San: This whole story was REVISED… so if you haven't read the new chapter one, please do so. Otherwise you'll be confused, like very.
I'm taking a slightly different turn with the pairings in the fic. I've taken out all the excess pairings and made Anzu not a "pimp" (can't believe I actually liked doing that…). The main ones will remain the same but… will be done a bit differently.
This story wasn't before, but now it is very loosely based on a certain manga (not overly so, but the plot and situation are similar). I realized my first chapter could go for a plot akin to that. I'll reveal the title later.
Summery: Revised. Au-ish. A distant and quirky heir some call "Prince Amelda", a sharp-tongued and stubborn maid, and an arrogant young CEO. Whether they like it or not, cliché will take it's course. Dedicated to LuvinAniManga, and Imperfect Paradise.
Warning(s)/Note(s): Swearing, some mild scenes, "talking", and 'Thinking'… Plus I redid the first chapter. Ratings may change.
Disclaimer: Nah.
Tick tock, tick tock.
Another minute had gone by.
Tick tock, tick tock.
She didn't know how long she'd been waiting there, but it felt like forever. The lavishly furnished room had lost its awe-inspiring effect after a while, she hadn't really packed anything to pass time with, and now she sat in the living room, waiting, waiting, waiting.
Waiting wasn't fun.
Feeling fidgety, she gingerly fingered an off-white candle atop a small coffee table beside the couch. Once certain it wouldn't bite, she took it in her hands, and brought it close to her nose and breathed in the scent. It smelled like vanilla. What a pretty smell…
"Miss Mazaki."
The sudden husky voice from behind startled her and she nearly dropped the candle in surprise. Cursing her nerves, she replaced the candle roughly and turned to face the source of the voice. An androgynous-looking man with red hair stood behind the couch, his face baring little expression. His expensive attire whispered that this may be her employer. She frantically stood up and bowed her head.
"Hello," she greeted, speaking with newfound formality. "I received a letter that stated I was accepted for this job, so-"
"This way," He cut her off. One hand beckoned her, and without another word he headed out the door. Anzu grabbed her bags and walked after him.
As she followed the man (who she assumed was Amelda Alister), she took the time to examine him from where she was. Burgundy hair fell to the bottom of his ears and a slight tan graced his skin. His slender frame could easily be mistaken for a girl's if one did not notice the broad shoulders. She noted –with envy- how each stride he took bore the grace of a cat.
After a maze of hallways, he stopped near a door identical to the others down the hall. "This is where your room will be. I don't have specific quarters for servants, so I let them stay in old, unused rooms of the house. There is a bathroom three doors down the hall; the other maids will show you the rest. Now, I must be going, I have a meeting with a business associate downstairs," He explained robotically. Anzu nodded.
The man turned to leave, but stopped when Anzu spoke.
"Wait, sir… are you Mr. Amelda Alister?" she asked. She already had a keen guess, and was proven correct by the man's light nod.
"However," he said. "That is young master to you."
'What is with these rich men?' thought Anzu, nodding curtly nevertheless. He turned once again and left, his shoes making soft clicks against the marble floor. The sound faded away into the distance as he did and Anzu turned to the door of her designated chamber.
Blue eyes stared intently, but boredly, at a newspaper. The stock market's news, however interesting, tended to get old after the fifth read. Exhaling through his nose, he slammed the newspaper down on the table and stood as soft footsteps reached his ears.
'Finally.'
"My apologies for the long wait; I had to show a new employee around. I trust you've brought the papers?"
He snorted at the young man. Of course he did, he wouldn't forget something as important as an investment deal. He opened his briefcase and silently presented the documents on the table. His new invention, the duel disk, was sure to be a success. But even as one of the richest men in the world, he needed clients and investors before he could put his plan into action. As a successful businessman, he would take every step necessary.
He scoffed bemusedly as the other man regarded the papers skeptically, knowing that his professional-like observation was all show for some invisible audience and that one of his best acquaintances would trust his plans without a doubt.
"Are you about done, Alister?" He asked, exasperated.
The red haired man sighed. "Tch, impatient as always. I'm merely analyzing your brilliant designs, Kaiba."
'Brilliant is right', thought Kaiba, as he leisurely took his seat on the couch once again.
She looked around in what could be a large storage room and observed her surroundings. The dust on the furniture gave it a decadent feeling and amidst the old couches, bookshelves, and up-turned chairs was a plainly-made double bed with dull pink sheets. A large window was by the bed, looking out to the back. Closing the door, Anzu placed her belongings on the floor and walked towards the bed. She took off her shoes and crawled across the bed to the window, peering out.
The large backyard consisted of lush grass fields, a series of trees around the borders, and gardens here and there. There was a patio with a pool a few feet away. On the other side of the backyard was a small lake, surrounded by small bushes. The water sparkled in the moonlight and Anzu resisted the sudden urge to rush outside and walk along the little pebble pathway within the lake.
Really, she wondered if all of this was all this necessary. The guy didn't look like he went through his backyard much. It was such a shame that it all went to waste. She really didn't understand why these high-class people wasted so much on something they'd never use. However, her thoughts on the questionable lifestyles of the rich and the famous was cut short by a knock on the door. She made her way across the room and opened the door to greet whoever had knocked.
No one was there.
A little miffed, she was about to close the door when a voice from below spoke. "Down here, damn you!"
"Eh?"
Anzu redirected her gaze downwards and stormy green eyes met her own blue ones. Bearing large blonde pigtails, glasses, and a round face complimented by some freckles, a little girl stood proudly with a teddy bear in her arms. Huh… "Young Master" hadn't told her about any little girls, but then again she did just get here. 'She-she's so small...'
The scowl on the girls faced deepened and her face reddened. Anzu wondered if she'd spoken her thought aloud and was proven correct by the other girl's outburst.
"I'm not small! I'm not small! Stop saying I'm small! You're not that tall yourself! You have to stand on your tippy-toes to kiss a guy, don't you?!" the blonde girl snorted, smirked at Anzu's wide eyes and continued. "How stupid, Amelda keeps hiring all these weird and sugary girls! What would others of the family say? Isn't that right, teddy?"
Holy hell, this girl was talking to her teddy bear! Anzu scowled. There was no way she was going to get told by a miniature brat who probably still believed in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy and all that shit. "For your information, I've never been kissed before! You're a brat, your hair is poofy, you have the nerve to call me weird when you freaking talk to a teddy bear, and there's nothing wrong with liking pretzels on poutine!" she huffed. This wouldn't be the first person to call her weird for her odd tastes.
The girl blinked.
"That's right! Stumped you, didn't I? I-" the brown-haired girl was cut-off by her own squeak and stumbled when she felt something zoom past her and zoom back out. She grabbed the wall with on hand for support while the other tried to calm her beating heart. She blinked rapidly and turned to glare at the source of the hurricane.
There stood the little blonde girl, with her tongue stuck out, and a brown duffle bag clutched in her right hand—a bag Anzu realized with a start had the initials "A.M." written on it with cheap felt-tip marker. Holy… that was her bag!
Just as she was about to snatch back her belongings the little girl sprinted down the hall. With a growl, Anzu followed the bag thief's trail and ran. Not caring at all if any other residents witnessed her acting so "indecent", only seeing the running little brat, who would soon become chicken paste!
As she tried to catch up to the blonde girl, she was led through a few turns in the hallways before they neared a staircase. As the girl jumped down the stairs with inhuman speed, Anzu grabbed onto the railing and slid down, landing face-first on the floor at the end. She managed to pick herself back up instantly and ran after her once again. This girl was going to get it!
"You freaking brat! Gimme back my baaaaag!"
"Come and get it!"
"I'm gonna--!"
"Nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya!" the girl taunted.
'Damn, she's fast.'
"I'm gonna kill--!" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as she ran smack dab into something solid and knocked said solid object over. Blinking, she took a look at her new surroundings. A large dining room with long elegant tables met her view.
"So, when are you planning on creating the betas?"
"Already taken care of, as always."
"I see… do send me one."
"There is no need to ask."
Silence.
The two men stared at each other. It had always been like this, their business deals would always end up sounding like old friends chattering. But it was nothing of the sort; they really were strict businessmen around one another when it came down to it.
A cough. "How is Mokuba?" asked the red-haired man, finding nothing else to say.
"He's well. How is the "family"?" The brown haired man too, could not seem to find much else to say.
"Well enough… Varon, however, is being a pain even while abro-" The red haired man's reply was cut off by childish laughter (sounding suspiciously sinister) and growls suddenly bombarding the room.
Before he could blink and identify the latter of the two, Rebecca ran past him with Anzu on her heels. Rebecca quickly spun around and ran back towards Amelda's direction, hiding behind his legs. Anzu, however, lost her balance and fell unceremoniously to the floor.
"Rebecca, what is the meaning of this?"
Anzu looked to her right and was met with the sight of her new boss and the pigtailed devil-spawn looking down at her. Her mouth opened, and closed, and opened and then closed again, at a loss for words. Her boss's eyes recognized her and took on a look of pure annoyance. 'Oh no,' she gulped. She was going to get fired from another job, this time before it even began! She opened her mouth to explain but was cut off by his voice once again.
"I've never had to fire anyone on their first day before- let alone before their first task, but—"
"No!"
Anzu turned her attention on the little girl. Had she heard right? Or did she just imagine the blonde brat yell 'no'? Wouldn't be the first time she imagined something weird. Her fear of getting fired again turned to pure confusion. 'Huh?' The girl continued.
"No, Amelda! You can't fire her! I'll hate you if you do!" Rebecca whined and proceeded to stomp her foot. "Fire that stupid Umi! I like this one! Please, please, please!"
'The hell….?' Was all Anzu could think.
"Alright, alright, Rebecca. We'll keep her, stop jumping up and down like a monkey."
A bewildered Anzu looked back a forth between the now-squealing girl and the sighing red-haired man. Wondering what the hell just happened (and feeling relieved that she had just escaped unemployment by a hair), she suddenly because aware of the slight movement underneath her. What had she knocked over and was still sitting on anyway?
"Mazaki, do get off my business associate."
She followed her boss's order and quickly stood up to brush herself of, muttering a trail of apologies. "My bad, my bad! My apologies for knocking you over! It must suck to be a human chair! I mean, not that you are a human-chair but you were for a moment there when I… sat… on… you…" the brunette bowed her head.
"Well, well… I didn't think you'd find another job this easily."
Anzu froze. That voice… that was the same voice that she'd prayed to never hear again. Hoping her foreboding senses were wrong and that she just needed hearing aids and possibly a vacation, the brunette slowly turned her head and looked into the mocking blue eyes of none other than Seto Kaiba.
Fate was a royal pain in the ass.
San: Yes, I'm updating. You can all pick up your jaws off the floors now and hit that little purple button. Constructive criticism is much-craved!