Author: Svelte Rose

LJ Community: 101kisses

Note: Oh boy. I dunno about this one.

Title: Circumstances Otherwise (Part 1)

Date: June 19th, 2006

Theme: 004- Late

He was of the opinion (very few that carried it) that one only needed very few hours of sleep. Three hours a night was normal. To have slept four hours was an indication that he worked out excessively that day. To have slept five or more was indulgent and wasteful of what hours the day offered you.

Because he was of such opinion, he still remained as awake as a normal person would be after receiving at least eight hours of sleep. Typing furiously away on his laptop while the digital clock read four A.M., he had not expected any other being to distract him from his work.

Which was why the pounding of the knuckles upon his large, oak, French doors proved to be somewhat of a surprise. Jolted from his deep thought process, a scowl appeared quickly on his face before he barked out a loud, "Who is it?"

"'Tis I, Mr. Kaiba," Came the timid voice from behind the large doors.

He sighed, "Come in Stephen,"

A resounding click was heard as the door knob turned. Feet made it's way across the carpeted floor, each step a soft pit-pat before the figure stopped entirely before the form of Seto Kaiba.

Stephen bowed before relaying his message, "She's arrived sir,"

Immediately, brown eyebrows shot up as the spectacles that had been resting upon the bridge of his nose, was suddenly thrown haphazardly onto the desk. Midnight, blue eyes stared at the clock a few seconds before he began to speak, "It's four in the morning," He stated the obvious, almost as though his statement would prompt Stephen to relay that his missive was only a simple joke and that there really wasn't a visitor here at four in the morning.

Instead, "You needn't worry yourself over the details sir. We've got everything set up already. We just did not expect an arrival at such a time. I just thought it'd be best to inform you,"

Seto stepped into his slippers and threw on the heavy robe that'd been hanging by the door. "Quite alright Stephen, it wouldn't do if our guest wasn't greeted properly."

Strange…he was never one for proprieties.

Regardless of the five years she spent abroad, the sight of her still made his mouth dry and heart beat just a bit faster.

Then again, five years wasn't that long of a time frame.

"Hello, Mr. Kaiba, terribly sorry to have dropped in at such an hour, but you did request my presence," was the first thing out of her mouth followed by a fake, bright smile.

"Nonsense," he responded flippantly, descending the stairs with Stephen trailing behind him. "You must remember, Téa, these are the hours I keep."

Téa remembered all too well what his hours were. She was surprised mostly at his use of her first name. And unfortunately, it made her highly uncomfortable and only served to irritate her even more.

Especially, since she was not the one that wished to come. After several heated letters exchanged between the two of them, she realized that she could do nothing but accept his orders

"If you aren't too tired, I have coffee in my room if you want any," He was all congeniality.

Seto Kaiba was never congenial. Or nice. Or polite.

"It was a long trip so I'll have to decline your offer," Her voice suddenly turning cold, "Now if you please, tell me what you wish to discuss,"

He chuckled- a foreign sound that she had once enjoyed to elicit- now sounded disgustingly provoking.

It was working.

She could feel the hairs on her neck standing as her defenses and adrenaline came pumping in.

The smile only grew as he sadistically tipped his head to the side, a pen twirling around in his long slender fingers, "I can't have you gallivanting all over Europe, now can I? What would the media say?"

"To hell with you and your media!" Her calm demeanor finally snapping as she jerked up and slammed her hands on the desk.

The blinds behind him which kept the hot Tokyo sun out during the daytime, swayed slightly and some lucky beams of moonlight escaped their confines, filtering the room with their cheerful rays, even if only for a second.

One especially fortunate ray fell across her left hand where it sat splayed across his desk.

His eyes widened as the area around them was suddenly lit up with dancing prismatic rays and immediately, they flicked to her third finger.

Innocently there, on her third finger, sat a gold band and another ring- the culprit of the rainbow-colored spots.