A business transaction. That's all this was. Seto Kaiba sat at the foot of a king-sized bed, hunched over, hands clasped. His gaze down towards his black dress shoes. Not out towards the nightly cityscape of downtown Domino City, shining brightly from millions of lights. Massive skyscrapers tearing into the darkened heavens. A few were outfitted with LED technology, flashing images advertising everything from the summer's blockbusters to toilet paper. From the window of his penthouse suite, on the 52nd floor of the La Jinn, the view would have taken away the breath of the average citizen. But not of Seto's.

He was far from an average man. At only age sixteen, he bore the title of Chief Executive Officer and President. Of the largest weapons manufacturing company in Asia, first established by his adoptive-father Gozoburo Kaiba. Just Seto didn't share his vision of squandering the talents of world-class engineers building instruments of war. Tearing apart communities and brutalizing its inhabitants. Senseless murder, in Seto's eyes. Competition between opposing parties was fine, but there were other ways to settle disputes, which is what led him to transform Kaiba Corporation into a gaming company.

Of course when he first presented this initiative to the Board of Directors, he was laughed at mercilessly. They called him a 'fool'. Told him how he didn't deserve to sit in the same chair where Gozoburo sat. Nothing but a spoil brat, he was. It was then that they showed him their true intentions behind voting out the former-CEO. They wanted to do as they pleased without that cigar-chomping tyrant getting in the way. No way they were to take orders from some pampered son. Seto scoffed and had every single one of them out on the street by the end of the week. A spoil brat he was not. He did not panic when stocks plummeted soon after, with multiple members of management turning in their letters of resignation. Gozuburo had put him through Hell for many years. There was no love between them. He wanted his heir to be as brutal is him. Seto drove him to suicide. Countless hours with sadistic tutors who carried around whipping crops, daring him to doze off, made Seto hard. Cold. Absolutely no sweat was lost with a little dip in profits.

In what felt like no time at all by comparison, investors flooded in with the introduction of 3D photorealistic holograms. First showcased at the Duel Monsters World Tournament held in New York City towards the end of that same year, with the completed prototype of the Duel Box. Players set down monster cards on a special electronic table that would read chips embedded within and its 3D miniature would appear. The arena went wild as they saw on the overhead screens a real monster battle unfolding. Seto could have stopped there, but he didn't. Not when stocks had peaked at an all-time high. Higher even than when Gozoburo was still around. A year later, he released the first ever Duel Disk, and hosted his own tournament. The town of Domino was overrun by monsters. This time, to their full scale. From parks, to alleyways, to the top of buildings. Everywhere, there were holograms duking it out. Unfortunately, he didn't emerge as the ultimate victor, but it was far from the only tournament he would host.

Money was no longer an object. Each subsequent tournament would be grander than the last. But only a handful he would participate in. Once Kaiba Corp was taken seriously as a gaming company, he became far too busy. He led the charge of transforming the entire industry. In all areas, ranging from tabletop games to casinos. In fact, the hotel where he was at tonight sat atop a casino floor. The La Jinn Casino & Resort, first opened when he was twenty-four-years old. In the past five years, Seto had only stayed there once, during its opening weekend. He was there observing every centimeter of the operation. Ensuring it was ran per his stringent standards. Rooms being properly cleaned; one wrapped chocolate square set on the pillow of every bed once it was tightly made. Toiletries perfectly aligned in the bathrooms. Carpeting in the halls shampooed at least once a month. He couldn't stand when it looked matted down and dirty.

The casino floor had a whole other checklist. Cleanliness was still a factor, and much trickier to enforce, but he made sure it got done around hours when foot-traffic was light. Also allowed for time for the slot machines to undergo routine maintenance. 'Out of Order'-signs were unacceptable. Potential revenue being lost for every minute they were down. Dealers had an extensive training period before they were even allowed to pick up a deck of cards. Seto played a few hands of blackjack before retiring to his room tonight. He was pleased with the Dealer's performance. The man didn't seem to recognize him as the proprietor of the establishment.

Fair enough. Seto's view in the public-eye had diminished somewhat in recent years, turning most of his attention more to the boring business-side of things. Attending stakeholder meetings, reading memos and earnings reports. The company had returned to the bureaucratic nightmare it had been prior to his hostile takeover as a teenager. It required a great deal of oversight that each cog in the grand machine was doing their part efficiently and effectively. Keeping true to the mission he set as soon as he became the head honcho. Kaiba Corp bringing joy to millions of children and the young at heart. Sure, it was corny. But it was leagues better than reigning terror with missiles and firearms.

After about twenty minutes of staring down at his feet, Seto finally stood up from the bed. Stretched his back and heard a crack. Jesus, he was only twenty-nine, yet he felt fifty-nine. He sure had been through enough to fill ten lifetimes, and he had many years ahead of him. Or at least he hoped. It had been a couple of years since he last had a physical. Doctor told him to lessen his stress and take it easy, otherwise he would have a heart attack before he was forty. But kudos were given to his regular exercise and high-protein diet. Seto had managed to maintain his lithe-physique through the years to where his suit measurements had grown very slightly from when he was younger. A pat to the gut was given after he straightened his tie in the mirror by the closet. Abs remained there, just not as defined as they once were. A gray strand found in his brown hair. He reached in to pluck it out without messing it up. Without a thought, he let it fall to the floor.

Again, he studied himself in the mirror. Slate-gray suit, steel-blue tie. The tie brought out his steel-blue gaze even more. As if they could kill. Ideal for the boardroom. Perhaps not for what he planned for tonight.

She was on her way. She had sent him a text not too long ago telling him so. Sophia was her name. At least that was the name she had given him over the phone when he called her. On the burner phone he bought at a corner market roughly a week ago. He didn't want to risk giving her the number to his personal cell. It was enough of a gamble inviting this unknown woman to see him in private. A lunch date first may have been wiser, but he didn't want the tabloids to have a field day in case there were some paparazzi still interested in his personal life. Cameras were prohibited at La Jinn. And access to the top five floors required card access. The room was booked in the name of "Seiji Ryuga", the name he had given her. Hopefully, security wasn't heavily scrutinizing the video footage in the halls. Unless something happened, and this woman needed to be identified. He prayed things wouldn't come to that. The headline flashed in his mind, "CEO of Kaiba Corp Drugged and Robbed at La Jinn Casino". The sheer humiliation. Scandalous. Possibly enough to force him into resignation. Seto felt his blood pressure rise at the sheer thought.

He was risking it all for a few hours with a prostitute. Everything he had worked so hard for could be gone by the end of the month. What the hell was he thinking? Was he even thinking? Too many years had gone by living as a monk. Around his early twenties, he had given the dating game a try only to be bitterly disappointed. It was either gold-diggers or some boring society girl. Society girls being more his taste. The thing was finding one that suited him. He even met with a matchmaker to help with this. Problem was, he struggled quite a bit describing to her what he was looking for. His dream-girl, he couldn't picture her. All his dreaming had gone towards his career. No imagination left for an ideal wife.

For the most part, he was fine with that. His younger brother, Mokuba, had been going steady with this one girl for some years. Any day now, he would pop the question to her. They would have a couple of kids. Hopefully one of them would be happy to be groomed as his successor. In a much kinder way than he was. His fortune needed to be left to someone.

But the baser urges of man, that carnal need for release, he wasn't free from its plague. Internet porn and his right hand just weren't doing it for him anymore. A fucking shame. His attention started going towards those advertisements for escorts. "The Girlfriend Experience". He called about four or five different numbers until he got the voice of someone that didn't sound like they were still in high-school. Sophia being the one who spoke to him with some maturity. Though, she spoke as if she was new to trying this herself. It added a level of comfort, both of them lacking experience. Would be easier to excuse himself for a lackluster performance.

"Christ…" Seto sighed as he found himself fiddling with the knot of his tie. Finally electing to take the damn thing off. An open collar was perfectly acceptable for this casual evening.

Knock, knock

Seto's heart nearly burst out of his chest from the sudden sound at the door. He breathed in deep before heading over to it. Right hand firmly grasped the handle, but not turning it. It's like all strength in it had left.

Knock, knock

Another jolt shocked him. Enough to get him to push the door handle down and pull the door open. All color draining from his face once he caught sight of "Sophia".

"Oh dear…" she said, her gaze moving down towards the floor.

"Anzu?" Seto asked.

"…"

Seto couldn't move. All he could do was stare. Dainty frame, peach-shaped face, blue-eyes, brown hair longer than he remembered, but he remembered this girl all too well. He had seen her plenty while in high-school. And she was the loudest cheerleader behind Yugi, his longtime rival in Duel Monsters back when he was an active player. God, this couldn't be happening.

"I…I should go." She mumbled as she turned to run away.

"Wait," Seto felt his hand grab her shoulder before she could step away from the door. Her back now towards him, refusing to turn around.

They both stood there for a good minute without moving or saying anything.

"Anzu…" Seto whispered. She didn't respond. "Anzu, please look at me."

Anzu did as told and turned around to face him, though she could not bring her eyes up to his.

"Can I…can I offer you a drink?" Was all he could think to say.

Anzu moved her head slightly, now towards the hall.

"Please. You came all this way. It's the least I can do." Seto said. Then swallowing the lump in his throat. "And I can explain…why I…why I needed to talk to someone."

Anzu's head moved up a bit to look up at him, eyes steadily making their way up to his. Fear. Sadness. He couldn't figure it out. But he knew she had to feel just as embarrassed as he did, if not more.

"One drink shouldn't hurt." Anzu tried to laugh the awkwardness away, cracking a weak smile.

Seto ushered her into his room. She took a seat on one of the white lounge chairs by the window, keeping the shawl she wore over her shoulders on, pulling down the hem of her dress as far as it could go. The mini-bar was where Seto went, grabbing two small bottles of vodka from the fridge. He poured each into two separate tumblers. No ice. He should probably run out and go get some from the machine down the hall. A hand reached for the ice bucket nearby. As soon as he did, she spoke.

"No ice is fine." Anzu said.

"Are you sure?" Seto asked. He never knew a woman who took her drink straight.

"Yes." Anzu answered simply as she fidgeted in her chair, attempting to set herself in a comfortable position.

Seto grabbed the two tumblers of vodka and walked over towards her. He handed her a glass before taking a seat on the lounge chair on the other side of round table between. Trying to get comfortable himself, he undid the front button of his suit jacket, letting his gut breathe. The first sip he took from his glass immediately felt. Her glass remained clasped between her two hands, atop her lap.

"Sorry, I forgot to ask. Is vodka okay? I can pour you something else. There is some mineral water and some juices in the fridge as well." Seto said.

"This is fine." Anzu responded with a false smile, eyes fixed on her drink.

"TV? Music?" Seto asked, hoping to lighten the air. It was becoming increasingly suffocating.

"No, that's alright." Anzu said.

Seto sat back and took another sip. About two more went down his throat before he dared to speak again.

"I'm still at Kaiba Corp, in case you were wondering." Seto opened up with his own forced laugh.

"That's…good…" Anzu said, at last taking a sip from her glass.

"Yes. And busier than ever. We're not just making Duel Disks anymore. My patented holographic technology is being used in movies now. Including in Hollywood…in America. Helps cut down on production costs without compromising artificial visuals. It pretty amazing." Seto continued.

"That's cool. Any movies I may have seen?" Anzu asked.

"I know it was used in that new Godzilla movie. God, I'm tired of remakes." Seto rolled his eyes. And earned a genuine laugh from Anzu. Though, she remained huddled in the back of her shell. A little more charm should do the trick. "You see any good movies this year?"

"Umm…no. I haven't been to a theater in a while. And I don't remember the last movie I saw on TV. I guess it wasn't very good." Anzu shrugged with a soft chuckle.

Expression, forlorn. Seto couldn't help but wonder if it was over her latest job choice or him that made her that way. He wanted to broach the subject, thinking over a tactile way on how.

"Keeping busy, too?" Seto asked.

"Yeah…" She sighed.

"It's hard this day and age, isn't it? I can't remember the last time I sat through an entire movie. Mokuba dragged me out to see one of those Transformer movies some years ago. I got a phone call from the office and had to leave about half an hour in. He was pretty upset about that. I guess he's happy he's no longer vice president." Seto said.

"What is he up to lately?" Anzu asked. Seto remembered how she was somewhat close to his brother when he was a kid. Curiosity lit a minor spark in her eyes.

"He's been traveling the world with his girlfriend. I get pictures sent to me in the middle of the night of him at some beach or some landmark." Seto answered.

"Sounds like fun." Anzu said.

"He sure looks like he's enjoying himself. Living his life and running up his brother's credit cards." Seto laughed. He didn't mind. It was a good thing that at least one of the Kaiba brothers was happy.

"Do you ever go with him?" Anzu asked.

"Nah. I only travel for business. I can only tell you about the different hotels across the globe. Not nearly as exciting." Seto explained, emptying out his glass.

"You should give yourself a vacation every once in a while." Anzu said.

"You're starting to sound like my doctor." Seto said.

"Sorry…" Anzu said.

"No, don't be. It's just…finding ways to relax isn't exactly simple with my schedule." Seto sighed, getting up to refill at the mini-bar.

Anzu looked down at her hands and took another drink from her glass. Seto pulled out two miniature bottles of whiskey and poured them both into his glass.

"Refill?" Seto asked her.

"I'm still working on this first drink." Anzu answered. "Thank you."

Before sitting back down, he removed his suit jacket and rolled the sleeves up to his shirt. Seeing him remove some clothing seemed to stir up her nerves as her body tensed, leading her to sip the rest of her vodka. She coughed as it burned her throat.

"Water?" Seto asked.

"No thanks." Anzu said, setting her empty glass down on a coaster.

Seto leaned back, crossing his legs as he turned to look at her.

"Listen Anzu, I'm not expecting anything from you. I think its safe to say that ship has sailed. So go ahead and relax. We can talk for a little bit more. Drink a little more. And then I'll call you a cab when you're ready to go. Sounds good?" Seto explained.

Again, Anzu seemed to be more interested in her feet than him.

"Anzu, look at me." More bass came out of Seto's voice than intended, making her appear more nervous than a moment ago. But she did as he demanded. Fear definitely present this time. His eyes pierced into hers as he spoke. "Obviously, I had some other plans for tonight. However, please understand that circumstances changed as soon as I opened the door. Don't waste anymore of my time. If you don't want to be here, I won't force you to stay. And I will pay you your full fee."

"Kaiba…" Anzu struggled to find a response.

"Seto. Please call me 'Seto'. This isn't high-school anymore. I'm over all that bullshit with Yugi. And I'm now more open to the concept of 'friendship'. Is that okay with you?" Seto asked.

"Kaiba, please let me explain." A tear strayed from Anzu's eye.

"There is nothing you need to explain to me." Seto cut in. "I maybe one of the richest men in the country, but I'm not ignorant to the average person's struggle."

Tears were now pouring out of Anzu's eyes like waterfalls, smearing her makeup. She tried wiping them away with her bare hands. Seto stood up to grab the box of tissue on the nightstand.

"Thank you." Anzu said, grabbing some before he sat the box down on the table between them.

"You're welcome." Seto nodded before returning to his seat. In one gulp, he finished the rest of his whiskey. Boy, was he feeling it now.

"You sure have softened up in your old age." Anzu joked with a smile through her tear-stained face.

"Yeah…being angry all of the time was too exhausting." Seto responded. His gaze transfixed on a painting of a boat on a lake that hung near a bed. Why did he think this was a good aesthetic choice for the rooms?

Anzu decided to get up from her chair and head to the mini-fridge herself. She pulled out the one bottle of champagne.

"Do you mind if we open this?" Anzu asked, grasping its neck in her hands.

"What are we celebrating?" Seto asked.

"You not being a selfish asshole anymore." Anzu laughed. Puffy eyes couldn't hide her true radiance.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I fired two guys this week. Bet they called me an 'asshole' for that." Seto joked.

"Don't ruin it, Kaiba. I mean, Seto." Anzu made a slight wince. It must have felt weird to call him by his given name.

After a few glasses of champagne, 'Seto' seemed to fly out of her mouth. And she wasn't shy about telling him how much of a jackass he used to be. Seto took it in stride. It took years for him to conquer his inner demons, but he eventually did. And he was proud of that. Gozoburo never deserved a place in his mind. And his rivalry with Yugi had grown to an unhealthy obsession. Motherfucker acted as though he didn't matter. But Seto learned to focus on himself. Better himself. Be the man he always wanted to be. With everything he wanted as a boy. He'd given himself and his brother the life they dreamed of back in the orphanage. Spreading that joy to the four corners of the earth. It was a beautiful thing.

The only think left for him to do was sit back and enjoy it. Over a decade of pushing himself to the limit, he was finally learning how to do just that. All thanks to a bubbly cheerleader he knew from way back when.

With all the alcohol he had running through his system, he wasn't sure who made the first move. Him or her. But he was glad one of them did. He kissed her hard and lied her down on the mattress. Continuing to kiss her as he stripped her out of her dress. Free from that thing, she took charge and stripped him out of his clothes. When it came time, he clumsily searched in the dark for his pants for the condoms he had in his stuffed in his pocket. He asked her if she was sure, leading her to push her hand onto his groin, telling him she was. Sunrise bled through the window before they tired themselves out. He rolling onto on his back and she huddling on his chest.

The knock from housekeeping woke him later that day. By then, Anzu was nowhere to be found. Devastation hit Seto like a brick. Heart dragging on the floor as he shouted to the housekeeper from the other side of the door to skip his room for today. Not a single item of Anzu's clothing remained behind. Not even her shawl. All Seto found was a note by the mini-bar.

"Thank you for last night. It would be nice to see you again! – Anzu"

Seto had no idea of what to make of the note. Did this mean they were friends or something more? Which did he prefer? He didn't know. But almost instinctively, he searched for his phone. The crappy flip phone he had bought that same week to give her a call.

No answer. Voicemail box full. He damn near threw his phone into the wall. Giving himself a second to compose himself, he sent her a text message.

"Last night was great. I can't wait to see you again. – Seto"

Goodness, he sounded desperate. But why bother playing coy? He felt something with her he couldn't explain.

He sat back down on the bed, where he had unleashed a passion he hadn't felt in years. Something a woman had never brought out of him. Naked and unashamed, he waited anxiously for his phone to buzz.

All morning, he waited there. Images of the night before replaying over and over in his head. How he grabbed her. How she grabbed him. Hungry. Demanding. When she screamed his name, 'Seto', once she reached her peak, it drove him mad. Thighs twitching, loins set ablaze. Wound him up like some wild beast as he charged to his limit, collapsing onto her. She held onto him while he caught onto his breath. Seconds ticked on like hours. He kissed her, she kissing him back. The entire ritual repeating itself. Until the break of dawn.

Seto craved to experience it all over again. He wanted the heat of her body pressed against his. Forevermore.

Phase 2 of his hangover kicked in after about a dozen replays. His body needed rest. He fell back against the mattress. Head rested over his arm. Jaw sagging.

His phone finally buzzed as he snored. It buzzed until it dropped onto the floor. A single buzz hit after that. A new message. It glowed on the face.

"I'm free tonight"

Author's notes: Hello beautiful readers! Here was my first crack at Azureshipping. I hope you all enjoyed! ^_^

I chose to write this with the manga in mind, instead of the animated show. I think the Noah arc needlessly complicated Kaiba's past. Even in the manga, his whole past is still a bit wonky, but easier to mold for the purpose of this story. It was fun writing him as a big softy. Deep down, I'm sure he is. -RF