Tornado: I am so happy!! You people are so cool!! I haven't gotten one flamer yet!!
DT: We hear you, but can we get on with the fic?
Tornado: Oh, yeah.
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Seto's POV
I stared at the girl standing before me. She was so beautiful. She appeared just as shocked as I to see me here. I quickly averted my eyes, which had begun traveling. The rest of the guests were talking amongst themselves, unaware of the turmoil that faced me. She offered me a seat, and I accepted without a second glance at her face. Out of the corner of my eye, I observed her as she strode out of the room. Her walk was purposeful and superior, giving her the arrogant air that she could never possess. A low growl caught my attention.
"I wonder what it would be like to have that one in the sack for an hour or two," the large, surly, Robert Glatfelter stated.
"She seems too proud for you," a voice called from the other end of the table.
"I bet she's really a slut underneath of that pride," he grumbled.
"It would appear as if you had your eye most keenly trained on her, Seto," a young, blonde informed.
I gazed at him, allowing a mysterious smirk to form.
"It 'tis never a good thing when a smile such as that surfaces on the face of Seto Kaiba," he added. "What are you up to?"
"Oh, Alex, do you even have to ask what I'm up to?" I replied.
He chuckled. Alex Hessian, the CEO of Brandywine Corporation, the one person among this group that I could count on. He had been an ally of mine for many years after I took over Kaiba Corp. I knew that he sensed the tension between Marshal and me upon my arrival. His inquiries were simply a follow-up of his suspicions.
"You and your women," he scoffed.
"The only half-decent thing on this earth, and the only things they're good for are stealing your money and sex."
The men around me raised their glasses, clanging them together as I spoke my words. Alex shook his head, fiddling with his wedding ring. I smiled as I remembered their wedding. It had been perfect with roses lining the aisle way, Alex in a tux, and angelic Maria in her pristine dress. I had sat in the back, digesting the scenery around me. I saw the happy looks on their faces at the reception and watched as they danced the night away. I found myself longing for that. I wanted to have someone that understood me, could stand my outburst and the way I pushed people away; someone that could see past the shield of ice. This was the reawakening of Blue-Eyes. It was then that I thought of the way I felt about her. I hated my self for going.
"So, Seto, do you know this girl?" one of them asked.
"Yeah, she goes to my school."
"Thinking of getting it on with her?"
"She's beneath me."
The door snapped. All of the heads turned to see Sclera Marshal. She didn't appear angry. To be exact, I don't even think she heard it. She smiled.
"What can I get you to drink?" she asked politely.
"Can I get a taste of your pussy?" Glatfelter blurted.
Anger began to pulsate through my by body, leaving no area unaffected. Alex was also heatedly glaring at him. The others were simply stifling their laughter. The man looked into my eye before correcting himself: "Sorry, Seto, I know that's your job."
I stared at the table and place my fingers on the bridge of my nose. I could only imagine the things that were going through her mind. I shot a sidelong glance at her only to be shocked. She simply smiled.
"My pussy is not on the menu. I'm afraid those of you that had that in mind will have to pick something else."
The others were just as shocked as I was to hear her comment. They ordered each saying a perverted comment as they did. When it came time for my turn, she eyes were engulfed with flames. She stared right into my eyes, and a calm seemed to pass over me. I ordered black coffee before she spun on her heel, and stalked away. There was silence for several moments before Alex spoke.
"You guys are pigs."
"Speak for yourself Mr. I-have-a-wife-and-am-afraid-to-do-anything-wrong-for-fear-that-she'll-find-out. You may be tied down to one person for an eternity, but don't interfere with those of us that are free as a bird."
"Seto, we set the stage for, you, why didn't you make a move on her?" Glatfelter asked.
"Look, I'm no into the whole making myself look like a complete pervert thing. That may work for you guys, but I'll do things my own way," I snapped.
"What exactly is your way?"
"I charm them."
"Please, women like to know that they're with a man that knows his stuff when it comes to bed. If you're rich and a pervert you are a prime choice for women."
"That only applies to sluts. The way to get to a real woman, a fiery one, on that doesn't parade herself in front of men, one that appears to be untouchable, is to first figure their inner workings. Find things that turn them on, find things that they like, dislike, things that make them tick, etcetera, then you can capture their heart."
"That doesn't even work. You sound like Prince Charming."
"That's what women want today: a hero/knight figure. They read these romance novels and think that their guy has to be this courageous, sensitive man, which there are none of, but you have to first appear that way to catch their interest."
"That works for you? That is the most pathetic thing that I have ever heard."
"It really works if your target isn't a slut."
"I bet you that you couldn't get a steady girlfriend out of that method."
"I bet you I could."
"Fine, here's the bet: you get the girl that we choose to become your steady girlfriend, but there's a catch. You have two weeks."
"I don't do bets with women. There are no statistics."
"Your loss."
"You have to learn to respect women. It's a wonder you even get laid," Alex commented.
"He pays them," a voice called.
Marshal came back into the room balancing two trays of drinks. I gazed at her as she laced each drink down. I noticed that the top two button were undone, and when she leaned over, I got a clear view of her cleavage. I quickly refocused my gaze elsewhere. /This is not supposed to affect me this much./
Sclera's POV
I was anything but depressed when I saw the businessmen walk out the door. It took all my energy to refrain from shouting in joy. I had taken their perverted comments, brushing them off only to be drenched with more.
The one thing that had surprised me was that Seto did not join them in their teasing. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did. /I guess he hasn't changed that much since I last knew him./
I was staring around at the mess that had to be cleaned when something caught my eye. A black, leather wallet lay discarded on the floor. I gently picked it up to examine it. After flipping open the flap, a surly Seto Kaiba greeted me. He was glaring out with his sapphire orbs. His business suit lacked a jacket and the top three buttons on his shirt were undone, revealing a sliver of his toned chest. His tie was simply lying around his neck, untied. He looked like he had journeyed to hell and back. I continued to stare at the picture before hastily placing it in my pocket and began to clean the chaotic table.
It was past midnight when I had finally finished. I collapsed into the same chair that Seto had sat in. I thought about all the things that had occurred tonight. Deep down, I felt a bit betrayed. He still could not see me. I did not know what else I could do to grab his attention.
I wandered out into the main dinning area, which was now deserted. I had dismissed the other workers early, telling them that I needed time alone. I pulled out a chair, and collapsed immediately. I was playing with the wallet when I heard the door open. My head pivoted to find Seto standing just inside the doorway. He seemed unsure of what to say or do.
"Looking for this?" I asked, holding the wallet for him to see.
"Yeah, I've been looking for that. Thanks," he said as he acquired his missing item. "You here by yourself?"
"I told the staff to take off early. They've been overloaded lately."
"Mind if I have a seat?"
"Make yourself at home. You want any coffee?"
"Please."
I rose, but shortly entered the room with two steaming cups. He surveyed with his dark eyes. I took my seat again, staring into the void of navy blue.
"So, you the place?" he asked curiously.
"I inherited it after my parents passed away. Actually, they're all over the country, but this one needs extra help. I spending every spare minute I have attempting to keep this place running."
"You like doing this?"
I shrugged. "I guess, but I don't plan on devoting my life to it. I think that if I keep it as a side thing I'll be able to make enough money to retire comfortably on. I want to go to college and all that, I want to work for a job. This will just be something that I can depend on in rough times."
"What are you going to do if you lose all of this?"
"It's not a big deal. That's why I want to go to college."
"To be a forensic scientist."
"Right. A new puzzle each day."
"Do you duel?"
"Duel? As in Duel Monsters? Yeah, I'm nothing special."
"Any siblings?"
"I had a twin."
He fell silent. He didn't say anything else. I turned my gaze away from him. Yugi was something that was hard for me to talk about. That was the first time that I ran. I remember that night more often than I remember the second time I ran away. I can still recall the stillness as I crept through the house, stopping in Yugi's room one last time before stealthy disappearing into the dark. My legs pumping faster than they had ever pumped before, I ran from the home that I had once known. I only wish I would have known the horror that lye ahead.
Something wet began to inch along my skin, and my eyes became blurry. The more I wiped the tears away, the faster they seemed to come. I felt two arms wrap protectively around me. I tried to regain the control that I had lost, but it was too far-gone. A soft voice whispered in my ear. There were no words to the voice just soothing sounds. After some time, my tears ceased, and I began to dab the moisture from my face. I glanced at Seto, who was kneeling beside the chair. There was a countenance of sympathy painted on his handsome face.
"I'm sorry I lost it," I murmured hoarsely.
"It's all right. I know if I lost my younger brother, I probably wouldn't be alive. No one else gives a shit about me."
"Someone else does," I replied softly, touching his hand.
His mouth gapped a few inches before prominently closing. The moment his orbs met mine, a magnetic force began pulling our faces closer to each other. Suddenly, our lips collided with force. He pulled me onto the floor, causing me to land on top of him. My tongue asked for authorization to enter his cavity, and he granted it so willingly. His hands began to slide underneath of my shirt as mine began to wander toward his southern region. I felt his member hardening under my weight. All of a sudden, it hit me that I was laying on top of my best friend in my restaurant and the scene was about to turn x-rated. I forced myself out of him, sitting up to catch my breath. He also sat up, and I felt his gaze trained on my face. I refused to meet his eyes. It was all too weird.
"I think I need to apologize for my actions earlier today," he said quietly.
"You mean when you kissed me the first time?" I inquired.
"Well, that too, but I mean when I became so hostile toward you this morning and at lunch. It's hard for me to let people get close to me."
"So you've been in rough times too, huh?"
"You have no idea. I can't say that I didn't learn anything from it, but it was not something that I wanted to go through."
"Been there. When my parents died, I thought I had lost it all. There was nowhere else for me to turn, and that's when I became close friends with my butler. I know that I can trust him with my life. I had some pretty bad experiences, but I moved on."
"You and I are not that different. We may have our differences, but mainly similarities. I do hope that you and I become more than acquaintances."
"I'm sure that we will," I answered as he helped me to my feet. "Can I ask you a question? It's about the girl in that photo you showed me earlier. Did you ever try looking for her?"
"I have no clue where to start, but most importantly, she asked me not to. I shall see you at school, Sclera."
With that, he turned on his heel, and strode out of the door. I stood there, stunned by his honesty. Part of me longed to run after him to tell him my true name, but the majority advised to stay under this alias. /My life sucks./
Seto's POV
When I returned from my visit to Marshal's, I immediately checked to see that Mokuba was safely tucked in bed. As I watched him sleep, I just happened to notice that the black dragon was not in it's corner. I stared around the room, desperately hoping to find it. When my search proved to be fruitless, I returned my gaze to the sleeping form in front of me. A spot of black caught my eye, and further investigation showed that the boy was clutching the dragon close to his body. The white dragon was perched at the head of the bed, protecting the bedmates. An old feeling of wonder began to drug my body. I had to know.
I exited my brother's room, and began the journey to my lab. I snuck out of the house, and stumbled blindly around the yard. I managed to find the chain, and pulled the trap door open. The steps were black, but I never fell as I made my way to the bottom. Soon, I was in a dark room with computers lining three walls. I sat down, placing my headset on as I did so, and booted the computers.
"Voice identification protocol. Please state your name," a girly, techno voice commanded.
"Seto Kaiba," I responded strongly.
"What happened this time? Did someone throw you out of the house?" it asked.
"I need to search for something, and the mansion computers are not classified enough."
"Top secret stuff eh? Well, you can be sure that I'll keep my mouth shut. What do you need? Porno, erotic videos, something of that category?"
"Why on earth would I need those things?"
"Well, you are a guy, I just wanted to know if you cracked yet. So, seriously, what do you need?"
"I need you to pull up anything that you can find on Sclera Lireal. I don't care what it is, just find it for me."
"Gotcha, love. Well, I was able to find fourteen hits on the name Sclera Lireal."
"What's the first thing on the list?"
"Sclera Lireal, or formerly Sclera Moto. Isn't that interesting. I have a fact sheet on her. I'll pull it up."
I document popped up on the screen. I knew there wasn't going to be anything here, but it might possibly have her whereabouts.
Name: Sclera Culebra Moto Lireal
Age: 12
Date of birth: December 26, 1988
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Blue
Height: 5'1"
Current address: Unknown
I sighed. It had been just as I suspected. I had the computer narrow the query to anything recorded after March 2, 2000. Now, several newspaper clippings and police reports came into view. I began to examine each one carefully, but after three hours, I still knew nothing more. I stared at the screen where a picture of the girl that I had once known was displayed.
"Can you search for a picture containing Sclera Moto?" I asked. "Display on the screen next to the other."
"What's the sudden interest in this? Are you trying to find a weakness in Yugi?"
"No, I would never place a blow this low upon him. He doesn't even know that I am aware that he has a sister."
"You knew before this?"
"I knew her. In fact I lived next door to them."
"You knew Yugi before he defeated you? The nemeses have something in common."
"Drop it. Now pull up anything you can find on Sclera Marshal."
"Sclera Marshal, the owner of Marshal's restaurant. Her parents recently died in a car crash. She inherited the restaurant chain from them. She fought vigorously to gain independence, which did happen to some extent. She is in the care of Henry Sterner. You'll find this interesting; he's ex-military. That's all I can really find on her. Here's a picture if you want to look at it."
I stared at the newly appeared photograph, comparing it to the other two displayed on the screen. They looked so similar. I thought that I just wanted it to be her so much that I was imagining it.
"Those pictures look almost identical," the computer commented.
"I know, but lots of people look like others. Bookmark these three pages, I want to be able to come back to this."
I turned the computer off after several seconds, but I could not make my legs move. I sat in my chair, recalling every moment that I had spent with Blue-Eyes. I loved the way that she had smiled; I loved the way she laughed; I loved everything about her. The truth hit me all at once: I had loved her. The feelings that I felt towards Marshal were those old emotions reawakening inside of me. In my mind, Marshal was Blue-Eyes. I didn't know what to do. Upon habit, I pulled my locket from my shirt. It snapped open, unveiling a picture of Mokuba. I knew that he had loved Blue-Eyes with his heart. The events earlier tonight proved that he still did. He had always told me to tell her how I felt, for I confided in him, but my golden opportunities had passed me by. Mokuba had lately been encouraging me to get a girlfriend. I did not know if that meant he wanted me to move on, but I would surely know at breakfast. I left the lab, and snuck back into the house.
"BIG BROTHER!!! WAKE UP!!!" a juvenile voice yelled into my ear.
I sat straight up in bed, and stared at his face in amazement. He could be so demanding at times. The child latched his arms around my torso, pleasantly greeting me. I smiled, and hugged my brother. He pulled me out of bed and dashed out the door before informing me that breakfast was ready. I grumbled, but hoisted myself out of the bed. I practically fell down the steps as I descended. The smell of eggs greeted me upon entering the kitchen. I took the seat across from Mokuba and began to eat the meal that had been prepared for me. After ten minutes of silence I spoke.
"Mokuba, do you remember Sclera?" I asked.
He paused for some time before responding: "Yes, Seto, I do remember Blue-Eyes."
"I know you loved her and thought that we should be together, but that's not going to happen any more."
"I'm well aware of that," he snapped. "You should have done wht I had advised you to do all along, and told her that you deeply cared for her; maybe then she wouldn't have left."
"Mokuba, I know I royally fucked up on that one, and your not the only living with the consequences, I am too."
"I'm sorry. It's just a sensitive subject."
"I understand. Would it crush you if it old you that I may have feelings for someone else?"
His eyes lit up and obtained a child-like sparkle. "Who is it?"
"You remember that girl that you caught me with yesterday? Her name is Sclera Marshal, and I think that I like her."
"I've been telling you to get a girlfriend for months, how would this crush me?"
"I just wanted to check with you before I did anything else."
"So are you going to ask her out? Don't let this one turn into the same situation you had with 'Lera."
"I won't Mokuba. I learned my lesson."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
He smiled, and hugged me again. I knew that I would have to bite the bullet. I could not disappoint my little brother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tornado: Typical Kaiba. Anything that has to do with his lil' bro, he'll stay true to his word.
DT: So what's going to happen next?
Tornado: Why should I tell you? R&R