught his attention and if her deck was anything to go by the rumors were correct and she was just what he needed. He wanted someone who played to win at all costs, merciless and hard. She appeared to fit the bill perfectly. "Are these all?"
"That I have with me." She replied as she crossed her legs in front of her as she regarded him through still blank eyes. "I have some lesser cards and some rarer collectibles that I left at home for safe keeping."
"I assume that Mr. Yamachi explained to you why you're here." Kaiba stated as he handed the cards back to her. "Apparently he thinks that you can do the job."
"He said that you needed someone with a great deal of knowledge of the game to help you develop a better understanding of it for a software you're working on." She replied as she set the cards down on the desk in front of her. "You're intending to create a program for the Digimon Cards that you have for Duel Monsters."
''You're well informed." Kaiba said shortly. I wonder where she got that information he wondered as he regarded her more closely. It wasn't top secret information but it wasn't common knowledge either. It would appear that he hadn't been the only one to do a little digging around.
"I have friends in high places." She returned with a smile as she watched him watch her. She'd expected him to interrogate her but she hadn't expected this approach. She didn't know the rules or expectations, she didn't like it one bit.
"I know the basics of the game and I could create a program without outside help but the program would be lacking. I've always viewed the Digimon Card Game as a kid's game so I never bothered to learn. Despite my company's predictions though the game has remained popular and I think its time we got a piece of it. What I want you to do is give me a better understanding of the game and some insight into its playing." Kaiba said with a smirk. "Do you think you're up to it."
"From what I understand you're fairly intelligent, there's no reason why you can't be taught the basics." She said with a smirk of her own. Like Kaiba she wasn't a fool, she knew quite a bit about her possible new employer and she knew that he'd be a worthy pupil if she chose to make him so.
"Then you're interested?" Kaiba said wanting her to say yes more then he expected. There was something about her that intrigued him; he wanted to get to know her better so that he could understand the enigma that was she.
"How long are we talking about?" She asked as she regarded him steadily. "I'm free for most of this summer but it would help me plan my schedule ahead of time if I know what length of time we're talking about here."
"I think two weeks would do it Ms. Nonaka. I'm a very quick student." Kaiba said with a grin that wasn't meant to be reassuring. He needed to learn as much as possible to make the game a success but in truth he wasn't really looking forward to this. He was a busy man with an already busy schedule and this was going to play hell with it.
"Good, I'd hate to waste my time." She said with a grin of her own that said she was aware of the test she'd been given and knew she'd passed. "When do you want to start?"
"I have a board meeting in five minutes." Kaiba said looking down at his watch with a touch of regret. "We'll start tomorrow at seven o'clock?" he asked as he looked at her with a touch of respect. She'd held up and met him at each point; she would prove to be a worthy teacher and adversary.
"Fine." She replied as she got up from her chair. Holding her hand out she smiled at him with a look in her eye that said she knew it was expected but not to expect her to show such formality regularly. Meeting her eye Kaiba lifted his own hand and shook her hand, surprised that he did. "My name's Rika by the way." She added as she withdrew her hand, a hint of a grin on her sculpted face. "You have my permission to use it."
"Kaiba." Kaiba said with a nod as he acknowledge the small dig for what it was. "Till tomorrow.Rika." He added, her name sounding strange on his lips as he watched her smile widen, as if she knew that she'd caught him off guard.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow Kaiba." Rika said with a smile as she picked up her cards and walked gracefully out of his office without looking back. Sitting back in his seat Kaiba looked off into space as he thought about his newest employee with the strangest feeling that this was the beginning of something, though what he had no idea.
The next morning
Mokuba Kaiba stared at the paper before him then adding and subtracting in his head wrote a number down on the sheet. Still rather short for a fourteen-year old he had to lean partially over his brother's large desk as he viewed the next question. At the sound of the door opening he looked up to see a beautiful redhead walk into the room wearing a simple black skirt and a white T-shirt.
"Can I help you?" Mokuba asked cheerfully as he looked at the girl curiously. She was about his brother's age and she looked familiar but he couldn't place her. Maybe she was one of his brother's girls but there was something about her that made Mokuba reject that idea. She wasn't his brother's type.
"I'm looking for Kaiba?" The girl said with a reserve smile. "We were suppose to meet here to begin his lessons."
"You're Rika Nonaka!" Mokuba exclaimed as the pieces fell into place. Anyone who played the Digimon Card Game knew of the Digimon Queen and here she was the Game champion of Japan.
"Yes, do I know you?" Rika asked as she raised an eyebrow. What was this kid doing in Kaiba's office? He hadn't struck her as the type to allow anyone into his domain without him there to oversee him or her. Not a very trusting person her new boss.
"I'm Mokuba Kaiba, you're here to teach my brother how to play Digimon Cards right?" Mokuba asked as he smiled at her widely as he realized his luck. Wait till everyone heard that he'd met the Digimon Queen, in person. "You're the best player there is by the way. I saw you in that last match against Prince, you really crushed him."
"Thanks." Rika said with a warming smile at the boy's enthusiasm. This boy definitely didn't take after his brother in the emotions or looks department she thought as he practically light up the room with his grinning. "So where is your brother?"
"There was some sort of glitch with one of his new prototypes so he went down to see if there was anything he could do. He'll be back anytime though." Mokuba said looking at her thoughtfully. "You wouldn't want to have a small match till he gets back would you?"
"Why not." Rika said and taking the seat she'd occupied before she removed her cards while he rummaged around in his backpack until he found his own.
Pulling them out carefully he cleared off some of the work he'd been doing and smiled at her innocently. "Ladies first."
"Well that I never claimed to be but I will go first if you insist." Rika said and with a catty smile laid down her first card.
So what do you think? Does it crash and burn or did you like what I've got so far? Please review and let me know, otherwise this fic will cease to exist. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you.