Darkness and Inspiration
Kohari: Sorry again. So long to update...I'm glad it's not a crime. I'd so be in jail right now.
Kaiba: I can arrange that.
Kohari: Must you constantly come into my intro?
Kaiba: I can do what I want. Money is power.
Kohari: Money...wait...what was I gonna say?
Kaiba: Urgh.
Kohari: Can it! I will no longer be writing the disclaimer, because...I don't feel like it. We all know I don't own YGO-
Kaiba: And never will.
Kohari: And never – {glare}
Kaiba: -smug, triumphant look-
Kohari: Fine, and never will. Probably. Anywho, let's get this show on the road. And Kaiba, stop flirting with Duke's cheerleaders.
Chapter 10 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FIC!)
"Stop pacing, big brother. You're making me nervous," Mokuba begged of his sibling, who currently was, well, pacing.
"Hn." The addressed continued to walk along the set circular path his mind seemed to have programmed into his legs.
"You shouldn't worry, Seto. After all, you can fix it, right?" Mokuba encouraged, though a little worried himself. He had never seen the elder Kaiba like this. Not even just before a business meeting that could decide the future of Kaiba Corp. Not even when an interview could decide their financial stability (which has yet to alter into the negative). Never. In all his life.
Seto Kaiba gave no response. The C.E.O. just kept staring at the floor, maintaining a perfect oval into the fancy carpet of the mansion living room. Mokuba sighed. This was pathetic. His role model (besides Yugi) was getting all worked up and upset because...well, he had to admit, he was a little sad about the whole thing, too.
The firstborn Kaiba toyed with a cell phone in his hands, debating whether or not to dial a number. Grasped in his fingers was the most advanced cellular telephone known to man, not even released in any country. He was internally arguing with himself. What did it matter to him? A lot, for some reason.
Mokuba gazed on, wonderingly, curious to see what his big brother would do, but also a little depressed himself.
Kaiba dialed seven numbers into the cell, listening tensely to the ringing on the other end of the line. One...two...three...frustrated, he was about to hang up, when a voice came on the line.
"Hello?" The voice was none other than...
"Anzu Mazaki." He stated her name for her to confirm that he had the right person.
"Yes? Kaiba?"
"Meet me in my office immediately. I have something very important I want to discuss with you."
"Okay..." Click. She shook her head. So rude.
IN HIS OFFICE
"Hear you lost your job," Seto didn't leave out his signature superior attitude.
"Oh." She stared at her feet, sounding a little hurt that someone actually knew about it.
FLASHBACK
"You are late, again, Anzu," the manager barked, pointing a greasy spoon at the teenage girl accusingly.
"I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again," Anzu apologized, bowing gracefully. She had only been late twice this whole month, and it was the 25th today. And she was only tardy by a few minutes.
"You are unreliable!" the manager continued angrily. "You are fired! Return your uniform and get out!"
END FLASHBACK
"So you know about that..." she whispered, feeling a little low. It had only happened the day before. How many big, rich, famous people knew about it?
"Have you applied for a new one?" Anzu was a little surprised at this question. What did the CEO of a huge company care?
"No, I-I haven't," she stuttered, somewhat ashamed of herself. She really did need a job, but...
"Why?" His voice remained unfeeling.
"I...well, I didn't know where to- I don't know," she admitted, though it was a slight lie. She remembered Mokuba's words when the two had carried on a conversation after the date before he had had to go back home. 'You know, if you're ever in a tight spot, you can always rely on Kaiba Corp.'
"Hn." She could tell he was suspicious.
"Well, I- I didn't think I'd be welcome here, and...well..." She didn't bother to finish her sentence. He could fill in the blanks for himself. He tossed a few papers at her, a pen landing perfectly in the center in a graceful diagonal.
"You start on Monday." That was all he said, and he left her to fill out the necessary information. As she wrote in the requested data, she could hear him chastising a secretary for failing to inform him that some new shipments had arrived.
She left the office feeling a little guilty, and yet quite happy. She had a job now, and it was a good-paying one for what it was. She was now an office assistant for THE Seto Kaiba. She wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but at least she had a job.
She held one of the safety-glassed doors open for a newcomer entering the Kaiba Corp. headquarters. "Oh, hey, Mokuba!"
"Anzu! Hey, you wanna talk?" He was unusually perky this afternoon.
"Um, sure. Why not?"
They walked along on the sidewalk together for a while, Anzu lost in thought (A/N: Unfamiliar territory, haha –gets hit with a tomato- Evil Tea fans.) and Mokuba wondering if she would actually like his brother. Finally, Mokuba broke the silence.
"You've got a job with my brother now, right?"
Anzu snapped out of her trance. "Huh? Oh. Yes." Again, there was an awkward pause.
"Anzu, I want you to tell me the truth. Do you like my brother?" Mokuba was serious. He really wanted to know if this would work. He didn't realize he had put Anzu in a difficult position, on the spot.
"Well, he seems like a nice person when he wants to be," she answered as though talking about a friend.
"No. I mean, do you really like him?" Mokuba asked innocently, putting an emphasis on "like."
"Umm..." Anzu didn't really know what to say. At one time, she thought she loved him. But now that her feelings for Yugi (and his for her) were out in the open, she didn't know what to think.
"If he asked you out on a date or something, would you say yes?" Mokuba's eyes were so pleading.
"To be honest, Mokuba, I'm not really sure," she confessed. He stood in front of her for a second, blocking her path, but not in a threatening way. The sidewalks and streets were practically empty.
"If he ever does, please say 'yes,' Anzu," he begged. She was about to reply when he blurted out again, "I've never seen him as happy as after he sees you. He's a lot more fun and he'd not as irritable. Oh, please, Anzu. You don't know what you are to him."
There was no response she could say to this. Shock was etched all over her face. Kaiba could love? Was it possible?
"Please, Anzu?"
She stooped down a little so they could see eye-to-eye better. "I promise, if he ever asks, I'll accept. That make you happy?" She was so kind, and her voice showed it. The joy Mokuba felt can't possibly be described.
"Oh, thank you, Anzu. You don't know how happy you'll make him," the little Kaiba called out, running down the sidewalk behind her to go home. She was standing upright now. "Bye, Anzu!" He waved his hands in the air in good-bye and then ran off the Kaiba Corp. offices.
"Well, this certainly will be interesting."
Kohari: Okie! Chappie up! And you get a bonus! I'm giving you a preview of a fic I may decide to post. This means I really need your reviews now more than ever. Not just for this chapter, but for the preview as well.
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Preview: "Welcome to My World"
AT SCHOOL ONE DAY
"It ain't so tough being president of the biggest company known to man!" Joey shouted, challenging the rich boy and standing tall to look intimidating. All eyes were now turned to the two teens standing in the middle of the school terrace, sending off vibes of pure animosity.
"You wouldn't last a day in my shoes, Wheeler," Kaiba retaliated, with a superior tone. "Ignorance must be such bliss."
"Bring it on, Kaiba," Joey dared, ready for a fight.
Kohari: It was a little short, I know, but...here's a summary.
Summary: Joey and Kaiba just can't seem to understand each other. They finally begin to realize what life's like on the other side of the bridge when a bet challenges them to see it for themselves.
Kohari: Hope you understood that. Anyways, review, and I'll update! Byes!