FULL CIRCLE
CHAPTER 3 - Let the Games Begin
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Only fools can play this game...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What had she gotten herself into?
Tea chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she waited outside of Seto's office while he and Mokuba made the necessary arrangements for the following week. She had given up on the hope of having the love-seat she was sitting on swallow her whole, and instead wondered what made her snap like that. Seven days? She hadn't even heard herself giving him such a proposition when she said it---the fact that she'd have to spend time with Seto Kaiba, of all people, hadn't registered in her mind until *now.*
She was being completely irrational. Tea had no idea exactly *what* she was going to teach him and how.
Teach him? Teach him what? What the hell was she rambling about? There was nothing she could teach Seto Kaiba. She wasn't even certain why she even agreed to this pointless visit. He was none of her concern--- if he wanted to take a vacation, fine, he'd take one. It seemed silly that she had to actually convince him to do so.
'But I can't back out of this now,' Tea thought, feeling her stomach sink. 'It would seem really stupid if I did. God, sometimes I just don't think about what I'm saying...'
The door of his office opened and a disgruntled-looking Seto appeared. He was still dressed in his business shirt and blue trench coat, buttoned up and stuffy. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You actually hope to go on through with this?"
Tea blinked momentarily---when he looked at her with that ironic glint in his eyes, something had split inside of her that propelled her determination. Instantly, all those hesitant thoughts vanished from her brain as she stood up to meet him, impatience written all over her face. Even though he continued to tower over her with his imposing height, Tea forced herself to straighten her posture and look him in the eye.
She wasn't going to let him intimidate her. "You're not backing out on me, are you?"
Challenge gleamed in her sapphire eyes.
"This is pointless and stupid---I think that even ~you~ realize this." His lips curled into a scowl. "But fine, if you want to waste both my time and yours, we'll do this."
Tea nodded in affirmation. "Good. Maybe you'll learn something."
"I doubt it."
That mocking smirk. Tea scrunched up her nose in disgust. He was not going to get to her with that attitude of his. Not. Not. Not.
Yet, there was no denying that she had no idea where to go from here. An uneasy feeling prickled up and down her spine as she floundered about for an idea. She was never good at taking the lead, and even more horrible atimprovising---not to mention the fact that she did not work very well under pressure. Kaiba's smoldering, blue eyes were suffocating her.
There was only so many seconds she could let tick by without having him think that she had lost her nerve.
"First things first," she started out, thankful that her voice at least sounded steady and confident, despite the fact that she still didn't know where this was going. She would need to think, fast. There was a pause as she looked Kaiba over, before breaking into a grin as she noted the offending business attire. She just found her stall for time. "You're going to have to loosen up..."
"Loosen ... What do you think you're doing?"
"Turn around, Kaiba." Tea ordered, seeing that he was indisposed at her approaching him from behind.
"What? Why?"
She rolled her eyes. "Just do it."
Reluctantly, he complied. Tea grabbed a hold of his jacket-collar and yanked it backwards, sliding the material off his body and folding it over her forearm. He whirled around to protest, but she automatically went for his shirt, moving to undo a few buttons at his neck. Kaiba seemed momentarily taken by surprise, but snatched her arm before she could even hope to reach the second button.
"I suppose you don't want me take back my comment when I said you were a harlot," he growled, though Tea could not help but detect a sense of alarm in his deep voice. Had she just made him nervous?
"Conceited, aren't we? Relax, jerk. I'm not putting any moves on you." Tea looked up at him, somewhat amused. "If we're going downtown to have some fun, you can't look like you've just come out of a board meeting."
"I dress however I want to dress." He snapped, throwing her arm away. Tea narrowed her eyes at his vulgar retaliation.
"Remember you no longer run a corporation---you can stop trying to impress people."
"I could care less what anyone else thinks," Kaiba snarled. "Especially what you have to say, Gardner. I don't need a stylist."
"Okay, fine. I'll back off. Though you agreed we were going to follow my lead."
"I never agreed to anything like that."
Tea frowned at him. "I said 'give me seven days.' I would imagine that implied that I'd be the one doing all the planning."
"Fine," he growled. "Let's just get this over with."
"Fine," she crossed her arms, clearly vexed by his actions. It was becoming quite evident how foolish this plan was--- Her, Tea Gardner, getting along with Seto Kaiba? Hah!
This was going to be a long week.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Again, thanks to all my reviewers! :D I decided to surprise you guys again with another update---unfortunately, this a short chapter because I wanted to implement this scene somewhere. The next installment will be a bit longer because it'll be a part of Day 1 of 'Teaching Seto Kaiba.'
Hmm... maybe that would've been a better title---or not.
~*~Mamono*~*~ - Well dear, I'm afraid I'm a little ahead of you. I joined the listing a few nights ago plus I've had the opportunity to browse around and read a few of the fanfics listed there. It still doesn't mean I'm not looking for more ;)
Thank you again for your comments; I'm honored that you'd put me on your favorites list. It certainly *is* fun watching Tea and Kaiba argue...you'll certainly be seeing a lot of this kind of bickering in the chapters to come....which leaves me at a dilemma; I have yet to decide whether I want this story to branch off romantically or whether I want to keep dangling a bit of this love/hate relationship... The chase, after all, is a lot more interesting then the catch.
*~*~Mezu*~*~- Why thank you! ^_^
*~*~Santurion*~*~*~ - Let's just say Seto wasn't expecting that one. ;) Thanks for reading!
CHAPTER 3 - Let the Games Begin
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~
Only fools can play this game...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What had she gotten herself into?
Tea chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she waited outside of Seto's office while he and Mokuba made the necessary arrangements for the following week. She had given up on the hope of having the love-seat she was sitting on swallow her whole, and instead wondered what made her snap like that. Seven days? She hadn't even heard herself giving him such a proposition when she said it---the fact that she'd have to spend time with Seto Kaiba, of all people, hadn't registered in her mind until *now.*
She was being completely irrational. Tea had no idea exactly *what* she was going to teach him and how.
Teach him? Teach him what? What the hell was she rambling about? There was nothing she could teach Seto Kaiba. She wasn't even certain why she even agreed to this pointless visit. He was none of her concern--- if he wanted to take a vacation, fine, he'd take one. It seemed silly that she had to actually convince him to do so.
'But I can't back out of this now,' Tea thought, feeling her stomach sink. 'It would seem really stupid if I did. God, sometimes I just don't think about what I'm saying...'
The door of his office opened and a disgruntled-looking Seto appeared. He was still dressed in his business shirt and blue trench coat, buttoned up and stuffy. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You actually hope to go on through with this?"
Tea blinked momentarily---when he looked at her with that ironic glint in his eyes, something had split inside of her that propelled her determination. Instantly, all those hesitant thoughts vanished from her brain as she stood up to meet him, impatience written all over her face. Even though he continued to tower over her with his imposing height, Tea forced herself to straighten her posture and look him in the eye.
She wasn't going to let him intimidate her. "You're not backing out on me, are you?"
Challenge gleamed in her sapphire eyes.
"This is pointless and stupid---I think that even ~you~ realize this." His lips curled into a scowl. "But fine, if you want to waste both my time and yours, we'll do this."
Tea nodded in affirmation. "Good. Maybe you'll learn something."
"I doubt it."
That mocking smirk. Tea scrunched up her nose in disgust. He was not going to get to her with that attitude of his. Not. Not. Not.
Yet, there was no denying that she had no idea where to go from here. An uneasy feeling prickled up and down her spine as she floundered about for an idea. She was never good at taking the lead, and even more horrible atimprovising---not to mention the fact that she did not work very well under pressure. Kaiba's smoldering, blue eyes were suffocating her.
There was only so many seconds she could let tick by without having him think that she had lost her nerve.
"First things first," she started out, thankful that her voice at least sounded steady and confident, despite the fact that she still didn't know where this was going. She would need to think, fast. There was a pause as she looked Kaiba over, before breaking into a grin as she noted the offending business attire. She just found her stall for time. "You're going to have to loosen up..."
"Loosen ... What do you think you're doing?"
"Turn around, Kaiba." Tea ordered, seeing that he was indisposed at her approaching him from behind.
"What? Why?"
She rolled her eyes. "Just do it."
Reluctantly, he complied. Tea grabbed a hold of his jacket-collar and yanked it backwards, sliding the material off his body and folding it over her forearm. He whirled around to protest, but she automatically went for his shirt, moving to undo a few buttons at his neck. Kaiba seemed momentarily taken by surprise, but snatched her arm before she could even hope to reach the second button.
"I suppose you don't want me take back my comment when I said you were a harlot," he growled, though Tea could not help but detect a sense of alarm in his deep voice. Had she just made him nervous?
"Conceited, aren't we? Relax, jerk. I'm not putting any moves on you." Tea looked up at him, somewhat amused. "If we're going downtown to have some fun, you can't look like you've just come out of a board meeting."
"I dress however I want to dress." He snapped, throwing her arm away. Tea narrowed her eyes at his vulgar retaliation.
"Remember you no longer run a corporation---you can stop trying to impress people."
"I could care less what anyone else thinks," Kaiba snarled. "Especially what you have to say, Gardner. I don't need a stylist."
"Okay, fine. I'll back off. Though you agreed we were going to follow my lead."
"I never agreed to anything like that."
Tea frowned at him. "I said 'give me seven days.' I would imagine that implied that I'd be the one doing all the planning."
"Fine," he growled. "Let's just get this over with."
"Fine," she crossed her arms, clearly vexed by his actions. It was becoming quite evident how foolish this plan was--- Her, Tea Gardner, getting along with Seto Kaiba? Hah!
This was going to be a long week.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Again, thanks to all my reviewers! :D I decided to surprise you guys again with another update---unfortunately, this a short chapter because I wanted to implement this scene somewhere. The next installment will be a bit longer because it'll be a part of Day 1 of 'Teaching Seto Kaiba.'
Hmm... maybe that would've been a better title---or not.
~*~Mamono*~*~ - Well dear, I'm afraid I'm a little ahead of you. I joined the listing a few nights ago plus I've had the opportunity to browse around and read a few of the fanfics listed there. It still doesn't mean I'm not looking for more ;)
Thank you again for your comments; I'm honored that you'd put me on your favorites list. It certainly *is* fun watching Tea and Kaiba argue...you'll certainly be seeing a lot of this kind of bickering in the chapters to come....which leaves me at a dilemma; I have yet to decide whether I want this story to branch off romantically or whether I want to keep dangling a bit of this love/hate relationship... The chase, after all, is a lot more interesting then the catch.
*~*~Mezu*~*~- Why thank you! ^_^
*~*~Santurion*~*~*~ - Let's just say Seto wasn't expecting that one. ;) Thanks for reading!
