As Cold As Ice
Written By Genjo-Fujimiya-Houshi
Disclaimer: Gravitation and Yu-Gi-Oh are not mine. But I do know that Eiri and Seto would kill me if they ever saw this thing.
Author's Note: This is a flashback scene. What happened before they... erm... got too well-aquainted. I tried to be witty, but I failed. I'm sorry. But I try to keep both of them as they are. Any comments and suggestions will be appreciated. Flames will be ignored, Constructive Criticism be welcome.
And Just A Few Days Ago
Eiri couldn't wait to get away from his editor. Unfortunately, though he had a couple of them (and most of them, if not all, were female) today, he was unlucky enough to be stuck with the one who couldn't keep quiet for even at least five minutes. He tried making it look as if he had another appointment, giving her the usual generic, distant treatment – but it had somehow encouraged even more flirting from her and had given her the impression that all that really meant was come hither. It made him roll his eyes the more he thought about it. At the end, he just had to get up and point out that he was running late for something. He was now left wondering if she'd gotten the hint.
It's not that they weren't attractive – he was the first one to admit that for some odd reason (or maybe not so odd considering he was a man who was aware of what he was blessed with) he got the attractive female editors, who raced against whatever and whoever to handle the editing of his next book, it was mostly because that meant the occasional meetings with him to check how the books were going. Though the truth was, they didn't walk away empty handed all the time as he was known to have dated a few of them in the past. He wasn't a complete hopeless case when it came to women. He had his reputation of being quite the ladies man – not that the news ever got out most of the time as his female fans liked to dream that he was saving himself for one of them. That isn't actually true and he thought it was incredibly stupid – but his publishers often said to leave their delusions alone, as it was good for the sales.
He was ready to go home for tonight.
The thought of it all made his head hurt sometimes. He didn't like humoring people when they were being idiots, but sometimes – it was called for. It was all part of the job, that's why he liked it best when he'd close up from the rest of the world. When he'd go home, light a cigarette, drink his beer – he felt relaxed. He felt like himself. It's not like he disliked having to keep up with being this charming gentleman that he lets the fans see him as, but it's not like he was too crazy over the idea either. He saw it as work. Something he had to do to get his job done right. After that, he wouldn't have to do it again – at least until the next release of his new book and the next interview scheduled for him. He wasn't all too that sociable and he liked his personal space. Dealing with people was his least favorite part (especially nosy reporters who stick their nose in business that shouldn't be theirs) but inevitable.
He headed to where his car was parked, right where he left it – pulling the car door open, he got into the driver's seat. As he closed the door, he immediately put on his seatbelt and started the engine. He'd have a whole week to himself or two at least, before he'd start writing again. Then again, it took a long while before the sales of his book died down and even at that they don't actually stop selling. But being a writer sometimes meant having ideas stored at the back of your head just in case the need of a publication came up. He might as well come ready.
It was going to rain. The skies were a mix of dark blue and gray and he swore that he heard thunder roaring softly. It was going to be cold; a hot cup of coffee would be perfect for this kind of weather. He was starting to mellow out at least – which was a good thing. The last few days of no sleep and writer's block was not good for him. It never has been in the past. He sighed and scowled slightly to himself, driving a bit faster. The headache was coming back and he suddenly felt the need to lie down. It was a funny thing that stress would sink into his system after everything was done.
Eiri didn't see clearly that as he drove even faster on the road that there was a tall figure crossing the street. It was only a bit too late he realized that he was going to run over someone. The funny thing was, the stranger did not look or seem the least bit horrified. He stood there in the middle of the road, as if he had realized himself that there was a car headed his way and didn't know until that very moment. But he didn't move from his spot, he didn't even attempt to stop the car. He just stood there, waiting for him to stop.
Eiri swerved the car to the left. Avoiding him perfectly.
Thank goodness he was an excellent driver.
He frowned and removed his seatbelt, he was definitely annoyed now. This is the last thing he wanted and it seemed to have made the headache worse. He was going to get out of this car and he was going to give this guy a piece of his mind.
And then some.
"Oi." He called dryly, looking over to his direction. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The headlights to his car were blinking because of the sudden halt (it was an emergency measure installed in). Eiri could see the stranger a bit clearly now, though it was a bit hard to distinguish because blinking lights weren't exactly that helpful. But he did see that he was about just as tall as he was. His hair must've been a bit dark and he looked a bit pale.
There was one thing about him that he couldn't miss.
His eyes.
They were a shade of blue. A very noticeable shade of blue. The funny thing was, he couldn't tell just what kind of blue exactly. Was it azure? Cobalt? Sky blue? Ice blue? Not from this view at least. But they had this piercing, cold glare that was enough to make anyone freeze, catching anyone's attention from a two mile radius. Hell, he was amazed that it caught his attention.
It also got him staring inappropriately for more that two minutes. He was bewildered by it all, he shook his head.
"I said what the hell do you think you're doing?" he emphasized.
The stranger answered in a low and slightly gruff tone.
"Walking. What does it look like?"
Well, he sure had a sense of humor, didn't he? Eiri scowled and raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I know." He snapped back. "I mean, why the hell are you walking so slow on a road where a car can pass by and bowl you right over at any given minute." He paused. "Not that I care if you do get bowled over – but people need to use this road, too."
The stranger looked down, he looked displeased – frowning even more, his brows meeting. Eiri watched carefully, though he had half the mind to just leave the "idiot" alone.
"You ruined my coat." He muttered lowly, but enough for him to hear. He looked back at the blond. "It's soaked."
Eiri felt great annoyance escalating. But he became distracted at the thought that he has seen this man before. No, he didn't think that it was someone that he's bumped into before in one of those press releases. Perhaps they were in the same building once? He most certainly didn't seem like a reporter or a publisher that he was introduced to before. But come to think about it, that face – he has seen it before.
The closest he could think of was them being in the same building. That was some weeks ago maybe, months – the latest one he had before he had to write his new book. He'd gotten in the elevator on the third floor – but he'd forgotten about it, hadn't he? Maybe it wasn't that – but he knows that this face is familiar. The dark brown hair, the tall stature, the stern frown and the blue eyes (that could burn through buildings if he glared at them long enough). It was a bit blurry before, but it was coming back to him.
Eiri looked at him again. That coat, he wore it before – last time he saw it, the same person – wearing that coat, on the eleven o'clock news – about his multi-trillion yen gaming company.
There was no mistaking it. He was in the newspapers all the time, too.
His name? He heard it so many times, how could he not remember?
Kaiba Seto. CEO and Owner of Kaiba Corporation. The reporter's voice rang in his head.
"What are you staring at?" he asked from across him.
Eiri shook his head and sighed.
"You almost dented the bumper of my car, idiot."
"I'd get my checkbook but it's in my pocket and it's probably wet, no thanks to you." Seto retorted shortly.
The blond shook his head and sighed tiredly. "Get in the car."
The brunet looked surprised as he raised an eyebrow and frowned.
"Do you want your coat dry or what?"
To Be Continued