Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the plot of this story and all characters are owned by some rich Japanese though some pasts belong to moi. Anyone attempting to copy any of my stuff or story line will die a horrible death because I will send the plagues of Egypt on you.
Thanks to all those who have been reading my fic and especially those who've reviewed and let me know what they thought and their ideas. Thanks and enjoy the latest chapter of this weird creation of mine.
Shopping with Seto
Seto, rubbing a hand over his face wearily as he gazed out of his office window as though something outside might explain what was going on. He'd had a weird dream the night before about Ancient Egypt, or what he took for Ancient Egypt anyway. He'd been some sort of high priest and he'd help a girl, the pharaoh's sister, out of a tree after she'd gotten stuck trying to get a cat to come down. She'd looked a lot like Rika. This wasn't good, Seto thought as he leaned up against the window, leaning his forehead against the pane of glass as he collected his thoughts. He had a strict policy concerning his workers and he firmly believed that anyone who allowed themselves to mess work with pleasure was asking for trouble. And yet, he thought, if only to himself, he couldn't seem to get her out of his mind. He'd just met the woman for god sakes and yet whenever he had a moment to himself his thoughts turned to her as if there was some invisible thread linking her to him. Her and that chain. It had been so strange but when he'd watch her run a finger across the golden card attached to the chain he'd felt a shiver go down his spine and the overwhelming feeling that he'd seen her do it before. Silly. As silly as the feeling that he knew her from somewhere.
"It's almost time." He said out loud as he absently looked over to the clock, something he seemed to be doing a lot lately. Any minute now there would be a knock on his door and she'd come in to take him shopping of all things. He generally preferred to avoid malls, they were noisy and stuffed full of people running around like ants from one place to the next. He really wasn't looking forward to it but he'd agreed to go for some reason and he always kept his word. Strange but he wasn't dreading it as much as he'd thought he would, Seto told himself thoughtfully, what did that say about things?
"Mr. Kaiba?" His secretary's voice said as it came through the intercom, hesitant as usual to dare to interrupt him. "Ms. Nonaka is outside waiting for you."
"Tell her I'll be right out." Seto said as he shut off the intercom and walked over to the door with his usual long legged strides. Shutting off the lights in the room he opened the door and walking out was careful to lock the door before he made his way to his secretary's desk where he found Rika calmly waiting for him. "I'm ready to go if you are." He said shortly as he watched her put down the magazine she'd been reading through while she'd waited. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt today, her hair up in a high ponytail. It suited her.
"Lets go then." Rika replied as she got to her feet, pleased that he was prompt. There was were few things she hated more then waiting. "Is it all right if we walk, I forgot to ask you yesterday."
"I can have the limo pick us up." Seto said as he reached for his cell phone, which he always kept on hand. He was about to dial when he felt her hand on his arm, something that made his heart rate jump and beat faster then it had any reason to.
"Oh you don't need to do that. Unless you want to of course." Rika said with a smile as she removed her hand quickly, unsure why she'd put it there in the first place. She wasn't a contact person at all and Kaiba struck here as being even more so. "It's a really nice day and the streets aren't too crowded yet. Whatever suits you though is fine."
"We'll walk then." Seto said rather surprised that she'd turned down the chance to be driven to the mall, most women would expect it. "Shall we?" he said motioning towards the way out with a sweeping gesture. After all the sooner they were on the way the sooner he could be back and getting some actual work done.
"Sounds like a plan." Rika agreed as she followed him out of the offices and the door, having a feeling that his sleep had been as restful as her own had been. It hadn't.
"So where are you staying?" Seto asked as they walked side by side down the street. He usually wasn't one for small talk but he was rather curious about her and he did have some manners, however rusty. Strange but he felt though he'd done this before, walked beside her, listened to her speak. It was both a strange and uneasy feeling.
"My aunt and uncle live near here so I'm staying with them. My cousin travels a lot so I'm borrowing her bedroom for the time being until she gets back, then it's the guest room for me." Rika said with a smirk as she thought about her cousin's room and how out of place she looked in it. She would have picked the guest room in the first place if it weren't for the fact that Mai's room had an awesome view.
"Then you're familiar with this area?"
"I can find my way around fairly well." Rika agreed as she moved out of the way of an overeager kid, in a hurry to get to a nearby toy shop. "What about you, have you always lived in this city?"
"Pretty much." Seto said as he moved over to allow the boy's mother to squeeze by to get to her son who was already jumping up and down for something in the window. Had he done that, Seto wondered absently to himself as his eyes remained for a moment on the child. Had he once stood before a toy store and begged his mother for some treat or toy? He didn't remember; it didn't matter anyway. "I like the city."
"It's definitely interesting." Rika agreed as she moved slightly closer to avoid getting run over by a cyclist who was just asking to get hit. Deserved to get hit, Rika added mentally with a dirty look in the man's direction before turning back to Kaiba. "I would imagine you've traveled a great deal. Favorite place?"
"Egypt, you?" Seto asked as they came to a stop at the crowded crosswalk, their shoulders almost touching as they stood confidently and sure, unaware of the picture they made. Standing slightly apart there was still something about them that signaled that they were together as a whole, not just two people talking. The handsome young man and the beautiful woman, both so cool and collected looking, yet with something in the way they looked at each other, smiled that said they were so much more, even if they didn't yet realize it.
"Same." Rika said as she looked up at the lights, instinctively moving closer to Seto to give an older woman more room. "I don't know why but I've always loved it. It's strange but it's always felt as much like home as my real home does."
"Like you belong there, know it as well as you know yourself. From another time and place." Seto said under his breath as he looked at her with something akin to fear and yet not. Something was seriously wrong here; it was as if without effort she'd begun to draw things out of him, made him want to talk to her as something other then as an associate. Like there was an intimacy between them that called for it.
"What did you say?" Rika asked looking at him questioningly, she had to have misunderstood him. It was so strange but she felt really weird when he was close by. Not worried or afraid or anything like that, just unsettled and nervous, yet safe at the same time which didn't make any sense. So much pain behind that mask, Rika thought then puzzled over it. What had brought that to mind? Looking up at his profile she didn't read anything in his features and yet when he'd looked at that little boy she'd sensed that it had pained him. Sensed, Rika scoffed as she moved with the crowd as the light changed. But it was the only way to describe it. It was weird that she was so sure, unnerving really, almost as strange as that weird dream she'd had last night. First the chain, then the park and then the dream. It was a wonder she didn't check herself into a nut house. Maybe what she needed was a vacation. A nice holiday doing nothing but sleeping, eating and relaxing the days away. Seto didn't look like he knew the meaning of the word vacation. A pity since he probably looks really yummy in a bathing suit with that face and he's the type to work out so.. oh hold it right there girl, Rika told herself mentally, those thoughts are not allowed in this head.
"Nothing important."
"What? Oh, okay. So how's the planning for this project going? Think it will be as big a hit as your Duel Monsters program?" Rika asked thinking to take her mind off images that she had no business conjuring up without her permission. Especially those images pertaining to her hot boss! Boss, simply boss. Hot did not factor in, Rika lectured herself.
"The planning's going fine. I imagine we'll make a fair amount of money from it." Seto said as he tried to ignore the sudden need to get closer to her. He was beginning to feel like a piece of metal that had just been placed beside a high power magnet. The pull to get closer was an overwhelming urge that was against his basic nature to fight. What the hell was wrong with him, Seto asked himself as he deliberately tried to put some space between them. He'd never reacted to a female like this and he didn't like it one bit. He'd seen the way Joey kissed the ground Mai walked on and hell would freeze over before he'd do the same. It was simple attraction, he assured himself, nothing more and he'd get over it quickly and without incident.
"That's nice." Rika said not really caring what he said as long as he continued to look at her while he said it. Such beautiful eyes, Rika thought as she locked her own with them, unaware that she was moving closer and that he was doing the same.
Neither admitting what they or the other was doing the two were trying to convince their bodies to move away from the other when Rika was bumped from behind, sending her tumbling forward. Instinctively moving in front of her Seto wrapped his arms around her waist as she fell against him and looking down, he watched her head lift up so that she was looking at him, their faces only centimeters apart from the other. "Ri." Seto said looking into her eyes, drowning in them as he slowly lowered his head, his thoughts only on reclaiming what was his. His sense of time and place shattered he knew only that she was in his arms, finally. His princess.
"Kaiba?" Rika breathed, not even realizing that he'd shortened her name as she looked at him with eyes not quite sure as she watched his head lower.
As though he'd been hit by a stunner Kaiba fairly leapt back as he let her go and moved back a few steps so that there was a fair distance between them. Breathing slightly harder then necessary he stared at her while she stared back at him, both perfectly aware of what had nearly happened. Feeling more then a bit raw Seto quickly straightened his shoulders and firmly slipped his mask back into place. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Rika said looking more at the building behind him then at him. My God, had he been about to kiss her? Had she been about to let him?
"We're almost there." Seto said as he to chose not to look at her directly. "Shall we continue?"
"Yeah." Rika said with a weak smile. Steady on her feet now she too slipped on her mask and fell into steps beside him as they made their way back into the crowd, both careful to keep space between them. And this time they managed to pull it off.
"Hey Kaiba, what are you doing here? You hate malls?" Rika and Kaiba turned around to see a brunette about their age walking over to them with three shopping bags full of stuff. She wore a black skirt and a bright blue top, her hair cut at her shoulders and loose.
"Tea." Seto said acknowledging the greeting. They'd only just arrived at the mall and already he'd started to run into them. Could his day get any worse, any quicker? "I just had to pick up some things."
"And your many servants couldn't do it for you?" Tea said with a smirk, thinking that something had to be up for his royal highness to make an appearance. Plus she'd never seen Kaiba out and about with a girl either. "I'm Tea by the way, since this guy has no manners what so ever today apparently."
"Rika." Rika said having a feeling she was being judged by the other girl. Not as competition, Rika thought, but as something else.
"So, Rika, I don't think we've met. Are you new around here or just visiting?" Tea asked, curious about this girl who watched her as closely as she had. This girl was no pushover, Tea realized which wasn't Kaiba's type of girl at all. Not that Kaiba really had a type since he normally stayed away from the female species all together. But he wasn't running away from this one and that was interesting.
"I'm just here for a couple of weeks." Rika said with a half smile, deciding to reserve judgment for now. "I take it you two are acquainted?" she added having the feeling friends would be too strong of a word.
"Yea we went to high school together and we know each other from Duel Monster competitions when we were younger. Do you play?" Tea asked, having no qualms about interrogating the other girl. Kaiba was kinda their friend and it couldn't hurt to check out who was trying to get her claws into him. Plus Kaiba gossip was always welcome among her friends.
"I play but not anymore, I leave card games to the younger generation now. I take it you play?" Rika said with a faintly bored look on her face though there was a coldness to her eyes. She didn't appreciate the looking over she was getting. Not one little bit.
"Since I was little, still do." Tea said acknowledging the look. "So how do you and Kaiba know each other? He's usually not the most sociable of people."
Oh she was being sized up and she didn't like it one bit. And since she and her boss weren't obviously close there was no need to be sweet. "I'll answer that if you telling me why I'm being turned into a mare at auction?" Rika asked and was rewarded with the brunette gapping at her like a fish and her boss struggling to hold back a laugh. Seeing the look on his face Rika was glad to see she'd made him smile there for a second, even if it was only one.
"Well that's to the point isn't it?" Tea said with a smirk now that she'd gotten over her surprise at the other girl's bluntness. "I think I'm going to like you, Rika."
"We should be going, Rika, we have a lot to do." Kaiba said struggling not to roll his eyes. Once Tea and Rika had established that the studying was to end the two had begun to discuss some c.d. Tea had come looking for and now they were on their fifth band that they both liked and he was ready to scream.
"Right." Rika said realizing that she might have actual just come close to chatting. Scary thought. "Well good luck finding your c.d., Tea."
"Thanks, maybe I'll see you around and we can do something." Tea said with a smirk, surprised that Kaiba had lasted even that long. "I like this one, Kaiba, try not to scare her off." She added with a huge smile before slipping into the crowd before he could even glare at her.
"I told her I was here on business but she wouldn't believe me." Rika said with a shrug as she struggled not to be too insulted by the look on his face. Jeez but he looked like he'd just swallowed a couple pails full of lemon juice.
"Never mind." Seto said, mentally strangling Tea for her parting remark. Don't scare her away Kaiba, Seto thought with a sneer. Yeah right.
"The store we really need to go to is right up that escalator." Rika said pointing towards one that had just come into view to the left of them.
"Then lets get this over with." Kaiba said and together they walked to the escalator, still not talking unless it was necessary and still keeping at least a foot between then.
To be continued, hopefully sooner rather then later if I'm lucky. I would have wrote more today but I don't have this part of the story solidified in my head yet so please bear with me here while I struggle through. Anyway I hope you like what I've got so far and that you'll review and let me know what you think.
