WOW, I just checked my stats! I never thought so many people would like my story! Big thanks to everyone that is reading, reviewing, and enjoying my work. I really appreciate all the feedback I'm getting.
And to show how much I appreciate you guys, I wrote a chapter chock full of events, although this was probably the easiest chapter to write so far. As an extra bonus, there will also be a cameo appearance by another YuGiOh! Cast member!
This installment is all about Seto and Ishizu finally meeting face to face, but before you start reading here's a quick message:
DISCLAIMER: YuGiOh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi-sensei, If I owned it both Seto and Ishizu would have been in more episodes.
CHAPTER 5: STAGE II - DETERMINING INTEREST
In the living room of the Kaiba mansion, Seto is staring at his younger brother as if he had lobsters coming out of his ears.
"Why on earth would I want to go to a museum fund-raiser?"-asks the elder Kaiba.
"Why not? It's for a semi-good cause."
"And what would that be, Mokuba?"
" Well, Ishizu said it was for the "cultural rejuvenation of Domino City", whatever that means."
"So, you were at the museum again today," -observes Seto. "I thought you said you were out with friends?"
"I was out with friends today! For your information, I talked to Ishizu two days ago."
Seto makes a sound in acknowledgment and rolls his eyes as Mokuba joins his brother on the large couch. Looking at the CEO, the younger Kaiba notices the tired expression on his face. Mokuba sighs as a concerned look enters his eyes.
"I'm really starting to get worried about you, Seto. Ever since you started this new project, you've barely slept at all."
"Time is money, Mokuba."
"Fine, but you need to relax sometime."
"And your idea of relaxing, is me spending my free time surrounded by pompous, rich idiots."
"A party is still a party, and besides it might help your image if you show your generous side."
"Mokuba, I don't care what people think of me. And even if I did, I still wouldn't go."
"But aren't you curious?"
"About what?"-inquires Seto with a raised eyebrow.
"About a certain archaeologist that'll be there. I bet she'll look amazing."
As Mokuba speaks, Seto's mind wanders back to the dream he just woke up from. The Ishizu he saw looked exactly like the way he remembered her. Stunning azure eyes that stand out from her golden complexion and long raven-colored hair that falls right below her shoulders. A perfect hourglass figure that leads to her long shapely legs . . .
The memory causes Seto to admit to himself, that Ishizu is one of the most gorgeous women that he's ever known. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Kaiba wonders what the Egyptian beauty looks like now. However, as all this crosses his mind, Mokuba has been watching Seto with an all-knowing smirk on his face.
"I know what you're thinking about . . ." -teases the younger Kaiba in a sing-song voice.
"You shouldn't be so presumptuous."
"No need to be such a prude, it's perfectly normal for someone your age to be thinking like "that" about a girl."
" . . . "
"So, are you going to the museum fund-raiser or not?"
"You failed to give a reason that will convince me to go."
"Ishizu isn't a good enough reason?"
"If I wanted to see Ishizu, I wouldn't suffer through a tedious party to do so."
At that response, Mokuba starts to think of another way to get his brother to go to the museum. Coming up with nothing, he decides on another approach.
"Then how about we play for it?"
"What?"
"You and I will play a game of chess. If I win, you have to go to the museum fund-raiser."-challenges Mokuba.
"Fine, but if I win, you will tell me exactly what it is you and your friend Marik Ishtar have been up to."
Hearing Seto's condition, Mokuba's eyes widen and his jaw drops. His brother, however, has a smile on his face that would make even a Great White shark nervous.
"You've been checking the phone records again haven't you?"
"No, but you shouldn't have used my secretary to acquire his phone number and address."
As Kaiba finishes, Mokuba silently curses under his breath for underestimating his brother's intelligence.
"Fine, I'll go get the board."
Mokuba gets up and gathers the chess set. The board is crafted out of fine mahogany inlayed with black and white marble. Matching marbled pieces, that are finely carved to resemble their real-life counterparts, rest in the hidden compartment of the board. As he finishes setting up the game on the coffee table, Mokuba has a determined look on his face. Seto notices his brother's expression and smirks to himself as he reaches out a hand towards one of the black pawns to start the game . . .
After some skillful moves, both Kaiba brothers have amassed a pile of their opponents pieces on their respective sides of the board - the game coming to it's inevitable end. Mokuba is in deep thought, staring at the board in front of him, as he contemplates his next move. Grey eyes widen as they realize that his white queen has managed to get in range of his brother's black monarch. Mokuba picks up his piece and makes his move.
"Checkmate!"
Seeing this, Seto's eyes widen as Mokuba beams in victory. Kaiba smirks to himself as his brother basks in one of his rare victories over the CEO.
"Congratulations little brother, on a game well played."
"Thank you, but I must be going."
"Where to?"
"Well dear brother, I have to order you a tuxedo of course, you have a banquet to go to!" -taunts Mokuba, laughing as he leaves the room.
Once his younger brother is out of listening range, Seto allows a chuckle to escape his own mouth. He picks up the black queen, staring at the carved feminine face intensely as he thinks.
"The things I do for you . . ." -muses the world class chess player to himself.
With that, Seto stands up and places the black queen next to the white king on the chessboard. He then walks away to finish some work in his office, his mind wandering to thoughts of a certain Egyptian woman that he would be seeing in the very near future . . .
The night of the museum fund-raiser has arrived. The roman-styled structure is illuminated with the bright spotlights in front of it. The buzz of paparazzi reporters and camera flashes fill the air as limousines and other luxury cars pull up to the red carpet-lined staircase. Glamourous celebrities, wealthy businessmen, and influential politicians enter the grand building and make their way to the third floor - The European Renaissance wing.
The spacious area is surrounded by full-length stained glass windows than depict famous scenes of the middle ages. Lining the walls are fragrant floral arrangements of wild flowers like lavender and daisies that compliment the decor. One of the far walls has an elaborate water feature that pools into a mosaic basin. Candles float in the clear water creating a soft glow as they reflect off the smooth tiles. From the high ceiling hang flags and banners adorned with the family crests of famous European clans. They wave in the breeze coming from the open balcony as an orchestra plays softly to serenade the guests as they enter the room. Waiters meander through the growing crowd, offering glass flutes of champagne on silver trays, careful not to bump into any of the antiquities that are on display.
Standing in front of a particularly imposing suit of armor, is Seto Kaiba himself. He is wearing an all black outfit(Mokuba couldn't get his brother to wear a tuxedo, but he didn't let him leave the house in one of his trademark coats) that strangely suits the CEO. A black button-up shirt stretches across his chest and is tucked into his matching slacks. Over this is a tailored black suit jacket, reminiscent of his "normal" outerwear, that extends to his knees. Kaiba's eyes focus on the fine detail of the metalwork before him, even when the museum owner calls for attention to greet the wealthy patrons. As the man on stage drones on, Seto continues to ignore him until he hears a familiar name.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce the new curator of the museum and resident Egyptologist , Dr. Ishizu Ishtar!"
As the crowd applauds the new curator, Seto looks up to be greeted by the sight of Ishizu Ishtar standing at a glass podium. Her dark hair has been swept into an "up" hair-style that shows off her graceful neck. To compliment her natural skin tone, the Egyptian wears a champagne-colored dress with a v-neck line and straps that fall slighty off the shoulder. The silky fabric subtly reveals her curves and flares out mid-thigh in a mermaid fashion. Ishizu clears her throat and smiles as she begins to speak.
"Thank you all for such a warm welcome. I hope that you are all having a marvelous time tonight as Shinoda-san went to great expense to host this event. As the new curator here, I encourage you all to examine the collection of European history we have here on display. And if you, like myself, wish to allow such treasures to be continually shared with the rest of Domino City, please make a contribution. I promise you that your support will be going towards a truly worthy cause. Thank you and please enjoy the rest of your evening."
As the crowd applauds again, Ishizu leaves the podium and descends into the sea of museum patrons. From his place next to the suit of armor, Seto watches as she is approached by some business men and their wives. As his blue gaze remains on the hostess of the fund-raiser, he fails to notice a woman next to him.
"Funny seeing you here, Kaiba. You normally aren't one to make public appearances at functions like these."
Turning his head to the side, Seto is face to face with Mai Valentine. The blonde has her hair twisted into a high pony tail and is wearing a powder-blue silk kimono with an elaborate dark blue obi. Mai has a mischievous smile on her face as her violet eyes look up at the tall man beside her.
"I could say the same to you,"-begins Seto in a dry tone. "Although the traditional kimono is a bit of a surprise."
"If you must know, I'm here with a friend and he insisted that I dressed to match him."-replies Mai as she waves across the room to a handsome man in a dark blue kimono.
"Does Wheeler know about this? I thought the two of you were dating."
"We are, but it never hurts to make a man jealous every once in a while."
"I wouldn't know." -Seto replies as he rolls his eyes.
"I bet you wouldn't, but I'm sure Ishizu does, or will soon enough."
"What are you getting at Mai?"
"Nothing."-replies Mai with an all-knowing smirk, her gaze falling on the museum's curator. "I've got to give you credit though Kaiba, you have impeccable taste when it comes to women."
With that, the blonde duelist grins and leaves the CEO with a puzzled look in his eyes. However, before Seto can turn his attention back to Ishizu, he is dragged into a rather boring conversation. From a distance, a pair of cerulean eyes sneak a glance at him, watching with amusement, as his annoyance visibly grows.
After about an hour into the party, Seto manages an escape to the balcony before being trapped in another tiresome discussion. He walks to the stone rail that edges it, staring out into the dark night and the park below bathed in moonlight. Leaning onto the railing, Kaiba runs a large hand through his chestnut brown hair.
"Do you mind if I join you, Seto?" -inquires a voice tinged with an Egyptian accent.
At the sound of his name passing through her lips, a jolt travels through his tall, lean body. Surprised that something so simple has such an effect on him, Kaiba turns to look at Ishizu(now wearing a wrap to cover her bare shoulders). His eyes hold an expression saved just for her, a look of interest that manages to silently challenge her to impress him.
"That depends," -Seto begins. "Do you ask just out of common courtesy or are you actual taking my comfort into consideration?"
"You flatter me by suggesting my answer has any effect on yours."
"I guess I do."
Taking his indifferent response as an invitation, Ishizu walks over to join him. The two haven't broken eye contact since their conversation started, blue locked on blue. Upon reaching the tall Japanese man, a smile crosses the Egyptian woman's face.
"It's been quite awhile since we last saw each other,"-muses Ishizu, turning to look at the view. "Although, I've been hearing some interesting things about you."
"You shouldn't believe everything you hear on television."
"I know, that's why I only believe what Mokuba has told me."
"My brother talks about you a lot, your friendship with him has had an interesting effect on the kid."
"Speaking of friendships with interesting effects, I hear that you and Marik have been getting along as well."
"Your brother has his good points," -admits Seto. "He can be quite amusing."
"Tell me about it."
A strange, comfortable silence settles upon the two as they think about their recent friendships with the other's sibling. As a light breeze blows by them, causing Ishizu to tighten her wrap, she steals a glance at Seto. His brown hair stirs softly as his cobalt blue eyes stare outward, a content look on his features. Although there is some visible tension, Kaiba looks more relaxed than Ishizu has ever seen him. As she wonders why, he turns towards her with an eyebrow arched in question.
"See something you like?"
Hearing his voice laced with a teasing undertone, Ishizu comes out of her reverie.
"You have an interesting face."
"How so?"-asks the CEO, slightly thrown off by her sudden statement.
"Well," -begins the Egyptologist. "At first glance, I'm sure most people are quite intimidated by those glares you are so fond of."
Ishizu's observation earns a small chuckle from the man next to her as she continues.
"However, if you look closer, the subtleties of your face give away your true thoughts."
"Really?"
"Looking at you right now, even though you hide it well, I can tell that you've been stressed out recently. Tonight is probably the first night in a while that you've let yourself relax. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that you're even in a good mood."
"How are you so sure that I'm not just a good actor?"
"I've always been able to tell when you were lying, Seto. Ever since we first met in this very museum."
As she responds, Ishizu's eyes search his the same way they did when she handed him Obelisk the tormentor. The unwavering certainty in her voice unnerves Kaiba for a second, but in a surprisingly good way. The comfortable silence returns as the Egyptian turns back to stare into the night, memories of the past floating in her head.
"Why did you come back to Domino City?"
The single question from Kaiba, brings Ishizu back to the present. As heat rises to her face, she silently thanks the gods that her dark skin hides the blush forming across her cheeks.
"Well, I was offered the job as the museum curator-"
"I'm well aware of that," -interrupts Seto. "Was that your only reason?"
As Seto asks his question, his blue eyes stare her down, almost demanding an answer from her.
"Why are you asking?"
"Your reappearance back in Domino, was rather sudden. My instincts tell me that it was for a reason other than just a job promotion."
At first, Ishizu's eyes widen at how well honed the CEO's instincts are. She then smirks to herself before she turns her head to look him in the eye.
"It continues to amaze me how well you can read people, even someone like me." -admits the former Tomb keeper. "If I had to give one reason why I came here, it would most likely be . . . boredom."
"Boredom?"
"Daily life is a lot different in Egypt than it is here. As much as I love my homeland, everything moves to a certain rhythm, a rhythm that never really changes. I suppose I just needed something that broke the monotony."
"Was it worth it?"
At his question, the curator carefully ponders her answer. Ishizu then turns her body to completely face Seto, her sapphire eyes locked on the man before her. After a few moments, a genuine smile appears on her face as the Egyptian raises a hand to brush stray hair out of the deep blue eyes that are fixed on her.
"Yes, it was worth it. By returning to Domino, I was fortunate enough to reunite with the only person who has never managed to bore me."
As her fingers trail down his face, Seto gently grabs hold of her hand. The intensity of his ice-blue eyes is enough to freeze her to the spot. Their first skin to skin contact sends shivers down both their spines and increases their heart beats. New to these types of feelings, Ishizu and Kaiba take a few steps back after realizing their dangerously close proximity.
"I should have returned to the party, a long time ago. I've been ignoring the other guests." -rationalizes the Egyptian woman as she turns towards the ongoing party.
"I understand."-replies the Japanese man, turning back to look at the night sky.
As they stand there, Ishizu facing one way and Seto facing the other, the two reflect on their conversation. The champion duelist looks down at the elegant woman next to him with a rare smile and surprises her by offering his arm. Taking it, Ishizu smiles as the two walk off of the balcony and back into the party. Once inside the room, the two part and face each other.
"Goodnight, Dr. Ishtar. Tonight was rather enlightening."
"Goodnight to you as well, Mr. Kaiba. The museum looks forward to your future patronage."
With those formal farewells, the CEO and the Egyptologist turn from one another and head into the crowd. Both of them trying to hide the growing smiles on their faces.
- TSUDUKU!(TO BE CONTINUED)
NINJA-RENKA: Chapter 5 is done and the anticipation is now over! Seto and Ishizu have finally reunited as a result of the machinations of their younger brothers. The point of this chapter was to show the growing intimacy between our favorite couple and the attraction they already have for each other-
MARIK: OHMYGOD, I just realized something! This is the first chapter without ME in it!
MOKUBA: I'm sure your presence was surely missed. What I'm trying to figure out is if Seto let me win that chess match . . .
NINJA-RENKA: ANYWAYS! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter because, as always, I had a lot of fun writing it-
MARIK: That's it! Next chapter better have me in it or I swear . . .
MOKUBA: ARGH! I can't take it anymore! I'm challenging Seto to a chess rematch RIGHT NOW!
NINJA-RENKA: SIGH The next chapter, called RECRUITING EXTRA HELP, will be about Marik and Mokuba trying to complete the final stages of the plan. However with Ishizu and Seto getting suspicious, the partners in crime need some back up!
MARIK: Hurry up and write it already!
NINJA-RENKA: Alright, alright keep your shirt on, I'm already writing it. It should be up in the next few days if everything goes according to plan. I'll talk to you guys in the next chapter, LATER DAYS!
-NINJA-RENKA OUT!