Autor's Notes:

Thanks for all the lovely reviews you sent me! Last chapter before I'm going to leave for a one-week holiday (might take me longer to respond to reviews too). When I'm back you'll get the next chapter. I hope you like this.

I tried to have e-mail addresses in this but FFNet doesn't let me. I'm trying to put spaces in it...well, they're fake anyway, I made them up so you don't miss anything.

And I have no idea what aniseed tastes like but wanted to include it. I hope the information I collected is correct.

Additional Chapter Disclaimer:

The information on…certain kinds of food is taken from

www. gourmetsleuth. com/ aphrodisfoods .htm

word forword from there – so it's NOT mine, don't make me get problems. gg

3. Doubtless

The clicking sound of keys being hit by long graceful fingers filled the office of Kaiba Corp's young CEO. It was a familiar sound to everyone who knew him, a noise that was to him like music or like the constant flow of a river behind your house – it troubles you rather when it is gone than when it is there - and a noise his brother had learned to completely ignore even as he listened intently to every word Seto said.

He was typing up documents, his fingers dancing over the keyboard, eyes on the screen of his computer where line after line appeared out of nowhere, smoothly written and flawless. Yet, today Seto's eyes were not calmly fixed on the text he was writing but instead nervously flickering towards a small sheet of paper lying on his desk next to an opened envelope.

Distractedly, one of his hands left the keyboard while the other continued typing, undisturbed, now doing the job of both hands while the free hand grabbed a cup of coffee standing close, bringing it up to Seto's lips.

He desperately hoped the coffee would calm him somewhat. This was ridiculous. Whenever he looked at Yami's letter his fingers started shaking. He had two documents opened, but there was a third page hidden on the bottom of the screen, and it was empty. Blank and white as freshly fallen snow it glared at Seto whenever he clicked on it, and his fingers started shaking too.

Damn it, Seto thought, ruthlessly slamming down the cup. He wrote up to 25 mails every day, he wrote them half asleep, he wrote them with eyes closed, he wrote them with his left hand while his right one was scribbling down a note for his secretary. And now he was scared of writing one single, little mail.

His eyes fell onto the letter:

Dear Seto,

I would have given you my phone number if that was an option, I know it is far more impersonal this way but it is the only means of communication I can offer. I know you use the computer a lot when you work so I don't think this should be an inconvenient arrangement for you.

my e-mail address: The Other Voice yahoo. com
Yami

Seto sighed. The Other Voice…indeed. The boy was so full of secrets it made Seto's head spin. There was so much to discover…

And yet he couldn't pull himself together to finally write this mail. It was ridiculous. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, and now he finally had the chance to get them answered! But where to start, and how?

Should he write "Dear Yami" or would it sound too familiar? Should he write "Hello Yami"? No, that was too casual, too adolescent. What about simply writing "Yami"? Was that too formal, or too impolite?

The computer gave an odd beeping sound. Seto had pressed the shift key for more than ten seconds. With a grunt, he buried his face in his palms. Where was his famous pride, damn it!

He would do it now. Now, before he lost his mind. He needed to get other work done after all. And Seto Kaiba wasn't afraid.

In a matter of seconds a short mail was typed and gulping down the rest of his coffee Seto hit the send button before he had a chance to think about it again and delete the message. He sat the cup down and listened to the eerie silence in his office. So now it was up to Yami.

From: CEO
To: TheOtherVoice

How do I know I can trust you? I have seen you only twice in my life and I know nothing about you.

13th July, 10.30 am

From: TheOtherVoice
To: CEO

Seto,

I'm glad you wrote. Well, unfortunately there are no security labels you can put on people telling others they are trustworthy and honest. You will have to judge my honesty from the way I look at you and kiss you until you know me better.

I dare to hope you would like to get to know me better.

Yami

13th July, 4.45 pm

From: CEO
To: TheOtherVoice

Don't make fun of me, I still can't trust you.

But why didn't you give me your mail address the first time you saw me? Usually people give each other phone numbers before they engage in sexual activities on picnics.

Seto

14th July, 3.39 am

From: TheOtherVoice
To: CEO

Look who's been up the whole night, writing a mail at 3.39 am

To answer your question, I didn't want to take any risks concerning you and seeing you again. Believe it or not, from the first look into your eyes I knew the only way I could get to you would be a game, a challenge, a secret tempting your curiosity. Don't try to deny it, I know it's true. You've proven my point on this more than once already. So I set up a game for you rather than gave you a boring mail address.

Satisfied? I know, you ask how you know you can trust me about this. The answer is you can't.

But I still hope you do.

In hopes of seeing you again,

Yami

14th July, 4.15 pm

From: CEO
To: TheOtherVoice

I wasn't up all night. I was just about to go to bed. I had a busy day. I don't need more than 4 hours sleep on work days. I sleep on weekends. And I don't have to justify my actions to you.

A game, you say. And now you want to continue your game with me by arranging for a new meeting.

I am flattered.

P.S.: Yes, I'm up late again and it's none of your business.

15th July, 2.11 am

From: TheOtherVoice
To: CEO

You almost make me laugh. Cut the irony, Seto, I know you deliberately misunderstood me. This is not a game to me.

I was trying to make myself attractive to you by turning this getting-to-know-you into a game. You are not a game, you are a prize. One that I want above all others, one that will satisfy me for all time.

And don't call this a meeting. It's not a business meeting.

But if you want to make it formal, call it an invitation to dinner. Dinner at my house.

Sunday, 19th July, 7.00 pm.

Sycamore Avenue, Number 13

You have four days to think about it and decide if I would try to lead you into a trap. I hope you'll decide to come.

Yours,
Yami

P.S.: If you come bring your Duel Monsters cards.

15th July 6.03 pm

Sycamore Avenue indeed. The street was beautiful, sycamore leaves waving in a gentle breeze, their rustling like a song, but not peaceful. It was a song full of urging and longing, full of siren whispers, like an enchantment.

Seto averted his eyes from the summer green treetops shining golden in the light of the evening sun, instead checking the numbers of the small houses. They were all tiny and flat, with tiny gardens, some of them split in two identical wings in different colours, probably housing two families.

Number 13 was hidden between three large sycamore trees and was certainly the tiniest of all the tiny houses on the avenue. It was a very soft yellow, ironically the same colour the leaves of the three huge trees had at the moment, or perhaps it was just an illusion of the dying sunlight. The curtains were drawn shut, the garden consisted only of two flower beds full of dahlias and sunflowers. It looked cosy but just a little bit lonely, and it wasn't an atmosphere Seto thought he could live in for a longer time. It was far too much like a dream.

Lost in his thoughts he noticed he had come to stand in front of the door. Frowning at himself for not paying attention he rang the doorbell and listened to any sound he might hear from the inside.

Seconds later the door was opened to reveal Yami's slim form, for once in completely new attire. He was dressed exclusively in black denim. Denim pants secured on his hips with a dark red belt, a sleeveless vest-like denim shirt, held together with dark red ribbons on his chest and on his back, similar to a corset, so that Seto had to wonder how the hell he had managed to dress on his own.

For a moment he simply stared and a soft smile blossomed on Yami's face as he noticed the stunned look. Then he greeted him with a kiss on his cheek, pulling him into the house so the neighbours wouldn't see, for which Seto was more than grateful.

"So this is where you live. Nice", Seto commented as he put his trench coat away that he had worn to shield himself from the rather cold wind that didn't suit July in any way. Yami's eyes instantly swept down from his face and for a moment Seto wished he had simply dressed in his normal everyday outfit. He couldn't even blame it on his brother or the maid this time for he had chosen the black pants and the blue shirt with the long see-through silk sleeves on his own.

However, Yami appeared to like his clothes as he nodded appraisingly and, feeling more confident, Seto left the black trench coat in the antechamber as the smaller boy led him into the largest room of the house.

Dark violet plush chairs facing a TV set, a small desk with a laptop right next to the window and two enormous bookshelves were to his right, while on the left side a table was waiting, decorated with small blue stones and ready with plates, cutlery, blue napkins and wine glasses. A few candles were placed on top of a large stereo, two shelves of CDs next to it. The rest of the blue stones and candles was liberally scattered along the windowsills.

All in all, it was a nice room.

Yami smiled shyly and pulled back a chair to invite Seto to sit down. When he did so, his host held up his finger to show him he would be back in a minute and vanished into the kitchen. Seto took his time to study the violet table cloth and one of the blue stones.

Returning, the mute boy carried a bottle of red wine, a tiny plate with small bars of white, brown and black chocolate, putting it between them on the table then sitting down across from him and pouring the wine. Seto thanked him when he offered him his glass, then Yami raised his own glass at him and drank with a smile. Watching him, Seto carefully nipped on his own. It was much better than the wine they had had on the picnic.

"Very good wine. I'm impressed", he complimented the other's taste. A brilliant smile was his answer and then Yami pulled something out of his pocket and put it onto the table. It was a small blue book and a pen. When the other opened the book, Seto saw that all the pages were blank. Immediately Yami began to write, scribbling for a few seconds then presenting the result to him.

Seto, I'm very glad you came. I hope you will enjoy this, not only the wine but the whole evening. Tell me if you need something. I hope you don't mind this way of conversation but since we coped well with each other in silence I thought we could move on a bit.

Looking up, Seto saw the uncertain smile on Yami's face.

It's alright, thank you, he quickly wrote before he remembered he did indeed have the power to speak.

Do speak to me, was Yami's reply. Your handwriting is beautiful but your voice is better.

"Thanks", Seto said uncomfortably, taking another sip of his wine and helping himself to a small bar of chocolate. "This is truffle chocolate, right, he said after a second, surprised. "I wouldn't have expected that. You seem to have a nicely paid job"

Yami laughed silently, and wrote,Coming from you I think that would be a compliment. And no, I won't tell you where I work. It's a secret.

"A secret?", Seto raised his eyebrows. "I hope it is a decent job then?"

In return Yami batted his eyelashes infuriatingly at him, before scribbling, Opinions vary on that. My grandfather wouldn't call it decent in a hundred years, my brother Yugi is enthusiastic ever since I got the job.

"Did you live with your grandfather?", Seto wanted to know and watched Yami as he wrote the answer. He looked a bit more serious than before and Seto hoped he had not brought up an uncomfortable subject.

Yes, Yami wrote, We both lived with him. Our parents died when Yugi was one year old. Ironically he remembers our mother perfectly whereas I can recall no more than her voice. Our grandfather owns a game shop, and we love him.

"That's good", Seto said softly. "You know, I don't remember our mother much either. I remember her hands, the way they felt holding me."

Then he suddenly stiffened. He shouldn't have told him this. But a second later the small book was again pushed underneath his nose.

It is important, Seto. It is part of who you are, and part of what makes you such an intriguing person.

"I'm intriguing?", Seto wondered, strangely relieved. The other boy nodded with a soft smile. Then he got up, signalling for Seto to stay seated. A few seconds later he returned with a small tablet, carrying a plate of green asparagus with an ochre coloured sauce and a basket with slices of bread that smelled in an odd way sweet.

"What is that?", he wanted to know, sniffing. "It smells good."

Eat first, came the answer, You will learn it later.

Giving him a wary look, Seto tried the smallest slice. The bread was awesome, tasting only a little sweet and very different from any bread he had ever had.

They ate in silence, occasionally smiling at each other until their plates were emptied, which didn't take too long. It was a small portion only.

After it Yami served spaghetti with green pesto sauce, and finally, for dessert, vanilla ice with banana and honey. Feeling full and satisfied by the wonderful meal, Seto leaned back and sighed contentedly, "Thank you. That was great"

Instead of an answer, Yami got up and opened a drawer to his right, took out a deck of Duel Monsters cards before winking at Seto and sauntering over to the violet plush chairs. He watched the smaller boy sink down into one of the chairs, crossing his feet and leaning back as he gave him a lazy look of invitation. Seto almost licked his lips but stopped himself at the right moment. Pulling out his own deck he followed and took his place opposite of Yami.

The game lasted until late into the evening and was a duel of utmost skill. Seto had never seen anyone play like that, he was impressed at every move the other made, and that look in Yami's eyes drove him on more than any prize. The room around him faded, time lost its importance and the monsters came to life in his mind as his very soul seemed to be poured into the game. His heart was throbbing with excitement and exultation. And suddenly, as his last life points were gone while Yami had only 50 left, he looked up and knew that he had lost in more ways than one. His last resistance was broken down. Whatever would happen now, it was too late to save his soul from the damage this game might cause.

Shock and anger became mixed with a strange fascination and the longing to taste those lips again as they had not done ever since the last date and he sat still as a stone, staring at the other with an unreadable expression on his face. Yami swallowed then stood up and looked for the small blue book. Coming back he let Seto see what he had written.

I hope you are not angry at me, Seto. I was lucky, next time you might be the winner. I loved the game, it was wonderful playing against you

Seto nodded lamely, not knowing what to say and Yami averted his eyes. This time the silence between them was truly tense. Every fibre of his being screamed at Seto to do something, but he did not know what. Finally he stood, cursing himself for his lack of social abilities in a situation like this and walked over to Yami, putting his hand onto his shoulder.

Startled, Yami raised his head to look at him and staring into those red eyes Seto couldn't hold back. Suddenly it was clear what he had to do, wanted to do and needed to do. He pulled Yami up, towards him and kissed him hard. Immediately, those soft lips responded to his and Yami's delicate hands fisted in his hair. They kissed for a good five minutes then Yami pulled back, a bit breathless.

Seto cleared his throat as Yami gave him a nervous smile. He returned the smile and leaned down whispering into Yami's ear, "Promise me that no matter whom you face you will always win. Promise me, Yami, that I will be the only one to beat you, some day." Mouthing Yami's earlobe softly, he pulled back and smirked.

A bit flushed, Yami smiled and nodded, holding his fingers up to swear it.

"Good", Seto growled playfully, then glanced at the clock. "I'm afraid I really have to go now. But I had a wonderful evening. And I enjoyed the game too, thanks."

Yami nodded but went back to the drawer to put his cards back, taking a sheet of paper with him. A small note telling him to "read this" was attached to them. Standing already outside, slipping into his trench coat, Seto curiously began to read….

Today's Menu:

Chocolate… The Aztecs referred to chocolate "nourishment of the Gods". Chocolate contains chemicals thought to effect neurotransmitters in the brain and a related substance to caffeine called theobromine. Chocolate contains more antioxidant (cancer preventing enzymes) than does red wine.

Truffles… The Greeks and the Romans considered the rare Truffle to be an aphrodisiac. The musky scent is said to stimulate and sensitize the skin to touch.

Seto's mouth fell open, while his eyes continued to skim over the writing.

Asparagus… Given it's phallic shape, asparagus is frequently enjoyed as an aphrodisiac food.

Mustard (Mustard sauce)… Believed to stimulate the sexual glands and increase desire

Bread with coriander, carrots and aniseed:

Coriander… The book of The Arabian nights tells a tale of a merchant who had been childless for 40 years and but was cured by a concoction that included coriander. That book is over 1000 years old so the history of coriander as an aphrodisiac dates back far into history.

Carrots… believed to be a stimulant to the male. The phallus shaped carrot has been associated with stimulation since ancient times and was used by early Middle Eastern royalty to aid seduction. High vitamins and beta-carotene.

Aniseed… A very popular aphrodisiac with many culinary uses. It has been used as an aphrodisiac since the Greeks and the Romans, who believed aniseed had special powers.

Pesto:

Basil… Is said to stimulate the sex drive and boost fertility. It is also said to produce a general sense of well being for body and mind.

Pine Nuts… Zinc is a key mineral necessary to maintain male potency and pine nuts are rich in zinc. Pine nuts have been used to stimulate the libido as far back as medieval times.

Vanilla… The scent and flavour of vanilla is believed to increase lust. According to the Australian Orchid Society, "Old Totonac lore has it that Xanat, the young daughter of the Mexican fertility goddess, loved a Totonac youth. Unable to marry him due to her divine nature, she transformed herself into a plant that would provide pleasure and happiness."

Banana… The banana flower has a marvellous phallic shape and is partially responsible for popularity of the banana as an aphrodisiac food. An Islamic myth tells the tale that after Adam and Eve succumbed to the "Apple" they started covering their "nudity" with banana leaves rather than fig. From a more practical standpoint bananas are rich in potassium and B vitamins, necessities for sex hormone production.

Honey… Many medicines in Egyptian times were based on honey including cures for sterility and impotence. Medieval seducers plied their partners with Mead, a fermented drink made from honey. Lovers on their "Honeymoon" drank mead and it was thought to s "sweeten" the marriage

I hope you enjoyed your meal.

Seto gaped at Yami, but the smaller boy winked mischievously, pushed him out of the door, kissed him onto the cheek and shut the door into his face, not forgetting to slip another envelope into the pocket of Seto's trench coat.